SPRING BUYER'S GUIDE: Budget Fishing Rods And Reels That Work!

[@FullTimeFishing]

I hope everyone reading this catches their pb this spring!

[@ajword81]

I did!

[@owenottinger5558]

Just got mine last weekend! Same lake I break it every spring for 3 years now lmao

[@milesdavis4760]

I did! I caught a 6.5 pound large mouth bass.

[@FullTimeFishing]

@@milesdavis4760 nice work Miles!! Keep going I know you can break that again this year.

[@jaymartin777]

Been a saltwater guy all my life still lookin for my first bass🤣😭gotta admit tho fresh water is a ton of fun

[@chuckpugh5997]

I swear my tackle addiction is getting bad. I was just looking in the clouds driving home from work this morning and I see a perfectly shaped crankbait in the clouds. But it did remind me to get on you tube and see today's buying guide. Thanks TB y'all are the best!

[@bigmoemedina313]

No Matter how often y'all do these Buyer's guide you guys always hit it out of the park every time!!! the world of knowledge and experience poured it's so appreciated from guys like me that's always trying to make the best choices when buying the right combo at the right price. Thanks so much for all you do for US!! Please never stop!! Tight Lines!!

[@davidfeldman611]

Spring guide is the bomb!! Thank you guys!

[@tacticalbassin]

Thanks David!

[@rogerbrand223]

Another great video guys. I don't often comment on your channel anymore because you guys get flooded with so many comments somebody's bound to say what I would. This video was so great because not many people dive that far into budget gear they are usually pushing more expensive products. It's great info for all your viewers, and I thank you for all the work and time you put in to bring us this info. Great job as always!

[@FullTimeFishing]

Shimano for life for this guy! Thanks for all the work you all put in. This is probably the most important video you guys do because most people are fishing on a budget.

[@bassinbilliards6279]

For life forsure. The SLX where my go to when first released & from there I really started buying more high end gear. Now almost all my gear is Zodias or Expride with exception of swimbait rod and saltwater.

[@FullTimeFishing]

@@bassinbilliards6279 same here! Once I bought my first Curado reel 5 years ago it was game over. Now I have mostly Exprides for the rods and all Shimano reels. Good luck this season!

[@sunwukongmonkeyking5561]

So me and my brothers decided to try different brand of reels and rod. One brother went with Daiwa and one went with Abu Garcia. I decided to go with Shimano. After a day of fishing and trying each other reels and rod. Both my brother are now converting to Shimano brand. Shimano is the top brand out there. The only one that can complete is Daiwa.

[@richardkeller6940]

Yes on Shimano I have a tranx and could cast a swimbait a mile

[@FullTimeFishing]

@@sunwukongmonkeyking5561 It really is man hands down. They also have excellent customer service. The only bad thing the ever did was get rid of the old Curados because the new MGLs are no where near as good. I had a TERRIBLE experience with Diawa customer service so I don't see a need to ever switch!

[@jasoncarr5867]

You guys always knock it out the park with these videos. But I'd also like to add a little something for the guys/gals that have an even smaller budget than $100-200. Theres nothing wrong with a $70.00 combo I have a 7ft medium fast action lews American hero rod combo that's caught me tons of fish and works just as good as the day I got it years ago. Theres also nothing wrong with a $30-40 rod and reel combo I've caught plenty of fish on zebcos and Shakespeares no matter what your budget is you can still get out there and catch fish I've even fixed rods and reels people have thrown away or didn't want anymore and have caught fish on them you don't need the best of gear to get out there have a good time and catch fish. 🎣👌

[@richardblake4777]

Another great TB Matt and Tim video to help us weekender bassers. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort y'all go to. Thank you so much for being our testing lab.

[@PaoWeezy91]

Let’s do some technique specific setups like budget/favorite frog setup or budget/favorite drop shot etc..

