Cheap Rods and Reels You Love

[FlatsNBay]

Do you have a cheap rod or reel that you just love and can't put down? Let's hear about your favorite cheap rod or reel!

For me, it's my Powell Diesel crankbait rod. I bought it for around $65 5 or so years ago and it is one of my favorite rods by far! It didn't come with a warranty but that didn't matter, it's been a workhorse. I've caught a ton of fish on the rod including a 10-2 and it hasn't failed me yet. I was planning on buying another to replace it since it's beat up pretty bad so I pushed it and boat flipped a 4 pounder. It didn't snap!

So let's hear it! Which budget rod or reel is your go to that you can't put down?

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[LgMouthGambler]

Cheap reel: My Johnny Morris Signature reel (paid $100).

Cheap rod: My Halo Daylite rods. ($69)

[kdubracing]

Kind of along these lines, but I don't really use it much anymore. But I have a Field and Stream rod I think I paid like $20 for several years ago when I needed a rod in a pinch. It's a pretty solid crankbait rod. It's listed as a MH Fast, but has a very parabolic bend. Probably because it's just a really cheap rod. I may still use it here and there, but I got one of the new Okuma Guide Select Crankbait rods that I'm in love with.

[SHC286]

I hardly use it, but it's a 5' light Lightning Rod topped with a Zebco micro 33. Any fish feels like a whale. It's fun as hell to even catch blue gill with it.
My only complaint: line twist. Dang those spin casters will twist line like they're trying to braid rope.

Think I paid around $30 for the whole thing. Been thinking about upgrading the reel to some cheap bantam sized BFS bait caster. But that could also take away some of the fun of using that little 33.

[Pferox]

I have two favorite cheapies.

A 6ft 6in Beefstick rod that I bought out of a steel drum for 2 bucks.  I paired it with a Penn 209 reel and it has become my go to stingray combo for years.

The other one was sort of free, I found an old 7ft MH Ugly Stick spinning reel next to the garbage when fishing one day.  I took it home, and restored it, calling it Franken Rod. It has become one of my staple pier rod, pared with a 5000 Penn reel.

[Capt. BassinLou]

I don't have any cheap rods, sub $100 that I use, but I do have older rods that I still use.

In regards to the reels though, I have been testing out the Concept Z reels this week, and I'm really enjoying them.

[BassmanRudy]

I have 3 6'3" vendetta spinning rods(about $60) that handle all sorts of tasks for me and have performed admirably over the years!! At least 1 is 7 years old and helped me win a tourney skipping wacky rigged trick worms under docks. I use braid with a flouro leader most times with em. They also throw frogs/flukes/swimbaits/shaky heads for me!

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[Bud Kennedy]

My most treasured rod and reel occupy a place of honor in my rod rack.  This combo is no longer used but is frequently taken from the rack just to thank it for the memories over the past 60+ years.  The combo is a Johnson century spin cast reel on a 6 1/2 ft two piece action spinning rod.  It had many hours draped across the handle bars of my bicycle and has caught thousands of fish in its lifetime.  It has caught everything from Northern Pike to Bull Heads and every thing in between.  I got this rod when I was about 11 years old bought with my own money earned from turning in soda bottles at 2 cents each and also by working odd jobs on neighboring farms.  I think the total cost of this combo was somewhere around $25.00 and it came with a spool of that new fangled mono fishing line.  The best part was it would cast my baits farther than Jim Erickson, my childhood fishing buddy. The 1950s were indeed a magical time.

[Smallie_Stalker]

For rods I have two, A 7' Pflueger Tim Horton Crankbait rod and an old 6' Shakespeare rod that came as part of a combo with an Alpha reel. The reel had a plastic spool, and probably plastic frame and sideplates.  I ended up giving the reel to a guy in my club at the time who had a grandson he wanted to give it to.

Both rods are composite rods. The Pflueger is super lightweight and has the perfect amount of bend for throwing small to mid-size cranks and still being able to drive the hooks home and keep the fish pinned. I paid $17 including shipping as part of Pure Fishing's Select Angler program when Pflueger was bought by them.  I have fished with a LOT of different cranking rods over the years, some costing big $$ but this $17 Pfluger is still my favorite cranking rod of all time!

The Shakespeare rod reel combo was $39.99. I don't think the reel was worth even $20    but I'll split the difference and put this rod at $20. I like it as a crankbait rod when I am making roll casts to close targets but I have used it for a variety of techniques. It is definitely E-Glass/graphite so it is bigger in diameter and heavier in weight than the 7' Pflueger, but I still love this rod.

As far as cheap reels go I don't have many that I still use. I do still use my old ABU 5501 round reel a lot but that is it for baitcasters. If I remember correctly I paid between $50 and $55 when I bought it way back when, which was a lot of money at that time, but cheap by today's standards.

