Baitcast rod and reel recommendation

What bait's do you plan on using?

Reel: Shimano/Daiwa
Rod: Falcon Low Rider

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Would like to stay under $300 total

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I haven't purchased gear lately but you should be able to get a nice setup for that. $150-$180 for a Daiwa or Shimano, the rest on the rod of your choice. If you're going to skimp do so on the rod, not a baitcaster.

A lot of bass guys automatically steer you to a 7' or 7.5' MH or H rod. I've caught the vast majority of mine on a 6.5' M, including 2 over 10 lbs. I fish out of a Gheenoe with another person sometimes and the shorter rod is just easier to handle in tight quarters.

I’ve found the Lew’s Tournament Pro to be the best bang for the buck reel. 6:3:1 gear ratio or higher. Pretty much switched all of my Shimano stuff but still have some older Chronarch’s that are bullet proof. I wouldn’t go shorter than 6.5 on a rod unless you are really short or are getting something just for skipping docks or top water. Most $100 rods are light years better than they were 10 years ago and that is the range I would look for a MH if I was just getting a couple of rods. Like many have probably said, don’t skimp on the reel if you want to enjoy your time on the water.

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buzz baits, spinners, texas rig worms,

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7' Medium Heavy Fast rod and a 7:1ish gear ratio reel would be good for the above. But topwater I would suggest a shorter rod. 6'6" to 6'10" Moderate Fast.

For $300 you could find plenty of great rods and reels in the $150 price point. I'm reluctant to suggest specific brands cause a lot of that is subjective.

ETA: I’ll say this much. I have a pretty wide variety of rods and reels. Some cheap, some expensive. I feel like some of the more expensive stuff just isn’t really worth the extra cost a lot of the times. Especially rods. Some of my favorite rods are some of my cheaper ones. Lew’s American Hero and an H20 Ethos micro. I’ve had to repair several eyes on the H20 but I’ve gotten a ton of use out of it.

For reels I have Shimano, Diawa, Quantum, Lew’s, Bass Pro Shop brand, Abu Garcia, Dobyns, and Kastking. My personal favorite is probably the Lew’s tournament pro and Lew’s tournament MB. But I’ve had no issues with any of the others. Take the time to learn how to clean and maintain them and they’ll last. Also, don’t let Kastking’s previous reputation scare you away. They are actually putting out some pretty solid reels lately, even in the budget price range.

Rods I have Denali, Dobyns, Lew’s, Duckett, BPS, All Star, Shimano, H20, and Abu Garcia. The Denali and Dobyns are some of my higher priced ones, and I like them, but like I said earlier my favorites are some of my cheaper rods.

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My go to baitcast setup is a Diawa Tatula reel on a Shimano Intenza rod

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The Intenza is slept on and a great rod. When they eventually go on closeout, I will add more.

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The Intenza is slept on and a great rod. When they eventually go on closeout, I will add more.

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Be sure to let me know when they go on sale!

I was at Academy a couple of weeks ago and picked up a Shimano Sellus rod. Was looking it over really good and thought it was pretty nice. Felt great in the hand, action felt nice. Looked at the price and it was only $65! I was like “no way!” Obviously I bought it and also got one for my son for Christmas. We’ll see how they hold up. But I was checking out online reviews afterwards and they’re just about all positive.

tacklewarehouse is starting their black friday sale in a few days

If you want a basic rod/reel setup the Shimano SLX DC combo is right in your budget even before the black friday sale. The dc tech is pretty cool tbh