James H Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Im looking for a new rod and reel to mostly fish rivers like the kank and others. what do you guys suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Ferguson Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 How much are you looking to spend? Fly rod, spinning or bait casting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansgonefishing Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 What is your favorite way of fishing the rivers, top waters, flies, jigs, crank baits?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James H Posted August 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 What is your favorite way of fishing the rivers, top waters, flies, jigs, crank baits?? I'm looking for a versatile combo to throw top waters, jigs,spinners and lighter cranks.Price around $200 or so give or take.Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Ferguson Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 I'd go with a medium light 6 1/2 ($110) or 7 foot ($120) St. Croix Premier rod and a Quantum Kinetic KT20Ti-b ($100) reel. You can't go wrong with St. Croix and I'd match that reel against anything up to $150. Excellent drag system, and a bail that will never fail. That combo will give you many years of service. Temple Forks Outfitters also has rods that are pretty nice with a $99 price tag if you want to save a few dollars. A medium light rod will let you throw a good range of baits including smaller crank baits and the TFO and St. Croix rods have enough backbone to help you land the biggest stream smallies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugene f collins Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 St. Croix Triump 6'6"Light action Rod. Bass Pro Qualifer Reel Sufix 6lb test braid. $125.00 out the door with a couple bags of plastics and 1/8 oz. jigs Soft enough rod to throw heavy flys. Throw a Crankbait or 1/4 ounce texas craw. Large spool reel with 4 or 6 lb braid is awesome! Of Course the fact it works a bettlespin like nothing else and CASTS A COUNTRY MILE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev-mo Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 I'm looking for a versatile combo to throw top waters, jigs,spinners and lighter cranks.Price around $200 or so give or take.Thanks. What size lures do you plan to throw and are you using braid or mono? If the action on the the rod is too light and you throw a sammy the rod will load up too much and it just won't feel right. You also have to consider how big of plastics you throw on a jig. A lighter action rod would be good for grubs but if you start throwing bigger plastics or use keeper hooks you'll want a fishing pole with more backbone. Also one company's med could feel the same as another company's med light... A lot of this is just how things feel/fit you and your style. While the Quantum Scott mentions is smooth, I personally do not like them. They seem heavy and I just don't like the way it fits in my hands. You're spending a good buck so you'll be able to pick up some decent products no matter what you choose. Go to Bass Pro or wherever and pick up a lot of rods and reels and see how they feel. Read the reviews on stuff you like and go from there. I started out with lighter equipment and gradually moved to more medium weight equipment just because it seems more versatile to me. Personally I like St. Croix and Shimano rods but that's what I have experience with. For reels I like Shimano and Abu but again for me those are my personal preferences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Agree with Kevin on rods. I like ML with XF or fast tip from St.Croix 6.6' to 7.6' depending on how far I need to reach out and touch or how small the stream is. Reel for me, an important thing is the speed of the reel. Fast. You can always slow down, but you may not catch up with a fast downstream swimming smallie before you lose control and he's gone. Plus, when working buzzbaits and other fast topwaters, you'll wear yourself out on lower ratio reels if you like to fish all day. I'd go in the 6+ there. Throwing bigger lures is important for bigger smallmouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James H Posted August 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Agree with Kevin on rods. I like ML with XF or fast tip from St.Croix 6.6' to 7.6' depending on how far I need to reach out and touch or how small the stream is. Reel for me, an important thing is the speed of the reel. Fast. You can always slow down, but you may not catch up with a fast downstream swimming smallie before you lose control and he's gone. Plus, when working buzzbaits and other fast topwaters, you'll wear yourself out on lower ratio reels if you like to fish all day. I'd go in the 6+ there. Throwing bigger lures is important for bigger smallmouth. Thanks all four your suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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