Casting rod/reel recommendations

My son (16yo) has really taken to bass fishing in the last year or so, and wants to get a casting rod/reel. I fish for pretty much everything but bass, and rarely use the casting setup I have…

Currently, he uses my combo which is a 7’1″ Skeet Reese MH and a Revo S (picked them both up for cheap on clearance a while back), and he does like that set up, but wants another so he can quickly change baits.

I’m looking for advice on a setup or at least power/action/length/gear ratio of a setup that would be easy casting and comfortable to use mainly for swim jigs and spinner baits…so I came to the experts!

TIA

I’d look at the Shimano SLX rod and reel. Both about $100 and many strong reviews on each. Medium Heavy Fast and 7:1 gear ratio would be good for what you’re looking to do.

You can find cheaper than $100 casting reels, but when it comes to baitcasting gear you for the most part get what you pay for. Cheaper stuff that backlashes easily doesn’t get used very long IMO.

I do know you can still find the tatula sv 103s on sale for around $120ish. I just picked up one of those and a tatula xt rod to put it on. The xt rods are $100. Have not used the XT yet but I love all of my tatula reels I have. I have also heard great things on the SLX mentioned above but I have not personally used them.

Frydog is spot on.There are 2 St-Croixs on here that are priced fair.

One of the best rods in the $100 range are the new Fenwick Eagles. The new design has a lifetime warranty and the performance is very much improved over previous generations.

Some good reels mentioned above, it’s also worth looking at the generation 5 Abu Garcia Revo reels. They’re tough, durable, and perform extremely well.

I can confirm the SLX reels by Shimano as being solid for the price point. I bought one in March 2022 and used it all of last season and thus far this season. The big grippy rubber handles are especially a nice feature they have.

Go with Frydogs picks here. For the money the SLX rods and reels are great bang for the buck. You can obviously get better gear, but that’s a great choice for him and when he’s ready to get something a little better, this setup will still be quality enough for him to use as his fishing talents grow.

Whatever brand that has the best anti-backlash tech. The backlash can take the fun faster than a bass takes a Hula Popper.

Shimano all the way.

tim hurley wrote:

Whatever brand that has the best anti-backlash tech. The backlash can take the fun faster than a <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bass takes a Hula Popper.

The best anti backlash tech can still backlash. Learning how to do it on regular baitcasting tech is one, not too hard, and two, serve him better down the road.

If you’re anywhere near thorne bros. that’s a really great shop, and the people working there are very knowledgeable which is rare these days. The base Shimano SLX reel is $99.99. Rods, there are sooooo many these days. I’d look for a 7 foot long medium heavy power rod. That’s a good bread and butter rod that will handle 90% of bass presentations.

tim hurley wrote:

Whatever brand that has the best anti-backlash tech. The backlash can take the fun faster than a <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bass takes a Hula Popper.

I would prefer to learn on a regular baitcaster, most these days are already very good for anti backlash. But if you don’t learn the right way then you are learning the wrong way and that will not help in the future. A couple hours in the yard practicing goes a long way. When the kid was 9 or 10 I gave him a Diawa fuego and let him go to town. Now that he’s 13 he is more efficient then I am.

I don’t think they make a reel nowadays without “anti-backlash” tech arguing over a moot point.

crawdaddy wrote:

I don’t think they make a reel nowadays without “anti-backlash”
Wasn’t meant to be a argument. Point being I don’t think any one this day needs the best of anything. They are all pretty dang solid this day and age.
If it seemed argumentative, my bad. It wasn’t supposed to.

My old man can defeat the very best anti-backlash technology in the game

I spent the money on the reels and put them on a nice Scheels branded rods that cost less than $50.00 each. And I’ve done that three times now and with zero regrets. The reels are all mid-range Tatulas and all are spooled with 20 pound braid since I’m not planning on pulling stumps.

I’m convinced that by putting your buying power in better reels a person can mount them on cane poles and fish pretty darned effectively.

Probably 60 years ago I would sneak into a private gravel pit and cast Hul Poppers to a hump that almost broke the surface. The water was pretty clear if they weren’t operating the dredge nearby and the hump’s weeds were easily seen. I caught huge sunfish on that thing as well as LM Bass of unusual sizes. 2 dudes ran the pit and I’d get caught and booted about twice a week. One day one of the guys came over with a fish basket and said to go ahead and fish but be darned sure to have some of those sunnies in the basket, pinned to shore, when I left. The next trip out the two guys came over and asked what I fished with and were surprised when I showed them the ratty old Hula Popper. The next time I went there they handed me a bag with an assortment of the baits, said “I” could fish whenever I wanted as long as I was alone and I was never to let others know where I was fishing. That worked for me and over the course of that summer and the next couple summers I enjoyed some outstanding fishing in that sand pit. As I got older and got my driver’s license my interest in that pit waned and my adventures widened. BUT I still remember that sand pit and those two old guys that I never learned the names of and of course those Hula Poppers.

dirtywater wrote:

My old man can defeat the very best anti-backlash technology in the game