# Any Suggestions for a New Rod and Reel?



## mjschijf (Oct 1, 2007)

Last Christmas I got a new rod and reel. It was an ugly stick light with a pretty nice pflueger spinning reel. Well, thanks to an unfortunate incident that occurred early this summer, that rod and reel combo is now lying somewhere on the bottom of Sand Hollow Reservoir. Ever since then, I've been using a 15 dollar Walmart rod with a really crappy reel. They have held up fine, but the reel is really, really bad. It's made of plastic and on one occasion I wondered if the handle was going to fall off. I just feel like it's time for something a little higher quality, and reasonably priced. 

Anyway, I'm debating whether to get another ugly stick light (probably with a reel that isn't quite as nice), or to get something different. Do any of you have a suggestion of what rod/reel combo I should get? I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but I do a lot of bass fishing, and this fall/winter I'll hopefully be getting into some trout.

I've been doing some research online but I'm having a heck of a time figuring out what to do, so any suggestions you guys have would be great!


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

I really like the Rhino rods by ---I forget who makes them, but meant to be fairly comparable to the Ugly's, got mine at SW.
Daiwa underspin reels are the only kind of reel for me, seen here http://www.daiwa.com/Reel/spincast.aspx model US120XD-CP Cabela's has them.

Good luck!


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## mjschijf (Oct 1, 2007)

Huge29 said:


> I really like the Rhino rods by ---I forget who makes them, but meant to be fairly comparable to the Ugly's, got mine at SW.
> Daiwa underspin reels are the only kind of reel for me, seen here http://www.daiwa.com/Reel/spincast.aspx model US120XD-CP Cabela's has them.
> 
> Good luck!


Thanks, Huge. I'll definitely take those into consideration.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

You could go find my St. Croix rod and Abu Garcia reel that are sitting at the bottom of a lake!

 

Ugly Stiks are decent rods, but since I've had a couple of "nice" rods (St. Croix, Shimano), the Ugly is a heavy brick. If you don't care how much your rod weighs, get another Ugly. You won't feel as bad when it takes a dip and you probably won't break it.

Any reel will work, but spending a little more (upwards to $50) will leave you more satisfied with a smooth action. Check ebay for some higher end brands and you may just end up really happy (but waiting for a delivery).

I only say that because I know you don't have a Sportsman's or a Cabelas down there.

I might just go the ebay route next time I get the urge.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

How much are you going to spend. That will give us an idea of what to tell ya. 
As for me I have a daiwa exceler: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... tid=131391

And a shimano compre;
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... 066120787a

Love em both.


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## mjschijf (Oct 1, 2007)

LOAH said:


> You could go find my St. Croix rod and Abu Garcia reel that are sitting at the bottom of a lake!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info, LOAH. I have to correct you though, we actually do have a Sportsman's Warehouse in St. George. 
I'll definitely have to check out the St. Croix and Shimano. Ebay is a good idea too. I'd imagine there are some good deals on there.

I'll do some more research before I make a decision, and hopefully I'll get some more input from you guys.


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## Jitterbug (Sep 10, 2007)

I ordered one of these but I haven't got it yet. I've had nothing but good experiences with Quantum reels and for the price of this combo, the rod is actually free!

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... 295121793a


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## Pez Gallo (Dec 27, 2007)

You should just buy a speargun....

But, if you are dead set in purchasing a rod and reel it really depends on what type of fishing you do. Too many people expect one rod to do everything for them. It's kind of like golfing with just a 5 iron, sure you could do it, but why?

Are you trolling, jigging, jerkbaits, or bait? I will say that if you are interested in a rod with good sensitivity and a light touch for a good price, get a shimano. When using my spinning gear, I mainly use finess techniques like jigs, soft plastics, drop shotting, etc. I have two main rods I use with these techniques, one is a g-loomis walleye series and the other is a shimano crucial. Both are pretty high end rods but the shimano is about $80 cheaper, has a better warranty, and is the rod I use about 90% of the time. 

Now, you don't have to buy the crucial ($130), you can get a compre ($90), or a clarus ($60). All are great rods for the money, plus they come with an over the counter lifetime warranty.

If those prices are a little high still, look at the shakespeare agility rods. I like the 6 1/2' medium. I have two of them and they are good rods for $25.


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## carlswa2 (May 28, 2008)

I just bought an inexpensive shimano from Cabela's, it was on sale because they recently discontinued it and happened to be the last one (so got even more of a discount, somewhere around $25 or less after all was said and done) It has been the best reel I've ever owned so far, super smooth caster, casts further than anything I've ever used and is now my favorite piece of gear. Appearantly good name brand gear can make a big difference, who knew!?


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## mjschijf (Oct 1, 2007)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I really appreciate it. I've really been having a tough time trying to figure this out. 
Today when I was at Walmart, I was looking at the rods and saw an Abu Garcia Cardinal that looked interesting. Upon further inspection, I decided to buy it. It's a 6' 6" medium light 1 piece spinning rod. I was comparing it to one of the Ugly Stik Lites that they had and it seemed to be fairly similar, but the Abu Garcia is lighter and a 1 piece (the Ugly Stik is a 2 piece). I've never used a 1 piece rod so hopefully I'll like it. From what I've read, the 1 piece rods have better feel for jigging and stuff like that (which I plan on doing quite a bit in the near future).
Anyway, I think I like it but I guess it's hard to tell for sure until I actually try it out. It wasn't super expensive (only about 32 dollars) so if I don't LOVE it, it's really no big deal. It's definitely an upgrade over the piece of crap I've been using the past few months. 
I still need to get a new reel. I might go to St. George this weekend and see if they have any good deals at Sportsman's Wearhouse. I'll definitely keep an eye open for some of the reels you guys suggested. 
I'm hoping to decide on a reel by weekend's end. Thanks again!


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## RnF (Sep 25, 2007)

Not sure if you are still looking for a reel. This would be the last reel you would ever need or want. It's action is smooth as butter. Sportsman's has them. They are a bit pricey, but not over the top.

http://www.daiwa.com/Reel/detail.aspx?ID=187


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