[@live2fishofficial]

Thank you for addressing the price points that most of us are buying at. Not everyone can afford $200+ for a rod or reel - let alone a combo. It’s great to see items that will fit a budget, even if we’re buying a half dozen of them!😂🤣 I picked up a Halo rod on a Walmart clearance (the Starlite) and it’s been an absolute responsive workhorse out there for me. Thanks much for your work on this!👊💥🎣

[@krdpoutdoors]

yo Live 2 fish i bought me the shakespeare exscursion spinning rod for $20 and that pole alone is a Guns Blazing pole i caught me a what felt like a 7 to 10 pound channel cat on the shakespeare exscursion pole after tremendous amount of youtube reviews and then my Lew's xfinity speed stick has also got me some bites and the lew's xfinity pole cost $60 but dude im telling you that pole is also a Guns Blazing work horse that has caught me channel cats as well and a bream / bluegill so goes to show you dont have to have a pole and reel combo for over $3,000 or even $300 price range

[@live2fishofficial]

@@krdpoutdoors I hear you man, some of the budget stuff can really shine! Honestly tho, I can’t say I’ve used a $500 and up rod…so who knows what lunkers I’m missing!😂🤣

[@krdpoutdoors]

@@live2fishofficial agreed , but its 100% prefrence , i have realistically 4 poles in total , i have 2 spinning reels and 1 bait caster , so i have 3 poles i also have a 2 piece GX2 Shakespeare ugly stick spinning pole so i have 4 poles in total , the spinning shakespeare ugly stick thats a 2 piece i dont use i keep that as a spare and to be honnest im satisfied with 2 spinning reels and 1 baitcaster , why??? simple because now i can have 1 spinning reelat home for channel cats and spinning rele at my lake house for channel cats , its a win win for me all year around.

[@ETuss713]

I have high end and budget. The Diawa Airidx is an awesome $50 rod. With that, the $200 price range is special. The curado 150 mgl is a spectacular reel. My $400 metanium is not $200 better than the curado 150mgl.

[@GregoryPotts-wz7mu]

wow -- enjoyed watching this a year after you put it out -- best part if finding a lot of this gear on close out!! Just picked up that Shimano Clarus in a 7'2" heavy for $50 bucks! Thanks Walmart ! And Thanks Matt and Tim !!

[@OGbqze]

I can't watch enough of your guys videos.

[@SystemFreak17]

Surprised to see the Dobyns colt and fury series missing from this lineup, seems like they've been a staple in the budget category for a long time. Fury has been my go-to recommendation for a long time.

[@aggietommyjones]

That’s probably why. They’ve recommended those rods a million times. These rods and reels are newer that the fury and colt line

[@VinceNiergarth]

Thanks for all your hard work!

[@tacticalbassin]

We're happy to do it!

[@rok-me-diafetus5977]

I have a set up called the broke student combo. Berkely cherrywood with Piscifun torrent. Used it for about 3 years now, freshwater, salt water pier and pretty much everywhere. Used and abused, still holding up pretty well. $55 in total.

[@angela6903]

One of the first times I've watched your tackle vids and everything wasn't out of my price range. Good job!

[@thesonorandesertangler]

My fav sub $100 rods are: Ugly Stik Carbon, Ugly Stik Elite, Googan Green, Okuma SST, Fenwick Eagle, & Daiwa Spinmatic. Y'all got all the budget reels, but I really feel like the list above is legit too.

[@sonestia777]

This is perfect for the beginners out there who want good quality but don’t want to break the bank.

[@timothywilder3183]

You guys are the best...I watch all your videos.

[@FoolisH409]

Now that I think of it I think it was one of y’all’s videos from a few years back that made me commit to purchasing my 13 Fishing “Origin Tx”. Still going strong, I upgraded it a tad an added some “Speed Spool” bearings and mannnnn! Love it.

[@CT393]

I haven't seen you guys talk about Pflueger in a while that I can recall, I can definitely recommend the Pfleuger President XT spinning reels, for the money I haven't had anything better. You can regularly get them on sale for around 60 bucks and I like the two that I have better than some of my spinning reels that are double the price.

[@gregmanley1246]

Connor, I own about 5 president reels of various models and I can say that you will be hard pressed to find a better reel than the Fuego at the $100 price point. I work at a Fishing and Tackle store where we often have 100 options of different reels and I can say that while I am a fan of the President line up it doesn't hold up against a Fuego if you can spend the extra $20-40.

[@CT393]

@@gregmanley1246 never used a Fuego, mostly only have shimanos otherwise, if I'm in the market for another spinning reel I'll take a look at it.

