Few questions

[Tom1175]

Hello all,

First time poster, been lurking for a few weeks though. Great site with tons of info.

I have some questions though that Im hoping I can get answered here.

First one, I have a a Tica Cetus reel. Bought one of those rod & reel combos with a St. Croix Triump 5'6" UL. Love the rod, great fight with the small fish Ive been catching so far in the local ponds here in NJ. Im curious where I should shoot to upgrade first, reel or rod? Or should I bite the bullet and get myself a 6' M rod and new reel? That leads to the next question, if you had $200 to sink into a rod/reel combo, what exactly would you get?

Thanks in advance!

Tom

[Tom1175]

Remembered another question I had. Does using a swivel hurt the way crankbaits, or any lures for that matter, move? Will it hurt the chances of a fish hitting?

Thanks again.

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum, Tom!

Sounds like you have a pretty good setup already. I'd think about getting another combo. The UL setup is good for a lot of baits, but if you want to use soft plastics and jigs you will want a rod with some backbone so you can set the hook. Having multiple rods allows you to have different baits rigged. Set one down, pick up another and keep fishing without having to change the lure on only one rod.

What kind? That's one of those "ask 100 fishermen and get 100 different answers" type questions. My recommendation would be to go someplace that sells rods/reels and test drive a few-crank them, feel the balance, etc. That will allow you to get the one that feels right to you.

One word of warning: There is this thing called the Bait Monkey. When he gets around tackle he appears on your shoulder telling you need this and that and everything between. Sometimes it turns into a 500 pound gorilla, so be aware .

Then again, one of the unwritten rules of bass fishing is you can never have too much equipment .

A swivel will not hurt, but I'd tie directly. When I was a kid I watched as my favorite crankbait went sailing into the murky depths when a swivel came open, and ever since I've tied the bait directly to the line.

[lizardsrule]

Welcome to the site lurker.

Reb gave good advice, if you like your ST Croix, then stick with that Brand, I'm a St Croix fan by the way rotfl. I would however go with a Medium Heavy for a good all around bass rod. If using a spinning reel, I personally don't believe you need to spend a lot of money, main thing is it has to have a decent drag, other than that spinning reels are a dime a dozen, and who cares how many bearing they have, well I guess some folks do, but not me. If going with a baitcaster, there are tons of quality brands out there, but that is where you might spend some extra cash for a good reel, it will make a difference in the baitcasters IMO. For $200 you can get a plenty of quality setups, perhaps the best deal going maybe BPS's combo sets, usually for less than $200. These aren't St Croix's though LOL. If you are gonna use a clip/swivel, get the duolock style, the have never failed me. Good fishing to ya.

Lizards

[Vabass22]

I would go with a 6'6" mh Falcon/All Star/Fenwick/St. Croix, and put a Daiwa, Quantum, or Pfleuger on it.

[Tom1175]

Ended up going with a Medium 6' 6" St. Croix Triumph and put a Pflueger President on it. Caught my biggest bass of the year about an hour into using it with a shad rap.

Love the combo so far.

[Rebbasser]

Good job, Tom-congrats on the fish!