Newbie Rod Questions???

Hey guys, I am fairly new to fishing and I have a question about rod selection. I have a little fishing experience but nothing to brag about. I bought a boat about a year ago and have never invested in a decent rod. I would like to finally make this step but have realized my serious limitation in knowledge and selection. I would like to get a rod specifically for crappie fishing but would like to also be able to use it for brim and other panfish. I am not even sure if that is feasible or not. I also would like to spend about $100 and have it suitable for a beginner. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Allot of people on here swear by St Croix rods. I have yet to fish with one.

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Originally Posted by coachjfaulk

Hey guys, I am fairly new to fishing and I have a question about rod selection. I have a little fishing experience but nothing to brag about. I bought a boat about a year ago and have never invested in a decent rod. I would like to finally make this step but have realized my serious limitation in knowledge and selection. I would like to get a rod specifically for crappie fishing but would like to also be able to use it for brim and other panfish. I am not even sure if that is feasible or not. I also would like to spend about $100 and have it suitable for a beginner. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

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With a $100 budget, your options are many & varied. Even if your $100 budget was rod AND reel ... you could still have quite a selection to choose through.

1st off ... how do you plan to use the rod ?? (ie - what methods do you plan to use) The length, strength, taper/action, material, style, and guide sizes are dependent upon it. (and the reel that matches/balances the rod is an important factor, as well)

I currently have about 30 rods of varying lengths/action/style/guide sizes ... of which I can choose from for casting methods, longline trolling methods, tightline fishing, spider rigging, and crankbait trolling ... and many different brands are represented by those 30 rods (and reels). Some can do double duty, while others are technique specific. SO .... I can tell you what I use/like, but it may not suit you. Most everyone answering this question will likely tell you the same.

Even with only one technique being used ... there's quite a selection that will fit the bill, and length/action/etc varies. There's really no one "one size fits all" rod.

... cp :kewl

Thanks for the response CP. I see i have a lot to learn and my terminology is limited. However, I knew this coming in and will learn with time. My $100 budget would include Rod and Reel so I guess that's my first hiccup. Anyway, like I said my goal is to fish crappie and brim mainly near structure, cypress trees, lillies, and brush. What would be your recommendation for a beginner rod and reel, length, action, style, and casting methods?

My question is what are you using now? Spinning reel, Baitcasters or pushbutton? Give us a little info on what you are comfortable with. Do you plan on casting floats with jigs or minnows, cast straight jigs.

I currently use pushbutton. I seem to tangle up spinning rods and baitcasters pretty easily due to lack of experience.

Nothing wrong with a pushbutton reel. I would suggest for your budget a good quality push button on a 6 ft 6 in light action rod. BasPro sells a rod called Microlite which are pretty good rods. Can't remember the name or number but Zebco just came out with a high end push button reel that is supposed to be good and they have a new improved Zebco33 that I have seen some good reports on. I know Fatman on the jig tying board just purchased a couple and is happy with them. Might shoot him a PM and ask about them. That outfit would work well for any kind of panfish including crappie.

Cray, thanks, that is the exact type of information I needed. Sorry for the newbie questions and lack of terminology but I appreciate the help.

Never be sorry for asking questions. That's what this site is all about and what makes so good.

Cray is correct ... nothing wrong with spincast reels. And I like his suggestion on rod length, too. I wouldn't go lighter than a "lite" action rod, either. And I'd suggest 6lb test mono, at least, for the type of reel you're using + the types of cover you fish. I would also suggest getting the higher end models, whether you go Zebco, Daiwa, Abu Garcia, etc. as they're going to have the better gear systems, stronger pickup pins, and smoother drags.

Rod brand is up to you (BPS microlite - Berkley Lightning rod or Cherrywood - Zebco - Ugly Stix - etc) and available rod lengths/actions they come in.

I'd also choose a good quality line, that's abrasion resistant yet fairly limp. I like Vicious Panfish Copoly, Stren Gold mono, Trilene XL mono, and BPS Excel mono lines ... but, there are other good brands out there, too.

... cp :kewl

Thank you guys very much. You have given me a great start on this.

I just held the bps microlight today. 6' light power fast action. It had the perfect stiffness for working small jigs/swimbaits for crappie and could do double duty with bobbers, cranks, and spinners. I prefer less stiffness for these other baits but you could get away with it.