Hunting & Fishing General Purpose Fishing Rod and Reel

[rjacobs]

I have fished my whole life off and on, never with good gear. My last rod and reel setup was bought at least 10 years ago if not 15. Ive recently gotten back into fishing with a buddy so I went out to my old mans to get all my stuff that he has had in his RV the past 3-4 years. It was basically destroyed and I decided I didnt want to spend the time to re-line a 10-15 year old real, buy a new rod for an old reel, go through my tackle box(that looked like it spent 3 years swirling around in a tornado), etc... and that I would just buy new.

Mostly all fresh water, salt water would be very rare. Mostly shore/dock fishing, but my buddy and I have been looking at buying fishing kayaks. Mostly crappie, bass, occasional catfish(although if I get more into catfish I will get a cheap ass dedicated rig).

Im leaning towards a casting rig vs. a spinning rig. I have fished with both over the years and I think I prefer the casting reel vs. the spinning, although for my purposes I am sure both would work equally well. My budget is $250-300 for the rod/reel combo and then maybe another 150-200 on a bag/box and a selection of baits to get me started.

Im leaning towards either a Shimano Curado I or a Quantum Smoke PT for a reel as both get great reviews. My buddy who I am fishing with recommended spending the majority of my budget on a reel since that is where most of your work and a lot of the feel comes from, he tends to stay away from cheap reels that are rough, dont hold drag, have bad backlash problems, plastic gears, etc... He is recommended at least #10 line and besides that he didnt have a preference for any of the 3 types.

He recommended staying under $100 for a rod and has had good luck with Ugly Sticks, Shimano, Abu, and even the Cabela's and Bass Pro branded rods. He said he doesnt buy into all the hype of some of the materials and what not and recommended for me a 7', medium action rod with a good warranty. I asked why 7' and he said something like "unless you have a specific need for something really long or really short, buy something roughly 1' longer than you are tall". Im 5'9"(on a good day) so he said a 6'6"-7' pole would work.

Now onto the tackle bag/box: my buddy is recommending a bag with multiple plastic boxes which seems to be the way I see everybody going. He said its a nice way to go because you can setup a box for crappie, a box for bass, a box for catfish, a box for straight hooks and bobers, etc... and just swap them out depending on what trip you are taking. Sounded reasonable. I dont know if any 1 brand is any better than another as they are all probably made in the same factory. He recommended just sticking with one of the Cabela's branded ones unless something else that looks nice is on sale. He said 4 box capacity minimum.

So anybody got any thoughts on all if this? I know its hard to say "this is a great general purpose setup" as most of the guys I am seeing on the various fishing forums are recommending at least 3 rigs, sometimes 6 of various weights, reel types, action types, and what not. Seems a bit ridiculous for me.

 

[MikeeBooshay]

Your buddy is a good guy and seems to know what he is doing, those are good recommendations he has given you.

The Curado is one of my Favorite Reels. Shimano makes good products, and service is easy to obtain. Same for the rod length and tackle type.

One thing I like that most others may/may not. Spool up reel with 20# braid or Powerpro, and top off with a 6' length of 25# or less Flourocarbon leader. Makes it easy to straighten out a hook if you get hung up, casts further, and you can flip fish straight into the boat without a net, just be careful not to grab the rod to do so. It takes a little gentler touch while fighting a fish, not as much stretch in the line with Kevlar. When it's time to cut back the leader, you aren't cutting the mainline. Use an Albright or no-name knot to a Bimini loop in the braid. Plus the fish can't see the flouro as easy, another plus.

 

[DocUSMCRetired]

Castaway rods are under 100$ and one of the best you can get.

Abu Garcia or Shimano for the reel. Honostly I would save up a couple extra dollars and go with the Abu Garcia Revo series. If not that Shimano Chronarch. I know its a little bit outside your budget. but the entire setup can be had for around 350-400. Both are low profile bait casters, and both are great options. My wife tournament fishes, and you see a lot of the shimano and abu Garcia in the tournaments. She has won 4 big fish trophies using them, and many other awards.

 

[rjacobs]

What I am reading about the Chronarch series is that its old technology and even though the new Curado is cheaper, its in some ways a better reel. The Chronarch is only 20-70 more depending on the model.

The Revo's run anywhere from 150-500 so the range is huge. The ones I see recommended on some other forums run in the $300 range. The Winch, Rocket and Premier are all at the $300 price point. That is getting a little pricey. I dont mind spending money if its worth it, but I dont know enough to probably tell the difference.

 

[DocUSMCRetired]

The 200-300$ revo series will do you just fine. They are incredibly smooth, and easy to use. You can find them at academy and bass pro shops for about 250-300$. Well worth the money.

 

[ZombieMonkey]

Your buddy has very sound advice and is not far from what I would recommend. The only time I would tell you to spend more money than what you're budgeting would be for fly fishing which is not the case.

