Best Pole for $20 and under 2024

thefishingone reply :

I'm only 14 years old and as you may guess I don't have too much money. Today I recently bought a Pinnacle Platinum Reel. Looks pretty good for my first baitcaster. Now All I need is a pole as you can guess, the only stores closest to me are Dick's Sporting Goods and Wal*mart. I would like a casting pole to go with my reel. Just reccommend a cheap two piece pole and I'll be on my way.

CFFF 1.5 reply :

You aren't going to find much in that price range unless you get something on sale that is at least half off. I can recommend a Berkley Lightning Rod. These usually cost about $35.00. The only brand name pole I can think of that costs less is a Berkley Cherrywood, but I haven't used one. I would recommend at the least saving up for a Lightning Rod if not saving up to get something a little better.

Maxximus Redneckus reply :

I have a shakespeare excursion 14 bucks at wal mart its a 2 piece pistol grip 5'-6" i keep it behind my truck seat not the best rod but it does the job.now go get one before that baitmonkey comes and makes u buy a falcon or shimano ;D

.dsaavedra. reply :

i would definitley reccomend the lightning rod. not too pricey and its a pretty good rod too.

thefishingone reply :

I was pretty sure the Lightning Rod was a one piece pole. I need a two piece so it'll fit in my trunk.

emti56 reply :

i just bought a rod at dicks two months ago made by field and stream it is two peice and an IM6 dark red in color bought it to keep in boat for freinds and such but often find myself throwing reaction baits myself with it great rod right at 20 bucks i believe

skunked_again reply :

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You aren't going to find much in that price range unless you get something on sale that is at least half off. I can recommend a Berkley Lightning Rod. These usually cost about $35.00. The only brand name pole I can think of that costs less is a Berkley Cherrywood, but I haven't used one. I would recommend at the least saving up for a Lightning Rod if not saving up to get something a little better.

the berkley cherrywood isnt the worst rod out there. i have a few for bank fishing and i like them ok.

thefishingone reply :

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i just bought a rod at dicks two months ago made by field and stream it is two peice and an IM6 dark red in color bought it to keep in boat for freinds and such but often find myself throwing reaction baits myself with it great rod right at 20 bucks i believe

Can you find me reviews on this rod or just show me a website where they sell it? Or show me a picture of your Field and Stream Pole?

Chad. reply :

Quote

Quote
i just bought a rod at dicks two months ago made by field and stream it is two peice and an IM6 dark red in color bought it to keep in boat for freinds and such but often find myself throwing reaction baits myself with it great rod right at 20 bucks i believe

Can you find me reviews on this rod or just show me a website where they sell it? Or show me a picture of your Field and Stream Pole?

Save up some more money to widen your options nuff said

preach4bass reply :

Just go to Wal-Mart and buy a rod that you can afford. At that price range they'll all be about the same. And the good thing is, if you break it, you aren't out a hundred bucks or more! Also, when you get older and have a fancy bass boat and a dozen high-dollar combos in the rod locker, you'll still be able to keep that 2-piece rod in the trunk of your car, or behind the seat of your truck, and sneak a mini-fishing trip in on a whim. Good luck.

skunked_again reply :

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Just go to Wal-Mart and buy a rod that you can afford. At that price range they'll all be about the same. And the good thing is, if you break it, you aren't out a hundred bucks or more! Also, when you get older and have a fancy bass boat and a dozen high-dollar combos in the rod locker, you'll still be able to keep that 2-piece rod in the trunk of your car, or behind the seat of your truck, and sneak a mini-fishing trip in on a whim. Good luck.

co-sign.

if its the difference between fishing and not a zebco 33 works great.

Joe Boss reply :

For $20 and under your best bet is the Berkley Cherrywood. I have a few that I keep around as loaner poles when I have guests go fishing with me. They are light and tough, can't beat them for the price.

Grey Wolf reply :

You won't find any reviews on poles that cost less then 20.00.

Best advice for you is to save a little more money and buy a lightning rod.

thefishingone reply :

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Just go to Wal-Mart and buy a rod that you can afford. At that price range they'll all be about the same. And the good thing is, if you break it, you aren't out a hundred bucks or more! Also, when you get older and have a fancy bass boat and a dozen high-dollar combos in the rod locker, you'll still be able to keep that 2-piece rod in the trunk of your car, or behind the seat of your truck, and sneak a mini-fishing trip in on a whim. Good luck.

It's like you could predict my future haha I was dreaming about doing that.

Joe Boss reply :

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You won't find any reviews on poles that cost less then 20.00.
Best advice for you is to save a little more money and buy a lightning rod.