[@mattvolentine9359]

I've been hoping for a video like this one for a while! Thanks again, guys!

[@ETuss713]

If you're a tackle junky and love rods....start building your own. Your knowledge grows exponentially, what you can build for significantly lessis awesome , and there's great pride in catching a fish on a rod you built

[@shannoningle7221]

Great video as always , thanks for the info guys , keep em coming

[@toddpossum]

Thanks!

[@dylanbriggs8295]

5 years ago my first “legit” spinning combo I got from tackle warehouse was a 7’ MH AIRD X paid with the legalis. Such a good combo and I’m still running it. SOLID for $55

[@ajword81]

I can totally agree with the statements on the Bass-X. It is a large, noticeable step up in all areas overall. Great value.

[@NoFro-TL]

I own the defy black crank bait rod and the R1 lol. Absolutely love them both.

[@davidclark2046]

I put a fuego Lt2500 on a st Croix panfish rod for an "ultralight " setup and I love it

[@1stbn8thmar]

Thank you for this series Gents.

[@justonemorecast]

I just bought a new budget combo last night. I still love the Shimano quick fire system. My old syncopate 2000 finally quit on me. I grabbed a new 2500 series syncopate and an ugly blue sellus rod. I need to pick up some spare spools for the new reel, I have 3 for the old one. I put mono, flouro, and braid on them and swap them out depending on how I'm fishing.

[@ChubbPirates]

Just got into fishing by buy8ng a rod and reel at a yard sale. Looking for my own new one and this helped so much

[@trevorbennett2178]

Gents, an excellent presentation 👍 You've made it a bit easier, but just so many quality rods and reels out there now to choose from. Cheers 😀

[@johnbutler307]

Thanks for the great video and putting in the prices.

[@TheKodiakWay]

Have a few Sellus, and Clarus for the kids... but I also grab 'em when I'm solo on the boat. Feels weird having a Curado DC on a Clarus for the kid, but not picking backlashes constantly is awesome.

[@ronaldmcdonald3965]

I have the Sellus, Reveros. Pretty happy for a few years.

[@kevingrandke6075]

I have two of the rods that you mentioned. Daiwa Aird X with the Laguna Lt1000 and the Shimano SLX with the SLX A. love them both!

[@unclestumpy2429]

After your fall video's I picked up the Halo KSII Elite and Shimano Miravel and couldn't be happier with that set-up.

[@THEDEUCE.GOESFISHING]

I just finally purchased a 13 Fate 7’ 1” medium to pair with my 8:1 origin c by 13. Seeing you guys say how good the quality is really gives me confidence in my selection. Happy new year 2024 🎉 love these guides

[@williamgould2470]

I would like to see a video sometime on bearings. It's not always the number of bearings but the quality of bearings that are used. Also some of the reels I really love put extra bearings in places where they are not even needed just to say they had the same number as somebody else's. This can lead to an increase in price dramatically.

[@Larry77777]

And an increase to weight, unfortunately.

[@c.shoefish]

I just picked up a 3000 miravel (2500 were out of stock) for a st croix avid rod i have. Its downright amazing.

[@MikeAvinMusic]

KastKing is probably my go to reel manufacturer, almost all my rods have one of their reels on them. They’re affordable and I find them to be of extremely high quality! Just picked up a Zephyr a few weeks ago and I’m counting down the days till trout season to try it out

[@tryhard5515]

For those who have a small tackle business near them and they have st.croix ask for discounts because they would always have st.croix unlike g.loomis or anything else. Shop there enough and soon you will get nrx for 30-35%% off

[@drock5404]

Kast King Perigree spinning rod is a killer value. I've found the quality control is a bit shady, but you find a good one, it'll last forever. Uses fuji reel seat and guides. I've used the crap out of my 7ft medium 2 piece and it's still kicking, 5 years later. Great rod for weekend warriors.

[@tyler1988-o5r]

I have one of those Shimano Caius an I love it for jig fishing an T-rig

[@todddickinson3262]

It’s (BFS or Bait Finesse System)truly the most enjoyable, addictive style of fishing I’ve ever done, and I have been fishing for a long,long time!!

