Best Way To Spend $90? - Pond Fishing For Largemouth Bass 2025

Chris-W reply :

Hey guys! This is my first post here. Already I have come across such great information, so thanks for everyone being so willing to share! I live in Kennesaw, GA and I've been fishing for a couple of years now. 99% of the time, I fish in a neighborhood lake that has 1-5lb+ largemouth bass is in. I fish both from the bank and from a small boat, about equally. My most successful baits/lures have been Senko worms, pop-r's, 5" floating minnows and stickbaits, though I haven't built up any confidence in crankbaits, spinners or jigs yet. There aren't any lily pads, although I've had some strikes at a hollow body frog as well. The water stays pretty stained with a green tint, so green pumpkin and watermelon black flake Senkos have been the best color so far. There are a few good grass spots/lines and a couple of docks on the pond.

I only have one spinning rod/reel right now (Pflueger Criterion 6'6" M w/medium action and Shimano R4000 (4.1:1) series reel with 12lb Trilene XT) and I have $90 to spend, so I was wondering if the Abu Garcia Black Max/Vengeance Baitcaster combo for $80 at Dicks (w/$20 mail in rebate) would be a good way to spend my money to expand my gear.

My biggest complaint with my current rod/reel is that I'm missing the little bites on Senko's and gut hooking bass WAY more frequently than not. I am also not able to reach the opposite bank when bank fishing, but am pretty sure I could with a baitcaster. I was thinking the Vengeance rod would be much more sensitive than my current rod (less gut hooking), and the Black Max reel would give me longer, more accurate casts from the bank, while allowing me to retrieve spinner baits, crankbaits, buzz baits at a better speed.

Let me know your thoughts on this purchase, or if the $90 would be better spent on just a more sensitive rod, different lures (crankbaits, spinners and jigs that I don't have), or something I'm not even thinking about! Thanks in advance.

Catch and Grease reply :

The black max reel is alright but the vengeance rod is mehhhh...

new2BC4bass reply :

Going to be tough to get a quality combo for $90. I've never bought a combo so can't be of any help. I could suggest you look at Academy Sports H2O combos. They have one for $69.99 plus $11 shipping. I've no idea how good it is.

You might want to consider buying each separately. Given your fishing conditions I would go with a Berkley Lightning rather than the Lightning Shock.....less than $40 for the rod. Then look for a used $50 reel. I just bought a used reel from the flea market here.

Right now the H2O Mettle is $60, but will go for quit a bit less when they have their Reel Riot sale. This reel normally gets good reviews. No experience with it myself.

OroBass reply :

Get a black max and pair it with a Berkley lightning

robster80 reply :

a $50 powell diesel and maybe one of the cheaper lews reels

Catch and Grease reply :

The 25$ berkly cherrywood HD rod is another good budget option

Slipknot_Fan666 reply :

I have a Black Max, they're great. I have no experience with the rod you mentioned though.

FlipSide reply :

I would get a Powell diesel spinning rod and switch out your current rod.

EvanT123 reply :

Not trying to steer you away from baitcasters. Well maybe I am but have you looked at any of the abu garcia orra spinning reel combos? I have a friend that doesn't fish very often and has one. I handled it the other day and was pretty impressed. It seemed light weight and has a real nice handle/reel seat. Throw some 10-20 pound braid on there and you should be able to wing lures out there. I would imagine it would be more sensative then what you are currently using.

TiNuts reply :

If you're not getting across the pond with a spinning reel, then you're more than likely not going to with a black max either. And the abu rod probably won't help either as they're generally pretty stiff.

Chris-W reply :

Thanks for all of the input so far. I just wanted to add that I'm not married to the idea of getting a baitcasting setup if my money would be better spent on just a better spinning rod, one that's more sensitive, higher quality, etc if it makes more sense for the type of fishing I'm doing (pond vs a big lake). If this changes anything, the deepest point of the lake is around 14'. Thanks guys!

Slipknot_Fan666 reply :

Don't believe people when they say you can't cast as far with a Black Max. I can easily cast farther with mine than I can with the spinning reel.

