Afordable tackle 2025

bigbill reply :

Finding afordable tackle is tough to do nowadays. A few years back I purchased a few rods and reels to stock up on them i'm sure i'll wear them out sooner or later. I have noticed how expensive this stuff has become too. I have noticed many things that i can pass on to the new guys/kids just starting out. I never paid over $20 for a fishing rod to this day.

You need a decent quality reel not an expensive one just a good one. For me its the Fin-nors, Okuma and the Viva's that are priced affordable.

I never price shop a fishing rod, i look for one that feels good to me and applies to the fishing i'm doing.

I like my worm rod a little stiffer with a heavier line(senko's) 12lb test with a 1/8oz brass weight with a red cajun line leader.(12lb test)

My topawter rod is a 6'6" med/hvy action with 12lb or 14lb test.

My crankbait rod is a 6' rod med action with 8lb or 10lb test.

My spinnerbait rod is a 5'6" rod with 6lb test(1/8oz spinnerbaits)

I have a panfish pole that costs me only $5(southbend)

I use 4 to 6 rods even fishing from shore. I'm close to the car(disabled) and sometimes switch baits so a different rod setup is needed.

If your on a tight budget it pays to shop around and wait for deals. My best time to shop is in the spring before fishing season I get some great deals @ walmart too.

I like to put my money into a decent reel, good quality line, lures and a cheap affordable fishing rod.

My favorite rod so far is a blackbueaty 6' spinning rod. The 5'6" rods are easier on my back to cast but the 6'6" rods throw baits farther which gives you an edge when fishing from shore.

I'm very frugal at times but there is a time when not to be frugal too. Really to be successful at bass fishing we only need good lures and a good quality line. At first i tried to be very cheap and use my trout setup for bass fishing. The rod held up ok but the bass tore up the reel and wore it out. I knew it was time to change my ways when i lost a 3lb bass with my lure one day. The toll of lost fish just got to me so i had to test lines for a while to find whats right for me. I found that silverthread or cabelas pro polymere lines were great because of no stretch and quicker hook sets.

Its just my thoughts and experiences threw the past few years.

Grey Wolf reply :

OK , thanks for sharing your ideas and beliefs on fishing.

Dan: reply :

personally, I feel that spending money on a rod and reel can greatly enhance your ability to catch fish. A good rod is important because of light weight, sensitivity, strength, and durability. Most times, you have to spend money to really get those qualities.

Of course, all that really matters is being comfortable with how much you spend on your tackle. There's no need to spend $500 on a setup if you can't justify it to yourself. You can certainly do very well with a $50 setup and experience, but some people can justify spending that extra money to get that little edge that higher priced equipment provides.

Tokyo Tony reply :

I agree that a quality setup can help you catch more/bigger fish. Having a $1K setup won't catch you fish, but it can help a good fisherman be more effective.

For me the difference is that I enjoy fishing more when I'm using quality gear. It definitely enhances the experience.

Raul reply :

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For me the difference is that I enjoy fishing more when I'm using quality gear. It definitely enhances the experience.

Yup, there 's nothing like fishing with obscenely priced tackle , am I right TT ?

Shad_Master reply :

Personally I prefer to spend my $'s on the reel rather than the rod - as long as the rod is comfortable to me, I can get by with a cheaper model and just can't bring myself to pay out the Big Bucks for one of the higher priced versions - maybe it's because I remember catching so many fish with a cane pole or a branch cut from my grandmother's cherry tree as a kid. I don't mind paying more for a good reel as I know it will hold up to lots of use, but I save $'s on the rod when I can.

roadwarrior reply :

bigbill,

You busted yourself on another thread. Fishing $17 lures on $20 rods?

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Re: Life Like Lure Collection

Reply #18 - Today at 09:35:34* I just received my special order baits from the dalureguy and they look AWESOME!!!! He made me a sunfish that sits sideways on the topwater like a wounded sunfish. He made me a larger sunfish crankbait and both are like 3" long too.

