Kyle S

Thanks for the response roadwarrior! Are there any brands that you would recommend?

Firstly, where has Bass Resource been all of my life?? Better yet, where have I been!? I am truly loving this site, and am thoroughly enjoying gathering everyones opinions and suggestions about this passion all of us share. This brings me to my first post/question. What brand/and or rod line would you recommend to build an arsenal upon? I can't see myself spending over $500.00 USD on a rod, however I like many, appreciate and am willing to 'invest' in quality gear. Now I realize that it is truly not necessary to spend loads of money on equipment to go out and catch fish, as I have a handful of what many would consider to be entry level rods. My current arsenal consists of 5 casting rods, Daiwa laguna, Insight pro advantage, *** black, Abu Garcia Veritas, and a Bill Dance Quantum combo my lovely girlfriend bought for me that started it all. Two rods have $50 Lew's Speed Spools, two have $75 Lew's Laser MG's, and then theirs the quantum combo which costs $50. Also I have an Ugly Stick Gx2 spinning combo someone left me. All of these rods and reels have treated me well, and I intend to use them for as long as they allow. I don't intend to purchase an 'Ideal Rod Arsenal' right away, but I'd like to have a better understanding of what I should, and shouldn't spend my money on when I am ready to upgrade. Again, I get that answers are going to be subjective and based on opinion and experience, but I guess that is what i'm ultimately seeking. I have been doing some research and their seems to be no clear cut answer. With the plethora of rods available on the market today, I see why that is. Findings on this site within the many forums seem to point to rods all over the spectrum. Some, stick with G. Loomis, while others swear by St. Croix, then there's, albeit rare, the Ugly Stick exclusive crowd. I could go on and on, Dobyn's fans, Shimano only, Lew's enthusiasts, you get it. Everyone seems to have an attachment to a certain manufacturer, and i'm truly curious as to why that is? To give some insight into my personal fishing background (perhaps these details will help guide a recommendation)..... A weekend warrior is what I would consider myself, who is always looking to get more time on the water. Largemouth Bass is the species I fish for, and is what I would want my arsenal to be geared towards. I've been fishing for going on 5 years now, and have loved every second of it. I reside in the Central Virginia area and have access to a considerable amount of places to fish, but spend most of my time beating up a few small ponds, but plan to spend most of this upcoming spring summer and fall on the Chickahominy Lake and River. Most commonly used baits are small to medium Texas rigs, jigs in various sizes, weightless senko's ( no surprise here ) square bill crank baits, lipless cranks, spinner baits, small to medium swim baits, frogs, toads, flukes, pretty much everything except for huge swim baits. I'm trying to learn to drop shop, and utilize a shaky head as well so I'd like a nice rod for these 'finesse' techniques (spinning perhaps?) At the moment I am a proud owner of a 10' pond prowler. It's a great starter boat that has allowed me to fish some considerable places and learn some different techniques. I intend to purchase a bass boat in the next few years that will allow me to fish even more places and hone in my techniques. I apologize about the length of this question/post, however I felt all of the detail was necessary to help some give the best recommendation possible. I'm not opposed to any brand or manufacturer, nor would I scoff at a great budget rod line up. If you have any questions please ask away! Dying to hear any and all responses!! Thanks in advance!!!!