Set up help?

[Scott the fishman]

So I am asking for a new pitching and flipping setup for Christmas. The one I use now just well isn't the best. So I was thinking about asking for a basspro shops extreme combo 7' 10" 6:3:1 heavy-power do you think it would be good setup? i currently have a skeet reese with a silver max. the reel is basically shot and the rod is almsot to.... however the rod is a micro guide and the bass pro setup isnt. will it be a big difference in flipping and pitching? thank you

[pig n jig]

I think it would depend on whether the majority of your presentations are flippin' or pitchin' presentations.In my opinion, your most likely would rather prefer that setup for flippin' but not so much for pitchin'.For pitchin' I would think that one would be looking somewhere around a 6'10" to 7'0" for lure presentation ease & control than using a 7'10" rod but it is only my pitchin' presentations from my somewhat higher side aluminum boat speaking out loud here.I'm looking for a new pitchin' setup as well, I haven't bought a rod or reel in the last 5 years so I'll also be watchin' for the specific recommendations as well.

[BigBassin144]

For a reel, look for something with a shallower spool for pitching. Shallow spools are usually lighter, meaning you'll see better pitching performance. I haven't really been following the tackle scene for quite a while, so I'm not sure what all is out there.

For a rod, I tend to reach for a 7' H F rod for pitching, and on the rare occasion that I do flip, it's on a 7'6"-7'8" H F rod. I like the control the shorter rod gives me when pitching, but when flipping, the longer the rod, the longer you can flip. Like I said, I don't flip much, so the 7' H F usually gets the call. But it's not really about what fits my, or anyone else's style/needs, but what fits yours. Picking out a rod for yourself will depend on a lot of things, but let's start with these:

Do you prefer flipping or pitching? Which do you use most often?
What lure weights do you use most often?
How tall are you? - This is an important aspect when picking a pitching rod. I'm not a tall person, so I have trouble pitching with a 7'6" rod. Someone who's 6'3" may not.
What platform will you be fishing from? - pitching from a bass boat is easier than from a v-hull or jon boat where the sides are much higher than the deck. pitching from shore is another story completely.
What is your budget? - As always, this is a main factor. Seeing as you'll be getting this for X-mas, you may not know what your parent can spend on it, but try to give a rough estimate.

Knowing this stuff will help in choosing a rod that will work good for you.

The biggest difference you'll see between the rod you've got and a non-micro is balance. Balance is quite important (IMO) when pitching and flipping. It also becomes a big deal when you move in the over 7' range of rods. I can guarantee that BPS rod will be tip heavy.

BB

[Scott the fishman]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

For a reel, look for something with a shallower spool for pitching. Shallow spools are usually lighter, meaning you'll see better pitching performance. I haven't really been following the tackle scene for quite a while, so I'm not sure what all is out there.

For a rod, I tend to reach for a 7' H F rod for pitching, and on the rare occasion that I do flip, it's on a 7'6"-7'8" H F rod. I like the control the shorter rod gives me when pitching, but when flipping, the longer the rod, the longer you can flip. Like I said, I don't flip much, so the 7' H F usually gets the call. But it's not really about what fits my, or anyone else's style/needs, but what fits yours. Picking out a rod for yourself will depend on a lot of things, but let's start with these:

Do you prefer flipping or pitching? Which do you use most often?
What lure weights do you use most often?
How tall are you? - This is an important aspect when picking a pitching rod. I'm not a tall person, so I have trouble pitching with a 7'6" rod. Someone who's 6'3" may not.
What platform will you be fishing from? - pitching from a bass boat is easier than from a v-hull or jon boat where the sides are much higher than the deck. pitching from shore is another story completely.
What is your budget? - As always, this is a main factor. Seeing as you'll be getting this for X-mas, you may not know what your parent can spend on it, but try to give a rough estimate.

Knowing this stuff will help in choosing a rod that will work good for you.

The biggest difference you'll see between the rod you've got and a non-micro is balance. Balance is quite important (IMO) when pitching and flipping. It also becomes a big deal when you move in the over 7' range of rods. I can guarantee that BPS rod will be tip heavy.

