Favorite Rod and Reel Combo?

[bluestringer]

I'm using Shimano Terramar rods 7'0 tmc-70mh with Shimano Cardiff reels, 301a & 401a with a clicker. 20# ande mono on the 301 and 50# cortland greenspot braid on the 401. nice setups. both reels are lefthand crank although 'm right handed. Grew up with spinning reels so I feel more comfortable cranking with my left. so I don't have to switch hands.
Hard to beat shimano stuff. smooth as a silkworms fart. lol

[rjte85]

Abu Garcia Revo SX30 with a 7' Vendetta MH Rod, have caught everything with this, Love abu Garcia, only Reels i fish with

[bunnielab]

i have not seen many two piece baitcasting rods...?? i would think you can have a very nice quality set up well within your budget imho. bass pro carbon lite rods @ 99.00 + or - nice rod for the dollar.

Yeah, there are a few out there but they are way more uncommon then 2-part spinning rods. Anyone know if there is a disadvantage to a 2-part casting rod?

When I got into fishing this summer I swore to myself I would not freak out and buy a ton of stuff before I knew what I was doing. I think I have the beginnings of a handle on what I want/need now but the urge to freak out grows stronger each day.

[JohnE]

Just ordered up a Pflueger Supreme XT and 7' Tiger Lite casting rod. This reel only weighs 6.5 oz. Can't wait to try it out. They have a really good price on the supreme xt at wally world online if anybody is looking for a nice baitcaster. I was going to go for the curado, but this was a much better deal and I have heard really good things about the pflueger baitcasters.

[JohnE]

Got a Lews bb2 instead of the pfluger. They screwed up my order at wally world and I went out and bought the lews locally. Lews bb2 on a tiger lite 1-5 oz rod is my new toggin and flounder rig. Already one of my favorites just playing with it in the house, but about to take it down and brake it in properly at cbbt shortly. I really want a caluctta for tog and some other species, but going to see if the bb2 can hang for both tog and flounder.

[Mark]

I just got a Lew's BB1 from Tackle Direct. I was real happy because the left-hand retrieve (my preference) was almost $30 less than the right-hand retrieve model. Perhaps the demand for left-hand models is lower.

I have installed it in on a custom-made 6 ft. bait cast rod made from a St. Croix blank. I had the blank cut back to 6 feet because I used to fish with a fellow in his Jon boat. I had the back seat and I wanted to make sure I didn't wallop him with my lure. It worked well for that application. I've yet to test it in the kayak.

But I've cast the BB1 in my back yard and it's very light and very smooth.

[JohnE]

I kept going back and forth on handle side. I already have both right and left baitcasters in my collection. I really wanted the lefty, but they only had the bb2 in right. Trying to decide if I take it back or go ahead and spool it up. The bb1 and bb2 feel like awesome reels. I wanted the bigger spool, so I went for the bb2. I was surprised that the weight difference between the two reels was so minute.

[Mark]

John,

I suspect if I was on a game fish boat seated in a chair with a monster tuna on the other end I would need a right-hand retrieve because I'm right-handed

But for the small fish I target, left hand retrieve feels more natural whether spinning, bait casting or fly fishing.

I'm anxious to get the BB1 in use.

Good luck with your BB2.

[JohnE]

I really wanted the lefty also. One of my friends sort of talked me out of it, but now Joe says he also likes the lefty better for the type of fishing we do down at cbbt because you need the left hand free for steering the rudder around the pilings. They do make a lefty bb2, but not in stock. The bb1 is almost the same spool size as my old shimanos, which are still ok for flounder...that is one of the reasons I decided to get the bb2 with larger spool.

[Fishinfool]

When I started kayak fishing in earnest about three seasons ago, I made the usual rookie mistakes like not leashing down my rods. This led to the loss of a couple of mid-priced combos.

Since then, my taste in tackle is rather pedestrian. I look for price drops on combos, mostly at Wal-Mart, although you do have to wade through a ton of junk there..

My favorite combo so far is another good mid-line combo; the Shakespeare Agility which has a medium light 7 bearing stainless open face reel, comboed with six foot medium flex graphite rod. I've noticed a big difference in sensitivity with graphite vs cheaper gear. The last Agility Combo was only $15. The reel was missing the handle, so I just put an extra handle on it I had lying around. The regular price was $49.00.

I did see what looked like a nice Shimano combo there about a month ago for $59.00 I think, but didn't pull the trigger. Right now, I have more rods than I really need, since I've learned to leash them all down.

I also have a nice Tropix combo for shoreline and boat distance casting breaking fish, but at over seven feet, it's too cumbersome for the kayak.