wlai

Folks: Wondering if you can help a new fisherman learn a few things and perhaps suggests a reel / rod set. I'm new to bass fishing, heck, I'm pretty new to fishing. I live in the NW where salmons and steelheads and trouts are pretty big, but we have a few good places for smallmouth and largemouth as well. I've recently discover crappie fishing also. In other words, I don't yet know what I'm going to be into, and I'm looking to find a reel/rod set that compliments what I already have. What I have is a Penn salmon/steelhead spinning rod set, and a very UL spinning set from Shimano that is very fast and light, little backbone. So I think I'm covered in both the top end with the longer/heavier steelhead/salmon rod, and for Crappies the UL rod/set that will do the job until I have money to upgrade. What I'd like to get is a good all purpose rod that'll cover the wide middle which I lack right now. I haven't fished with baitcasting rods/reels before either, and am not sure whether that's where I want to go. Oh, and I've yet to try many of the different techniques, crankbait, spinner bait, dropshot, etc. etc. and I want to be able to try different techniques with one set. Any suggestions for a budget setup that may work for me? I gathered that if it was spinning, Berkley Lighting Rod Shock paired with a Pfulger President, around $100-110 range, are often recommended and fits my price range. Are there any better fits for me than that outfit that you'd recommend? Thanks.