Catch and Grease reply :

The rods gonna have more to do with casting distance than the reel IMO anyways

Chris-W reply :

After doing more research, I keep seeing a quality 6' 1/2 - 7' MF spinning setup being recommended as the most versatile. The Pflueger President spinning reel keeps coming up ($60) but that would only leave me with $30 for a rod (Berkley Cherrywood has been recommended in this range, anything else worth looking at?). Should I focus more on getting a better (more sensitive) spinning rod now with my $90 and keep the cheap Shimano reel I have, or would the President really be worth the investment now? Decisions, decisions. Thanks again everyone.

Slipknot_Fan666 reply :

I'd get the Berkley Cherrywood/Pflueger President set up if you're decided that you're going to stick with a spinning setup.

TNBassin' reply :

On 7/4/2014 at 4:57 AM, Catch and Grease said:
The black max reel is alright but the vengeance rod is mehhhh...

Gotta disagree here. Its actually a nice rod for the $. It's much better than any of the Lightning rods in the same price range, and it's decently sensitive with fluorocarbon. The Black Max isn't bad, but I'd go with a reel that doesn't have a graphite frame.

Maxximus Redneckus reply :

You can get a trion also for 40 and a cherrrywood for 20 .then add some 6 lb yo zuri hybrid,a zoom trick worms in kudzu.

Flywatersmallie reply :

Got a Gander Mtn near by? Go get one of the Vortex (reg $60 and honestly not bad for that price but this week 75% off) and put that President on there. You'll have a nice, serviceable combo for $75

timsford reply :

With spinning equipment your rod will help you cast further more than the reel. Id look into getting a longer 7 ft + rod and save some to get a better reel later. TW is having a sale right now and you can get a rod already on sale for another 15 percent off that would be longer to aid in casting distance and also more sensitive than what you already have. Thats what i would do but its also just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt lol

Fishes in trees reply :

If yo are going to spend a lot of time bank fishing, I'd suggest that you get different gear rather than another rod & reel. If you are bank bound - a good pair of hip boots is invaluable - maybe a back pack style tackle bag would help you get more mobile. Rods & reels are important, but for most applications spinning gear beats bait casting gear for bank fishing applications.

Look at what might get you better access to fishable water. That is my opinion.

Catch and Grease reply :

On 7/4/2014 at 12:51 PM, TNBassin said:
Gotta disagree here. Its actually a nice rod for the $. It's much better than any of the Lightning rods in the same price range, and it's decently sensitive with fluorocarbon. The Black Max isn't bad, but I'd go with a reel that doesn't have a graphite frame.

Idk the rod just didn't do it for me....

I'd much rather have a lightning rod or cherrywood

Chris-W reply :

Thanks for all of the input everyone! For now, I'm going pickup the black max/vengeance combo because it's just too good of a deal to pass up. After rebate I'm effectively only paying $10 for the rod, and everyone seems to agree that the reel is decent/good. It will give me a more sensitive rod than what I have now and the baitcaster setup to start learning. When it's time to upgrade my spinning setup, I'm definitely going to refer to this thread!

FishTank reply :

I played with one of these today at my local Gander Mountain. I was pretty impressed. It is on sale for $99.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Gander-Mountain-Elite-Series-Baitcasting-Combo-Medium-Heavy&i=762452

gramps50 reply :

You can get a Pflugar Purist for $39.88 at www.shopdunns.com which is a step above the President. I have mine on a mh Odyssey rod I bought for $20, on sale, spooled with #10 braid and a fluro leader. I can feel all but the lightest bites.

I think sensitivity is more the rod/line than the reel, but the better reels are smoother an much nicer to fish with.

jtharris3 reply :

On 7/6/2014 at 12:09 PM, FishTank said:

I played with one of these today at my local Gander Mountain. I was pretty impressed. It is on sale for $99.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Gander-Mountain-Elite-Series-Baitcasting-Combo-Medium-Heavy&i=762452

That looks like a nice combo!

Jtrout reply :

Got a president on a 7ft bass pro tourney rod 110 bucks n a silvermax on a 6'6 ugly gx2 for bout the same price they serve me well

bigbill reply :

From shore casting distance matters. I can cast farther using Excaliber Silver Thread copolymer line on any spinning reel setup. I would make this change first.

I like to cast past the fish and bring my topwater lure to the right or left of them by a few feet so I don't spook them. I work my lure softly past them. I cast parallel to the Lilly's and weedlines when I can too. The thrill is I draw them out to strike.

