I just got back into fishing this year and man oh man had I forgotten the thrill and excitement of catching a bass of any size. ok so anyway I use a cheap 12 buck graphite rod from wal-mart and a ugly cast reel. I am mostly self taught and pretty good at catching with soft plastic worms and I love the top water. I have noticed that when the pros set the hook the entire tip of the rod bends. What are these rods actually called? Trigger rods? fast action tip rods 80/20 rods or none that I have mentioned. lol I also would like some advise on my first baitcasting reel to purchase. I am hooked on fishing but don't want to pay huge amounts of money before I can master the reel and the rod. Meaning fish with an understanding of what they are suppose to do and feel like and what I can actually do with them. Sorry if I rambled but I get really excited and don't mind going out in the dead of winter to practice to get better. Thank you so much. I love this site!

What you notice when pros set hook is a function of technique, not a special rod. Try removing the slack from your line before you set hook... that will do more for you than anything else.

As far as rods and reels go... unfortunately with reels, the more you spend the easier they are to cast and use. (most of the time) I'll let others make suggestions on reels. Rods are also worth what they cost... but a good value are the lightning rods at wal-mart. Many of us began with them (and some still use them).

(edit for spelling)