Ive been fishing for quite a few years now only relying on jigging a small powerbait minnow, and i've done great.  But I want to expand my knowledge and arsenal and get into largemouth fishing.  I've done some research and have came to the conclusion that I would mainly be fishing using the jig and pig method, and would also throw soft plastics and crankbaits too.  I would be fishing from shore into ponds and lakes, but now the ro*** i've ran into is, what gear do i buy?  I've mainly used spinning gear all of my life and want to convert into a baitcasting setup.  Can any anglers out there suggest what rod and reel is a good combo for this style of fishing?  Thanks so much

Sounds like a 7' MHF would cover what you'd like to do. You can do a little bit of everything with it. I'm a big fan of St. Croix and hear nothing but good things about the new Mojo Bass rod.

Always some good deals going on in the flea market for reels too. Something 6:3:1 would probably be best. I've only used Shimano but there are a bunch of other quality reels out there too. 

That'll probably help too.

thanks burton for the replies

One piece of advice I would give is don't buy a ton of baits at once you will just overwhelm yourself.  I am also new to bass fishing but what I did when I started was I used a square bill around rocks and stumps and a t-rigged worm for weeds and cover. I slowly gained confidence with those baits and now I'm trying new rigs/lures. I don't know why, but at least for me, if I have a lot of confidence in a certain bait, even if it's not well suited for the conditions I am fishing, I will catch more fish than a different bait that is more suited for those conditions, but one I don't have as much confidence in. 

 

 

well I got a little carried away there (typing this on my phone. I have no idea how much I've written )

Anyway in short: Pick a few baits that cover a variety of conditions, gain confidence in them by using just them exclusively, catch fish. 

 

DumbassFisherman out

As far as getting a baitcaster, i would look at the Berkley SHOCK Rods. They are pretty good rods fot 40.00 at walmart. Just check the rod over good,as the people that put them out, are very careless. As far as reels go, a black max,silver max, or a lews can also be gotton a walmart. Decent reels to start out on. I might also add the flea market on here is a good place to start. Ive got some very good deals here.:)

This might help: 

If you want specific suggestions give us a budget.

 

budget is under 210 @roadwarrior

Dobyns fury 734c - $110

Lews Speed Spool LFS 6.8:1($80 on eBay)

That would be a very versatile setup.

 

For a <$100 option, I purchased a BPS Pro Qualifier reel/ JM carbonlite rod combo this past weekend at my local BPS. 7:1:1 ratio, medium/heavy fast action rod. My first bait cast combo, and it was easy to set up. I'm sure there are some qualified members here that can give you more detailed explanations, but this combo was affordable for me and looks to be a great setup.

thanks for all of the replies!