Rod Snapping Fish

[NJSquatch]

Originally Posted by Chrisper4694

Hey does ugly stick know your using their name and turning people from their rods!? Haha

Bring that broken rod back to where you got it get a credit and put it towards a pflueger...their lower priced stuff is pretty good, unless you want to spend more money and get some bells and whistles like lighter weight more sensitivity etc.

I'd recommend a net, you can keep the fish in the water while you unhook and let it recoup a bit after the fight instead of pulling it right out of the water after it has exerted itself.

X2 on the pflueger reccomendation

[UglyStick]

Originally Posted by HighHook94

Don't buy a St. Croix as a beginner. Yes they are absolutely beautiful rods, but they are too expensive for a beginner fisherman. And for freshwater bass fishing, you don't need anything fancy. I buy all of my fancy gear for saltwater fishing. Freshwater I find the cheapest setup at Dick's Sporting Goods and stick with that. Saltwater is completely different though.

I respectfully disagree with this...

It is common that a person will spend more on gear as their skills increase and focus more money on what they primarily fish for (fresh vs. salt, bass vs muskies, etc.) but to say the cheapest setup is fine for freshwater & bass but salt is a different story and requires fancy gear simply isn't true (noting that gear size/weight must be matched to the species being sought and that some specific techniques require more specialized gear). I fish for most all species fresh and salt and although I do have a lot of expensive and specialized gear at this point, I also still love some of my more modest set-ups (my favorite inshore porgy / seabass rod is still an Uglystick I've had for many years.) I find that in general, for casting, higher quality rods are much more important for freshwater fishing. Being able to accurately present baits, sense pick-ups and deliver a good hook set on over-pressured fish are critical. As for price, at $130 for a good all purpose St. Croix Premier I think this is a good value and money well spent on a quality rod for someone looking to get more serious about the sport. I recommend St. Croix's because they are my favorites out of all the rods I have tried but I acknowledge that there are other good ones out there also. I can't comment on the Cabelas recommendation here since I have never fished that rod.

My point is that quality gear does make a difference and a beginner will be able to progress more quickly and enjoy the sport more if they make a modest investment in a good rod & reel from the beginning.