I’m looking into getting my first baitcaster, as a do it all rod. I have a Lews speed spool and I’m looking to put it on the basic 7ft MH fast set up. I’ve heard good things about the daiwa tatula xt and the Lews tp2? Any comment on these? I’m 16 so I’m just looking to get the best bang for my buck. Got about 100 dollars to spend on the rod.

The tatula xt are great rods. They look like they should be way more expensive. I had 2 of them. They fished well and looked good. Sensitive. They are worth the $100 price

As stated above, the Tat XT is hard to beat. Shimano SLX is also $99 and worth a look. As far as a 7’ MH/F both lines have one. I feel the XT is a stiffer rod while the SLX has somewhat more moderate feel to me. Your personal preference, I don’t think you could go wrong with either.

I have 4 of the TP2's. Fine, fine rods. BPS has them on sale (I think everyone does) for $87. Next week at the fishing fling, you can get for $67 with a trade in. Every review I have read, as well as my experience, is very good.

I have no experience with the Daiwa or Shimano rods, but I'm sure they are good rods. Find what feels good to you. Rods are very personal. You may not like what someone else likes.

1 hour ago, bp_fowler said:

As stated above, the Tat XT is hard to beat. Shimano SLX is also $99 and worth a look. As far as a 7’ MH/F both lines have one. I feel the XT is a stiffer rod while the SLX has somewhat more moderate feel to me. Your personal preference, I don’t think you could go wrong with either.

This is spot on.

I’ve got the Shimano SLX $100 rod for my swimbaits (it’s actually $110). I’ve got a Daiwa arid rod as well. For the money, those are hard to beat…

4 hours ago, PAbass fisher1104 said:

I’m looking into getting my first baitcaster, as a do it all rod. I have a Lews speed spool and I’m looking to put it on the basic 7ft MH fast set up. I’ve heard good things about the daiwa tatula xt and the Lews tp2? Any comment on these? I’m 16 so I’m just looking to get the best bang for my buck. Got about 100 dollars to spend on the rod.

Welcome to the form and the great sport of fishing. No experience with most newer rods, but read good things about both these models. Probably can't go wrong with either.

Used can also be a good way to buy a more expensive rod that's still within your budget. Many of mine were purchased used or on closeout...another great way to save money. Can also open up the number of options available to you.

MHF are my most used rods.

Regardless, best of luck to you.

Hey, bass pro is doing the trade in event so you could check out what they have there. There are a lot of good options for rods, and a lot of it is personal preference. I recently got a cashion element z2 for 110 with tackle warehouse sale and it feels great for the price. The tatula xt rods feel nice but I have never owned one. I fished the previous gen slx 610 mh for a while and it was a good rod.

Take a look at the new 2026 Shimano Sellus rods. They are a great buy for the buck.

If you can find them take a look at 13 fishing rods. The newest series of theirs in the $99.99 price point is the Oath series available in both casting and spinning versions. You can get them through Tackle Warehouse and the reviews are positive overall.

Edited March 2Mar 2 by Eric 26
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Firstly, welcome to BassResource. You'll like it here.

I bought a couple Douglas Outdoors ERA series rods on a friend's recommendation. They fish well above their $99 price point. They're very light, have cork handles, and fit a 'universal' rod application. I fish mostly Kistler rods but own Diawa, Shimano, Abu, Loomis, etc..

@Eric 26 is also spot on with 13 Fishing's offerings. I have a couple 1st gen Omens that were $99 at the time. They're very light and have a little stiffer action than my Abus or Douglas rods.

I recommend getting your hands on whatever you're interested in before you buy. Douglas' rods have a little softer action than the other brands I own.

Best of luck picking out your new rod.

3 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

Firstly, welcome to BassResource. You'll like it here.

I bought a couple Douglas Outdoors ERA series rods on a friend's recommendation. They fish well above their $99 price point. They're very light, have cork handles, and fit a 'universal' rod application. I fish mostly Kistler rods but own Diawa, Shimano, Abu, Loomis, etc..

@Eric 26 is also spot on with 13 Fishing's offerings. I have a couple 1st gen Omens that were $99 at the time. They're very light and have a little stiffer action than my Abus or Douglas rods.

I recommend getting your hands on whatever you're interested in before you buy. Douglas' rods have a little softer action than the other brands I own.

Best of luck picking out your new rod.

How about giving a review on your Douglas rods? Douglas was one of the brands I looked at when I decided to buy a couple fly rods for panfish. They got very good reviews. Went with the cheaper Echo and Redington Classic as they won't get used a lot. Also picked up an Aetos 6wt for the heavier flies.

1 hour ago, new2BC4bass said:

How about giving a review on your Douglas rods?

I own all three lines. My ERA comments are above. I own three LRS rods: one casting (LRS-795F) and two spinning (LRS-704F, LRS-724XF). The LRS casting rod is a swimbait rod that's rated 2 - 7 oz. to compliment my Dobyns Fury (FR795 SB). I've not fished it yet but to me it's got a nicer tip than the Dobyns and, was show priced @ 20% off.

The 704F is listed as fast, but compared to my other 7' M/F rods, it's much softer in the mid section and doesn't have the backbone I want to set a hook on a soft plastic bait. I use it as a crankbait rod, for which it excels. It feels a lot like older Abu Veritas Winch rods I owned. It might make a good wacky Senko rod, but I have Kistlers that serve that puropose much better.

The 724XF turned out to be my drop shot rod. It has good backbone for a medium rod, and the tip is just whippy enough to telegraph what the bait's doing. Being 7'2", I can spool the Ballistic spinning reel that sits under it with a 1/4 oz. drop shot weight.

My first X-Matrix (DXS-745F) rod is my heavy jig rod. It a 'heavy' medium heavy but has what I'd call a perfect tip for 1/2 & 3/4 oz jigs and fishing some of the salad I have up here. It's comparable to my Kistler Helium heavy/medium-heavy rod but has a little more backbone.

The second X-Matrix (DXS-7104F) is a 7'10" M/F spinning rod I got 'sold' by the Douglas rep at this year's New England Expo. It was 60% off, so I figured I'd try it. Sean pitched it as a drop shot rod, but at 7'10", and handling it a bit when I got home, I'm not quite sure what I'll use it for. Once we're thawed out here in New England, I might use it to cover water with finesse swimbaits and other small plastics.

Overall, the Douglas rods I own are very well built. Kistler gets the advantage for overall quality. The ERA line is well worth their $99 retail. The LRS line is a little soft tipped for my taste. But for $229 - 269, with a limited lifetime warranty, I'd say they're comparable with most other manufacturers in their price points. The X-Matrix line is a nice step up over the ERA and LRS lines, and has an action more comparable to the Kistlers I own. I get special pricing through Kistler because I signed up for his emails, have bought quite a few rods over the years, and because Kistler KLX and Heliums are made here in the US, I'll pick them over the $300+ X-Matrix line.

Like any other fishing rod, I'll always recommend handling them if possible. I believe how a rod feels in one's hands is very subjective. Sort of the Ford & Chevy thing ....