My two teenage boys and I started fishing this summer, using some tackle borrowed from a friend.  Older baitcasting and spinning gear.  It seems like something that we're going to stick with, so I'd like to surprise them with our own stuff.

 

We don't have a boat, so we're fishing ponds and rivers from the bank.  We started with live worms and bobbers, and caught sunfish, bluegill, some channel cat, and a couple of bass.  I've since started using a slip bobber and punch bait for catfish, and occasionally a small hook and bobber for panfish.  I know the boys want to mostly fish for bass.

 

I've tried to do my homework, and I've read through a bunch of similar threads here.  It seems they usually recommend two things;

 

1. 2500 size spinning reel, something like a Shimano Sedona or Daiwa Fuego, and a 7' M/F rod.  Budget about $250 for both.

 

2. Shimano or Daiwa baitcast reel, and a 7' MH/F rod.  Budget about $300-350 for both.

 

Would those two cover most of the fishing I described?  And I realize I don't have a lot of details about the type of bait we'll be using, I just don't know.  I've stopped at BPS a couple of times for tackle, and asked the same questions.  The sales guy wanted to know if I'm fishing drop tubes or frogheads, Texas Neds or weightless wiggle worms.  I must have looked like he just asked a caveman how much RAM he needed on his new laptop.

 

I thought I'd get two rods each that we can use for eating size catfish, start fishing for bass, and still catch panfish.  I don't think we want to carry more than a couple of rods each.  So, three identical pairs of combos.

The two setups you mention are the perfect place to start and will perform 90% of all bass fishing duties with artificial baits (worms, jigs etc), however live bait is a different story with different gear requirements. Can't help you on the catfish front but for panfish check out st croix's panfish series, they have a 7' light power which works great for panfish bobber fishing, they run around $130. For a reel the daiwa 2500 exceler at around $80 will serve you well, you don't need the fuegos magseal bearings for freshwater fishing.

^ Yep - what he said.

I could literally fish with only those two setups you mentioned for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. 

I will start by saying the 2 combos you mentioned should cover everything pretty well with monofilament line, my choice would be 6-8 pound on the spinning setups and 10-12 pound on the bait cast reels. If it were me I would try to find a local tackle shop and buy from them. Bass Pro has fantastic salesmen and an even better return policy in my area but doesn’t even come close to my local shops. The knowledge and advice along with surprisingly competitive pricing makes it worthwhile in my opinion along with a generally speaking broader range of brands to choose from that they are able to offer, for instance my local shop may not have in stock a “Daiwa Coastal 80” but he can get it whereas the Bass Pro by me will say can’t get that for you but…let me sell you this Daiwa Tatula CT. With that said if you’re willing/looking to buy a dedicated panfish rod along with your other 2 combos the Bass Pro Panfish elite series at $80.00 is phenomenal in my opinion, pair them with a 1000 size Daiwa Legalis LT and you’ll be set.

10lb on the spinning, braid to fc. 
 

15-20lb fc on the bc. 
 

That’s for my waters anyway. 

You sons are teenagers, young adults. 

You original evaluation #1 & #2 are spot on.

You might want to:start with #1 spinning before going to,#2 baitcasting. The boys can do everything with spinning few exceptions. The advantage with baitcasting is using stronger larger diameter line over .010 dia. with 2500 size spinning reels.

Tom

 

3 minutes ago, WRB said:

You sons are teenagers, young adults. 

 

 

Was this part just a side note observation or was there a reason in telling him this?

6 minutes ago, Cbump said:

Was this part just a side note observation or was there a reason in telling him this?

Suggesting 5’ panfish combos is more inline for kids under 10 years old imo. 7’ MF spinning or 7’ MHF casting are appropriate for teens.

 

1 minute ago, WRB said:

Suggesting 5’ panfish combos is more inline for kids under 10 years old imo. 7’ MF spinning or 7’ MHF casting are appropriate for teens.

 

 
 

I’m an adult and use a 5’ UL for panfish. Crappie and sand bass specifically. More fun that way. 

3 hours ago, Cbump said:

I could literally fish with only those two setups you mentioned for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. 

Remember this reply, it is also appropriate for teenage boys.