I finally got to got fishing a little to test my setup with the new line to be sure its ok. I threw the orginal sunfish lure from Dalureguy and it runs prefect. I start out fishing in the dark so i need to have my setups perfect and test them out before i go out. Now that the bass are on the beds I like to test my setups and lures and presentations without being interupted. These crankbaits are the best i have ever tried and they look great too. I have to stock up on these.....I never see these kind of lures at the larger fishing stores too no one has lures like these for sure. I'm all pumped up to get out and fish with these.

Stringjam reply :

I don't really see how bass fishing gear is any more expensive now than it used to be.

Sure, there is some super-premium stuff available now that wasn't available back when, but I can't tell that prices for typical bass fishing gear have changed much.

If you want inexpensive gear - it's very easy to find -

.......if you want premium or enthusiast grade stuff, it's there, too.

You can find stuff at almost any budget level to do what you need.

HydrillaKilla reply :

Im Lost ??? :-?

hawgchaser reply :

Knowing how and where to fish is all you NEED to be a good fisherman. Think of how many people think Quantum is junk yet KVD, Bill Dance, Shaw Grigsby, and a bunch of others are successful with it.

It actually makes me laugh sometimes seeing the average joe with gear better than KVD.

I don't buy the high end gear anymore bc I don't think its any better than what I have. I have a bunch of high end stuff and some new mid priced stuff that I think is just as good. However, I will not buy thew cheap stuff. I just threw my buddies 6' MH UGly Stick and it was a pool que!!!!

skunked_again reply :

i like good gear. does everyone need daiwa sols? no. if you could afford to buy them responsibly i suggest you do.

for many years i only used abu round reels and i know thats good gear but theyre not Revo STXs and Sols.

on a side note one of my fav. crankbait rods is a berkley cherrywood rod........lol

=Matt 5.0= reply :

Quote

Really to be successful at bass fishing we only need good lures and a good quality line.

Really? :

moloch16 reply :

I've been slowly replacing my cheap stuff (i.e. $50 combos) and there is definitely a difference in quality. I especially notice it in how smooth the drag is when a fish is pulling, and how smooth it cranks. The more expensive gear is also more durable because more parts are made of metal (instead of plastic).

I'm not buying the super expensive stuff but going from a "cheap" spinning reel to a Symetre is quite noticable. I smile whenever I'm using my Symetre reel on my favorite rod.

Having said all that, I took one of my cheap combo to the park the other day and caught four fatties ( ranging from 3 to 4 pounds) and it did just fine!

As far as durability goes I've had the spool adjuster break off a cheap Mitchel reel when dropped. I've had the drag adjuster on a cheap Abu Garcia fall apart while fishing. Durability is another big factor.

Popeye reply :

I buy high and sell low. That way I corner the market:o) Seriously though, I also put the premium on the reels and try to get the best mid-priced rods I can find. I can afford the high-end stuff if I want but since I fish mainly for fun and relaxation, I personally see no need for it. IMO.

Grey Wolf reply :

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I buy high and sell low. That way I corner the market:o) Seriously though, I also put the premium on the reels and try to get the best mid-priced rods I can find. I can afford the high-end stuff if I want but since I fish mainly for fun and relaxation, I personally see no need for it. IMO.

I personally believe the rod is the most important part of the set-up especially if you are fishing plastics. JMHO.

TournyFish001 reply :

If I had all my tackle disapear... The next day I would buy a rod/reel, some bill lewis rattle traps and a couple packs of senkos (you could do this for under $100). I wouldn't be happy only having that but I would feel confident that I had what it took to catch some fish.

bass wrangler569 reply :

First off, let me say that an experience fishermen with cheap equipment will always catch more bass than a rookie with a $500 setup. That being said, people are lying to themselves if they think that the lower to mid-priced gear is as good, or almost as good as the high-end stuff. Obviously everyones budgets are different but buying the best gear that you can comfortably afford or justify to yourself will definately enhance your fishing experience.