BB

Thank you for all the information. I prefer and pitch most of the time. mainly 1/4-1/2. I am a little over 6'1" now. I am 15 so I will most likely grow more. i am mainly going to be using this from a bass boat. but occasionally from the shore. the budget is basically not there. my birthday is 4 days after xmas so my parents group it together. but i would prefer to keep it under 150-225 range
Thank you again

[pig n jig]

The reel is the most important part of a good pitchin' setup.I'm going to try a Ardent F500 for next summer.They are $89.99 at the Ardent site right now.I can't really recommend them for I haven't used one but they look pretty darn good for that price. If I were on a budget,I would seek a good reel and then worry about a designated rod.You probably already have a 7' MH rod that will work as a pitchin' stick until you can replace it with a designated pitchin' rod.I hope this helps.

[Tavery5]

Originally Posted by pig n jig

The reel is the most important part of a good pitchin' setup.

Curious, as to why you feel this way, can you expand on your thoughts a little.

[pig n jig]

Originally Posted by Tavery5

Curious, as to why you feel this way, can you expand on your thoughts a little.

I feel that the reel is most important because it controls the majority of what makes or breaks your presentation when pitchin' jigs. The reel needs to be able to freespool smoothly to allow the jig to fall freely through the water colum but yet does not backlash at any time during the pitch.It has to have a strong drag system to get the fish headed in your direction through heavy cover.If the drag tension is too light by design,the drag will slip upon the hookset and getting the fish turned and coming towards you.If you cannot get the fish turned and coming towards you, you've lost control and stand a good chance of losing the fish.It has to be designed to retrieve line smoothly under the torque weight of fish and possibly pull a ball of weeds that is pulled up with the fish.When I pitch,I'm making Hundreds of pitches in a day, I want the reel to be able to allow the jig to fall freely and still have line control so I'm not dealing with backlash problems on every pitch throughout the day.I can concentrate on watching my line during the pitch rather than trying to adjust the settings to compensate for the reels shortcomings.

There is a time when a fish inhales your jig on the fall, the line will jump on the spool.If your reel is not able to smoothly control the line during the pitch, you will never see the line jump.When the line jumps on the spool, it is most likely the best fish of the day.I was partial to Daiwa because you could push up under the thumb bar and engage the reel, rather than having to turn the handle to engage the reel.You could push up on the thumb bar and set the hook .I use the old Daiwa TD2 reels because they have a strong drag system and the Daiwa magnetic brake system works pretty good compared to other magnetic brake systems.

[BigBassin144]

There is a balance between the importance of the rod and reel for every technique out there. Regardless of which is more important, I will say what I've been saying for quite a while: buy the best gear you can afford. It will save you money in the long run, and you can plan your next combo, not your next upgrade.

I have to say, I don't have much experience with reels of this price range. About the only one I've used (and am still happily using) is the BPS Pro Qualifier. That's always an option. I'd wait for it to go on sale though; you know it will at least once before x-mas.

PnJ is right about Daiwa's magnetic brakes, or the Magforce V and Z brakes anyways. They work differently from other magnetic brakes and make excellent pitching reels. Unfortunately, most are out of your budget. So are most of the shallow spool reels I know of, which also help in making a great pitching reel. That's not to say other reels will be bad at it.

A couple years ago, I would've told you to look out for a used Daiwa Sol, stick a $10 set of Carbontex drag washers in it. The Sol is a wicked pitching reel, and a used one would have easily fallen into your budget before it was discontinued. Now you'll pay quite a bit for one, even used (if you can find someone selling one). That said, you still do run across an amazing deal now and then, so keep your eyes peeled.

Now, I'd stick to a reel in the $75-100 range that has a good reputation, and you should be fine. Any reel like that will probably best your current Silver Max in pitching.

For the rod, I'd definitely go 7'3-7'6" for you. Being tall, and fishing from a bass boat the majority of the time is the best scenario for pitching with a long rod. You'll just have to deal with it from shore (I often use soft underarm casts from shore anyways). I'd also stick with something with around a 3/8 1-1/2oz rating; that'll put your 1/2oz weighted baits right in the sweet spot.

The balanced vs light rod argument is usually a factor when picking a rod, but I think a balanced rod is a must for a technique like pitching/flipping. For that reason, I'd stick with a factory balanced rod, or a rod with micro guides.

Again, I have no experience with any of the following rods, and my recommendations are based on what I've heard from others.

I've heard good things about BPS's Carbonlite Micro rods. And like the PQ reel, they're bound to go on sale before x-mas.

Another option is one from my personal favorite factory rod company, the Dobyns Savvy or Savvy Micro. Both will have good balance, because they are factory balanced. The Savvy will be pushing your budget though. You can order from TW by Monday and get 20% off. Or thehookuptackle.com all November and get 20%. (I've ordered from them, they're great to deal with). The SSM734C (7'3" H) or SSM766FLIP (7'6" H) would both work, although the latter may be a bit overkill for someone pitching less than 3/4oz weights.