Tom

Not trying to start trouble, but am I missing part of this thread? Who suggested 5’-0” panfish combos? And may I suggest not scaring off a new member with petty arguments.

45 minutes ago, WRB said:

Remember this reply, it is also appropriate for teenage boys.

Tom

For bass. 

On 8/8/2022 at 5:03 PM, Cbump said:

For bass. 

“The boys want to fish mostly for bass.”

Tom

 

On 8/8/2022 at 4:52 PM, Eric 26 said:

Not trying to start trouble, but am I missing part of this thread? Who suggested 5’-0” panfish combos? And may I suggest not scaring off a new member with petty arguments.

Welcome to BR! Personally I didn’t start any petty debate and apologize for any misunderstanding on my part.

Tom

1 minute ago, WRB said:

“The boys want to fish mostly for bass.”

Tom

 

You’re literally talking out your azz. Yes, those two combos will do everything he and his boys want. 
Then you come in out of no where telling this man how old his kids are and talking about a 5’ combo that no one even mentioned. When asked, you say a 5’ panfish combo is for kids. 
completely separate from this thread, I let you know that that is crap. There’s all kinds of 5’ combos that aren’t kid combos. 
Then you go back to the original topic lol. 
Yes, we’re in agreement. The combos he mentioned will be perfect for him. But if you want to bring up weird crap that no one is talking about, then I’ll respond to that too. 

You are creating a argument over nothing.

If you want to call out PM me.

BPS UL panfish Elite combos available in 4’9” to 5’5”

Light to 6’. The teenage boys want to bass fish.

You are about to get this helpful thread locked because of your hostile attitude.

Tom

If it were me, I would buy

6'8" St Croix Mojo Bass MXF with a Diawa Fuego LT

And for the casting, I'd buy used.  That or put it all in a rod and buy a cheap Black Max reel to upgrade later.  (7-7'6" MH)

If you're looking for inexpensive combos, I highly recommend these:

 

https://www.abugarcia.com/collections/rod-reel-combos/products/max-x-black-baitcast-combo-1285789

 

 

Not top of the line by any means, but they'll get the job done.

Sounds like you’ve done your research. The part of your post about the caveman made me laugh , it is a bit overwhelming. I don’t really have much to add about the combos, I just wanted to say it’s awesome what you’re doing for your kids. 

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

 

I'm the only one who has any interest in the panfish.  So, one light spinning setup for me would do the job.

I personally would buy them each a moderately priced spinning setup and see if they stick to it a while before investing in a casting setup which can be a frustrating deterrent and a headache for beginners to learn, plus being teens they'll be discovering girls any minute now and may lose interest real quick if ya know what I mean lol. You can cover a lot of techniques with just a medium/fast spinning outfit.

Best to keep things simple at first. The combos you mentioned will cover almost everything good enough. Learn how to use senko worms and light weight spinnerbaits to start with and then branch off from there. It's a fun sport and one that you can enjoy with the family. Enjoy and good luck. 

 

I took my 11 yr old out last week and he caught his first bass all on his own. Cheap spinning combo and a wacky rigged senko from the bank. He wasnt that into fishing until he caught this one, now he likes it

 

 

I bought both of mine nice spinning setups, when they have a bait that is for casting they cast one of mine.  That way they have a rod to take wherever they want and we can still fish any bait I want.

Just to update, I picked up 2 of each of these so far;

 

St Croix Mojo Bass 7'1" M/F

Daiwa Exceler 2500

 

I decided I'm going to get myself something nicer, maybe a Shimano Ultegra or Stradic.

 

I may start another thread about lures and line.  I have a short list, but I could use some other opinions before I pull the trigger.

 

I found some 7' MH/F casting rods that like, but I'm clueless on baitcast reels.  Something good for beginners, on a $100-150 budget.  And something a little nicer for myself.

 

Beginner baitcaster in your budget- Daiwa Fuego, the magforce Z breaking is very simple and user-friendly. 

 

Something a little nicer- Any SV spooled Daiwa. They don't typically cast quite as far as a centrifugal braked reel, but close. In my experience, they are the most user-friendly reels available. Even superior to Shimano DC reels when it comes to ease of use. My daughter learned on a Tatula SV TW and was casting with confidence in about 20 minutes, I was very impressed.