The game changer is switching to a line that gives us shore fishermen more distance. You don't always use it but it's there when needed.

From shore I like a 6' med action rod for most lures. My topwater rod is a med/hvy action rod.

For a decent $100 on clearance a LEWS SPEED STICK or LEWS TORNAMENT spinning rod can be found for 1/2 price or less on eBay. Use the spinning reel you have now and change your line to Excalibur silver thread copolymer. You should be under $100 way under. Buy some YUM shad scent and let the bass fishing begin.

new2BC4bass reply :

A 6' rod will never equal the casting distance of a 7' rod all else being equal. However, shore fishing can sometimes require a short rod for casting....especially should you decide on a casting rod. No problem from your boat. My 6' Lightning can't equal my 7' rods in distance, but is more usable from a brushy shoreline.

It seems the vast majority of baitcast users prefer Low Profile reels (guilty ). Don't overlook a round reel. Often a used one can be purchased for $30-$50 since they aren't nearly as popular. You will be surprised at how well they perform. They are less apt to backlash in my experience. Yesterday I dug out the first baitcast reel I ever bought.....an Ambassadeur 5001C. It has sat for 35-40 years because I had never used one before and didn't know anyone that did. Needless to say I quickly gave it up because I didn't know how to cast that type of reel. Obviously the lubes aren't going to be very good by now. I spooled on 17# mono, mounted it on an older 6'6" XMLTi MHFrod rated for 3/8-2oz. and tied on a 7/8 oz. Rattletrap. I was casting this lure just as far as I was a 7/8 oz. Spro BBZ1 on a 7' HF Prodigy rod rated for 1/2 to 1-1/2 (a 706) using a Trion baitcast reel just cleaned by DVT and spooled with the same line. Not apples to apples, but should point out how well these reels will cast. I also want to point out that the Trion is an excellent casting reel with these types of weights and can be found in the $45-$50 range for one in decent shape.

BTW, my second baitcast reel purchase was in 2009 when TW was closing out the Daiwa Fuegos. I love reels....especially baitcast reels. Spinning reel count is 6 with one being a carry over from about 40 years ago. I gave my others spinning combos to my grandsons. Baitcast reel count is about 41 so you can see where my love is. :eyebrows: My spinning combos hardly ever get taken out.

bigbill reply :

Look at the cherrywood rods too.

Bladesmith, reply :

This spring I bought a Lews combo from Wal Mart. I have used it hard and I really like it. Have more expensive rigs but none that I like better. It's less than $70. bucks and I wish I had gotten 2 of them. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lews-Laser-Mark-Rose-6-6-Baitcast-Combo/35680299. If you decide on a BC, it is a good deal. By the way, I can cast small lures a country mile with it. I hope that link works.

greentrout reply :

Do you have a Gander Mountain in your area? They are really aggressively pricing their inventory. Might check them out. Some

good deals...

Old school basser...

bigbill reply :

Second your line is good for topwater.

I started out using 8# silver thread copolymer for my senko & Carolina rig rod.

I keep the line just snug enough to feel a nibble.

Gbenoit45 reply :

One of the best rods I have is under $90. It is the browning stalker gold combo. I really thought it wouldn't work but this is the third year with it and I haven't had a single problem with it (knock on wood)

Ersteman reply :

I have the black max combo. I love it. It's my worm rod. Great value for the money. could it cast further? probably, but it does the trick for me.

I also have the silver max reel paired up with a Berkley lightning. Can't tell the difference between silver max reel and black max reel to be honest. both work great.

I recently bought a spinning combo. I got a daiwa triforce 7' rod for $20 on amazon. (unbelievable value rod) with a Pflueger President spinning reel for about $50 on sale or after a rebate. The reel is a dream and it has a ton of very high reviews. Got both my brothers turned on to the president and we all love them. My brother landed a 6lb bass on it yesterday matter of fact. And I'm a firm believer that you don't have to spend a lot to get a good set up. Lots of hype out there. My $20 daiwa triforce does just fine. I've caught plenty of fish on it and I love the rod's sensitivity.

Wait for labor day sales or check out gander mountain's current sale. I never buy full price and you can find great deals if you spend time looking.

Good luck!

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