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[tim4081]

Okay guys I'm looking for some feeback.....About two years ago I started getting back into bass fishing after being away from it for about 15 years.  I started by buying average to lower end rods/reels....BPS bionic blades mostly with a mix of Daiwa, Garcia, and Quantum reels.  Now I want to start upgrading.

My question is am I better off putting my limited funds more into the rods or the reels.  My initial thinking is that the rod makes more difference because of its sensitivity and importance of being matched properly to the technique.  The reel on the other hand is perhaps of lesser importance as long as its smooth, has a good drag and the speed is correct for the technique.

Looking forward to your input....thanks in advance.

[docav]

i would upgrade rods first. there are a lot of very good rods around $150. a good rod will let you feel more bites which should result in landing more fish. you can get away with reels that are decent for reasons you listed. another thing i would do is sell off all your old stuff you dont want or use. that will give you a little extra money to invest in the new gear. doug

[Pro Reel]

i would upgrade rods first. there are a lot of very good rods around $150. a good rod will let you feel more bites which should result in landing more fish. you can get away with reels that are decent for reasons you listed. another thing i would do is sell off all your old stuff you dont want or use. that will give you a little extra money to invest in the new gear. doug

I agree

[Joshawa]

I would agree with the previous posters to an extent. You want to get a quality rod but you don't really need to spend $150 to get quality. Me, Being a avid St. Croix fan would recommend the triumph ($70) and Mojo($100) series, but there are a bunch of other cheaper quality rods out there. My wife just bought a Skeet Reese Tessera and a Abu Vendetta and they are both cheap and are quality rods. If you are used to using Wal-mart specials and 2 piece bargain bin rods then even a $70 rod is going to rock your world, you will feel things you have never felt before. Eventually you will want to upgrade but its a good place to start.

When looking at reels it really depends on if you are going Spinning or bait casting. You can get a quality spinning reel for $50-$60 bucks and a high end model for about a hundred. Baitcasting is a different story, in terms of quality you get what you pay for. There have been some good threads posted in the last 2 weeks that pertain to this subject. There are a couple of BPS reels that are affordable and most people would agree that they are quality reels (I can't vouch for them because I have never used them.) In terms of price, a decent bait-caster will prob run you at about $150 (unless you go the BPS route) but will be well worth the money because your time on the water will be spent fishing and not fighting with a cheap reel.

[bigbear2010]

for bass, put your money into the rod first
with bass you don't have the need for a great drag like if you were fishing for say steelhead
but a better rod will (if chosen correctly) will mean more fish...more hook ups and less lost

BP just had a great sale on most of their rods, i believe you can still get those prices on the internet site.
 

[24/7bassin]

A lot of the rod companies out there now are making some very good products.  A lot of the rod companies are making great rods that are priced decently.   I too have been trying to upgrade a lot of my equipment this year, and have found that the BPS brand rods are really good, quality rods cheap.  I love there Tourney Specials for a lot of different applications.  I even use their Graphite series rods for flipping and pitching.  The favorite rod that I have is the BPS Crankin' Stick.  I absolutely love this rod (I have a lot of posts about it on here, so most   of you know that I love it). 

I would look around at BPS and see if there is something that you decide fits you and will work for you.  You can pick up a lot of other brands there too if you don't like the BPS brand.

[NMFishFinder]

I agree with bps stuff, I have a couple tourny specials and a couple crankin sticks, which bye the way are awesome. But i recently went on an Abu Garcia frenzy, their Vendetta rod is great, you have to hold it first though some of the guys with catchers mits for hands dont like it much.

here are some rods I have thought about but not used
Mojo-$100
Skeet reese rods-$89
and a few other from bps, you dont have to spend $150-$300 on a rod to get somthing that is awesome.

As far as reels go I am an Abu and BPS guy, Abu has a fairly new reel called the orra, I have posted about it, that retails for $99 and in all honesty it works better than most any reel I have.

Also i have a few BPs, the one I really like is the rick clunn, i juat saw this reel for sale at BPS for $69.00 it wasent that cheap a year ago, but it works really well.

Pfleuger also makes some good reels that are fairly in expensive, thats all my old man uses.

