Fish-Hawk.Net

Hey guys looking to pick your brains on this, I'm looking to invest and buy a my first really good fishing rod, the stuff I have now is fine (ugly stick etc.) I've been looking at getting a carrot stix, now I am wondering should I get a spinning rod which is what I use now and have my whole life or should I get a casting rod, I have one casting rod(heavy action, was to learn how to pitch jigs in heavy cover) to my name, cabelas series with not bad reel, I bought it two years ago and boy did I suck with it, it frustrated and put it away, broke my arm last summer a week after bass opened and didn't fish all summer, I've been practicing with the casting rod in the backyard when we have mild weather, it's coming but I'm obviously not as good as what I know which is a spinning rod.. I'm looking to get some 7' with medium action, more for spinner baits or crank baits, I want to start doing some bass tournaments, I'll be mailing my signup for the renegade pro-am this week, so should I go the route of a casting rod and put in the work to learn it or stay with what I know??

I you have a budget, take a ride out to Paddletales and chat with Ed. You can discuss the pros and cons and walk out with what you want/need and can afford without getting burned in the process.

You can run into problems with casting reels .The line you use is a huge part of it if your new you want to stay away from mono or flouro... Setting your cast control for your lure weight is also something you get used to but essential...spending an hour or 2 with somebody from the renegade tour would help your confidence ...I'm pretty sure if you sign up they have free seminars for the new guys and the guys I know are really approachable...At the end of the day if it's torture with a casting rig I would stick to spinning .

Each has it's purpose and its place. For throwing anything over 1/4 oz, I would be looking at a casting combo. they are not as difficult as they seem once they have been set up. The trick is the cast control knob as previously mentioned. At Paddletales we spool them with proper line and give you a quick lesson. Certainly there is still a learning curve, but it will be much shorter.

Ed

No to the Carrot Stix. Do some research on the history of that company and the quality of the products.

As a bass fisherman, you'll benefit most from a casting set-up. Learn to use it. Downside, they cost more relative to spinning for an equivalent quality set-up. You can get a decent $50 spinning reel, but I don't think you can say the same for a baitcaster. I wouldn't bother with anything under $100.

As mentioned, pick your set-up based on intended use.

Hands down, go see Ed! He is always willing to show you a quick lesson, and, put you on to the right rod and reel for not only your budget, but what kind of fish/baits you want to target, or throw. As Ed said, they both have their place, but, once you get past the curve on a bait caster, you will wonder why it was not under the x-mas tree years ago! Also, doing, the "Pro-Am" will give you a lot of info, insight, and a day on the water with one of the tournament guys, and gals is well worth not only the fishing, but the knowledge gained! ! They know their stuff, and are always happy to lend an ear, or share a tip! That's why the Pro-Am is such a great opportunity!

Like mentioned both have their place. Once set up properly with a decent baitcaster I'll wager you use that more than your spinning reels but again it depends on your style of fishing.

Tactics where you will 100% benefit from a baitcaster include: Frogs, Flippin', Cranks and Carolina rigging.

Great to see you sign up for the Pro-Am. You will 100% enjoy that.

RJ

Yeah, stay away from Carrot Stick. I haven't heard anything good about them in a long time. I'm sure they've come up in Quality but it'll take a lot more than that to shake the stigma.

Go see Ed, you are guaranteed to walk out with a rod that will do what you want to when shopping there.

I'd also stay away from carrot sticks . They might have redesigned them but I'm not willing to take that chance with my money. I would check out Shimano , Or Diawa . I would recommend a baitcaster with flouro for spinnerbaits and crankbaits. If you go to paddletales ,Ed will set you up with exactly what you need.

Thanks for all the replies and info!! I will definitely contact Ed and take a drive out to his store, also good to know about the carrot stix product, I had been seeing them on a few shows but glad to get heads up on them

You might also consider looking at the Dobyns Fury line-up when you head down at Paddletales. They are of great quality at a reasonable price. You will not be disappointed. Also you will be able to compare with other brands and hold them to get a feel of what you prefer. Ed will be able to suggest you also some great combos.

toobinator wrote:Each has it's purpose and its place. For throwing anything over 1/4 oz, I would be looking at a casting combo.

That is the local prejudice, as is fly fishing is much better than "gear" fishing out in BC.

I'll tell you one thing, you will certainly look out of place in bass tourni with spin gear but many decent southern salt fishermen mainly fish spinning and they are not chucking small jigs so what is up with that?

scuro wrote:
I'll tell you one thing, you will certainly look out of place in bass tourni with spin gear

Since when?
Funny you mention prejudice

scuro wrote:
I'll tell you one thing, you will certainly look out of place in bass tourni with spin gear but many decent southern salt fishermen mainly fish spinning and they are not chucking small jigs so what is up with that?

Slightly off on that one Chris. I bet most tournament anglers rod selection are near 50/50 spin vs baitcasters nowadays. Spinning is almost a necessity in the salt basically due to the need for line capacity, nothing more.

RJ

scuro wrote:

toobinator wrote:Each has it's purpose and its place. For throwing anything over 1/4 oz, I would be looking at a casting combo.

That is the local prejudice, as is fly fishing is much better than "gear" fishing out in BC.

I'll tell you one thing, you will certainly look out of place in bass tourni with spin gear but many decent southern salt fishermen mainly fish spinning and they are not chucking small jigs so what is up with that?

Hmm

I generally throw jerk baits with spinning gear. I do have some bait casting gear for jerk baiting, but prefer spinning and these are not tiny lures (lucky craft 120 pointers, squad minnows, and rapala shads.