I'm new to fishing, I want to go with an an Abu Garcia rod and reel, I'm looking to spend around 200-250. I mostly want something that can handle big fish. I have done a lot of reading and I understand baitcasters seem to be the better option for bigger fish, but me being new and not having anyone experienced to teach me I would rather go with a spinning rod for now for ease of use.

 

I'm mostly going to be using live worms, minnows, and soft plastic baits. I would like to be able to catch bass, trout, and other fish around southwestern PA.

 

I would appriciate someone recommending an Abu Garcia Rod, Reel, and what lb spiderwire line I should use on it that would be a good all around rod for lake/river fishing. I liked the villain rod, but me being extremely unexperienced I don't know if I should sink $170 into my first rod before I figure out how to use one correctly.

 

I would also like to get a seperate rod specifically for Catfish, is it possible to have an Abu Garcia spinning rod and reel specifically for bigger catfish in the 10-40lb range. I really liked the look of the volatile rods, would they work for this? and what reel and line?

 

Since I've started reading up about fishing it's been extremely overwhelming all there is to actually take in, I never knew there was this much to it, including all the different setups to catch specific fish.

 

I'll be doing fishing mostly from the bank, any help or input is greatly appriciated. I really want to stick with Abu Garcia and Spiderwire.

 

I have done a lot of reading and I understand baitcasters seem to be the better option for bigger fish, but me being new and not having anyone experienced to teach me I would rather go with a spinning rod for now for ease of use.

 

I would say that baitcasters are the better option for bigger line, not necessarily bigger fish. Big fish can be caught on light equipment in open water. Often bigger line is needed for the cover, not the size of the fish.

 

For bank fishing, I'd use a medium spinning rod 6'6" or 7' with fast action along with a reel about the size of a Daiwa 2500, loaded with 10# mono or co-polymer or 15# braid. This is an excellent outfit for general-purpose use. I can't give any specific recommendations about brands and models.

How would the Orra SX60 spinning reel sound paired up with the veritas MMF 7'0 and 15lb braided spiderwire?

Would that be a good pair?

How would the Orra SX60 spinning reel sound paired up with the veritas MMF 7'0 and 15lb braided spiderwire?

Would that be a good pair?

That reel is FAR too big for that rod. Biggest you'd need is a 30. The 60 would take 1000 yards of 15lb spiderwire.

I'm a big fan of the cheaper Abu rods, I'm sure some old guy with a budget ten times mine would run them down but trust me, Vengeance and Vendetta rods are super cheap at Walmart and they are awesome. Take care of them and they will take care of you. As far as reels go, I highly highly recommend the Diawa Tierra 2500 if you can find one anywhere, it's the reel that got me hooked on high quality fishing tackle. Smoothest drag on any spinning reel I've ever fished. I've got two of them, fished 19.5 hours this weekend and a Tierra was in my hand for 15 of them at least!

I know you asked for Abu Garcia , but I'd recommend a 6'8" Shimano Sellus rod, or any kind of rod around that size, Medium action, with a fast or extra fast tip. That rod in particular is great, and can be had for 50$. I just pulled in a 7 pounder on it today with no issues, and have caught a 15 pound snook on it as well, with 12 lb test. For reels I would pick up a Pflueger President, a great all around reel that is ~60$. Then save that extra 100 dollars you were gonna spend on the rod and reel, and get all the tackle you want. That would be for spinning.

 

If you did want bait casting, I would highly recommend a Abu Garcia Veritas rod with a Lew's Speed Spool. Veritas comes in a  number of different sizes but for bank fishing I don't really like anything longer than 7', just because there are times you are in tight areas, under trees or in bushes, and the extra length gets annoying. However it is up to you. And that combo can be had for 170$, still leaving you some room for tackle. And regarding the Veritas spinning rods, I actually don't like them. I went to buy one and ended up getting the Sellus.

 

Spinning and casting tackle can both catch big fish, to me it's just what you prefer. But if you are beginner I usually recommend spinning. The good thing about the Shimano that I recommended, is even if you get that and eventually want more rods and reels, that combo would still be great for any of your dropshot or worm fishing. Hope this helps

You really don't need to spend that much on your first rod. $100-$150 max. Get an s30,vengeance or vendetta, some power pro or braid of choice. And you should still have quite a bit left for leader material , hooks, lures and all that fun stuff.