So you do get what you pay for, but with a little research somtimes you can get the same quality for half the price.

[-Shawn-]

Another vote for rods first.  Buy the very best you can afford for any soft plastics you fish.  Buy a crankin rod for Cranks and you will get more fish to the boat.  For most other reaction techniques you don't have to spend a mint.  there are lot's of rods in the 80-100 dollar range that will work great.

[coldfront]

for bass, put your money into the rod first
with bass you don't have the need for a great drag like if you were fishing for say steelhead
but a better rod will (if chosen correctly) will mean more fish...more hook ups and less lost

...within reason...there are some darn fine rods in the $100-$150 range...and some excellent rods that are lower priced as well.

I don't know that i'd ever be able to justify or see a 'payback' if I were to move to the Steez line...  $450 is just too much for a rod...$100-$150 is not chump change either...but I find 'very good' offerings from a lot of companies in that area...

For example, it you look to the Shimano Compre or Crucial series...you get a company that stands behind the rod...very, very well.  And if you ever need to replace one, there are lots of options (lets call it the Mercury model)...no matter where you are in the country...

the only thing I have to say about reels is my opinion:  I want to use the same model reel on all my rods....and I like to use the same brand rod for all my apps too...just from a 'standardized feel' point of view...but that's me...

[Pferox]

If I was just bass fishin' my big bucks would go into the rods, sensitivity and technique specific qualities are important.

Since I fish many species, and mostly salt now, I try to give the rod and reel bucks about equal expenditure.

[OCBassman]

I would have to agree with upgrading your rods first. Check ebay for some good deals on rods. I have baught a couple there and am happy with them. You can even find better deals there on reels.

[pawpaw]

I would have to agree with upgrading your rods first. Check ebay for some good deals on rods. I have baught a couple there and am happy with them. You can even find better deals there on reels.

I've got a couple of good deals off there too. Just be careful and read the whole description, some of those rods have been broke and retripped several inches shorter.

[Rebbasser]

I agree with the rods, and also agree you don't have to break the bank.  Most of my rods are Falcon Lowriders-not cheap but are not so expensive that I'm afraid to use them.

[tim4081]

Thanks for all the feedback....and yes decided to start upgrading rods first.  My son and I just ordered two falcon lowriders and an extreme....took advantage of the BPS 6 mos. pay plan and had the rods in two days.  My only complaint though is their shipping charges.  I understand having to charge the extra $6 for the length but when they charge it per rod and then ship all three rods in one tube it really makes the consumer feel ripped off.  I'll think twice before ordering through them again....there are alot of other tackle suppliers out there with as good or better assortments/prices who don't use freight charges as a not so hidden way to grow their profit line.  Sorry for venting but 

[Joshawa]

I am with you on the shipping. If I only had to pay actual shipping on the stuff I ordered I would order way more stuff online. I just don't like having to pay all that extra money for nothing, I would rather spend it on gas and have the item in my hand the same day.

[tim4081]

Joshawa,

Have to agree with you on that but unfortunately nearest BPS to me is a 2 plus hour drive one way....only places around here are a couple of Gander Mountains and Dick's...all with limited selections for bass rods.  I checked some other on-line retailers and there is a huge variance ranging from free shipping to $30 to $40 range. Not only did I have to pay the $6 per rod charges but still had to pay the normal shipping charge of $18 and change.  Only reason I went with BPS was their 6 months pay plan and I had a promo code for $20 off but I will seriously consider going elsewhere in the furture.

[Joshawa]

For us it takes 3 hour to get a Cabela's (that I won't do business with) and BPS is at least a 4 hour drive. So I use a mixture of Gander Mountain and Fleet Farm. One thing to keep in mind is that Gander Mountain has free shipping on their website. They don't have a huge selection but if they have what you want then you can't beat it. They may have a add on charge for rods though.

[tim4081]

I placed an order  through tackle warehouse earlier this year and they had free shipping on any order over $50 and BTD does the same.  I'll be using them going forward rather than BPS....its not so much the $$$$s its the principle of it

[matthauskeeter]

for me the rod is the most important. a reel helps with technique and retrieval. i love the carrot stix for spinner baits and crakin, and the abu vandetta are excelent for flippin, pitchn and jiggin