Hi Im looking to upgrade my spinning bass rod and

J

Jonathan Cardoso

New member
Hi

Im looking to upgrade my spinning bass rod and reel to a baitcaster rod and reel.
Does anyone have sugestions on what baitcaster ro and reel i should get?
Thanks
 
N

navrik

Member
It all depends on your budget.

We always try and suggest to everyone that they should by the best they can afford. "Goedkoop koop is duur koop".

You also have to decide how serious you are about the sport and how often you will fish.

The 4 main brands are Quantum, Abu Garcia, Shimano and Daiwa. There are a few newer brands on the market now but they have not really proven themselves to a wider audience yet. All of these make very good rod and reels. It is very much a personal and budget choice.

I personally take part in boating competitions so have decided to invest in higher end combos. Powell Rods with Quantum Reels. I have Quantum PT Tour reels with one Quantum Tour KVD. Newer and better models have just arrived on the market in the Quantum Reel stable. Quantum makes good rods as well.

You also have to decide if you will be doing cranking or worming or if you need a general purpose rod. For general purpose I would suggest a 7ft Medium Heavy Rod.

Fast to Extra Fast action for plastics (worming)
Moderate Fast for cranking

One of the best combo's I have seen recently is the Quantum Exo Rod and Reel. Together they weigh less than 10 ounces. But the combo will be around R3000.

Abu Garcia has just launched the Villain Rods which seems to be very good but again you will pay $170 for it in the states - probably around R1500 in South Africa. Then you haven't bought a reel yet. Competition grade combos are generally R3000 to R4000.

Hope this helps.
 
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tinus100

New member
Well dont know if its a good or a bad buy...But..Ive recently boaght a Abu Gargia Blue max combo.

Dont know how it compares to the rest of the other top of the range tackle. But it cost me R650. 7ft abu meduim action rod with the baitcaster.

Think its value for money. I cant justify paying R4000 for a little rod and reel.

at the end of the day that R4000 cant be 8 times better than R650. Maybe it doesnt cast two miles far but it does what its needed to do.
 
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navrik

Member
Agree with you on every point bud. On first 2 descent rods I paid a bit too much (cos the local guy had the monopoly) but since then I have paid market related and I also take it very slow in building up my collection I have also bought 2 rods and one 1 reel second hand. Perfect condition and saved a stack as well.
 
J

jmgravenor

Sealiner
He is a beginner with baitcasters so I recommend getting a shimano callisto or crestfire and shimano convergence or scimitar medium heavy rod.
Please suggest where he could get those products for as cheap as possible in CT. I saw that the shimano callisto and crestfire here is R450 and in joburg R250.
 
K

Kassie

Member
Get yourself a Shimano Calisto reel. I've had one for MANY YEARS - Never given me a moment's hassle!

Check out the latest SA Bass and/or Bassangler magazines

There's an ad selling Calisto's for under R300 from Solomons.

I also have a Crestfire - also many years - never given mechanical problems - but i cast better with the Calisto for some reason. Both reels filled with 45lbs kingfisher super braid.
 
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tinus100

New member
You cant really go wrong with Shimano, Abu Garcia, Quatum. Look for well known brands.

I prefer lighter rods as you dont want to be waving around a heavier peice of tackle for a couple of hours.

The benifit of the abu gargia max family is that the combos are a balanced, this means its extremly light.

Im not sure how the Shimano compares to the Abu Gargia. But normally a good quality bass rod you wont find under R200 od rand.

I have a Shimano spinning set up and must say im very happy with it, Japanese do make qood quality. Im not sure where Abu Garcia gets made, but its a well known brand and they do make excellent tackle.

All I can say is that I have the Blue Max. Its real value for money if you consider that you are getting a balanced combo, a real good rod and not too bad reel.

All I do recommend is get some quality line. Spend a few bucks on casting braid, preferably 20lb. You will be amazed how sensitve the setup is and you will detect the smallest of bites.

So yes. Dont worry on spending the R700 rand on it. Its an investment and you will detect more strikes, just practice with the baitcasters as it does take some getting use to in the beggining and rather put on some cheapo line in the beggining as you will be getting alot of overwinds and you dont want to waste expensive braid on it.

I do also find I get less overwinds with some heavier lures like spinnerbaits and bigger flukes. I have put on 20lb fluoro and its a bit of a nightmare with little plastics.

Thats why I have my spinning setup for smaller and lighter tackle and my baitcaster for the bigger lures and thicker line for heavy cover. Think you can more or less cover all you need with the 2.
 
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