Advice/Opinions on Newbie Set-ups

[Wax]

Hey everyone,

First post, but been reading awhile. Fishing all my life but wanted to get a little more serious this year and try and fish some local Bass club tournaments, nothing too serious. I have always been a bargain cave 1 or 2 rod guy with whatever has been cheapest and am now trying to put together some Mid-priced specific Set-ups this year and looking for advice. Some of the things I have (in Green) and the rest I am planning on buying. I realize those berkley rods arent the best, but they were a gift which fits the budget

Open to any and all advice and appreciate any help!!

1. Plastics (Senko, Worm, Tube)
Rod: 7’0” BPS Extreme XPS MH rod (XTR70MHT)
Reel: Shimano Curado-E 7:0:1 (CU201E7
Line: Suffix pro Braid – 30# Hi Viz

2. Moderate-fast action for cranks, topwaters, etc.
Rod: Berkley AMP – 6’6” M Rod
Reel: Revo SX-L 6:4:1
Line: XPS Mono – 15#

3. A good flipping stick
Rod: St. Croix MOJO Bass Rod (MBC70MHF)
Reel: BPS Extreme Baitcast Reel
Line: Suffix pro Braid – 30# Hi Viz

4. Finesse - Spinning
Rod: Berkley AMP -6'6" M Spinning Rod
Reel: Cabella’s Tournament ZX 2000A
Line: Suffix pro Braid – 30# Hi Viz – Flouro leader

[Earl Marshall]

Welcome to site Wax. You should get plenty of help from these guy's still learning myself.

[bamabassman]

welcome bait mokey fodder!!! you are well on yer wa to having a great lineup of rigs pal. personally.. i love the lighting rods. great rod for the money, and i have 3. also have the cherrywood rods, 2, and an abu garcia tournament grade rod. all from wally world. my budget doesn't allow me to buy the high end set ups AND all the lures i want.maybe one day i will be able to get me a revo and g loomis, or something like that. but i am thrilled with what i have. they catch fish...well sometimes. i ain't the greatest fisherman ya know,hahahahahaha.
this is without a doubt the best fishing site there is buddy. the gang here will help you in anything you need or want to know. so...sit back and tell us some tall tales and take everything. help whenevre ya can too,ok?
oh yea, check out the get together we are having in may. come if you can and bring yer family too.

[cassidyta]

I would strongly suggest you check out Kevin's line information on the main site. It really made me think about the presentation I have been using.

http://www.bassfishin.com/articles/fishing-line-guide/

[abu4600]

Hey WAX , welcome to the forum. I personally like the bass pro Extreme and bionic blade rods and garcia reels andi also use trilene big game mono, I dont like braid or flouro but thats just what I like, your'e gonna get a lot of suggestions from some real knowledgeable fisherman that know what they are talking about.Good Fishin.

[carolina-rig-01]

looks like a pretty good arsenal. welcome to the site and good luck in the tourneys.

[WTL]

Berkely aint so bad.

There are so many different combinations and brands that are decent and good that I feel I will leave something out no matter what. I say go with what fits well in your hand, if you can get to a BPS take your time looking at their selection and match up with what you like. First hand impressions arent always a bad thing.

Curado's have a real following, but you can get similar performance from many reels. The BPS extremes are very popular and have good performance, their only real weakness is durability.

Do you throw spinnerbaits? Would you be comfortable throwing one on those setups? Do you like to flip in ohio, or could you spend that money somewhere else? I first flipped and pitched with an Ugly stick and a cheapie reel, and did just fine btw.