Bait caster

[Botanophilia]

Now that you have a budget rod, be patient when you're ready to upgrade.  Wait until black Friday or watch clearance sales in fall and late winter.  Gander Mt has some awesome clearance deals going on, but they aren't advertised.  At least my store has good deals right now.  If I had the spare cash, I'd be picking up 1 or 2 of their GSX titanium reels to use for spares.
Personally, I stick with my spinning gear.  It works for me and is versatile.  No real reason for me to spend the money to switch. 

[BareKnuckleJigs]

I'm a fan of round Casting reels.  I like Shimano Cardiff, but I really dig Shimano Calcutta.  The classic Calcutta B's are all You need.  I have a 200GTB...smooth and solid.

[Lamar]

Good for you Jeremiah,  I wish you much luck with what you have.  My typical answer to questions like you've posed is to get the best thing you can get and stay in your budget.  That is what you did, and with enough practice playing with what you have, you'll gain experience and funds to move up to something better later on.  I admire the discretion at your age as I must have missed that gene.

Besides you need to save your money for new molds... you can't be fishing a new set up with out those killer baits that you made yourself, right ?   

Have fun,

Jerry

  No disrespect here Jerry but I disagree. This is like taking my grandkids out with barbie poles. They may like the looks but will not like how they fish and not want to go again because they can't do it. The poles will not cast nor reel. I'm better off to buy nicer rods and reels that they will be able to use. I believe he is better off using what he has till he can afford what will work for his needs. Then he will understand and like a bait caster. Nothing worse then a cheep bait caster. That being said. Nothing nicer then a good bait caster. In my opinion wait till you can afford to buy what you need.

[weltzing63]

Check out B & B Custom Rods on facebook! He will make you a custom rod built to your specs!! These are really neat because if you love St. Croix, he can make rods from the St. Croix blanks, ANY of them!! He also has a ton of selections from mud hole blanks as well. After you send your specs to him, go to Okuma reels' website and find a reel you want, and he can rig it up as a combo for you. He also can sell the Okuma reels by them selves.

Please check his site out, I have two ice rods as of now and I love them! And if you let him know Grant W. sent you, he will give you a great price on these!

Let me know if you have questions!

[DF]

Here is my daughter with her Barbie pole and her first catch, she has outgrown it now but it worked great for her at the time. One of the things I like about fishing is you DON'T have to spend a ton of money to have fun.

[ctom]

I can see both sides of this fence pretty well. On one hand getting an entry-level rig is maybe his chosen way to go given his finances, but the refinements found in better tackle, especially in the reels, can help eliminate some of the frustration that comes with bait casters while learning how to use one. Personally I would have spent ac-note on a better reel and twenty bucks down the rods for a rod that the reel would balance on.

I will suggest that Jer settle on mono as a starter line. Its way easier to learn the ins and outs of those reels using mono and substantially cheaper than the braids. A mono backlash is one thing. A backlash with braid can drive a person insane trying to figure it out. Just my two cents on this.

[jmatheny9]

Thanks guys. And I do plan on getting a better rod when I can but later won't do me any good fishing frogs in the spring. So for now I got what I could and I'm happy with it lol. A little frustration will happen either way and I get that but I dot consider a $90 reel a Barbie pole haha :p I have to start somewhere

And thanks for steering me away from the braid Ctom, that was my original plan. The time I used a bait caster i didn't do too bad except for the times I didn't stop the bait and got a birds nest. Plus I didn't know about any of the tuning processes you go through for each lure. But I'm sure after enough videos and reading I will be fine with my reel this spring ( that is if spring ever comes)


      -Jeremiah      @bullfroglures

[DF]

 I agree that with bait casting reels a cheap one can cause you a ton of problems,(been down that road). I just don't want people to think you have got to get top of the line gear to catch fish and have a good time. As a weekend fisherman I don't need the best stuff, would new high dollar gear work better?, yes it would, a BMW would get me to work in a lot more comfort but my Chevy works fine for me.

[ctom]

I have a couple C4 Ambassadors in the 4600 size and they get used for vertical jigging walleye baits. The C4 is a moderate priced reel and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a quality reel without a huge price tag. I also have a couple low profile baitcasters that I have spooled with 20 pound power pro for casting my top waters for bass. When I start tossing frogs I use a spinning rod since the lighter baits on a casting reel are sorry company with me at the reel end.

I made a pair of identical rods that I use these reels on and would be lost without them. Since I am not casting with these I have them spooled with 6 pound crystal. The rods are built on 6'6" HMG Fenwick one piece medium action blanks. Nothing but sensitive and full of reaction to a hit. I've handled 40 pound catfish on these rigs

[Lamar]

  I think your missing some of my point here Jeremiah. You just spent $90 on a reel that you yourself said your going to replace later this summer. So what ever you buy the new reel for you can figure either 1: You could have had it sooner if not spent the $90 first or 2: You could have had even a better reel if you still had the $90 to go with it. Either way the 90 bucks is gone and you still being in school with a low income are the least of the people that can afford to play that game. This isn't like a car where you have to have it to go to work. You've fished all these years without one and a few more months isn't going to kill anyone. Take your time and buy what you want and buy it once. It's by far cheaper. Please don't take me wrong. I'm not telling you what to do. Just giving you advice that took me many years to learn.

[Botanophilia]

Lamar has a point here.  If you're looking to upgrade within a year, don't spend it in the first place.  Need a rod specifically for frogs before you're ready for that good rod?  Buy a $30 spinning combo (or garage sale special!) and save up for a good baitcaster. 

The point has also been made that you don't need to spend a ton to enjoy fishing, and that's very true. My price limit for a rod or reel (not a combo) is around $60.  I've never been disappointed with my gear, and it does the job.  My most expensive reel is a Quantum Energy PTi, I paid $68 at cabelas for it and it's quite nice.  Is it nicer than my GSX Titanium or my Daiwa Exceller?  Not at all, and both were $60 ea.  Be careful about paying for brand prestige.  Lower grade rods from expensive brands are no better than high or mid grade rods from other brands.  I just replaced a St. Croix premier series rod w/ a Quantum Response rod.  The Quantum outclasses the St. Croix by a long shot and was $40 cheaper. 

A $90 combo isn't a bad place to start.  I'd rather have seen people giving advice closer to the budget given so Jeremiah could make a buying decision based on what's a good rod in his price range.  Using a cheaper combo and having it need more adjustment and having it snarl isn't a BAD thing!  It's how we all learned.    None of us started with top of the line gear.  We all started with cane poles or for those who might be even younger than me, cheap cartoon character rods.  After a cane pole and a cheap zebco, my first real rod was an old fiberglass Shakespeare that my grandpa gave me.  I'm still partial to glass rods and buy them when I spot them in thrift stores or garage sales.