[@krdpoutdoors]

Shakespeare and Lew's for life for this guy , Lew's and Shakespeare have always been the best for me , i caught so much on shakespeare and lew's and thats all im comfortable using they're great quality brands , by no means am i bad mouthing the other brands its that to me personally i dont wanna spend a hell ton of money on bait casters or spinning reels above $20 - $40 push come to shove and i God honnest either have or need to then my budget shuts off at $50 ,

[@billlumberg5746]

Love these videos fellas! Tremendously helpful for a low budget angler thank you.

[@kirkblackadar7299]

I was today years old when I realized...yeah, I've probably been bloop blooping too aggressively 😅. I picked up a bunch of 13 and st croix gear this winter to add a few more combos to the lineup, looking forward to trying them out really soon as the ice recedes here in the north. Hope the finger is healing along smoothly Tim 💪 Take care dudes

[@midwestfischerman]

NOT First!🤷🏼‍♂️🥇🏆🎣

[@tacticalbassin]

😂😂😂

[@toddbloxham6041]

Haha! 🤙

[@brandonsmith606]

😂😂😂

[@peterhing3608]

Great video guys! This helps me dial in what I can look at up here in Ontario Canada as the F/X just kills us on price point so trying to find an affordable rod and reel at your price points can be a little more difficult. I have been following like a hawk any sales from a family owned big tackle shop as well as a large Canadian chain Outdoor store and have been able to get close to U.S. pricing on the 13 Fishing Fate Black Casting and Spinning Rods which I absolutely love! I have the "Crank" version of the Fate Black casting rods in the medium and medium heavy and they are awesome! I use them for my squarebill's and shallow to mid diving cranks for the medium action and from medium diving to 6XD cranks for the medium heavy action. I picked up two Fate Black spinning rods in medium light in 7'1" and a 7'6" to handle my hair jigs, neds, and spy baits and they are always in the rotation. Hope to see the Omen Black's in your "higher end" rod's video as I was able to find them on sale in the past couple of year's and I absolutely love them for jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, shaky heads, texas rigs, and flipping jigs depending on the action and power of the rods in my line up. I am now looking at the St. Croix Bass X to fill in some holes in my line up as well as look at BFS, but unfortunately the Shimano BFS reel in CAD is over $300 before taxes, so way out of budget and the Kast King on Amazon.ca is over $120 so have to wait for a major sale before I can invest in my first BFS reel. Thank you guys for helping me build my dream line up of rods and tackle!

[@BuckeyeBassMaster78]

"Awesome content guys as always,Thank you for all you do"

[@collinsalwaysfishing]

The BFS combo I use is the Shimano Clarus 7'2 medium light with a shimano curado 70 MGL and it's a hell of a combo. I throw anything from micro jigs to small tailspins.

[@dropzBiG]

That bang vid tomorrow gonna be 🔥

[@colewyatt5298]

Shimano has been killing it for years now . Ive got some of their higher end stuff like Curado but i just grabbed a zelus a week ago to see what their cheaper stuff is like and im impressed. For 60 dollars you cant get a much better 7 foot medium heavy fast action(the one i got

[@67manderson]

Awesome video I tend to be in the $100 rod and $100 reel area and for most of us recreational anglers I’m glad that you can get better equipment for that price point. I’m really looking forward to getting into the BFS stuff and I’ll probably start with the kastking that’s going to be a game changer. Thanks for all the great content

[@thatguysfriend3363]

if you don't mind me asking what rod did you end up putting it with

[@AveragePokeCollector]

Just came here to say the Lew's Xfinity baitcast combo from Walmart is actually one of my favorite combos out there. It's like 80$

[@troycote4503]

I love the defys for the money. I spend way too much on Swimbaits and for my other other rods, I've been trying to budget myself.They work great

[@lexm0]

I know its not budget at all, but I picked up a Expride 6' 10" Med-Light and paired it up with the new Exsence 3000 and Ive gotta say its the craziest spinning combo I have ever felt. I was heavily inspired by you guys to try out the Expride rods because you guys have had nothing but good things to say about them. Thank you for doing what you Tim and Matt!

[@tacticalbassin]

Yes!!! Way to go 🙌 That's such a killer combo!

