One of the situations that presents itself frequently at the store is the new or novice angler with questions about how to get started. A typical scenario is the new angler who has a low end rod/reel combo usually bought for less than $50 who now wants to get a little more serious and purchase a rod and reel at the "next" level.
First of all let's review what moving up to the "next" level buys you. In a rod you will generally be moving from a low graphite or high fiberglass content to a rod with a higher level of graphite. The higher graphite level will most often get you a lighter and more sensitive rod.
The more sensitive the rod the easier it is to detect a bite. You should keep in mind however that the higher the graphite content is the more fragile the rod will be so if the new angler is a youngster who tends to be a little tough on his/her equipment you might be better to stick with a rod with more fiberglass content.
Next let's consider whether to go with a one or two piece rod and what length might be appropriate. One piece rods are almost always more sensitive than two piece rods so if you don't have an issue with storage or transporting the longer rod go with the one piece.
For most applications I would suggest a 6.5 or 7.0 foot rod. In most situations a shorter rod will afford more casting accuracy while a longer rod will provide longer casting distances and more leverage to aid landing your fish.
You can buy a good, quality graphite rod with a solid warranty from 5yrs to lifetime for $70 to $100.
Now let's move on to a reel. The vast majority of new anglers use spinning reels so that's what we'll concentrate on. The two most important attributes I look for are a light reel with a smooth drag
system. The drag system controls how smoothly line is pulled from the reel when you're fighting a fish. A poor quality drag system will cause the line to come off in a "jerky" fashion which often results in break offs and lost fish. Some anglers equate a smooth drag system with a high bearing count.
A high bearing count can mean a smooth drag but the positioning and quality of bearings is a huge consideration. There are those that contend that an inexpensive reel with a very high bearing count i.e 7 to 10 is a poor choice because the bearings will be poor quality and will cause reliability problems. There is no pat answer to the "bearing count" issue.
One feature that most spinning reels made in the last 5 years have and is a must in my opinion is instant anti-reverse. This simply means the spool does not move backwards regardless of where you are in the rotation cycle.
This provides instant hooksets. The other signifigant consideration is spool capacity, in other words how much line does the reel hold of the pound test line you normally use ? If you use 8 lb. test line and primarily cast for fish you'll be fine with 80 yards of line but if you also want to troll you might want to get a reel with spool capacity of at least 120 yards.
Many anglers are very concerned about whether the reel comes with a spare spool. A spare spool is way down the priority list for me because I very rarely use them but I definitely can understand that in some situations they would be very useful.
Where does that leave us on the question of reels ? My personal opinion when moving to the "next level" is that you should be looking for a reel in the $75 to $120 range with instant anti-reverse and at least 7 bearings.
Match up the rod and reel before you buy it and make sure it's comfortable and feels balanced in your hand.
Lastly, a question I get a lot is whether it's more important to get a good quality rod or reel.
From the standpoint of the performance they provide I have a hard time picking one over the other but my answer is the reel because it has more moving parts and potentially represents a larger potential for reliability problems especially since the warranty on rods is generally much longer than on reels.
I hope this information is useful to you. Make sure you drop into the store and we'll spend as much time with you as necessary to make you comfortable with your choice.
All the best to you and your family over the holidays and into the New Year !
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