Recommend a rod and reel....

[maroonandwhite]

I am hoping to get into fishing and don't have a clue where to begin with equipment. I am not new to fishing but have never really been serious about it and have always had cheaper stuff. The most expensive reel I have owned was a $50 Pinnacle from Walmart. I don't want to break the bank here but would like a few suggestions on what to look for in a good basic rod and reel combo. Am I correct in thinking that a baitcaster/open face is mainly for the heavier baits/lures and the spin cast are for the lighter stuff?

 

Also if anyone can recommend a few places to fish around Bellevue i'd appreciate it. I will mainly be fishing from the land as I don't know anyone with a boat.

[enfield]

Yep - if you're going to toss a lure that's 1/2 oz or heavier, you really need a baitcaster to do that.  If you're going to fish for bass or cats for example, you'd most likely need a baitcaster sooner or later.

 

Open-face works best for the lighter lures.  Shimano makes some highly-regarded and high-priced reels.  I haven't been impressed by them.  I have a couple of Quantum reels and an Abu Garcia that I really like, but you can't buy based on brand.  I'd go to Bass Pro and spend some time at their reel counter trying out the feel of different reels.

 

I have the most fun with an ultralight reel on a 6' rod.  Most ultralite rods are shorter than that, but they're too short to cast well.  I would have bought a 6-1/2' if they'd had one.

[nightrunner]

People have their own preferences as to what kind of reel to use. I personally prefer an open face.

You can spend alot but for general bass fishing on the lake i really like the Bass pro shops brand rod and reel combo for the money.

[maroonandwhite]

Yeah I don't really WANT to buy based on brand. What are some specific things to look for in a quality reel?

[enfield]

On an open-face reel, I open the bail and move it around to the 'stop' that flips it closed.  Then I see how much effort it takes to close the bail using the reel handle.  Lighter is better.

 

A drag adjustment on the back of the reel is handier to adjust while you have a fish on, but I believe the front adjustment (a knob on the front of the reel) is a lot more common.

 

Anti-reverse bearings in the drive mechanism are wonderful.

 

The retrieve ratio of the reel is somewhat important - a higher ratio will retrieve more line per handle revolution, but provide less power for cranking a biggun in.  The lower ratios give more power but less speed.
 

Ask the guy at the counter, and be wary if he steers you towards specific brands or higher-priced reels.  You don't always get what you pay for.

 

That said, I have a couple of 50 year old Mitchell reels that are just as good now as they were when I bought them, and they're good!

[maroonandwhite]

Great info! Thanks!

 

School me on the fishing around here. The TWRA lakes are obviously online but there has to be other places around here to fish. Can I fish out of the Harpeth? I noticed some weird supplement license needed to fish out of my county but you can't use artificial bait. What's up with that?

[charlessummers]

You're in Davidson County, all you need is the regular fishing license to fish anywhere in the state, unless you are fishing for Trout. Private property is of course off limits without permission.

 

As far as gear, I'd start out with the Bass Pro stuff. It's actually very nice gear and I have several of their rods that surpass my most expensive stuff. With a baitcaster, you'll need a LOT of practice but it's not as hard as most people think. I use 12# mono on mine, and save the 10# and under for spinning. If you buy a baitcaster, practice with a heavier line to begin with so it wont make it impossible to untangle the bird nests.

 

As far as lures/tackle... Start with the basic colors of white, yellow, and greens. I've had good times with spinnerbaits in most of the lakes, but I LOVE fishing plastics! Small crankbaits are good sometimes, and of course the time of year and weather will dictate which baits to use. That challenge is what I loved the most about fishing for Bass...

[maroonandwhite]

Thanks CS. I've had my fair share of those birds nest in the past haha.

[cj0e]

Not too far west of us in Nashville are some great TVA properties. Pin Oak, Redbud, and Dogwood lakes are good fishing. I think Redbud and Dogwood are fishing only - nobody will be out bothering you on pwc's etc. Lots of shoreline if you have a boat with a very shallow draft - without one, not that great to fish these.

