Fishing Rod?

Question

My fiancee is OBSESSED with fishing. What's one of the ABSOLUTE BEST fishing rods to buy for him?

Answer 1

Hey Meg,

DON'T buy him a rod... Buy him a GIFT-CARD... Like before, Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, Gander Mountain, etc...!!!

That way, he will get the exact fishing rod that he would want and you won't have to deal with the "What type of fishing, etc" questions... Or returning it if, it isn't exactly right... As ladies are particular with their things, gents are likewise "picky" about their things...

Hope this helps... Oh, a $100 card should cover 70% of the rods out there but if he's HARDCORE, it'll help in the cost of getting THE fishing rod... Those types of rods are in $200-$900 (custom-made, etc...)

Good luck...!
1EM

Answer 2

Can't give an exact answer because I don't know the type of fishing he likes best and where you are from. From my experience in the tackle business here are some basic recommendations. These are what I call utility rods and will always have a purpose.

For an ulta-light, look for a spinning rod in the 2-6# range and 51/2'-6'.

Bait casting rod I would get something in the 8-17# class, either in a 61/2'-7' lenght.

Heavier spinning rod, probably 6-12# or maybe 8-17#, preferably 7'+ and possibly a 2 piece.

These choices would work well for most fresh water, and some inshore saltwater applications.

If you want a salt water rod, a 7', 20-50# rod is the most useful rod you can have.

As for rod brands, for fresh water and light salt water rods, I think St. Croix is by far the best value.

For heavier salt water you can't do better than Calstar or Seeker.

This is an add on to my earlier answer. Seems to be general negative response to all answers. I don't know where you are from and the kind of fishing rod that you are looking for. One other suggestion is to have a custom rod built for him. Find a local tackle shop that features custom fishing rods and have them help you. Any good builder will have a full range of high quality rod blanks and components available.This way you have a wider selection of possibilities, better quality than factory built, and you can have it personalized.

Answer 3

Dude, unless your ice-fishing for Monster Lake Trout & Pike your gonna look like a real @ss pulling up 1/4LB Perch, Bluegill & Crappie with a full-sized rod. (lol) And the first time you do hook something decent are you going to "horse" him out of the hole with super-lite Ice-line 6 FEET AWAY, (a typical "normal" fishing rod is between 5 1/2-7FT)? Most portable shantys/ice houses aren't long enough to accommodate a 6FT rod! (lol) Gimme a break! A typical "cheap" Ice-fishing rod is $10-$12. (Some are cheaper!)(lol) Jeeeeezzzzz! Joking aside, you CAN use a regular-sized rod but WHY would you? If you don't have $10 for an ice rod save your money for grocery's! (lol)

Answer 4

Flyrod, spin, casting, other?
I guess I know flyrods better than the others....
Best in terms of performance and value combined. St. Croix, hands down. Plus the customer service and warranty dept are kick butt. They have replaced more than a few of my broken tips.
Best in terms of performance. Performance is a very personal thing. Hard to qualify. I sure do love Sage rods. My all time favorite rod, Sage SLP 7'3" 3wt a very supple rod. Great taper.
Other guys I know love Loomis, Scott.
Keeping on the flyrod thread, If you love classic bomb proof performance and have no money limitations, find a bamboo rod dealer (Carmine Lissela?)
Look at classic Leonard, Gillum, Young etc. These rods are legends, and for good reason. They were made by craftsmen, they were made well and they cast and fish like a dream. Paul Young perfectionist taper is one of my favorites. Also look at a new builder who knows the craft and old tapers, like AJ Thramer. Be prepared to shell out $1200-$7000.
"best" is awfull subjective, but it i had no buget limitations I'd get a vintage bamboo 5wt.

Answer 5

What's your budget, you can get a nice pole for $30 or if need be spend over $300. Go to BassPro.com or Cabelas.com and see what will catch your eye and bank account.

What does he fish for, so you'll need to know that when looking because a ROD comes in, UL=Ultra lite, L=lite, ML, med.lite, M=Medium, MH=med.heavy and H=heavy. Then length comes to play, IM6, IM7 or IM8 the higher the number the higher the quality shaft.

Just read what you find on those sites so you can learn about the different rods and or request a catalog from both.

Are you in need of a "ROD" or Rod and Reel, if searching for both it is called "Combo".

I'd like to add another word of advise. What kind of fish does he fish for, with that in mind that should also help in your choice of ROD action "weight". Small panfish like Sunfish a lite or altra lite, Bass & Northern a medium and Muskie a heavy rod for example.

Answer 6

The answer to that question is a matter of opinion.
There are many fine makes of rods.

What you need to determine is the following:
1) type of fish he is fishing for
2) lake, stream or saltwater
3) method of fishing: fly, cast, spin or surf fishing

Then you would want to go to a place that sells one of the following:
1. St. Croix - fine fly rods, spin and casting rods
2) G. Loomis - upper end fly rods, spin and casting
3) Sage - upper end fly rods

You can check their websites for dealer location - just type in
"St. Croix fishing rods "(or Sage, or G. Loomis) into your search engine.

Ask a salesman to assist you, once you know what kind of fishing your boyfriend does. You'll get the right rod.

Expect to pay about $200 or so for a St. Croix high end spinning rod, and about $400 for a higher end Loomis or Sage fly rod.

I am not familiar with surf rods.

Answer 7

That's a pretty broad question, as there's many different types of rod, designed to cope with different styles of fishing & lure weights, etc.
Also, many Anglers liken choosing a rod to choosing a wife....... one rod an Angler thinks is the most brilliant one ever, another Angler that tries holding the same rod may find he can't get on with it at all.

As a general guide, in the US & Canada the best brands are generally regarded as being:
- Fenwick
- BERKLEY
- ABU GARCIA
- Rapala
- St. Croix
- Shakespeare (UGLY STIK range)
http://www.worm-dangler.co.uk/html/us_store.html
http://www.cabelas.com
http://www.basspro.com

In the UK, look up:
- Shakespeare (over £40)
- Daiwa
- Shimano
- Abu Garcia
- TFG
- Masterline (John Wilson Signature)
- Normark
http://www.mullarkeys.co.uk
http://www.fishtec.co.uk
http://www.shakespeare-fishing.co.uk
http://www.thenumberone.co.uk/ (Masterline & Normark)

Answer 8

depends on what type of fishing for the best i go for sage when it comes to fly fishing along with g loomis when it comes to sea rods the market declines in such good quality for some reason but for other fresh water rods try st croix expect to pay a good deal of money for sage rods and the others i have listed i do own them because not only are they good to fish with but i decided to treat myself to some good gear and as they say you get what you pay for

Answer 9

Wellll, here be my 2 cents (if it's worth anything!?), I personally have ta' go with G. Loomis. Link below is their site, prices listed are SMRP's (suggested retail prices), soooo search G. Loomis rods on Internet and am sure that you'll find better prices. They be costly, but what's the sayin', "you get what ya' pay for" : )...

http://products.gloomis.com/gl/products/group.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032643&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181201&bmUID=1192988794185

Might add that if he be obsessed with fishin' as you say, then cost is not an issue ~ ask my wife ;) ;) ;)...

Answer 10

I'm going to go with what type of fishing are you talking about?

Regardless of the type of fishing he does and his "preference" of brand, pretty much anything can be found at either Bass Pro or Cabela's websites.