All but one of my spinning reels are Pfluegers and mostly Presidents which are fairly cheap I guess. And I love Pflueger spinning reels.

When you factor in the discount I get on them I guess that qualifies them as a really cheap reel, and since they are built like a tank I have had some of them for a long time so I guess that qualifies them as old too.

This is a great thread. It just goes to show you that having the latest and greatest doesn't always make for a happy day on the water! 

[zippyduck]

I have three Ugly stik 6'6" med spinning rods that make the best roostertail rods for smallies on the great lakes.

[Blacknredflake]

Abu Garcia Black Max III baitcast combo 6'6" Medium combo.


Love it for Chatterbaits

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[Bassinkorea]

One of my absolute favorite rods that I use all throughout the years (and I have 4 of them) is a Korean made rod that was valued around $75 about 10 years ago. It is called the Surecatch Powerbraid and it is not even available to buy anymore. I got them for free as they are my sponsor.
My favorite reel of all time is an Abu Revo S (I have 2 of them) that I bought for $99 each around 12 years ago.

I use these set-ups for spinnerbiats, underspins and some topwater mostly.

[nats]

Even though I don't own one anymore I think for a spinning rod the Berkeley shock rod is a fabulous value

[chrisD46]

After sorting through a bunch of Berkley Lightening bait cast rods (previous generation) I found a 6'6" Medium/ Moderate  that was perfectly straight , all of the guides matched up perfectly , etc. that would make a great cranking rod . It had no price on it , so when I scanned it and saw $9.00 on clearance come up - I walked straight to the check out counter before the store changed their mind ... Paired it up with a Daiwa Fuego CT and it has been a great set up !

[FD]

I have an early 2000's Berkeley lightning spinning rod 7' mh paired with pfluger president with 40 lb braid that has survived teaching dozens of people to bass fish in weedy Florida lakes.  It just came out of the rod locker last week so I can reset a guide but that has been the best combo I have ever owned.

CPF Lures Pro Staff
CPFLures.com

[Deadeye]

Oh Geeze, where do I start?

I bought a Combo many years ago that was a Ugly Stick Medium Light with a Shimano BC Reel. That reel was junk but that Rod has lasted through tip changes, breaking about 4 inches off of the tip when a locker lid dropped, and has been used for anything from Topwater to Worming, but it really shines as a Rattletrap Rod. You can see the tip shake with every vibration of the lure and it has enough bend to keep fish hooked up.

Think the combo was like $30.00

I bought 5 of the Skeete Reese Rods when they first came out and were going for $89.00. But I got a 10% discount on them since where I was working at the time sold them. They have lasted though many years of fish witout any problems at all. I really like the 2 Spinnerbait/Worm and the 2 Big Worm/Jig rods I have, but the Flipping/Pitching Rod is just to heavy to enjoy using. I save it for when and if I need to use a 2 oz to really punch through thick stuff.

I see them now on Flash Sales at Dicks for as low as $39!!!!!!!! Haven't bought anymore but have been tempted.

I also have a Lightning Rod Shock that is listed as a Medium, but feels more like a MH to me. I use it for Flukes and Jerkbaits.

I have found the Fish don't care how much you pay for the rod you catch them with, but it's more about what you like.

[FlatsNBay]

Lots of Lightning Rods mentioned. Those were some good rods!

Bud mentioned holding on to his original combo after all those years. I wished that I still had my original Daiwa Pro Caster from back in the day. I was toying with buying one on Ebay but it just wouldn't be the same as my original for sentimental reasons.

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[bigjim5589]

I've certainly used a variety of cheaper rods & reels over the years, and some I recall that were a very good value.

Bought two Shimano FX spinning rods for two of my sons, with reels, but don't recall that the reels were Shimano. They may have been, but don't remember.  I paid $20 for each outfit, and we caught a lot of fish with them. I liked them enough that they were my primary bass rods for a lot of years for lighter lures.

I also have several of the Daiwa Beefstick rods, bought primarily for surf fishing when we vacationed on the coast. I usually supplied the fishing gear for family who went along, and those rods are tanks. I never had to worry about them getting broken. Fiberglass and heavy, under $30, and still use them. I have them from 8' to 12'. I also used them for tossing large wood lures for Striped Bass.

The last cheap, but great purchase rod I've made was a 7' Shakespeare Micro Series Fly Rod. The retail price was $20, not marked down. The length and price are the main reason I bought it. It's rated for 4/5 weight line, so  I added a cheap DT 4F line, and had a reel, a Cortland Rimfly, which are not expensive reels when they were still being made. I may have $50-$60 in the whole setup, and it's been a fun little outfit to pester the panfish around here with, even more than a couple of custom fly rods I have.

My bass rods are mostly BPS Extreme, older rods now, and some in the Woo Daves series. $100 rods so not really high end, but for me have been a good buy. They're probably 20 years old now.