Bass Pro Shops has customer reviews on the Cherrywood.

Grey Wolf reply :

Quote

Quote
You won't find any reviews on poles that cost less then 20.00.
Best advice for you is to save a little more money and buy a lightning rod.

Bass Pro Shops has customer reviews on the Cherrywood.

I stand corrected.

btcprince reply :

k-marts everywhere have those 'rod riot $9.99' poles. its a piece of crap, but you can have 2! or just save up and get something decent.

fretfishman reply :

I went looking for a backup rod for my nephew's pflueger and saw a couple that are great. daiwa heartland - if you can get this on sale somewhere it will be less than the 50$ tag you usually see...awesome rod for the price. in the same price range the berkley tactix rods rock. berkley lightning rod and cherrywood - great rods for the price also at 20-30$.

I saw a Rhino "Indestructible" rod at sportsman's warehouse and noticed it had tip damage and a missing line guide. I found that ironic...

all rods are not created equal even in the budget range, that's for sure. between berkley and daiwa you'll be able to pick up a nice rod, though. g'luck!

Aaron reply :

fretfishman - where did you see those Daiwa heartland rods? I have seen them on the Daiwa website but no where else. There is one in that line up that seems like it would really fit my needs.

Sorry for the off topic post.

thefishingone reply :

I just returned my Pinnacle Platinum baitcast Reel. Now I have a bigger budget of $60 for a combo. I thought I saw a Berkely Lightning IM6 Rod at KMart and I think it was a two piece. I was thinking back to my last Post and how Ern reccommended that I'd get a Abu Garcia Silver Max and a Berkley Lightning Rod combo for $60 at Dick's Sporting Good. I was thinking could I get the Berkley Lightning rod that was a IM6 instead of the IM7, would Dick's let me do that?

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pwr/product-reviews/Other/ABU-GARCIA-PURE-FISH/p/3027568-SilverMax-Left-Handed-Baitcast-Combo.html

roadwarrior reply :

You might want to check this out in the Flea Market:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1215820266/5#5

8-)

thefishingone reply :

Does anyone know if I could buy this rod in stores? Abu Garcia Harold Ensley Signature rod.

http://www.amazon.com/Abu-Garcia-Harold-Ensley-Baitcasting/dp/B0012ONN4I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1216069582&sr=8-2

firefightn15 reply :

check your pms.

joeyd50 reply :

In your first post you say your only 14 years old, and in your second post you said, I need a two piece so it'll fit in my truck. 14 and driving a truck. How young can you drive in Maine? :-?

thefishingone reply :

I don't think I ever mentioned truck anywhere and I meant my parents cars.

emti56 reply :

i do not have a picture or a link on the feild and stream but dicks is not that big i am sure if you look you could find it or maybe even something else the combo sounds like you best option like others said not alot of diff at that price range just pick a rod and have fun they all catch fish in the right hands

joeyd50 reply :

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I was pretty sure the Lightning Rod was a one piece pole. I need a two piece so it'll fit in my trunk.

thefishingone reply :

I don't believe it says anything about a truck.

Bill B. reply :

Ask your parents to run you around to all the local pawn shops. Find a rod that you like and wave the $20 bill under the shop owner's nose.

joeyd50 reply :

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I don't believe it says anything about a truck.

Sorry, my mistake

The Rooster reply :

Wal-Mart here at home used to sell the Harold Ensley rod. I had one and it was really nice for it's price. They don't sell them here anymore though, or I'd buy one and ship it to you.

I got a rod from Dick's last year, it was a Quest LS-7, and it was a 6' medium power 2 piece baitcasting rod. Very nice rod. I paid $25 on sale, it was normally $40. Later I saw them on sale even lower, down to $20. I should have bought another one. See if they sell them at your Dick's store, they don't have them here anymore either. Man I really wish I'd bought another one of those now.

What about ordering a rod from Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops?? I've seen the Cabela's Classic for $20. They might have a 6' 2 piece casting model if you look.

The Rooster reply :

Check out this combo from Cabela's. It's an Abu Garcia Black Max with a Cabela's Pro Guide rod. Available in a 2 piece, 6' length as a combo and for $59.96. Plus shipping of course, but that means you're only a few dollars away from owning it. Would mom or dad maybe help you out there, float you a loan so to speak??

