New rod and reel recommendations

[ch1966]

Ugly Stiks are made for the rigors of pond/bank fishing and are a great choice for that application.
As for reels, I've only purchased a couple of Daiwa spinning reels that are recent production.
I caught them on clearance discount special @ $59 back in the winter. They've gone up a bit but they seem to be nice for the money.

Jerkbait Porn:

 

[BobbyV]

I bought a couple of Zebco Spincast Combos just to get back into fishing. If I end up going more than expected I might go for a more expensive setup.

 

[dennishoddy]

I bought a couple of Zebco Spincast Combos just to get back into fishing. If I end up going more than expected I might go for a more expensive setup.

A family friend used to be the night janitor when Zebco built reels in Tulsa. If one of the assemblers dropped a part, it wasn't worth shutting down the line to pick them up.
She would bag up the sweepings and take them home. For many years after Zebco went overseas, she ran a little mail order business selling replacement parts. Parts were cheap, penny's basically but the shipping and handling was where she made enough money to keep it alive.
She was a single mom at the time until marrying my friend that was an engineer at Conoco. She continued the business for a while, but it became more hassle than profit as hubby was making bank so she dumped them all.
That was back when Zebco was making metal gears. I think they were cast probably, but metal non the less and were legit reels. There are two from the 50's in my reel rack from that era that haven't' seen duty in many years, but I'd bet with a little cleaning and new line they would work just fine.

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

I bought a couple of Zebco Spincast Combos just to get back into fishing. If I end up going more than expected I might go for a more expensive setup.

Those cheap ones are typically ok for 2-3yrs of light use then they start getting grindy and the drags become either full stop or totally loose.

Putting better quality line on is the best mod you can do to a cheap reel.

I hope you find plenty of time to fish and get hooked!

 

[TedKennedy]

Buddy here wanted to surf fish with me. We were following the wives through some flea market and he spotted a guy selling used rods and reels. I spotted a Mitchel 400 series spinning reel that had a really smooth action on a 9' heavy rod. Seller was wanting $75 for the pair. I knew those old Mitchel's made in France had machined metal gears inside. Told him to buy it if he was looking for a bargain so he did.
Later he looked it up on ebay, and saw a couple over $130 for the used reel alone. He's so tight that he squeaks when he walks, so was pretty happy at the bargain he got.

Dad used a 300 and a 308 for stream fishing. I bet he used them for 40 years, and when I say used them, I mean they were well-maintained but high mileage!

 

[BobbyV]

Those cheap ones are typically ok for 2-3yrs of light use then they start getting grindy and the drags become either full stop or totally loose.

Putting better quality line on is the best mod you can do to a cheap reel.

I hope you find plenty of time to fish and get hooked!

That's the plan . . . we're hoping to move closer to my hunting and fishing spots so I might upgrade at some point.

 

[Settled_Nomad]

That's the plan . . . we're hoping to move closer to my hunting and fishing spots so I might upgrade at some point.

I'm just planning to fish some farm ponds. I'd imagine they have perch, crappie, bass and maybe some catfish.

I love pond fishing. That’s all I did growing up in Ada Oklahoma. I’m going to chime in my recommendation. PM me if you want to get into the details.

Spinning rods and reels are my go to setups. Easy to cast, handles various line weights and are affordable.

For pond fishing I would do the following (all rods have the specs printed on them ).

Rod:
Length - 7’ 6”, to 8’
Power - Medium or Medium Light
Action - Fast
Lure weight - 1/4 to 1 oz

Reel:
2000-2500 size would be perfect. Shimano is my favorite brand. Bass Pro shop brand is good, and a little more economical.

Right now the sand bass, hybrids white bass and crappies are active, getting ready for spawning. The above setup can handle them all.

 

[dennishoddy]

Dad used a 300 and a 308 for stream fishing. I bet he used them for 40 years, and when I say used them, I mean they were well-maintained but high mileage!

The only issue is that Mitchel's can only be used left-handed. They aren't capable of being switched to a right-hand retrieve.
My buddy is right handed, but he has no issue of using his now.