Fishing for a pole..

[monkeygirlcooks]

So I've been to Cabela's, Sportsman's Warehouse, and Dicks (yeah yeah, scoff about the last one.) and no one can give me sound advice. I have been fishing for years, but I've always used my late father's poles and tackle. Come last winter, the poles and tackle box I had in a friends trunk went caput when he got in a car accident like a dumbass kid with a brand new camaro. Anyhow, I'm looking for tips on fishing poles. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg, maybe a couple fingers. I'm willing to go for a hand. I haven't gone shopping for my own pole in my entire life, and since my pop passed, I figured I'd reach out to the other fishing tycoons out there. Any tips to help a little lady out?

[Amx]

what specie of fish?

from shore or from a boat?

spinning or casting rod and reel?

lakes AND rivers, or just lakes, or just rivers?

[monkeygirlcooks]

I'm going after rainbow trout.

Off the shore.

Spinning reel

Just lakes.

I plan to purchase more then one rod and reel over time and have been fly fishing as well, but those are a bit more of a splurge at the moment. I just want to get out to American Lake and have a little fun.

[G-Man]

Get yourself down to Outdooor Emporium and speak with Jon Calvo. He'll hook you up with a great rod and reel combo that won't break the bank. I'd ask for something in the 6' to 7' range by Diawa, Berkely or Quantum and with a 2 to 6lb line rating. Have the reel spooled up with 6lb Maxima Ultra Green and you're all set for just about anything that you'll run across fishing for rainbows. A setup like that will also work well for panfish/perch be it trolling or still fishing.

[monkeygirlcooks]

Thanks G-Man! I'll head on down this weekend and see what he can set me up with! American Lake, here I come!

[beachbum97]

Okuma SST's in the ultralight trout version is great! Mine is rated at 2-6 pound test 6 feet, which is perfect for those cookie cutter rainbows. It has a soft tip for when you're using powerbait and everything else is a little stiff but still sensitive for fishing lures like a spinners, jigs, whatever. It's a great rod for the price. I got mine for $40 at wholesale sports.

[Gringo Pescador]

Ugly stick - cheap and tough.

[r.sok]

-okuma sst rod 8'6-9'6
-plfuegar president reel
-6lb test
You don't need an 8'6 but I enjoy having the extra leverage to go out further if I need to & you don't need a reel that cost that much but for the price It is one of my favorite reels in that price range

If you're planning on going places where pole length would be an issue I would get something along the lines of 5-7ft

[rappuhd]

Ya i agree with the above posts hard to beat the sst. I have a 6'6 ultra light with the smallest president reel and love the setup. I also have a 6'6 UL clarus that I like,but not as well as the sst. Hard to beat the over the counter warranty of the clarus though.

[TroutSnipr]

I'll chime in here. An 8'+ pole even as a 2 piece can be difficult to transport in today's smaller cars, and if you are fishing in areas like a dock where you are sharing room with other people or on shoreline that has overhead trees or nearby bushes a long pole can be difficult to cast. A would suggest a 6'6"-7' pole as a better choice in light to med-light if you are mainly powerbait or bobber fishing. If you plan on using bigger spoons and spinners i would suggest a rod rated at med-light to medium. As far as brands, out of my 10 or so trout rods, the one I have caught the most fish on is a 20 yr old 6'6" medium action Shakespeare Alpha grafite/glass blend rod(they don't make them anymore.) is it my best rod? not by a longshot but it works for everything I 'might' hook into while fishing for trout, from crappie and bluegill to 10lb carp and big channel cats. Okuma Celilo, Okuma Monterra, Okuma SST, Berkley Lightning Rod Shocks, Shimano Sellus, Shimano Convergence, Quantum Accurist, Diawa Aird, Abu Garcia Vengeance, are all reputable rod lines and can be had under $50-60. As for reels, my favorite quality budget reel are the Pflueger Presidents in a 20 or 30 size. 10 bearings and available on sale often for $40 and you can't go wrong

[monkeygirlcooks]

Thanks for all the tips! Looks like I'm gonna be setting myself up with an SST since it seems the majority favored pole out here. My old poles were over 30 years old and did the trick but they were all custom made by a man who is now dead so I'm figuring out the new fangled stuff.

Off to the store I go!

[racfish]

Go for the Ugly Stick. Its the best bang for your buck. Iuse them religiously. They are light and take a lickin. Jon gonna sell you a 300.00 pole. Walmart you can get a Ugly Stick for under $30.00 .. No offense to Jon.

[TroutSnipr]

If you haven't completed your purchases yet the Okuma SST's and the Pflueger President's are both on sale @ Cabela's today through the 24th. Presidents are $39.99 (that's $10-15 off normal price) and the Okuma SST's are $39.99 and up.

[monkeygirlcooks]

I haven't gone and gotten it yet, but I'll check out Cabela's soon!

[goodtimesfishing]

Go with the SST and you will be very happy. Can't beat it for the money. By the way they make the SST's in pink now. Saw a gal with one on the cascade this year, nice looking pole that works great too.

[TroutSnipr]

Please do not buy a pink fishing rod. Thanks. That is all....

[monkeygirlcooks]

...Yeah, I'm not that kind of girl. That's like taking a pink gun to the range. i'd rather not suffer the humiliation.

[rayborbon]

Ugly Stik Lite 7.5 foot Medium/Lite. Provides the sensitivity in the tip to detect a small bite and enough backbone for most lake species (including Trout). On sale at BassPro for 39 bucks

http://www.basspro.com/Shakespeare-Ugly ... uct/17946/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[geljockey]

Well, did you finally buy something? If so, what did you end up getting?

[monkeygirlcooks]

I did! I ended up with the Okuma SST 8'6" and slapped on a Pfleuger President reel. Now I'm working on getting my tackle box together and finding me some waders, though I'm told it isn't necessary. (Just wanna play in the water.) I spun my line on last night and while it ain't pretty and I should have probably used a lighter weight line (Only had 14lb which is WAY too thick) I'm pretty much ready. I'm debating on unspooling and getting a lighter weight line, but I hate to waste. We'll have to see. I may pick up another pole and put the Pfleuger on that one and get a different reel that has a lighter weight line on it. Now, just to get some time off so I can get out there! Thanks for all the tips men!