HawgChaser hit the nail on the head (exept for the Quantum thing, I love my Quantums). You give KVD a SK Series 5 crankbait, he will outfish somebody with expensive Lucky Crafts and Megabass cranks everytime. On the other hand, if you give two equally talented anglers the the SK crank and the Lucky Craft crank, the one with the Lucky Craft will outfish the other angler any day. Basically, expensive gear doesn't buy fish but it will buy an edge, whether or not that edge is worth the extra $ is up to the individual angler.

thrawn67 reply :

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I just threw my buddies 6' MH UGly Stick and it was a pool que!!!!

I love my ugly sticks... :-/

hawgchaser reply :

Quote
First off, let me say that an experience fishermen with cheap equipment will always catch more bass than a rookie with a $500 setup. That being said, people are lying to themselves if they think that the lower to mid-priced gear is as good, or almost as good as the high-end stuff. Obviously everyones budgets are different but buying the best gear that you can comfortably afford or justify to yourself will definately enhance your fishing experience.
HawgChaser hit the nail on the head (exept for the Quantum thing, I love my Quantums). You give KVD a SK Series 5 crankbait, he will outfish somebody with expensive Lucky Crafts and Megabass cranks everytime. On the other hand, if you give two equally talented anglers the the SK crank and the Lucky Craft crank, the one with the Lucky Craft will outfish the other angler any day. Basically, expensive gear doesn't buy fish but it will buy an edge, whether or not that edge is worth the extra $ is up to the individual angler.

HA HA! I just bought 2 quantum codes and 2 quantum Energy PT Rods. But some on this forum don't care for quantum. I personally am fine with them.

burleytog reply :

What is affordable? How does it make sense to continually pay money for something when you could pay more and have something that will last five to six times as long?

Seems to me those 'unaffordable' rigs are quite affordable.

hawgchaser reply :

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What is affordable? How does it make sense to continually pay money for something when you could pay more and have something that will last five to six times as long?
Seems to me those 'unaffordable' rigs are quite affordable.

My extreme gear was put to the test against several top end reels(not going to name them cause i don't want to get into that debate) and fairly top notch rods when my boat was stolen. The sheriff found 11 of my rod and reels buried in the leaves, through the winter. They spent 7 months outdoors. The only reels that were still functional were the extremes. In fact they weren't even rusted. There were 4 rods that weren't broken and 3 of them were the extremes....and there were only 3 extremes in the first place. I named the gear on another thread but don't want to go there.

This is when i switched to extreme gear. I have caught many hundreds of bass, a 30 pound catfish, and several bull reds on this gear. It has never failed and is tougher than the rest. THAT is good quality affordable gear.

burleytog reply :

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The only reels that were still functional were the extremes. In fact they weren't even rusted.

Which seems to suggest that those were the only ones that weren't exposed to the elements.

hawgchaser reply :

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The only reels that were still functional were the extremes. In fact they weren't even rusted.

Which seems to suggest that those were the only ones that weren't exposed to the elements.

Nope... They were all left in the leaves out in the woods in the same weather for the same amount of time. They are simply more durable plain and simple.

burleytog reply :

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The only reels that were still functional were the extremes. In fact they weren't even rusted.

Which seems to suggest that those were the only ones that weren't exposed to the elements.

Nope... They were all left in the leaves out in the woods in the same weather for the same amount of time. They are simply more durable plain and simple.

You miss my point. The evidence suggests that some of the rigs were partially uncovered, not that brand X is more durable than brand Y.

hawgchaser reply :

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Quote

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The only reels that were still functional were the extremes. In fact they weren't even rusted.

Which seems to suggest that those were the only ones that weren't exposed to the elements.

Nope... They were all left in the leaves out in the woods in the same weather for the same amount of time. They are simply more durable plain and simple.

You miss my point. The evidence suggests that some of the rigs were partially uncovered, not that brand X is more durable than brand Y.

I am not sure of the percent of coverage one rod had vs. the other. Maybe we can get CSI to check it out. No seriously, they all got rained on the same, they all were frozen in ice and several snows, I don't think the extremes just happened to be less exposed to the elements. The cork was chewed off some of the handles and one of the BP logos was off the reel.

I know its hard to swallow but this gear was just tougher. I am not a Bass Pro fanboy. I just had an experience that made me realize the value of this gear.

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