Once you follow this link, scroll down the page a bit and it's the 4th one down on the list, model number C602-2.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0053390123234a&navCount=7&podId=0053390&parentId=cat20285&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat20166-cat20285&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20285&hasJS=true

Joe Boss reply :

Quote
Wal-Mart here at home used to sell the Harold Ensley rod. I had one and it was really nice for it's price. They don't sell them here anymore though, or I'd buy one and ship it to you.
I got a rod from Dick's last year, it was a Quest LS-7, and it was a 6' medium power 2 piece baitcasting rod. Very nice rod. I paid $25 on sale, it was normally $40. Later I saw them on sale even lower, down to $20. I should have bought another one. See if they sell them at your Dick's store, they don't have them here anymore either. Man I really wish I'd bought another one of those now.

What about ordering a rod from Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops?? I've seen the Cabela's Classic for $20. They might have a 6' 2 piece casting model if you look.

I saw that Quest pole at Dick's it looked pretty nice. I went with the Northeast Outfitters clearwater IM6 baitcasting rod instead for $14 bucks on clearance. Its a great rod for the money.

thefishingone reply :

Man! Your Dick's Sporting Goods stores are better than mine! I looked yesterday and the lowest rod was $25, Field and Stream. I've convince my mom to pay the extra $35 I need. I'm going to buy a Daiwa Megaforce Reel the one with the twitchin' bar. Was going to get it yesterday but they only had the display left. I was also going to get the Field and Stream rod (2 piece), but I can wait for the rod since you guys keep mentioning those great deals. I guess I can wait it out for a couple weeks till I can find a better deal than that. Thanks guys!

bassfanatick reply :

They have the Field and Stream IM6 casting rod at Dicks for 24.99. Oh and to CHANROCKS93 , DO NOT buy the daiwa megaforce reel!! I have had 2 that would not even engage the spool after about 2 months of use, trust me.

thefishingone reply :

Ahh thanks for the heads up another siteatick but I think I'm going to try the reel thought, you might have just been the unlucky one to get two bad reels.

wagn reply :

I saw that Quest pole at Dick's it looked pretty nice. I went with the Northeast Outfitters clearwater IM6 baitcasting rod instead for $14 bucks on clearance. Its a great rod for the money.

joeyd50 reply :

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Ahh thanks for the heads up another siteatick but I think I'm going to try the reel thought, you might have just been the unlucky one to get two bad reels.

I just like you to know I have 2 Megaforce reels, my son has one, and another guy I fish with has one, we all love them, I got a 19.5lb striper in on 12 lb line with no problems, that fish fought for 25 minuets. another siteatick must of got a couple lemons.

Good Luck

Joe

thefishingone reply :

joeyd50 I just purchased the Megaforce reel and man major birds nest! But that was my fault I forgot to set it up. haha. My reel seems to have a little squeaky noise every half spin. Any way to fix it with house hold items?!?!

Chad. reply :

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joeyd50 I just purchased the Megaforce reel and man major birds nest! But that was my fault I forgot to set it up. haha. My reel seems to have a little squeaky noise every half spin. Any way to fix it with house hold items?!?!

LOL dont even touch it send it back if this continues seriously if you don't know what you are doing don't open the reel

.RM. reply :

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My reel seems to have a little squeaky noise every half spin. Any way to fix it with house hold items?!?!

Try one drop of reel oil (should be included in the reel box) into each crank paddle.

thefishingone reply :

Didn't get any. Any house hold items that would work? Vaseline? Idk.

.RM. reply :

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Didn't get any. Any house hold items that would work? Vaseline? Idk.

chanrocks93,

Never use Vaseline on any reel, don't even get it near a reel (it is NOT a gear grease). Besides that you don't grease anything on the outside of the reel. One drop of a sewing machine type oil will work (temporarily), but you should get yourself some quality reel oil for doing your basic maintenance during the season.

Good Luck & Tight Lines!!!

thefishingone reply :

Any advice on which one I should get? Please try to keep it under $3 don't have much money after the reel purchase.

Pencil Pusher reply :

Abu Garcia Silicote reel oil.

thefishingone reply :

Can I get it at Wal*Mart or K-Mart? Closest stores to me. Would WD-40 work?

Pencil Pusher reply :

Don't use WD-40, I know Wal Mart carries the Abu oil, K Mart closed all their stores in my area so I'm not sure about them but they did carry it when they were open here.

Aaron reply :

You could possibly use a gun oil such as Remoil or the Hoppes oil.

Not recommending just a sugestion.

skunked_again reply :

this is the most work ive seeen in quite a while for a $20 rod...........

.RM. reply :

chanrocks93,

Please NO WD-40....

