What Baitcast Rods & Reels do you Recommend for someone on a Shoestring Budget.

For baitcasters, I prefer reels with a 7.1:1 or so gear ratio (except for deep diving crankbaits – I’ll use around a 5.2:1 gear ratio) and medium or medium heavy 7′ or longer rods.  Through years of buying and replacing inexpensive rods and reels, I no longer recommend reels under $50 and rods under $50.

For reels in the $50 – $100 range, I recommend the Abu Garcia Revo X Low-Profile (I have four Revos and love them), Lew’s Classic Pro Speed Spool SLP CP1SHC (I have a Lew’s Speed Spool and love it), KastKing Crixus ArmorX, KastKing Valiant Eagle BFS, KastKing Spartacus II (I have a KastKing and like it), Ardent Apex Pro (I have an Ardent and like it), Shimano Caius (Shimano and the Caius have good reputations), Shimano SLX 150, Lew’s Speed Spool LFS 100, and Lew’s American Hero Speed Spool.

For rods in the above range, I recommend the Falcon BuCoo SR Series (I have one and love it), Falcon HD, Falcon Coastal XG, All Star Nano (I have one and love it), Lew’s TP1X, Lew’s Mach, Lew’s Hack Attack, Shimano GLF, Abu Garcia Vendetta, and Abu Garcia Veritas.  I used to like All Star Classics, but I’ve broken too many of them to recommend them.  The same applies to Castaways.

You can often get better deals by buying a rod & reel combo but look closely at them.  They often have good reels paired with cheap rods.