Fishing Rod and Reel

[Kpinckley14]

I went to the Bass Pro shop in Nashville on the grand re-opening after the flood and saw the rods and reels that Skeet Reese's has designed. I am wondering if anyone has tried them and if the reels are easy to learn how to use.

I am looking for a nice rod and reel, either for cranking or worm fishing.

[BigBassin144]

I haven't checked out the W&M reels, but I wasn't impressed at all with the skeet reese rods. They're very tip heavy, and from the ones I've seen, not very well constructed.

I think the Abu Garcia Vendetta is a much better rod in that price range, or for a little bit more, an Abu Garcia Veritas.

As for a reel, I'm not very familiar with reels in the price range. Although the Daiwa Viento is available on sale at Tackle Warehouse for for about $110, which is a great deal on a great $200 reel.

If you want to go with a rod for worm fishing, a 6'6"-7'3" MH power, Fast action rod should work great. A 7' rod is a good all around choice.

For crankbait fishing, a 7' M or MH power, Moderate or Moderate Fast action rod.

BB

[Jrob78]

Like BB, I'm not very impressed with the quality of the Skeet rods, but I've only handled them in the store, I haven't fished with one. Some people really like them, some hate them. The rod specifications BB gave you are very sound guidelines for both techniques. Most rod manufacturers have really good offerings in the $85 - $120 range.

As far as reels go, I personally wouldn't buy a Skeet reel, especially if you are new to baitcasters. They very well may be excellent reels but they are unknown and W&M hasn't been a player in the baitcasting reel market. I would go with a company who's reels are a known commodity.

There are several good reels by several manufacturers available in the $100 range. I would fill comfortable recommending the Daiwa Exceler, Tierra and Viento. The Shimano Citica is a good reel, as is the Abu Garcia Revo S. Bass Pro Shops also has several offerings like the Pro Qualifier that won't break the bank.

Do a search and you will find loads of info on rods and reels. You could also give us a budget and you will get more recommendations than you'll know what to do with.

[MO3N]

I held and played with one of the reels when I was at Cabelas not to long ago and to me it felt very cheaply made. Another thing I did not like was that you had to open the side plate to change the magnets for casting. The first time I opened the side plate to look at it the spool came out too. I’m guessing this is because there was no line on the spool but still seems like a pain. just me $.02

[dave0943]

I will be going down state to visit my oncologist in Ann arbor. I plan on stopping in at Cabela's Dundee, MI. store. This is really a treat for me as the only large Sports store we have up our way is Gander Mtn. Not a favorite of mine. I've made the trip to Dundee three time this year and increasing my trip expense by at least several hundred dollars per trip. I'll take a look at them and give you my thoughts.I would be hesitant like the others have said, being the manufacturer isn't really a top notch player. You would hope the guys that endorse these products would put the name on quality, but we all know how that goes.

[Old Hooker]

The Pro Qualifer is a heck of a deal at $100, and even better if you can catch them on sale. I have three of them. I have a Revo S that I use for pitching and it's a great reel, but I wouldn't reccomend it for some one new to baitcasters. It doesn't have a external magnetic brake, only an internal centrifigul brake. As for rods, I just bought a Carbonlite spinning rod for flukes and trick worms last week (damned monkey!) and so far it seems to be very lite, sensitive and plenty of backbone. You may want to give them a look.

[dave0943]

I was at the Dundee MI Cabelas store over the weekend. I bought a awesome Fish Eagle 7' MH casting rod. Great rod for 79.95. I did look at Skeets offerings. I have to agree with the others, the reel feels cheap. I didn't like the feel of the rods either. The Fish Eagle was 20.00 less and felt like a rod worth 50.00 more than I paid. You could get a Pro Qualifier reel for the same money. It has more features and is made better, in my opinion. I think Skeet is a great fisherman and champion, but I would have liked to see him put his John Henry on some better gear, I'm sure the rods and reels work good. They aren't for me though.
Dave

[Kpinckley14]

What does everyone know about Micro guides on rods? Are they worth the extra cost to get them or is normal guides just as good?

[Tavery5]

My opinion is the verdict is still out as to if they are truely a better design, or if they are just the flavor of the month. Allot of the major manufacturers are just now makeing their micro guide rods readily available to the public. Companys like E21, Duckett, W&M, and I am sure a host of others that I can't think of right now have rods on the floor of most major sporting good stores. Go check them out, see how they feel, look at the quality of the build, do some online research, should help you form your own opinion. I am going to wait until they become a little more tested, before I make the switch. Good Luck with your research.