Powell also makes a great product. They fish similar to the Dobyns, but aren't quite as balanced over 7'. I think a you like a similarly spec'd rod from them as well. Again 20% from TW right now.

Abu Garcia makes a couple good rods as well, like the Veritas. Even more budget minded, I've heard good things about the Tech Spec rods from Dick's Sporting Goods for the price. Might want to look into them if you've got a Dick's near you.

BB

[Jrob78]

I think your best bet given your budget limitation is going to be the combo BigBassin recommended, a BPS Carbonlite Micro guide rod and a BPS Pro Qualifier reel.

The rods are pretty light weight and come with good guides that will hold up with braid. Another thing that I really like about these rods is the grip material. I have these grips on my custom pitching stick and I really like them. They offer a good grip for one handed pitching and flipping. There are also many models to choose from.

The Pro Qualifier reel is a top notch casting reel with components and features usually found on much more expensive reels. They come with dual brakes and the high speed models have a shallow spool that should be well suited to pitching.

I don't know that there is a better combo out there in this price range.

[Tavery5]

I don't know if it is any better than the pro qualifier combo, but another alternative would be a Lews tournament reel and a Facon Bucoo Micro Guide rod. Would be on the upper end ,but with the Black Friday discount it is within budget.

[Scott the fishman]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

There is a balance between the importance of the rod and reel for every technique out there. Regardless of which is more important, I will say what I've been saying for quite a while: buy the best gear you can afford. It will save you money in the long run, and you can plan your next combo, not your next upgrade.

I have to say, I don't have much experience with reels of this price range. About the only one I've used (and am still happily using) is the BPS Pro Qualifier. That's always an option. I'd wait for it to go on sale though; you know it will at least once before x-mas.

PnJ is right about Daiwa's magnetic brakes, or the Magforce V and Z brakes anyways. They work differently from other magnetic brakes and make excellent pitching reels. Unfortunately, most are out of your budget. So are most of the shallow spool reels I know of, which also help in making a great pitching reel. That's not to say other reels will be bad at it.

A couple years ago, I would've told you to look out for a used Daiwa Sol, stick a $10 set of Carbontex drag washers in it. The Sol is a wicked pitching reel, and a used one would have easily fallen into your budget before it was discontinued. Now you'll pay quite a bit for one, even used (if you can find someone selling one). That said, you still do run across an amazing deal now and then, so keep your eyes peeled.

Now, I'd stick to a reel in the $75-100 range that has a good reputation, and you should be fine. Any reel like that will probably best your current Silver Max in pitching.

For the rod, I'd definitely go 7'3-7'6" for you. Being tall, and fishing from a bass boat the majority of the time is the best scenario for pitching with a long rod. You'll just have to deal with it from shore (I often use soft underarm casts from shore anyways). I'd also stick with something with around a 3/8 1-1/2oz rating; that'll put your 1/2oz weighted baits right in the sweet spot.

The balanced vs light rod argument is usually a factor when picking a rod, but I think a balanced rod is a must for a technique like pitching/flipping. For that reason, I'd stick with a factory balanced rod, or a rod with micro guides.

Again, I have no experience with any of the following rods, and my recommendations are based on what I've heard from others.

I've heard good things about BPS's Carbonlite Micro rods. And like the PQ reel, they're bound to go on sale before x-mas.

Another option is one from my personal favorite factory rod company, the Dobyns Savvy or Savvy Micro. Both will have good balance, because they are factory balanced. The Savvy will be pushing your budget though. You can order from TW by Monday and get 20% off. Or thehookuptackle.com all November and get 20%. (I've ordered from them, they're great to deal with). The SSM734C (7'3" H) or SSM766FLIP (7'6" H) would both work, although the latter may be a bit overkill for someone pitching less than 3/4oz weights.

Powell also makes a great product. They fish similar to the Dobyns, but aren't quite as balanced over 7'. I think a you like a similarly spec'd rod from them as well. Again 20% from TW right now.

Abu Garcia makes a couple good rods as well, like the Veritas. Even more budget minded, I've heard good things about the Tech Spec rods from Dick's Sporting Goods for the price. Might want to look into them if you've got a Dick's near you.

BB

I have decided with everyone on this threads much needed help to ask for BPS microguide rod and pro qualifier. I have the pro qualifier so i know its a solid real. And i have not been disappointed in BPS yet.... Thank you everyone. Really owe you all one