Fishing Forum

Hi all,

I want to upgrade my fishing rod that I have been using since 6th grade... I'm 25 now. It works fine- its nothing fancy but it has issues. I used this rod for everything... catching catfish, walleye, bass. It's medium action. I don't mind buying used. I'm looking for an all around fishing rod that can handle most types of freshwater fish. I'm leaning towards baitcaster reels that I can use with light to heavy lures. I have never used baitcasters but I'm willing to learn. Looking at Shimano curado / st croix rods. What else is good for all around?

Thanks
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Most of my rods are Shimano due to the quality and life time no hassle warrenty. St Croix is a good rod, but I have heard horror storys about warrenty. Bass Pro has some good quality as well. Haven't had any luck with Penn.
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Agreed, you can't go wrong with Shimano or St. Croix, another couple you may want to look into are Kistler and G-loomis.
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If price is an issue, you can always go with a an Ugly Styx or a Rino in the bait casting rods. They offer a fast, medium and slow action.

I have one of each, they are tough and dependable.

I've used baitcasters for years and they have there place in bass fishing but for an all around usage reel IMHO you need to stick with a good quality spinning reel and a medium rod. The Shimano Stradic has an extremely smooth drag and it will hold up in freshwater as well as saltwater. It will last you a long time and the drag will not let you down when that trophy does hit. Fenwick has some excellent 6' to 7' medium action Eagle GT rods which you can select based on the your lure weight and line weight needs. Don't use too heavy a line and keep the drag set right and you will be able to handle most anything that hits your baits.

If you plan on fishing a lot of heavy cover, the baitcaster would probably be the better choice but it will also limit the situations you will be able to use it.
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I'm getting the curado reel right now. As for the rod I'm still looking for a 2 piece graphite rod. Maybe I'll get a fast action rod. I can use my first rod that's a spinner med/med action for crankbaits, etc. Thanks for the input.
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