Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

[Starcraftguy1]

I am wondering what is your favorite bass fishing rod & reel combos.Mine is a 7' Shakespear Ugly Stik medium action and a Cabelas tournament X baitcaster with 12 lb green big game line.

 

[John_S]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

My favorite all around:
-rod: St. Croix Avid AS68MXF
-reel: Shimano Stradic 2500MgF (Symetre close tie)
-line: Various mono and braid

 

[lowkee]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

An average $12 rod, medium weight.

And..


Wait for it..

Wait for it..

My awesome $10 walmart fishing reel. Easily nabbed over 100 bass in one season using this awesome reel. For it's horrific quality and squeaky reeling action, I can dial a cast down to the inch on this. And I just dunk it into the water once in a while to stop the squeaking.. seriously

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

St. Croix Avid AV68MXF (sound familiar to anybody)
Daiwa Viento-L
Seaguar Red Label 10 pound fluorocarbon.

It is a combo pushing 400 bucks (reaches that with line and lure), but by golly, it is a great setup for shakeyheads and such. Not a bad jerkbait setup either. I will probably have a new favorite rod when I can purchase another few, but I am fairly sure my new favorite will be an Avid as well, just of a different length and action. I wish I could outfit myself with a complete set of Avids, but at 180 a piece, that ain't going to happen any time soon.

 

[EMM]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Shakespeare Ugly Stick 7' med. action
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Revo STX
Trilene XL 14#
Just got this setup about half way through last fishing season. Wish I would have had it sooner.

 

[idrownworms]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

rainforest blank
pack bay reel seat and guides
turned my own handles
abu garcia reel

Maybe I'm odd but I like building the stuff I use, especially when you got a big bass on the end of the line

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Some may laugh, but I have a 15-year-old 6' Berkely Cherrywood spinning rod with an equally old Quantum Snapshot Hypercast. That's caught more bass than any other combo I have.

BTW- I am not primarily a bass fisherman. I now own 14 rods. I just bought my first baitcast reel and a 6-1/2' medium-heavy Quantum rod over the winter; will learn it this summer.

 

[John_S]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

St. Croix Avid AV68MXF (sound familiar to anybody)
I will probably have a new favorite rod when I can purchase another few, but I am fairly sure my new favorite will be an Avid as well, just of a different length and action.

I have a number of their actions/lengths in spinning, and that is still my all around favorite. Some of the others are better at certain techniques, but the 68MXF is still best if you can take only one rod.

I have been hearing allot of great things about Shimano rods, especially Cumara, Crucial, and Compre. Many say they are slightly better than equivelent priced St Croix. The Compre has a lifetime warranty, where as the equivelent Premier or Mojo only has 5-year. For my next rod purchase, I'll will giving them the once over.

BTW, with some searching you can find some deals on lightly used St Croixs. I have found some of the best deals on fishing forums that have "for sale" items. I purchased a St Croix Legend Tournment Bass LTBS68MXF (finesse)for my son's xmas present, for a little over $100 shipped. It was less than a year old and was in new condition. The serial number includes the year and month of manufacture codes.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Too hard to answer, really. I have a couple dozen rods, and I've caught bass on all of them.

My sentimental favorite, though, is an original Garcia Conolon medium-light action 6'6 spinning rod with the Mitchell 300 reel I bought with it many, many years ago.

It's caught everything from bluegills to sockeye salmon over the years, and I just feel good fishing with it. It's always in the boat, loaded with 8 lb. Trilene XL mono and ready to fish. Whenever fishing isn't so good, I pull that one out, and fishing picks up. Something about the ticking sound of the 300's retrieve just calms everything down.

It confuses most people, though, since the Mitchell 300's bail turns the opposite direction from most other reels.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

....It confuses most people, though, since the Mitchell 300's bail turns the opposite direction from most other reels.

That makes me want one just to rattle the natives

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

That makes me want one just to rattle the natives

Lots of Mitchell 300s on ebay. $20 will get you a fine one. While there are Mitchell collectors, there are far more users. It was one of the best spinning reels in its day, and is still a super reel if well-maintained.

The drag is great, and it just feels good to use. The backwards turning thing is a little disconcerting at first for folks who aren't used to it, though.

The clicking of the anti-reverse bothers some people, but it's music to my ears.

There's an ultralight version, too...the 308. I have one of those, too, on a terrific ultralight rod. Of the three ultralight reels in my arsenal, it's the only one I trust with 2 lb. test mono. Trilene XL there, too. The drag is like silk, and I have replacement drag parts to last for decades.

If you get one of either, get some extra spools, too. It's lovely to have extra spools all full of different test lines.

Now, if you want to get even more nostalgic or want to puzzle your friends, try my half-bail Swiss Record on a 1954 vintage 6' fiberglass rod. I got both brand new for my 9th birthday. I still fish with it once in a while, using a small tackle box full of lures from the same period. There's nothing like catching a 5 lb. largemouth on a 55 year old outfit.