Your buddy's advice about tackle boxes is spot on, especially if you want to fish from a kayak or a pontoon boat then they become absolutely indispensable. Hell, often times I will just take out my Camelback and use the backpack portions to pack the desired gear in along with the water supply, very convenient out on the water.

Something else I might suggest if you are thinking about a fishing kayak, but not quite set on it would be one of the pontoon boats that you are partially in the water with. Only your lower legs are in the water if you want and they have paddles, but they are a more stable platform to me and you can really get into some areas where you can't always get to in a boat, just like a kayak. I usually kick around on them in the lake instead of paddling while wearing waders and dive fins. Great setup to consider unless you're set on the kayak.

 

[milo 2.0]

I think you were given relatively sound advice also. I suggest not skimping on a rod, don't over buy either, but the rod is your feeling part of the equation. Cabela's rods are sound, not sure the pricing anymore.
One rod-reel combo really can't do it all, kind of like hunting vs tactical rifles. The same combo could do it all, but line weight dictates a lot. You can't respool in a boat, or on the bank so make a good universal choice.

 

[jrassy]

Quantum on an ugly stick here, love it. Your bud is steering you right, I had to upgrade my tackle box a few years ago and I have dedicated packs for walleye, northern, and bass and a junk collector. Makes me want to go fishing just thinking about it.

 

[rjacobs]

I ended up with a curado I with the 7.2 gears. Got a 13 fishing omen rod, 7.1', medium action. Cabelas bag with 6 boxes that was on sale for 63 bucks. P-line flurocarbon line, 10#(my buddies suggestion for line). Got a ton of different bait, rubber stuff, hooks, bobbers, weights, etc... I had no clue on the bait side of things and my buddy basically said "just buy a variety of stuff and every time you go to cabelas or bass pro buy something else". Went about 100 over my 500 total budget but not concerned about it.

 

[Rustybroadhead]

Check out craigs list. You can buy high end stuff for a fraction of the cost. I don't know where you live but here in Alabama, fishing stuff is on there all the time.

I will second shimano reel. Very dependable. I have a couple of chronarch that were some of the first models. Got to be close to 20 years old and still smooth as ever.

I would look at Castaway, Shimano, or Allstar for a rod. I might go with something a little shorter than 7ft though. If it were me, I would go 6'6" for an all purpose with a medium heavy action.

Good luck

 

[ahhshoot]

I fish both fresh and salt water and wanted a setup that wouldn't be cumbersome for bass fishing but that I could use in the flats, bay, and occasional offshore venture. I settled on the Shimano Chronarch CI4+ with a St Croix mojo bass 7'6" fast action MH rod. I am glad I did. It feels like a regular bass fishing rig, and had absolutely no problem reeling in a foul-hooked 4.5' blacktip last weekend. Also caught some nice flounder and trout. I run 50lb powerpro super slick. It's nice having one rig you can use for multiple applications over a huge collection.

 

[Nuke Man]

St. Croix rods are extremely popular around here. Most of them have a lifetime warranty also.
For your tackle box the bag with boxes is the way to go. Just don't get a gigantic bag. I had a bass pro bag, and it was just too damn big! Only used it once. I picked up an Ugly Stick tackle bag at Wallyworld and works great. If you want you can have my bass pro bag. It's just sitting on a shelf in the garage. Doesn't have any boxes in it though. PM me if you want it. It's the Extreme Qualifier 370.

 

[kytrapper]

You have been give good advice on quality equipment. Don't cut cost on junk hooks or line.

 

[TexAZ]

I agree with our peers, you were given very sound advice and pointed toward the water with a great list of ideas and instructions.

I have been fishing nearly every day for the last 4 years, testing new gadgets, poles, sometimes breaking them, then trying more.

Look for a pole with an IM8 blank at the least. These graphite poles have plenty of feel and back bone while still floating that $100 mark.

You'll want a fast to moderate-fast action tip for those light bites in fresh water.

I would steer clear of Quantum, unless you get into the smoke series which actually has metal gearing as opposed to the rest of their lineup.

My top reel recommendations would start with Lew's Tournament bait casters, then Shimano Chronarch, Daiwa Tatula.

For an all around reel that won't outrun the fish, get a 6.3:1 or 5.9:1 gear ratio. This will allow you to swim crank baits at the proper depth and speed while having enough speed to gather up line in a hurry if need be.

Line wise, I would say 12# 100% fluorocarbon or 20# braid with a fluoro leader.

As far as tackle, you want to have bait color options for clear and murky water. Also, organize your lures. Biggest tip on the water. If you need to tie a new lure in a hurry, it helps to have everything setup so there is no searching. Label makers are awesome.

Out of a kayak, tackle bags with 5-6 tackle boxes inside will simplify your fishing.

Hope this helps!