Good all purpose rod

gunny146 · Oct 26, 2009

I need to pic the brains of the pros here. I really enjoy bass fishing, but I ain't got all the money in the world to spend on it. I am looking for advice on a good all purpose rod that won't break the bank. I currently have a 6'6" medium action Berkley Cherrywood with a BPS Pro Qualifier sittin' on it. I also have a ghetto a$$ 6'6" medium heavy Abu (5500 series reel) combo I bought from Wal Mart to get started. I got so frustrated with the Abu rig Sunday I almost threw it in the drink. I want to start fishing tourneys so I am trying to limit the number of rods in the boat to 2. I just bought a BPS extreme reel to replace the Abu reel. Just looking for some ideas on a good all purpose rod at a reasonable price, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. [-o<

Bubba · Oct 26, 2009

What do you currently use the Cherrywood for? That could help narrow down what you want to use the other rod for.

shamoo · Oct 27, 2009

Gunny, What do you consider breaking the bank?

Captain Ahab · Oct 27, 2009

If you are looking to tournament fish why woudl you limit yourself to only 2 rods?

The reason that the tournament guys use 6, 8 or 10 rods is because you are trying to catch fish under a strict deadline - every second you spend re-tying a lure means you are not actively fishing and possibly catching fish - tournament fishing is all about maximizing your fishing time

gunny146 · Oct 27, 2009

First I have to say that I am not very skilled and mostly catch fish with luck not skill. Hey, even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.
Bubba, to be honest I use the cherrywood for just about everything but mostly top water stuff and soft baits. The reel (Bps pro qual) on the cherrywood is much nicer than the Abu reel. I was using the Abu for crankbaits and heavier baits. I have considered swapping reels when the the BPS extreme arrives as it is the small version and the Abu rod is a medium heavy action. I am thinking about putting the extreme on the the cherrywood and the pro qual on the the Abu rod until I can get a better rod.
Shamoo, no more than $50 or $60 I guess. I think I paid $23 for the cherrywood. I have to keep the cost down so as not to upset the wife and have her put the habeus stopus to the fishing.
Captain, The reason I am looking to get 2 decent all purpose rods is most of the jon boat tourneys down here limit the fisherman to 2 rods per angler. Believe me, If I ever get to point of buying a big bass boat, it will look like a rod shop laying on deck. For now though I would like to keep it simple and cheap. I am hoping to get my stuff in one sock by the spring so I can compete in some tourneys and perhaps use the winnings (if any) to upgrade equipment.
By the way, if anyone has suggestions on better usage of the gear, please let me know. I am trying to maximize what little I have. Thanks again, this is great bunch.

russ010 · Oct 27, 2009

I got a buddy you need to talk to... he's got some Pflueger reels he's not using and I think he wants to sell them pretty cheap. He might even have the rods to go with them. I'll shoot him a message and tell him to get on here. His username is Lizard Drager.

lizard drager · Oct 27, 2009

i do have a couple of pfluger purist baitcasting reels and a shamano curado layin around,will take 40 for each pfluger and 80 for the curado.i have a shamano jimmy huston 6'6" medium action rod for 50$ also.

Specknreds · Oct 27, 2009

I have found the Bass Pro Shops Tourney Specials to be the most bang for your buck. I believe that they are $49. I found them on sale last visit and bought 4. I now have 8 casting rods and two of their spinning rods. I have some that are close to 5 years old that are still in super shape and they get used just about every weekend. I have had dozens upon dozens of rods and these hang with the best. The only others I realy like are Castaway and Allstar.