I haven’t done a rod and a reel together so I am going to throw together the perfect combo rod and reel with line for under a hundred bucks. It’ll be a quick writer up because Im at work and don’t have a ton of time, but this was on my mind last night and I want to make sure that I don’t forget about the beginners out there!
Rod = UGLY STICK – You cannot beat it. These things are virtually impossible to break. You can beat them up and they are one lasting. Cheap too!
I prefer the one piece (always) becuae there is nothing I hate more than casting half of my rod off into the dark abyss. This isn’t good for your line either, so trust me – go one piece.
You can fight huge fish with this rod and it will not break, I landed my first tarpon with this bad boy, and it held strong through the whole fight.
The next reel I am going to recommend is the Diawa Crossfire 3000 special. This little beauty lasted me over a year on long days and hard nights. I learned how to fish with this reel. You are going to want to upgrade at some point, but it is the perfect set up for a combo. Once you get the feel of the fishing game, you will know what you need as far as upgrades go.
If you want strong line, get this stuff. POWER PRO 20LB – you can’t do better for your money. Its tough, you can pack more on a reel, and it will last twice as long as mono without the line memory. If you don’t listen to anything I say about fishing, listen to this, buy braided line. You will land bigger fish, and thats what we all want.
Ok so there is my 100 buck deal of the day. I hope you enjoy! And catchemup!
I was pretty impressed with this little thing. Its nothing to brag about but I had some peeps come into town from Virginia (thats where Im from) who wanted to fish. Most of the group had done nothing but fish ponds and fresh water creeks (hicks – that why I moved) so I picked up the Okuma ABF-50 Avenger Baitfeeder Spinning Reel to make sure my good tackle didnt get worn out.
Light weight and durrable. Jessy beat one of them up pretty good and she even caught a few fish. So I would say thumbs up to these reels if you want something to beat up, leave laying around in the truck, or just have as a back up. They are dirt cheap and get the job done. For 40 bucks, you cant beat it.
I will make sure to keep you posted on how long they actually last.
If you are ready to get serious about your fishing reel collection, now is the time! Dont tell your wife, just do-it. (I know I’m gonna be keeping this purchase to myself when it comes to certain family)
I don’t own this rod, but have recently fished it. At first I had somewhat of a negative opinion about the thing because of how much they cost, but throughout the day realized why its such a good investment. My buddy has always sworn by this real, “Dude, when are you gonna get serious and get on of these things?” He has a half a dozen of these reels all rigged up on different rods, its a little overboard.
Im like, “why do you need to drop so much cash on a fishing reel”, I can catch fish all the same on a fishing reel like the Stradic 4000 (currently my all time favorite). After using the stella all day, I realized that I wasn’t tired from cranking on a fishing reel. For me thats a big deal. So I started digging around for some specs and this is what I found.
Paladin Gear Durability Enhancement
X-Ship Double Bearing Supported Pinion Gear • Ultra-Light Handle Rotation • Increased Gearing Efficiency and Power
Propulsion Line Management System: Propulsion Spool Lip, SR One-Piece Bail Wire, Power Roller III with DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) Coating, S-Arm Cam
E.I. Surface Treatment for extreme corrosion protection on Spool
Aerowrap II Oscillation
SR-Concept: SR 3D Gear, SR Handle, SR 3BB Oscillation, SR Balanced Body, SR Floating Shaft, SR Boltless Mg Body, SR One Piece Bail Wire, SR Slider
A-RB bearings are stainless steel ball bearings that have been through the A-RB treatment process which makes them at least 10 times more corrosion resistant than standard stainless steel ball bearings.
A-RB (Anti-Rust Bearings) are made of Stainless Steel that has been through the A-RB process.
At least 10 times more corrosion resistant than standard Stainless Steel ball bearings.
Easy Maintenance-no shield design allows for easy flushing of debris and easy lubrication.
Increased Bearing Speed-no shield design and lighter viscosity lubrication reduce friction and allow the bearing to spin faster and longer.
Magnesium Frame & Sideplate
Aluminum Rotor (1000 size is Magnesium)
Cold Forged and Machined Aluminum Spool with Titanium Lip
Rigid Support System: Rigid Support Drag, SR Slider
Machined Aluminum Handle
Direct Drive Mechanism (Thread In Handle Attachment)
Septon Handle Grips
WP Drag (Waterproof Drag)
Maintenance Port
Fluidrive II
Dyna-Balance
Super Stopper II
Repairable Clicker
Approved for use in Saltwater
Rated for use with Mono, Fluorocarbon and PowerPro lines
After my research on the water and then online, Im sold on this reel and am currently saving up for it. I have a little over half of the funds right now, should be able to land one of these babies in about another week.
If you wanna beat me to the punch, you can get this sweet heart cheaper if you buy through this link on Amazon. I will be sure to revisit this post after I get this thing. Very excited.
The featured image is a shot that I found on google. I freaking love this guys reel collection, I hope mine is that big one day.
Lets talk about one of the reels I do own, the Shimano Stradic FI 4000
The main thing I like about this reel is that it is light weight and super durable. When I started to learn salt water fishing I went out and bought some random rod and reel combo with this heavy freakin reel on it. After I casted that thing about 25 times, I was ready to call it a day. With the Stradic FI 4000, I can cast hundreds of times without getting the least bit fatigued. I burned through a few other little off brand reels trying to keep lightweight tackle, and then I found this little baby. Im pretty darn sure that this reel will forever be my favorite. I have the Shimano Stradic FI 4000 specifications listed below. Now this is for the older model of Stradic fishing reel made by Shimano. They do have a never version out that I haven’t tried yet, but it looks really sweet.
What a day
Line Capacity (lb/yds) 8/240, 10/200, 12/160 – What is this? This is a small reel in comparison to big game fishing reels, but it is all you need for catching fish from shore. I have landed 80+ pound Tarpon on this reel. One thing to remember with the line capacity is that the specs are for mono filament line, if you are using braided line (which you should be in my opinion) then the reel will hold way more line than what is represented by the spec capacity.
Gear Ratio 5.8:1 - This is good. Every one time you reel the handle, it takes the reel almost 6 complete revolutions. It makes for reeling in a hefty sea beast a little less stressful, just remember to keep your rod tip up so the fish doesn’t break you off!
Line retrieve per crank 36 inches - This is related to the gear ratio Weight 11.6 oz - This is one of my favorite things about this reel! When I am casting artificial baits 100 times over and over, I don’t like to use a heavy reel because my arm will get tired very quickly.
Additional Features - Aluminum frame + graphite sideplate and rotor, S-Concept, S A-RB bearings, Fluidrive II, Super Stopper II, Machined aluminum handle shank, AERO Wrap II, waterproof drag, Maintenance port, Repairable clicker, and Bearings 5BB, 1RB
I used to feel that I could just walk into a tackle store, grab some cheap combo and be on my way. As a matter of fact, most people that I fished with at the time felt the same way. What I found was that I was fishing with the wrong people. The pros are using good gear, and do there research on spots. They are not only good at what they do because they use good tackle, but it has a whole lot to do with it. I dropped a link to this real for you below because it has been one of the greatest invests I have ever made in my fishing tackle.
This reel has lasted me years and I have fished it firkin hard. The Stradic 4000 just won't wear out. Click the picture below, its a link to the little beast on Amazon, they always have the best prices.
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St. Croix Legend Elite 7ft
This rod has lasted me over a year and I have fished harder than any other rod I own. The St. Croix Legend Elite Spinning Rod hasn't broken on me yet. Click the picture below, its a link to the Amazon store, they always have the best prices.
