Ok so I poked around and found the 3 diesel rods you can pick from:

 

6104 CB GLASS - Medium/mod fast casting rod

702 MLEF  - Medium light/extra fast spinning rod

755 CB GLASS = medium heavy/Mod. Fast casting

 

I was kind of thinking of buying inferno medium heavy casting rod and putting a black max on it to learn and then getting a diesel spinning rod free but Medium light seems too niche.

ML spinning rods can be used for drop shot, neko rigs, mojo rigs, finesse worms. I'm sure other uses too.

Ok so some thoughts...

 

I have been reading about learning to use a baitcaster and people are saying after 2 years of fishing they still get birdsnests constantly.  This has pushed me away from getting a baitcaster as my main rod.

I was thinking of 2 different options:

 

-6'10" Medium / extra fast Inferno Spinning rod

6104 CB GLASS - Medium/mod fast casting rod for traps and squarebill cranks

 

-7'0 medium/fast St Croix Mojo spinning rod.  I checked one out today at Dicks and it was pretty awesome.

 

The main lures I use are spinner baits 1/2 or smaller, 5' senkos, swim jigs under 3/8 and a 1/2 ounce carolina rig.  I think the M/F could handle those lures fine. 

 

 

First I have been fishing with baitcasters for over 30 years.  If I buy one of the bottom priced lower quality reels on the market I can still get backlashes.  Many times those reports of anglers always having casting issues begins with quality of the equipment and the caster trying to throw too light a bait for the rod.

If you go pick up a Daiwa reel like a Tatula CT, or Fuego, or perhaps any Lews reel costing in the same range, around $100 to $150.  This would also include a reel like a Shimano Curado or Casitas.  Any of these will make it easy to learn and will give you years of service.  I would expect anyone with any casting ability to learn with just a few practice sessions.  Read and follow the directions on how to properly adjust the reel first.

Good Luck  today's quality equipment should not hinder your enjoyment at all

Ok so heres what I did:

 

Inferno 7'0 MH/XF casting rod

Diesel 7'0 ML/XF spinning rod (American Legacy Fishing still hasnt called me...)

Pflueger President 30 Spinning reel

Abu Garcia Revo STX Casting reel

 

I just picked up a revo stx since it was so cheap on sale.  Got it for 80 dollars. 

13 minutes ago, BillNye said:

Ok so heres what I did:

 

Inferno 7'0 MH/XF casting rod

Diesel 7'0 ML/XF spinning rod (American Legacy Fishing still hasnt called me...)

Pflueger President 30 Spinning reel

Abu Garcia Revo STX Casting reel

 

I just picked up a revo stx since it was so cheap on sale.  Got it for 80 dollars. 

As far as American Legacy Fishing not calling. I had some confusion on my part as I got a email saying my order shipped etc. Well they hadn't contacted me either so I emailed them and apparently the Diesel rods don't necessarily ship from the same place. Or at least that was what I understood. But that was when they started asking me about what rod I wanted. I would just email them or call the employees I have dealt with have been extremely nice. My rods are in the mail to me. 

Thanks for the tip.

I just emailed them about the situation and they quickly responded.  The customer service at American Legacy Fishing has been very good I would definitely purchase there again.

 

 

On 4/27/2017 at 7:04 PM, BillNye said:

Ok so some thoughts...

 

I have been reading about learning to use a baitcaster and people are saying after 2 years of fishing they still get birdsnests constantly.  This has pushed me away from getting a baitcaster as my main rod.

I was thinking of 2 different options:

 

-6'10" Medium / extra fast Inferno Spinning rod

6104 CB GLASS - Medium/mod fast casting rod for traps and squarebill cranks

 

-7'0 medium/fast St Croix Mojo spinning rod.  I checked one out today at Dicks and it was pretty awesome.

 

The main lures I use are spinner baits 1/2 or smaller, 5' senkos, swim jigs under 3/8 and a 1/2 ounce carolina rig.  I think the M/F could handle those lures fine. 

 

 

No one with any experience with a baitcaster is getting constant birdsnests. That simply isn't true.

I was put off reading about all the adjustments and backlashes with a baitcaster before I bought my first, but it was no big deal and turned out I liked the baitcaster much more than I thought I would.

 

When I go miles out in my kayak I usually only bring one baitcaster. If I was having any problems I wouldn't bring that one baitcaster because if something happened so bad that I couldn't use it my entire fishing trip would be ruined that day.

 

Personally I think you should have spent the extra $20 and bought the Tatula CT. Its a fantastic reel and probably the best value in a baitcaster on the market.

 

If your'e looking for a spinning reel Cabelas is having a sale on the Diawa Revros combo. I don't have much experience with spinning reels but was looking them over the other day, not looking at price or brand and the Revros easily felt like a $200+ reel. It felt way better than a President and felt as good as some of the high priced reels. Diawa seems to be knocking it out of the park lately with their quality for the price. The sale basically gets you the rod for free.

I was looking at the tatula ct but the revo stx normally retails for 160 so I'm hoping it will have a pretty good braking system and will be easy to learn on. The reviews I found were pretty good.