ABW

I would say 150-200. Like others have said, the BPS Pro Qualifier Carbonlite combo would be very good choice. It gets a lot of good reviews. What I got for my first baitcasting reel was a Lew's Speed Spool. You can get these on TW for $89, plus a 20 dollar mail in rebate. For the rod, there are lots of good choices around 100 dollars. *** Black, Veritas, and lots of others. I got myself a Powell Max for 120 dollars, and you can get one if you'd like for 128 on TW. Great rods with a lifetime warranty. I'd say the best route to go if you dont want to spend too much is the Pro Qualifier combo for like $159. Get a 7' MH Fast action rod with a 6.4:1 gear ratio reel. If you want to buy them separate I highly reccomend the Lew's Speed Spool (only like 70 dollars after rebate) and a good 100 dollar rod. This will run you about 170-200 dollars.

If you get a combo under $100, you may get quite frustrated with the low quality components, which lead to backlashes, etc.

Do you like it for traps too?

A 7' MH won't be able to cover every single presentation, but it can cover a lot. X2 on the spinning rod, for weightless lures and finesse baits. Instead of the pro max, get a Lew's Speed Spool at TW with free shipping for $89. Plus the 20 dollar mail in rebate that ends this 31st, its a great deal. I have this reel and its awesome at its price point.

Powell Max 683 with a regular 100 dollar speed spool. Use it for texas rigs, light jigs

Alright thank you. I think I'll go with the glass rod. Do you know how durable fiberglass rods are compared to graphite?

Only have 1 combo as of now, plus I'm just a teenager whose parents don't want me to spend a lot on several combos lol.

Despite having less sensitivity over graphite rods, are they more durable over the long run? Also, I was looking at 2 rods for lipless crankbaits and some topwater poppers. Powell Diesel 723CEF and the 705CB model. Which would be best? I usually fish grass with lipless cranks. 723CEF is a 7'2" MH XF graphite rod. 705CB is a 7' MH Mod-fast glass rod. Was thinking about purchasing the 723CEF for its versatility, but it has an XF tip which isn't ideal for treble hooked lures. Any thoughts?

Went fishing today, did not have any problems with the guide. I'm going to continue fishing with it unless the crack gets bigger, then I'll take it to a local shop.

You can get a Powell Diesel for 49.99 from thefishranger.

Would sanding it down a tiny bit and putting some 5 minute epoxy on do any good? If so what brands work well?

Fishing earlier today, I lost my step and fell flat on my butt. With my rod in hand, the tip slammed into a rock and the epoxy to the third guide down cracked a tiny bit. I'm pretty sure the warranty does not cover for this (Powell Max) so is there any way to fix this? Edit: I was still able to fish with it fine even after this happened, the blank was ok.

They don't even sell that rod in ours

It is the same way at this public lake I fish too. I can tell many do not have fishing licenses, just because these people aren't the most serious fishermen, with spincast and cheap spinning combos from the store. They will literally keep every bass they catch, even if its under the minimum of 14 inches. I've even seen some kids keeping tiny 10 inch bass. Lots of littering too. Here, its extremely rare to catch anything over 3 lbs. That just puts it in perspective of how over fished this small lake is. The biggest I've ever caught was a 3, and I've been fishing there about 6 years, since I was like 9. Anyways, hopefully I can move onto bigger lakes in the area once I get older. If you see anything illegal that they're doing, report it to the DEC. I'm sure that they would take your advise to check people too.

Anyone pick these up yet? They look pretty sweet.

Just to throw this out there, you can get the Tatula Type R for $130 if you look around, but I love how the Revo SX looks. Also for the gear ratios, you can't switch them out. If you buy a 6.4:1 gear ratio that's what you get. Another reason to buy more reels lol. For the line, get yourself some Power Pro, it only costs like 13 bucks at our Wally World

Welcome to the forums Matt! First of all, are you bass fishing or saltwater fishing? If you are bass fishing I would suggest a bait caster. I just started using them about a month ago and I absolutely love it over spinning reels. The baitcasting reel I have is a Lew's Speed Spool in a 6.4:1 gear ratio. These cost $89 on TW and there is a $20 dollar rebate that ends July 31st. A 6.4:1 gear ratio will allow you to fish a variety of baits. This is a great entry level reel and it is very user friendly. Good entry level rods include the Abu Garcia Veritas, and *** Black. Some rods on sale include the Shimano Crucial rods, and Powell Maxes on TW. If you want to buy a combo instead of a reel and rod separate, I'd suggest the BPS Pro Qualifier / Johnny Morris combo. ($160) Lots of guys on here have suggested this, and it has great reviews. For an all around rod I'd go with a 7' MH rod, with a 6.4:1 gear ratio reel. Now for baits, you don't have to get too fancy... yet. I would start off by buying some senkos with 4/0 EWG hooks. Senkos can catch fish anywhere.

OCD kicking in, lol. I was just wondering on hard casts when the leader passes through the line guides, will it damage them over time? I use the alberto knot, and it is pretty slim

Maybe because their stuff is made in China? Then again, a lot of stuff is made in China

I understand. What you can do is save a little more money, and then buy yourself a 60-70 dollar spinning combo. I know our Walmart has some decent spinning combos for around that price range. I used to have an Abu Garcia combo that only cost 60 dollars but it served me well.

If you want to become a more serious fisherman, I would suggest you invest a little more into your combo. 30 dollars is only going to give you a lot of frustration due to low quality gear.

On Powell's Facebook, they said they are coming out with cork handled Diesel's with a cherry color to them. Don't know about another lineup though

Not very much, maybe a couple yards going from 30-50

On my Speed Spool, I've tried 30 lb, 40 lb, and 50 lb Power Pro. I had some problems with digging on 30 and 40 lb braid, but almost none on 50 lb.

http://www.rakuten.com/prod/daiwa-tatula-type-r-reel-baitcast-7bb-1-6-3-1-120-14/254115618.html?listingId=306898564&scid=pla_google_SportingGoods&adid=18183&gclid=CjkKEQjw_ZmdBRD1qNKXhomX_sEBEiQAc9XNUAecncLxkkqNjmeYHmdPX8G54rmPrpp9kfQsy2BbqgDw_wcB