rods and reels

i have been trying to get on this websit for the past few mounths and i finnaly got on
but i have never been much of a fisherman, i would go out almost every weekend and catch sunfish but nothing to brag about. i also have been using my dads old rod and reel for the past few years. but now that i have been going fishing with the rednecks , i have come to the conclusion that i need some better stuff if i am going to keep up with redneck jr. so if there is any favorits with the new rods and reels out there i would really like some input

thanks :waytogo

dont know what u want to spend. but i like my st croix avids matched with a shimano symetre. If you want to spend a bit more upgrade the symetre to a stradic. this is a spinning combo. ohters can give better advice than me if you want a baitcasting combo.

i think that i would stay with the spinning combo and my price range would be some where around 190 – 200 dollars

thanks

Did you have fun cutting trees after school

You can’t go wrong with 30 dollar shimano rod and reel combo, That’s what all my spinning reels are.

hey,

One of my bass rods is over 20 years old,and it still works great. its all how you work to get the fish, if you go out and buy a $250 rod doesn’t mean your going to get better fish. just my opinon

Thanks,

Aaron

yes you do have a point there.
but if only you saw what shape my stuff is you would know.
my rod is about to snap, there are 3-4 cracks in it, and my reel is all rusted from the rainy days that my dad used it and it will only cast about 2 feet, it also had a trigger for the bail, ooooops! thats gone and thats just part of my problem. but i really dont know what to look for! thats the main problem

Welcome sledhead. Great to have you with us. Please feel free to share and post all you want. Does the money you want to spend figure for one rod/reel combo or a couple of them? Personally I love my St. Croix rods. I’m hooked on them. An option for you to get a couple rod and reel combos and get both of the rods being a custom made rod with St. Croix blanks would be to contact Mike Smith at Hooked On Fishing in Rochester. They ship rods and reels to people all the time so no problem there. You can tell him what kind of fishing you plan to do and he can help you decide what kind of rod you will need. You can send him a pm on this site or call him at the store. I will provide you with a link to his website. He is a sponsor of this site and also helps moderate the Rochester Area Lakes Forum under the Minnesota Lakes. Hes real easy to pm on the Rochester forum.
Thanks, Bill

Avids and symetres are nice stuff. My question is does a person who is “i have never been much of a fisherman” really want to spend a couple hundred dollars on a fishing pole? You might be ahead of the game if you spent $100 on the rod/reel and $100 on baits to hang on it. After you have used this for a while then decide if you really need the best. Keeping up with “Redneck Jr” is all about who catches the most fish. Not who spends the most on equipment.
Just my $.02 worth….

Hi Sledhead!
Welcome to the IDA!!

I personally would focus on Rapala Rods and Berkley Lightning rods for your all around weekend adventures. They are cheap and good rods with good sensitivity. They run you about $30 to $50. Get a decent Shimano or Mitchell reel for another $30 to $50 and you have a good setup.

Another option to seriously look at is the combos that Bass Pro Shops has. Their rods are great quality and they offer a ton of combos from $60 to $120. The $120 Extreme combos I feel supercede the St. Croix Avids for rod performance.

Good luck and again welcome!!!

well i dont think i explanded it well enough, but all i am saying is that i have 200 dollars saved to buy anything i want. i was looking for information on what to get not what is the most expensive, if there is a rod that is .02$ and every body liked i will condider it. then i will have some more extra money for somthing else. but a new rod and reel is the most important right now. u know what i mean.

If that is the case, I agree with Gary on the Berkley Lighting Rod ($34.99 a Joes Sporting Goods this week). I think that is a great rod for the money. I have a few in my boat for extras. As for what type of Berkley, it would depend on what you will be fishng for and where (Lakes or Rivers).

Can’t go wrong with a Shimano reels. Symetre would be my choice, but the Sedenoa and Sahara aren’t bad for the money either.

So you could probably get 2 or 3 different rod/reel combos for your $200. Or perhaps some more crankbaits instead ( I never seem to have to many of them). Hope this helps, just my 2 cents worth.

Oh yeah…. Welcome aboard to IDA . If you like fishing, this place is the best on the net !

Let me jump in here and explain a little. I know this young man and he’s 14 and starting to get the river bug (I think). For someone that age to spend that kind of change I am very impressed. I know there are alot of distractions out there to take a person’s money. I would suggest that the next time we’re out you borrow Redneckjr’s rod and see how it feels. The you can give mine a try. The boy uses a St. Croix and I’ve got a Gander Classic(till I lose it over the side). Either way you go you can come in under your price range and end up with a heck of a set-up. Let me finish by saying you are welcome in our boat anytime we have an empty seat and we’re going to get you into a big walleye one day soon. If I knew how to post a picture I would post your fish from last Saturday but I am computer stupid so maybe the boy will post it soon. Sled is already sticking a few with the equipment he has and he understands the value of letting the big girls go.

Sled- dont forget, on July 23rd we have a annual Get-Together at Everts. I GIVE AWAY A CUSTOM ST.CROIX ROD AND REEL TO THE JUNIOR AGE BRACKET FOR THE LARGEST WALLEYE OR SAUGER OF THE DAY. Its a 7ft med action with fast tip. Made by Hooked on Fishing . Make sure your there and if ya win ya get it for free. FISHINFOOL