If you send me your address in a PM, I will send you some of my reel oil no charge...

roadwarrior reply :

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this is the most work ive seeen in quite a while for a $20 rod...........
:)

Geez...A lot of guys spend more on a filler spool of line!

The Rooster reply :

You can't beat free reel oil from someone who knows what's the best to use. But just so you do know, Wal-Mart does have it (at least here they do). It's packaged and hanging on peg hooks on their counters under the name of Zebco. You can buy it separately (oil only) or as a kit (oil and grease both). Oil by itself, I paid $2.00 for a pretty good sized amount of it. Being that one drop is all you need at a time on a bearing, maybe 6 or 7 drops total to relube all the bearings in a reel, then it should last a long time. After all my experiences lubing reels over the years, I'll never use anything but reel recommended lubricants ever again. Don't use 3-in-1 oil, WD-40, or anything like that. My brother in law says to use vaseline but I think he's nuts. I'd never do that (again : ;D). Yeah he talked me into it once and at the time it seemed like it might do the trick. But now I know better, that stuff was a waste of time. It just evaporated after a short time and it was like it had never been greased at all then. Bad experiences have helped me learn otherwise now, and since then good experiences with actual reel oils and reel gear greases have changed my views. You can save yourself the bad experiences by listening to people here who have done it before.

skunked_again reply :

Quote
chanrocks93,
Please NO WD-40....

If you send me your address in a PM, I will send you some of my reel oil no charge...

thats cool right there.

thefishingone reply :

Thanks for your offer The Reel Mechanic but right before you posted I did what Roostertail said (before he posted his message but on my own) and bought reel oil. CAn you guys send me some tips on using my baitcaster. I just printed out The Reel Mechanics baitcast 101 and I think I'm gonna need a little more tips/advice because tomorow I'm going to practice at the lake but with a lure.

The Rooster reply :

I guess it depends on how tempermental the reel is on how easy it is to cast. But I usually don't have mine so tight that the spool won't throw off some loops if I release it and let the lure hit the ground. It's a good bit looser than that, so loose it would bird nest pretty bad if you just let it go and hit the ground that way, I'd probably have to cut the line out of it with scissors.

I set the brake pretty high on it though, an 8 or 9 out of 10. It won't stop a bird nest at all, but it helps when I cast it. With it set that way I get a long cast, a good 50 to 60 feet with a 1/4 oz. crankbait (Bandit 100 series mostly). Sometimes longer. With the wind at my back I can cast it 70 or more feet. I don't have any trouble at all with the settings that way. Maybe once or twice per trip I might have an overrun, but never badly. This adjustment just seems to work.

The reel I'm using is a Bass Pro Shops Extreme with the 5 bearing system. I can cast this bait at least 50 feet and not even have to touch the spool with my thumb until just before the lure hits water (or trees depending on how good my aim was :). I'm talking cast after cast of not even thumbing the reel while the lure is sailing through the air. Even when it starts to slow down it doesn't backlash. Then I just ease my thumb into it to stop it so the lure can drop to the water, and that's it. Begin retrieve and hopefully catch a bass.

If I'm throwing a heavier bait, such as a spinnerbait 1/4 or 3/8 oz. size, I might get onto the spool faster with my thumb cause I think when I first cast it the heavier weight of the spinnerbait gets the spool really moving faster than with the lighter crankbait, but it slows down faster in the air cause of a bigger profile, however the spool is still spinning really fast so I need to start slowing it down sooner than I did with the 1/4 oz. crankbait. But with any and all casts I make, at the very beginning of the cast my thumb doesn't even touch the spool while it's spinning for at least a full second or 2 once I release it so the line can flow out. And with that 1/4 oz. crankbait, it doesn't touch at all until the very end of the cast just before the lure hits water.

I've found out that I can set up other reels like this, semi-loose tension knob with about 90% magnetic braking applied and then I can cast 1/4 oz. baits without thumbing the reel much at all, as long as I'm careful with the cast not to whip it excessively. I just gently cast it with NOT a lot of arm into it. Just seems to work for me. I use a 6' medium rod with a Bass Pro Shops Extreme reel to cast with, but I was doing this just the other day to teach my nephew how to use his casting reel and he has a 6'6" medium/heavy rod with a Bass Pro Shops Megacast reel on it. Two distinctly different reels and rods, even length is different. But it still worked the same. At least for me. He backlashed it a dozen times and we finally had to cut some of the line out of it on his last cast. He'll eventually learn and so will you, but it will take some experience and patience to get there, along with some practice and occasionally some new line to replace what you cut out. ;D

2354

Best Pole for $20 and under 2024

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