[Jrob78]

Originally Posted by Kpinckley14

What does everyone know about Micro guides on rods? Are they worth the extra cost to get them or is normal guides just as good?

I build nothing but rods with micro guides. I can tell you with 100% confidence that they are the real deal. They aren't for every occasion but they work really well within their limitations.

Just to name a few: A rod with micro guides will be lighter at the tip end, where it matters most, it will be more responsive, due to the reduced weight and less surface area wrapped and epoxied. Rods with regular guides feel sluggish to me now. Line slap is virtually eliminated, making casting smoother and, in my opinion, adds distance. They also tangle less in storage because the smaller guides don't hang up on stuff as much.

Micro guides don't work well if you use leaders that will pass through the guides or if you fish in freezing conditions, they ice over faster. Some people also don't like them for flipping because the line is so close to the blank making it harder to grab.

[Tavery5]

So when should I expect the NRX micro?

[Jrob78]

Loomis is putting their eggs in the Recoil basket.

[Tavery5]

I looked at the W&M micro Honeycomb rods the other day. The guides on those were so crooked, that if I did not know better, I would swear that they tried to do some weird spiral wrap on them.

[Jrob78]

All the Skeet rods I have looked at are pretty sloppy.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

I am with JRob and BB. I have not fished with one, but the construction of the Skeet Rod turns me off. Crooked guides, heavy kinks one way or the other on the blank a foot or so from the end, and big bubbles in the guide epoxy to be specific. A hundred bucks is a hundred bucks. I would rather have 3 solid Lightning rods for that than to sink my money on other than a mediocre rod that is marketed for the pro level on the workin' man's wallet.

[BigBassin144]

Originally Posted by Jrob78

Loomis is putting their eggs in the Recoil basket.

I got to check them out last night at cabela's, and was a little disappointed in build quality. But back to the guides. The half SiC half Recoil guide system sounds interesting, I'm just wondering if it will really quiet down the Recoils. Secondly, the recoils they use are actually pretty small, although not micro.

A little off subject, but the wraps on the NRX were not very good. when inspected closely, you could see gaps between the threads. I know the blue threads makes it worse, but c'mon Loomis. If I'm gonna drop $450-500 on a rod, it better be built pretty damn good. For that much, I'd go with a custom and have exceptional build quality.

Originally Posted by Tavery5

I looked at the W&M micro Honeycomb rods the other day. The guides on those were so crooked, that if I did not know better, I would swear that they tried to do some weird spiral wrap on them.

Tav, I said the same exact thing about a couple of the regular Skeet rods before the honeycomb ones came out. That would not be my choice in $100 rods.

Originally Posted by Jrob78

All the Skeet rods I have looked at are pretty sloppy.

Originally Posted by Bubba_Bruiser

I am with JRob and BB. I have not fished with one, but the construction of the Skeet Rod turns me off. Crooked guides, heavy kinks one way or the other on the blank a foot or so from the end, and big bubbles in the guide epoxy to be specific. A hundred bucks is a hundred bucks. I would rather have 3 solid Lightning rods for that than to sink my money on other than a mediocre rod that is marketed for the pro level on the workin' man's wallet.

Like I said, not what I would pick for a $100 rod. There are just too many rod in that price range that are simply constructed much better than the Skeet. I'd take an Abu Veritas, Falcon Bucoo, Lamiglass Excel, etc over the Skeet.

BB

[Tavery5]

BB, I agree with your comment about 100 dollar rods. The blank of the W&M interests me, but I would not pay 100 dollars for the rod. They need to improve on their build quality to be a real player in the budget rod market. The reel is also less than what I had expected. It appears to me to be almost the same reel that Pinnacle produced for Gander Mountain last year. The G.M. reel had a little higher bearing count (for what it is worth) but did not have the Skeet Reese signature power handle. I am going to just come out and say it, I think Skeet Reese sold out, while his attempt to put a pro quality combo in the hands of the working man is noble, I think he has missed the mark. The other note of interest about Skeet (and I believe it has been mentioned before) he advocates using Trokkar hooks. They may be a great hook, but at 10 dollars a pack, I think most working men are going to be a little more comfortable with Owner or Gamakatsu. I love to watch Skeet work, he is no doubt one of the best out there, but I am disapointed at Skeets and W&M's offerings.