20 replies to this topic

[springgardener]

At work today I received a $200 gift card which can be used at Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas. It could be redeemed at many places but these are the places I am interested in.

http://www.cabelas.c...ordsPerPage=108

http://www.basspro.c...c9/Ns-p.price|1

Previously I have purchased only rod/reel combos, which is what I have linked above, but I guess I would purchase things separately if there was a reason to.

I am looking for a rod and reel that I can use as my primary bass rod. It should be a spinning reel, and it should be able to throw baits from 1/4 up to around 3/4 I suppose. I don't think I have many lures if any bigger than that. Looking to be able to pull braid through lilys if I need to and cast lures, and maybe to use at the fairmount dam for striper/bass/walleye. SHould be very castable for constant casting and retrieving. I don't catch lots of bass, let alone lots of monster bass, so it doesn't have to be on that end of the power spectrum. All I know is that my trout and crappie gear is too light and my catfish gear is too heavy and not repeatedly castable.

I dont mind spending all of the 200 bucks. This will be the nicest rod I own as my current stuff tops out around $60 for a rod reel combo.

I'm looking for suggestions, and it has to be from one of these vendors. If anyone has some time to kill and wants to help, it would be appreciated.

[fishingsj]

If you're looking for a good spinning reel, I'm a big fan of the Pfleuger President XT (make sure if you go with this, go with the XT, in my experience it is a better reel than the president).

My old man has the President XT that holds 195 yards at 10 pound test and I have the 115 yards at 6 pound test. I have caught probably some four to five hundred bass (up to 6.5 pounds), too many channel cats, and even some decent pike (30-34") and it still works perfectly. I have it spooled with 30 pound powerpro. Seeing as you want to use this as a true bass reel, I would recommend going with one of the bigger sizes.

The link is a rod reel combo offered by cabelas. I've never fished with the rod, and they also sell just the reel if you decide you want something else rod wise.


My link

Best of luck, shopping for new gear is always fun IMO

[Aki]

ST.croix Mojo bass $100
Shimano Sahara $60 (on sale at cabelas)

20lb sufix/power pro $ 20

Bomber Long A $5
Rapala x-rap $5
Kalins Ultimate jig3/8oz $5
Zoom super fluke $5


or you can add $100 and buy stradic.

[flyers1kak]

ST.croix Mojo bass $100
Shimano Sahara $60 (on sale at cabelas)

20lb sufix/power pro $ 20

Bomber Long A $5
Rapala x-rap $5
Kalins Ultimate jig3/8oz $5
Zoom super fluke $5


or you can add $100 and buy stradic.

x2

i've got two saharas and theyre really smooth nice reels for the money
or treat yourself with a stradic like aki said. i LOVE my ci4, i feel like it can handle anything that i could possibly hook, fresh or salt

[ILoveFishing]

St croix 7' fast action spinning rod would be perfect for the 3 fish you wish to target. Check out the penn fierce reels in the 4000 size, i have it and its a really solid reel for the price, havent found any bad reviews online and its very hearty. Spool it with 20lb power pro and you are good to go, will cost about $130 to $140 which leaves you some room for the lures like aki suggested and then some.

[springgardener]

THanks guys, I will rely on this info to help make my decision. Much appreciated,

[GC]

THanks guys, I will rely on this info to help make my decision. Much appreciated,

I believe everything suggested thus far is solid advice. IMHO I would shoot for a St. Croix rod and a Shimano reel. These items have already been suggested. Have fun with your new purchase and may I ask why you were the recipient of a $200 dollar gift card?

[springgardener]

Im pretty well settled on the St. Croix based on PAC feedback, except I am not sure if I should get medium or medium heavy power. Still thinking about that.

As for the reel, Im trying to decide between the Sahara 2500 series and the 4000 series. Im thinking the 2500 because its in the middle between the 1000 series and the 4000. A safe choice it would seem. But if anyone has a strong case for the 4000 over the 2500, Im all ears.

As for the gift card, my boss called me into his office to give me this gift... basically, I picked up our companies biggest client a few months ago and it has been going very well. They gave him some feedback that I was unaware and he used it as ammo to get me this little gift. So it was a reward really :-) Not much, but I can spend it all on fishing without feeling guilty!

[GC]

Im pretty well settled on the St. Croix based on PAC feedback, except I am not sure if I should get medium or medium heavy power. Still thinking about that.

As for the reel, Im trying to decide between the Sahara 2500 series and the 4000 series. Im thinking the 2500 because its in the middle between the 1000 series and the 4000. A safe choice it would seem. But if anyone has a strong case for the 4000 over the 2500, Im all ears.

As for the gift card, my boss called me into his office to give me this gift... basically, I picked up our companies biggest client a few months ago and it has been going very well. They gave him some feedback that I was unaware and he used it as ammo to get me this little gift. So it was a reward really :-) Not much, but I can spend it all on fishing without feeling guilty!

