rcg703

That’s exactly what I use. Hasn’t failed me yet.

Walmart has a Lews IM8 Speed Stick for $40. They are Hank Parker series and are technique specific. I have 3 of them, 2 bait casting and 1 spinning. Light and sensitive. Great rods for the price.

I’m not a fan of flouro on spinning reels. Manageability issues galore.

I switched to high vis this year as well. Going to test it out this weekend.

The Lightning Rod Shocks are nice rods but I recently found a diamond in the rough. I found that Walmart has a Lew's Hank Parker Signature Series Speed Stick for $40. It's a graphite IM8 blank and is very light and very sensitive. They have technique specific ones and I ended up buying a jig/worm rod, crankbait rod, and a shaky head/finesse spinning rod. Definitely worth the money and rival some of the $100 rods I've felt. I'd compare them to a Veritas but not quite as stiff.

I think I’m going to do the 30lb braid for bottom contact baits and use the 14lb Ultimate Mono for leader in the unlikely event I’m fishing clear water. For the spinnerbaits/chatterbaits I’ll use the 15 lb Big Game. The 15 is only .001” bigger than the 12lb so I may as well get th extra 3lb of breaking strength.

Is there anything wrong with straight braid for jigs and t-rigs? The 30lb is low vis so visibility shouldn’t be much of an issue.

I very rarely fish clear water in my area so that’s no worry.

What’s your budget? You don’t want t go too cheap on your first baitcaster. All the backlashes will have you wanting to throw it out in a hurry. Ask me how I know..... hahaha

Don’t let the price fool you, but Walmart has a Lew’s Hank Parker signature series IM8 crankbait rod for $40. The rod feels amazing for the price and has good backbone.

On both set ups?

I need some help figuring out the best choice for a couple of my set ups. I’ve got my spinning and cranking setups all set but need to figure out the best line for my MH rods. One is a setup for bottom contact baits (t-rigs, jigs, etc) and the other for chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and ploppers). I’ve got 30 and 40# lo-vis Gray braid, 14lb spiderwire ultimate mono, and 12 and 15# big game. What line should I use on each combo? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the info so far guys! Trying to understand rod blanks makes my brain hurt lol

I know the higher the IM or tonnage rating the more lighter and sensitive the rod is, but is one any better than the other? I'm looking at 2 budget rods, an Abu Veritas 2.0 (30ton graphite) and a Lew's Speed Stick (IM8) and can't find any real distinguishing characteristics. Aside from the Veritas appearing to be a bit more stiff, they're both light and feel good in the hand. I can get both for just under $60 but it's tough picking one without feeling the sensitivity while on the water.

I definitely use the offseason to revise my current setups, take advantage of sales, and daydream about the first time my line hits the water for the year. I used to have an SUV but got a new super crew pickup a few months ago so I'm in the process of upgrading all my 2 piece rods to some better 1 piece sticks. I went shopping at Cabela's last weekend and found a $170 Lews baitcasting combo for $100 so I grabbed it. Ordered some line yesterday and going to Dicks tomorrow. Can't wait to hit the water.......

^^^ This is definitely true.

Are the Veritas that much better than the Vengeance? I just saw that my local Walmart has a 6'6" MH/F Vengeance on clearance for $11. I want to try a 7' rod, but for $11 it may be worth it even if I don't use it right away. *EDIT* - Nevermind....the $11 deal is only at one store that is 40 minutes from me. I'd burn up more than that in gas lol...especially if you guys don't recommend the Vengeance.

With the Veritas 2.0 being a little stiffer, will it load up enough to launch 1/4oz baits that it’s rated for?

Another vote for the Assassin. Take a look at the Stealth too.

The issue I was referring to, was all the people whose rods have broken at the tip. All seemed to break 4-6" down. I'm not rough on my equipment so I might be okay. I also came across the Lew's Laser Pro Speed Spool combo at Cabela's on sale for $99, down from $169. I may run to my local Cabela's this weekend and check it out. That would be for combo #1.

Ahh....I heard about tip issues on them and didn't think about that being an issue on the refurbs. Great point.

FFO has Veritas 2.0 rods for $60 as well. Not sure about their sensitivity, but it looks like they're a bit stiffer than their stated rating.

No thoughts? Did I forget to include anything? Dumb question?

Another year has gone by and I've gotten much more comfortable with various techniques on my current three rod setup. That coupled with the fact that I now have a super crew pickup that I can fit 1-piece rods in now and not worry about my kids breaking them. It also gives me a reason to replace my 2 piece rods with 1-piece rods and potentially get another combo. I'm currently using Bass Pro Shops Pro Comp rods and one Lew's IM6 rod. Please bear in mind that these will be pretty budget friendly setups ($100-$150) and I don't fish very heavy cover. Here's what I'm currently looking at and wanted some opinions on the setups. Combo #1: This would be a new 6'10"-7' MH/F combo and I'm looking at either a Lew's Mach I baitcasting combo or Abu ProMax combo. I think I'd use this for bottom contact mostly jigs, T-rigs, and creature baits. I'd spool with some existing 14# Spiderwire Ultimate Mono or 12# Trilene XT that I have already. Combo #2: I would pair my existing Lew's Carbon Fire baitcaster with a new 7' MH/F 1-piece rod. I'm looking at the Abu Vengeance rods since Walmart has them for $40 at the moment. I'm also interested in trying the new Kast King Perigee II rods ($60) since I like their reels so much. I'd use this for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and possibly double as a light frog setup. I was thinking of spooling with 30-40lb PowerPro braid that I have already. Combo #3: I would pair an existing Kast King Stealth or Assassin reel with a new 6'6"-7' M/F 1-piece rod. Options here include the above mentioned Abu Vengeance, Kast King Perigee II, and also the Berkley Lightning Rod Shock. I'd use this for squarebills and other smaller treble hook baits and spool with some existing 10# Trilene XL. Combo #4: This would be my finesse setup. I currently use a Lew's American Hero 6'6" M/F spinning combo spooled with 6# Trilene XL. I may keep this but also thinking of passing it to my wife and getting slightly better setup and use a 10-15# braid mainline and some mono leader. I could try a Pfleuger President or maybe try the Kast King Mela II reel and pair it with a spinning version of one of the above mentioned rods. Let me know if this sounds like a decent start or if I'm way off. Thanks guys.

I like mine as well but the only downside for me is it feels a bit larger in the hand. It's not as low profile as my other baitcasters.