 

I havent' spent a lot on my rods or reels, and they've served me fairly well without any trouble. They're definitely not as smooth as some of the others out there, but they get what I need done. I'm not really qualified to give advice on them.

 

As far as plastic baits go, I've had a lot of fun fishing three different lures when I'm not using live bait. I primarily use a Rebel crickhopper - whichever one matches the crickets around the lake the best - hit everything from panfish to smallmouth to the occasional hungry and adventurous largemouth, a Lazy Ike - whichever matches the minnows near shore, and a Texas Rig.

[bersaguy]

Good quality Bait Caster / Level Wind reels today are some of the finest reels that have ever been made.  They can be adjusted to be a finesse angler and use them were most anglers will use a spinning reel / rod combination. I fish soft plastics about 85/90% of the time and use 12lb and 14 lb test quality lines and can cast my T-rig baits on 3/16th ounce tungsten weight and make as long a cast as any spinning rods around with out bird nesting. Now I am saying this because up until 2 years ago I was on the water 5 / 6 days a week practicing for up coming tournaments all across the southeast USA.  My rods are all custom built by professional rod builders and I used Shimmano Calais or Shimmano Chronarch Reels and one out fit cost about $500.00 bucks. I  quit fishing 3 years ago in  tournaments and last year my Skeeter Bass boat got water under it's bow 3 times. Yep, I literally burned myself out and now All I want to do is night fish on Percy Priest lake for big Smallmouth Bass because they are a challenge to get to bite and a really big one is a challenge to get in the boat.  I would go more often if I could find someone that wanted to go along because I don't like night fishing alone at night any more. oh yea, I make all my own soft plastic baits I fish with too....... :up: I was into fishing like most folks here are into guns. The Skeeter Boat slogan is EAT SLEEP FISH SKEETER and I did that for about 30 years................. :rofl:  :rofl:  

[Ladyhay]

I am not really a fisher-person but saw this and thought of this thread: http://www.wired2fish.com/learn-how-to-cast-a-bait-caster/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[10-Ring]

Take this for what it's worth from a guy who has been fishing since he was in diapers.  It's easier to buy an ultralight rod than it is to catch trophy sized fish, but with a little rod all the fish feel like lunkers.

[bersaguy]

Take this for what it's worth from a guy who has been fishing since he was in diapers.  It's easier to buy an ultralight rod than it is to catch trophy sized fish, but with a little rod all the fish feel like lunkers.

 

Take this for what it's worth from a guy who has been fishing since he was in diapers.  It's easier to buy an ultralight rod than it is to catch trophy sized fish, but with a little rod all the fish feel like lunkers.

10-Ring, you forgot to tell him the other side of buying ultralight rods and reels. Yep, small fish feel big on them for sure but it seems the big fish seem to always find the guy fishing with the ultralight tackle to bite on and then you have a 5 or 6 lb bass on a Brim and Crappie rod and you hands more than full of needed skills........... :rofl: :rofl: :rock:

[nightrunner]

Ive always fished on ultralite rods and when fishing for stripe, i used a chartreuse rooster tail alot. TONS of fun.

[Randall53]

Diawa Laguna 2000 5bi is a great inexpensive open face spinner.  I have 3 of them for crappie, shellcracker, blue gill and so forth.  They are great little reels and cost around $50.

 

I highly recommend them.  Very smooth and all the adjustments are in the right place.

[babelt]

I use a Pflueger President Spinning Reel size 6930 on a 6 foot medium action ugly stick. It's about a $100 dollar combo and it has always fared me well. I just recently purchased the same Pflueger in 6935 and put it on a 6' 6" ugly stick for bigger bass. Really depends on where I am fishing. I do alot of bank fishing along rivers and ponds. The smaller setup is better in tight places but when I am fishing around the bigger water or around a damn I tend to use the bigger setup. I've caught everything from, crappie, bluegill, small and large mouth bass, and channel cat's.