 

[John_S]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Mitchell 300 was my 1st spinning reel, and owned a few back in the day. Back then, you got the rod and reel for $20. It was my first reel with mono vs dacron. Stren was the big name then.

 

[ebry710]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Shakespeare Ugly Stick 7' med. action
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Revo STX
Trilene XL 14#
Just got this setup about half way through last fishing season. Wish I would have had it sooner.

Shakespeare Ugly Stick 7' med. action
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5500 for trolling

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Casting - 11' Penn Guide Surf rod, Okuma Induron 400 reel, 50# spectra or 25# mono.
Trolling - 6.5' Calstar tuna rod, Shimano Corvalus 400 reel, 65# spectra and 40# topshot of mono.

Oh,,, wait a minute, we talking striped bass or largemouth

 

[dingbat]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Casting: 11'-6" Allstar 1418 - Abu 6500 Chrome Rocket - #14 Sufix Tritanium Mono

Trolling: 6' IGFA #20 Seeker Blank - Penn 320LD - #65 PowerPro

Jigging: Loomis MB843 - Abu Ultra-Mag XLII -#14 Sufix Braid

I only fish for the Striped variety

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

I have a number of their actions/lengths in spinning, and that is still my all around favorite. Some of the others are better at certain techniques, but the 68MXF is still best if you can take only one rod.

I have been hearing allot of great things about Shimano rods, especially Cumara, Crucial, and Compre. Many say they are slightly better than equivelent priced St Croix. The Compre has a lifetime warranty, where as the equivelent Premier or Mojo only has 5-year. For my next rod purchase, I'll will giving them the once over.

BTW, with some searching you can find some deals on lightly used St Croixs. I have found some of the best deals on fishing forums that have "for sale" items. I purchased a St Croix Legend Tournment Bass LTBS68MXF (finesse)for my son's xmas present, for a little over $100 shipped. It was less than a year old and was in new condition. The serial number includes the year and month of manufacture codes.

Geez. You and I are certainly on the same track. Dang right on the 68MXF being an excellent all around rod. For a long while (due to the fact that I was 14 - 15 at the time) it was my only one. I also have a Mojo spinnerbait rod, and am not absolutely crazy about it, but it is a good rod for 90 bucks.

I get almost all of my rods/reels used or on sale. Besides a Cherrywood graphite light action spinning rod years ago, that I got at Wallyworld in a bind, this Mojo was my first new rod. All the rest of my rods/reels have been heavily marked down, or lightly used. The Avid I got for 110 shipped to my door in a PVC tube (woulda been less in cardboard, but I can't chance that), advertised as lightly used. I am not sure he ever used it, due to the condition of it.

 

[david_r]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

has to be an ugly stick and has to be abu garcia.

i have 7 all are a lil different ------ between 6-7' with various actions and the reels range from 5000-6000.........i even have one rocket.

all together i have 19 fishing poles..unless you count my wifes and my sons then we all have 25 together......5 of them are catfish poles..2 of them are over 13' and over and of course those have abu garcia 7000's

the rest are spinning and bell type..of various sizes,actions and brands...for the less experienced fishers ie my 2 daughters

the wife has 3 of her own..all spincast but still ugly sticks and abu garcia....im not allowed to touch them she says ---- probably because she isnt allowed to touch my bait cast rods .......this situation came around when she "borrowed" my rods and brought back 3 of them so wadded up i had to cut all the brand new line off .....so she went and bought her own, since then she adds a new one every other year or so.

my son also has 3 of his own......all spincast and ugly sticks...he dont care if i touch his..he knows i dont cause i have so many of my own, he just wanted to be able to go fishing with his buds without hearing the lecture...and he is 16 so he thought it was time he got his own.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Hard to say which one is a favorite.........

Id have to say my old 5" Eagle Claw Featherlight with a new Shimano Syncopate reel. (Just put the reel on 2 weeks ago in hopes it would make the ice melt faster up here LOL) Spooled with lo-vis green 6lb test Stren.

Love the action and toughness of the pole, and its from before Eagle Claw decided to make these with the action of a wet noodle. The ones they sell now are nothing like they made years ago. Sad. I'll probably never find another one like it when it does finally give out, but I will try like hell.

 

[Starcraftguy1]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Yes,all my rods are Ugly Stiks.All my spinning rods have Mitchells on them,from 308',300's,306's,all with Berkley mono.Glad I posted this,it was interesting.Thanks all.

 

[ilovekingfish]

Re: Bass Fishing Favorite Rod & Reel Combo

Like everyone said, it's hard to pick just one, I have somewhere in the 15-20 range as far as number of rods, and even more reels. My favorite all around bass outfit though would have to be my 6'6'' Conolon rod, my 8 year old Garcia Ambassadeur One, and some Suffix 12lb smoke blue. Plenty of umph in the rod for the bass here in Florida, and Suffix makes some dang good line, and you just can't go wrong with a Garcia...