[skelly]

For a reel, have had god luck with the Okuma RTX spinning reels. Have two, and both are smooth and quiet. Paid around 60 for each.

[jwkelley51]

Well, y'all talking about Berkley shock rods. I've got 2 7ft. medium spinning rods with President spinning reels, maybe 15 years old, $100 a set up, 15 lb braid. I skip a nose hooked fluke, and a neko rig around docks etc with them. They also work chug bug, poppers, and spook jrs. I usually bring 7-9 setups but that nose hooked fluke never leaves the deck. These have the older style handles, they're clear now? They are one ugly combo and it looks to have about half as many guides as the rest of them but it works just fine.

[1ReelFanatik]

Seldom use a spinning rod, but my old 6' ML Lightning has caught many fish and is a rod I will never get rid of.

Smallmouth 6'10" is a favorite MF casting rod.  I bought my Smallmouth rods when the could be had for less than $90.  At least 2 of mine were less than $80.

Aetos 6'6" MLM casting rod is an absolute pleasure to use.  $75
RX7 Rainshadow 7' MHF fishes way above the $100 I paid.

Penn 430SS is on the above Lightning.

Cabela's Prodigy casting reel.  $60 on sale.
Carbonlite (gold ones) casting reel.  $65 refurbished.

May not qualify as cheap at $105, but love my Pinnacle Primmus casting reels.

EDIT:  Forgot about this beauty.  7' ML Hurricane Redbone.  Found it new for $75 in a mom-and-pop shop in DeLand.  Rod stays there.  Very nice looking rod that launches a 3/8 oz. crankbait with the above Primmus.  Love that combo.     Wish I had one of those rods at home.

[The Rooster]

I'm late to the party but I'll add mine. I have a Quantum Tournament Grade IM8, M/F graphite spinning rod that has been one of my favorite rods I've ever owned. It's not all that light weight, but it's light enough, and very well balanced with the reel I have on it. It's an attractive rod to look at with a matte blue blank and metallic blue and chrome accents, it's fairly sensitive, pretty strong and handles fish well, but mostly I like it so much because of how comfortable it is in hand and how fun to use that it has been. To me, a spinning rod must have a nice sized foregrip, and I also prefer a full cork handle behind the reel, and this rod has both. It was a $40 rod originally but I got it on clearance for $25. Still has a lot of life left in it and I'll continue using it as long as it lasts.

The reel I have on it is a Pflueger Trion 30x, a $40 reel. I wore one out after fishing it for 5 seasons and catching hundreds of fish on it, including my PB bass. I replaced it with another identical model. The second one I recently got on sale for $35. As reels go, I've always felt that this one provided more bang for the buck than any other reel in this price range.

So overall, my total invested in this combo is just $100, even after getting a second reel for it. It has also been the one I caught most of my bigger bass on (not all that big by comparison to other peoples' catches). My first "big" bass was about 2-1/2 pounds and it was on this rod. It is affectionately called Big Sally whenever the story is told. My personal best is just 3 lbs 2 oz, and it was caught on this rod. A second bass about 2 pounds came on the very next cast. I've caught several more since then, nearly all of them on this rod.

[MrSmitty]

Another late to the party, but I'll add mine as well.  As a proud owner of 14 Dobyn's rods, 2 Kistler's, and a few decent Lew's rods to go along with too many Daiwa (and a few Lew's) reels I admit one of my favorite combos is a 5 year old Abu Garcia Pro Max bait caster combo (total cost was around $80).  This thing does nothing great, but everything good.  I've used it for cranking, spinnerbaits, worms, and even some light top water stuff. It truly is an all around combo.  It backlashes far less than some $200 reels I have.

It one time even "accidentally" landed a 46"+ muskie.  I still cannot believe the rod and reel stood up to that test better than I did.  Since that day it will always be allowed on my boat

[Eric-Maine]

I tried fishing left handed years ago flipping and pitching and didn't want to spend a lot for a reel I just used winters wrong handed down in Florida.  The left handed experiment took and I have 3 American hero edition Lews that I have used a lot over the last 5 or so years paired with Twilight series Halo 7' 11" heavy to xtra heavy rods ( close outs 1/2 price). 65lb braid 30 ' or less "casts" on average. Never an issue.  In fact I have a 7' 11 GLX G Loomis with a Curado that rarely gets use anymore in Florida.  Totally satisfied with the Halo Lews combos. 3 rigs less than 100 for the combos. If i remember the GLX was 400 something and the curado 200 or so 10 years ago.



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[znate80]

Lots of Lightning Rods mentioned. Those were some good rods!

Bud mentioned holding on to his original combo after all those years. I wished that I still had my original Daiwa Pro Caster from back in the day. I was toying with buying one on Ebay but it just wouldn't be the same as my original for sentimental reasons.

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Absolutely, I have several lightning rod set ups with Pfuelger President reels. Love em


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