Hey guys,

 

I'm pretty new to bass fishing. I started about a year ago with a Zebco 33 combo rod and reel. It's worked okay and I've caught a bunch of bass but I'm realizing that to be a more effective angler, I need better equipment. I am looking to invest in a decent spinning rod and reel. I mostly fish soft plastics, but use hard baits every now and then and some top water baits. I understand that there isn't a universal rod and that different rods are better for different baits, but I can't really afford to buy 2 or 3 rods right now. I think I would like something medium/medium heavy with fast action. Which brands guys recommend? 

 

Any advice is appreciated! 

I myself love the Pflueger brand for spinning reels.  I don't get as worked up about rods but I really liked the Berkley Shock Lightning rod.

 

What is your price range?  I was able to get a Pflueger Summit reel and Cabelas rod combo for only $49 on Cabelas.com last week.  Pretty hard to beat that price.

I probably wouldn't want to spend more than $150-$200 total for both the rod and reel. 

shimano makes great rods and reels.

shimano makes great rods and reels.

x2

I appreciate the responses guys!

You can fish just about any lure or technique with a fast med or mh rod, I personally prefer med or ml.  $150-175 can buy you a lot of enjoyment.

Falcon, Quantum, Bps branded.. There are many, many choices.

@ $60 I think the pfluger president is a great choice a 30 or 35 size should be fine, depending

St croix premier and pflueger president will be right around $200 and you'll have a great setup! Get a rod that can handle the weight of your favorite lures and go with a fast action

for 150-200 you could buy one really nice combo. or two moderate but still quality combos and have a couple of more options. if you go for 2 moderately priced combos, whether bought paired up, or you put them together yourself it would be big step up from the 33. you could get a 6'6 to 7ft M and 7ft MH for rods, and also be able to vary your line sizes on each. plus you can get different sized reels and models if you want. i'd recommend Pflueger for spinning reels, mine have been great to me. i'd put a Pflueger Trion on the M and a President on the MH. and stick to rods in the $40-50 range...

Pflueger trion combo. $50. To $60 dol. 6'6 rod. When I got serious about bass fishing 16 years ago that was my first good set up and I still use it today. An upgrade to a 10 lb braid with a mono leader made it even more versitle.

Thanks for all the responses guys! Really helpful stuff. I got setup at my local tackle shop tonight. Really looking forward to getting back on the water!

Thanks for all the responses guys! Really helpful stuff. I got setup at my local tackle shop tonight. Really looking forward to getting back on the water!

so what did you get? you cant leave us just hanging...

so what did you get? you cant leave us just hanging...

Ha,

 

Well after the advice of BassResource and the guy at my local tackle shop I ended up going with a Lew's Speed Spin reel and Custom Speed Stick rod. 7ft medium heavy with fast action.