[@keiththompson6545]

The Fate Rods are on sale at Fleet Farm, plus some reels like the Diawa RGLT 2500-XH. Def helps keep you under 100 bucks!!

[@agonz91]

Shimano Sienna and Abu Garcia Black Max are great budget combos that have been around for a little while and are both under $100.

[@codyclark4837]

Dobyns.. Dobyns.. Dobyns.. $80 Colt, $100 Maverick, $130 Fury. Phenomenal rods

[@tikka243412]

No Dobyn’s Colt or the newer Maverick for 99$ The Colt 734C is a classic for 79$ and the Maverick blank is pure graphite and not a blend with glass. Amazing rod for the money!!

[@GeluNumber1]

I'm shocked the Pflueger President spinning reel has gotten no love here yet. That's a legit budget reel I trust to hold up to big fish.

[@jakegrantham509]

I too love high end combos, but the best bang for the buck rod in my opinion is the ark lancer pro series. I picked them up from sportsman’s outfitters on a buy one get one for $20 sale and the rods only cost about $100. Not a big brand but I’m a huge fan. I picked up the 7’2 medium heavy moderate and paired it with an slx and it is my perfect spinnerbait combo. It’s feather lite and loads up very well. The other is a 7’2 heavy and I paired it up with a lews bb1 pro and it’s my swim jig setup. Hauled a 9 lber out of a cove full of logs with ease. Love you guys videos and give them a try if you’re interested.

[@darinblackburn6023]

Alot of good options there. I want to get a decent combo without spending a small fortune.

[@smallfishrock]

Since you put the bass x i wouldve put the dobyns fury. Some of the best rods for the price, full series of actions, and awesome warranty. Worth the extra $20 when in the market for a $100 rod

[@fish2reelaxfishing662]

Just went to Academy to pick up a Nexave combo that was on sale. Ended up walking out with the an Academy H2O combo they had just stocked, and a spare reel for $75. 7’ ml is very sensitive.

[@NorthWoodsWes]

Weird. Never got a notification for this one yesterday. Just finished Saturdays vid.

[@samtietjen2017]

I would love a video on what rod and reel you use for each kind of technique!

[@gregmanley1246]

They made one about a month ago. Here you go - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXS7qmilptSCgsk

[@samtietjen2017]

@@gregmanley1246 thank you!

[@johnhodson5120]

Pisficfun has a really good 300 size reel for $100. It has 30 pounds of drag. I believe it's their inshore saltwater reel. Awesome for glides and swimbaits. It also has an 8.1 gear ratio

[@dylanhulin3456]

Ark rods have become my go to $100 rods. I would love to see y’all give them a try

[@jamesc.murray5932]

I picked-up a seven foot, medium heavy power, fast action Shimano Clarus baitcasting rod along the way, just to have as a backup rod or guest rod when I fish with that type of rod on a given trip or in using a technique that allows for it. I find nothing wrong with the Clarus, especially with reaction bite fishing, given the general uses that this rod can be used for. A great rod for $80.00 plus dollars!!!

[@zachbartlett2829]

Dont know if yall have tried them, but the new Falcon Evo rods seem really nice for the price. I have the 7’ mh and have fished it hard the past few weeks and love it so far.

[@IV-fad]

Loving the buyer's guides even if my wallet is sitting them out! Don't forget the SLX BFS reel as well! I've had a Zephyr and upgraded to the Curado BFS, but the SLX is no slouch and the Shimano FTB brakes really make a difference in handling the light line and baits.

[@NoFro-TL]

I am guessing they didn't include the SLX BFS because you cant get it in the USA yet. Except maybe on eBay. I got mine at Digitaka. My favorite way to fish by far right now. with a Doomsday 47 BFS Custom.

[@ryanmitchell5668]

I hope the Dirty Jigs TB classic releases are coming up in this series - just ordered the underspin!

[@dangerfield85]

Tatula XT line is roughly 2oz lighter than the Dobyns Fury line, incredible value for the money. Picked up the 7' 3" HF, 7' MR-Glass and 7' 3" MF spinning rod, paired em all with Fuegos, hard to beat at that price.