You may want to go with the Sahara 3000... it provides a bit more spool capacity, but is the same size as the 2000.

Congrats on the bonus!

[Aki]

Looks like they don't have 3000 size sahara for discount price...
Then 2500 maybe better choice for bass/walleye. Spool it with 10~15lb braid.


Any ways, I would also reccomend 3000 size shimano (spool with 15~20lb braid). 3000 size shimano (or 2500 daiwa) is perfect size for all purpose lure casting reel. It'll handle most freshwater fishing, and light duty saltwater fishing. 6'6"~7' medium action fast taper rod would be my choice for your purpose if you ask me. By the way, daiwa 2500 size reel should be as good as same price range shimano 3000 size reels. I own one and it's working great.

If you want heavier set up for bigger fish (like keeper size striper or bigger), 4000 size shimano spooled with 30lb braid maybe better choice, but it'll be bit too bulky for light duty lure casting for bass and walleye.

Have fun choosing the right one for you.

[springgardener]

Looks like they don't have 3000 size sahara for discount price...
Then 2500 maybe better choice for bass/walleye. Spool it with 10~15lb braid.


Any ways, I would also reccomend 3000 size shimano (spool with 15~20lb braid). 3000 size shimano (or 2500 daiwa) is perfect size for all purpose lure casting reel. It'll handle most freshwater fishing, and light duty saltwater fishing. 6'6"~7' medium action fast taper rod would be my choice for your purpose if you ask me. By the way, daiwa 2500 size reel should be as good as same price range shimano 3000 size reels. I own one and it's working great.

If you want heavier set up for bigger fish (like keeper size striper or bigger), 4000 size shimano spooled with 30lb braid maybe better choice, but it'll be bit too bulky for light duty lure casting for bass and walleye.

Have fun choosing the right one for you.

Thanks for the info. I don't do any salt fishing, and the biggest striper Ive got from the Skuke is 22 inches, so I think I will go with the 2500. I don't see the need for the 4000 at this time.

Thanks everyone for the assistance!

[ILoveFishing]

I you plan to fish for walleye in the city, i would go with a 4000 size reel with 20lb braid, because walleye is not the only thing you are going to hook.....there are some big fish there.

The setup would be light enough teamed with a 7ft rod to cast lures and plastics for bass also, and would be able to handle a big striper or even flathead when the time comes if you are walleye fishing where i think you plan on, because it WILL happen i assure you that. For a while i used a penn captivia 4000 teamed with a abu conolon 6'6 med-heavy rod, caught loads of largemouth eyes and schoolies, even a 20lb carp from that video.

[springgardener]

looks like i have to wait 7-10 business days to get the gift cards shipped. My purchase will to wait for a bit I guess. Either way, Im psyched to know Im getting a Shimano reel and a St. Croix rod

[Aki]

I you plan to fish for walleye in the city, i would go with a 4000 size reel with 20lb braid, because walleye is not the only thing you are going to hook.....there are some big fish there.

Good point. You never know what you're going to hook into down there.

[Aki]

You may want to wait til they bring down the price of existing models. Shimano just released some of the newer models.

[springgardener]

You may want to wait til they bring down the price of existing models. Shimano just released some of the newer models.

Thanks for the heads up, but I could not wait

The gift cards arrived today, and I ended up getting the 3000 model Shimano Sahara reel, and the 7 foot medium power fast action St. Croix rod. I can't wait to try this stuff out!

[GC]

Thanks for the heads up, but I could not wait

The gift cards arrived today, and I ended up getting the 3000 model Shimano Sahara reel, and the 7 foot medium power fast action St. Croix rod. I can't wait to try this stuff out!

You'll love them. Have FUN!

[ILoveFishing]

Sounds like a solid setup, what do you plan to spool it with?

[springgardener]

Sounds like a solid setup, what do you plan to spool it with?

Good question. I have 20 and 30 lb braid which are both likely candidates for the first spooling. I will also be curious to see how it feels with mono, but that will have to wait for the second spooling. Or double uni on top of the braid once I lose a good amount of it.

[springgardener]

Ok, so I was on the basspro shops website last night and I noticed that the 3000FD model was now listed as out of stock! I thought to myself, wow, I must have gotten the last one or close to it. Well, then I checked my email, and they told me that my order did not go through for the reel because it was sold out. Thats some BS since it was not listed as out of stock when I bought it.

I then looked at Cabela's and it looks like they have the new model in.

http://www.cabelas.c...ch-All Products

So I ended up emailing customer service at Bass Pro and they told me that the older 3000 model is indeed out of stock and discontinued, and will not be restocked. I told them that they could make me happy again if they could send me the new SH3000FE model. I also let them know that Cabela's already had it.

They responded quickly last night, and said that they can swap in the new SH3000FE model on my order, as they should have some in just a few days! So, after feeling unlucky, I feel pretty lucky now because I am going to get the new model. I'm just thankful that their customer service team was so accommodating and quick to respond.