Recommend Me a Good Bass Rod and Reel

One good bass rod & reel is not possible,you must start out with at least 8 and go from there

I have an old Abu Garcia black max rod and reel getup from Wally World. I don't use it often but it has caught plenty fish. It's probably 4-5 years old and still fishes well. Every now and then the spool doesn't engage and you have to push the button up manually. Other than that it's a legit little rod and reel.

Casting rod/reel will handle heavier line, is more versatile and WAY more accurate. To me anyways.

I would not go totally cheap on the reel, because a quality reel will limit your backlash to some degree. Of you just need one, I would go get a tourney special combo from bass pro. Or a biopic of you can swing it . get 6'6" ....then Just practice.

BP tourney special

Congrats on picking up the hobby. I have enjoyed it for over 20 years now. I hope that you catch lots of fish and whip your buddies.

quote:

---

Why is open face better than a spinning reel?

---

It's not necessarily better. They have different functions and I have found that both are necessary to master if I want to consistently catch fish.

quote:

---

Please, opinions and recommendations?

I'd like to keep my first rod and reel below $75. If I stick with it and get good, I'll pony up for a nice one

---

There's nothing wrong with your thinking there. Any of the ones that have been suggested would be fine. Baitcasters take practice. So much of using one involves controlling the spin of the spool by making tiny little presses on the spool with your thumb. The only way to learn is to practice over and over again. You can get the fundamentals of it just sitting in your chair and slowly letting a casting plug drop until it almost touches the floor, then reeling back up and doing it again. Disengage all cast contol features while you do this. If you begin like this you won't have to be frustrated with backlashes while you learn the basics. Once you master that basic control you can move on to attempting to make short casts. I would learn the overhand, roll, pitch and flip. You can learn it. It just takes alot of practice.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Lake Martin

quote:

---

One good bass rod & reel is not possible,you must start out with at least 8 and go from there

---

Fact

ETA: Shimano is the answer

quote:

---

Ill let yall know when im ready to purchase an open face set up

---

Don't be intimidated by the open face reel. If you are backlashing a lot it means the reel isn't properly adjusted. Find someone that owns a ton of open face reels and get them to show you how to properly adjust the reel. Once you get an open faced adjusted they are extremely easy to cast. I had a buddy that was trying to learn how to use open face for years. One day I decided to really help him and I couldn't even cast his setup the way he had it adjusted.

quote:

---

you must start out with at least 8 and go from there

---

Just because it's sarcasm don't make it not true.

quote:

---

 I'm also a big fan of academy's H20 express mettle reels. They will take a beating and are very smooth for a budget reel. 

---

I've got a rod box full of the Mettle combos and a couple of Shimano curados. Sometimes academy runs the camo wrapped Mettle combos on sale for around $70...they are worth every penny. We use the Mettles 90% of the time.

quote:

---

Any advice on tackle?

---

With that spinning reel set up, I would recommend learning the wacky rig. It's about the only thing I use a spinning reel for when bass fishing. Simple and effective. Get some Yum Dingers and just hook it straight into the plastic. Or you can go the o-ring route. But I haven't noticed my baits getting less torn up using the O-rings.

Once the addiction sets in, you should apologize to your bank account in advance.

quote:

---

Any other spots around lafayette for good bass fishing? I hear henderson is a good area?

---

Henderson can be good, but it can be a PITA to figure out sometimes. Lake Martin can also be good, but the amount of grass in there can be a PITA. Do you have a boat? You can't really fish Henderson from the bank. There's a few spots along the levee, but they aren't always productive.