[@5.7.0bassin2]

I can’t wait I’m buying that miravel today last week I stopped in my local bait shop and they just got them in and man that thing is so smooth and light I currently have the ultegra but there’s something about it I don’t care for the miravel with the mgl man it’s a great reel

[@Twangtown7]

Another AWESOME rod around that $120 price point is the Ark Tharp Honey Badgers series. You guys ever check those out? Definitely seems like a more expensive rod. The Hammer is a great all-around MH.

[@maxcole3930]

Obviously no one should spend more than their budget allows. But that being said. I think it's worth it to save your coin & buy a better set up. Ive just started buying upper mid level rods about a year ago. Before that I bought decent combos. Now I buy rod & reels individually & pair them up. I've gotten into the Shimano Expride B series rods casting & spinning. It's worth it to save for the sensitivity! You can only fish one at a time anyway. Get a Expride medium spinning & med heavy casting & you won't be disappointed!

[@FreedomFishing]

6 8 Med, X Fast tip is definitely a great rod for BFS. The Kastking 6 8 Med Blackhawk travel rod comes in at 50 dollars and way cheaper for those on a budget. 🤙

[@toozwraps]

My biggest fish is a 12 inch. Don’t be mean to the Midwest guys ! Haha Love y’all

[@Larry77777]

Personally, I like using my medium heavy spinning rods (Fenwick HMG MH F 1pc 6'6") with size 3000 reels on my kayak in place of baitcasters of the same power. (Braid main to fluoro leader of course.)

[@mjc1535]

I got that Clarus XH for a whopping $56 from Midway USA a couple months ago. It was their last one on clearance. I ended up getting another one in 7'2" H at regular price also. That XH is pretty stout

[@DavidBronstein1961]

Suggestion: mention whether rods have microguides. Braid-to-leader guys need to know that. Thanks guys!!

[@gundamwing1983]

The Clarus is definitely a overlooked line in shimano I have it from UL all the way up to the rod here that UL combo is insanely light accurate and super sensitive I also have a bunch of airdx can’t go wrong

[@esoxangler6426]

You guys should try the quantum Escalade it's like 60 dollars I've used it for about 2 years and still feels and fishes like a 120 dollar reel side note great content I love watching these buyers guides and geeking out over tackle

[@chrisj1982]

I like the KingKast Centron 8'. heavy enough to handle good size fish and 25lb ish gear. but not a monster pole.

[@scottvaughn9565]

The only problem with the origin r1 is the insert on the line guide. I had to super glue mine back in. Other than that it's served its purpose with zero issues.

[@everythingoutdoors-vl9bl]

I’m amazed no dobyns rods at this price point you can’t beat the fury line

[@mrlahey373]

Have you tried ark rods? It seems like their rods are a good value. Very good blanks for the price with the downside being generic guides and reel seats to keep them at a good price point. I think the Cobb series is around 100 dollars and has a complete range of techniques .

[@primetime1838]

For the first 2 minutes of the video tim looked like he was trying to hold in a laugh lol

[@beef1541]

Problem with the Zephyr is when it does lash the line slips off the spool down into the axle. Super annoying. But BFS is pretty awesome.

[@mikecamalier2653]

Great video. Bassmd

[@justinblackburn8414]

Can you guys consider a video on combos that can pull double duty for inshore fishing?

[@Twangtown7]

I am a little surprised there's only 4 models in the BassX spinning. Thought for sure they'd have some 7'6 or 7'10 hair jig rods.

[@rickyrodriguez9831]

I’m not a fan of the feugo casting reel anymore, it’s good and will sling a lipless over half the spool but it’s the only reel I’ve ever had to send in for service, might as well grab a tatula for a couple more bucks!

[@stormhunted]

I need a Zebco buyers guide for my 8 year old 😂😂😂

[@PewPewAmerican]

Hey TB! This is a great video! Im just getting back into fishing after 40 years and i have to say how overwheling all the choices are.. For a caster in your group of set ups, which one should i buy to be able to do everything.. A do all rod/reel.. I got 200 bucks set aside..

[@MoMan.88]

Just FYI Piscifun has quality budget reels including a 300 size swimbait reel for $100, not available on tackle warehouse but great budget options that should be mentioned‼️