Hi guys, 

 

I have a question that you guys can help me with. I have stumbled on a fortunate event that allows me to spend about 370 on a reel and rod. I am looking for new generation stuff MH and 7 feet but as far as the reels, I am not sure. I am looking for the lightest baitcasting combination by the way.

 

So what do you think I should get?

 

*** *** Black 2 (The new one and maybe a 2 piece) and a real high end reel the Team Lews Pro Magnesium Speed (I like the lightness of this reel)

 

or 

 

E6X G Loomis and a Lews Tournament LITE Speed Series (Also light)

 

I know these are very new rods and reels, so maybe some won't have experiences with it but I thought i'd still ask. 

 

Another option is to find the best combo at about 350, anything you guys suggest, I will look into. Thanks!

Maybe look into a St. Croix LTB (Legend Tournament Bass) rod and then a Revo series Abu Garcia or a nice Lew's speed spool. No matter what you choose, I would recommend you go to your local fishing gear supplier and actually play around with the rods and reels and get a feel for the quality of them to see how much they suit YOU, no matter what other people have said.

I checked out the Loomis 6x rods this weekend and was tempted to buy one but after placing the *** reel I am going to use on it I changed my mind. The combo felt really tip heavy and didn't balance out. I went with a phenix m1 rod that felt very balanced and light with that reel, so I second the advice above. You'll get a better feel for what will work together if your able to go to a shop and try different rod and reels paired together. This seems like common sense but until recently I never practiced this. I would pick up a rod here and a reel there then end up switching everything out multiple times or with another rod hung on the wall that I never could get comfortable with.

making sure a rod feels lightweight and well-balanced is extremely important. I learned this when I upgraded from an Ugly Stik to a St. Croix.

High end reels are more important than high end rods.

If you don't share my view then maybe you should look to strike a balance between rod and reel quality.

At that price a Quantum Smoke rod and Smoke reel will do the trick for lightest you can possibly get in that price range.

Personally I'd spend a bit more of your budget on the rod rather then the reel...

A few rod options I'd consider

St Croix LTB

St Croix Avid X

Kistler Helium (probably the lightest and can be gotten at least 12% off when they run sales)

Shimano Zodias

*** *** Black

Fenwick Aetos

Megabass Levante

Jackson wretched

Lighter weight reels I'd consider

Shimano Scorpion 1000XT

Daiwa Alphas SV

Shimano Curado I

Shimano Chronarch 150 CI4+

For your budget I don't think you'll get the absolute lightest combo but you can get a heck of a nice combo that will be fairly lightweight. Lots of good options out there and I'm sure others will offer even more.

If you are going to use the combo primarily for reaction strike presentations I would lean a little more towards focusing my budget on the reel, if you are focusing more on bottom contact presentations I would be focusing more of my budget on the rod.

If I had that amount for a new setup I would probably get the Fenwick Aetos and pair it with a lews team lews lite. You can find the reel for ~$185 online and the rod for ~$150. Then spend the rest on a rod sleeve and line.