I want to buy a rod and reel for bass fishing. Do not want to go over $150 for both. What do you recommend? Got a gift card for Dick's.

Don't know what they carry. They should have some combo setups like BPS sells. Just get the best one they have in that price range and that is all you can do.

I don't think Dicks stocks a large selection.

Heef,

Since your asking, I would assume you are a "new / semi-new" to fishing ? If so, my advice is to purchase a "spinning" type reel. I'd pick a 6 or 6.5 foot rod, medium action. Your next decision is a 2 piece rod or 1 piece. FWIW, I always buy a 1 piece to avoid the sections from coming apart while casting.
On the reel, the price will matter of course. Generally, the more ball bearings the better and a name brand. So, in summary, the more you spend, the more likely the combo will be trouble free and last.
All of this is subjective of course. If your fishing ponds, you may want a "medium-light" action rod. I looked at Dick's web site. There are some customer reviews you should check before purchase.
Hope this helps.

$150?... That's about double what I would spend on a rod n reel... But... I don't exactly take great care of mine... I've used nothing but Ugly Stiks for years (and they've all lasted)... There are certainly better rods you could buy, but not for the price (bout $40)... Fiber glass core makes them suitable for crank baits or spinners (and not to mention strong!) graphite outer layer gives enough sensitivity to use w jigs and worms... Not the best rod for any one application, just a good versital rod for almost anything you wanna throw...... As far as reels, bait casting is great if you only throw heavy baits, but spinning is far more versitile.. Price wise, every $10 gives you another ball berring... Brand name is all personal preference, $40 will get u a good reel from any company, buy which ever feels right in your hands

While they don't have the widest selection, Dick's does have some decent gear. Dick's has the Shimano Sellus line of rods and stocks a 7'2" model that's a pretty decent all-around bass rod for $59. They also sell the Daiwa Tatula reel which is currently on sale there.

I don't know about the best $150 combo, but they I'm sure you'll be able to find something to fit the bill.

Uncle Steve has great tips!

Uncle Steve!!!

Yea, Uncle Steve is a trip.

At $150 for both, I'd get a good spinning reel and a 7ft MH 1 piece spinning rod.

From Dick's Sporting Goods website
Shimano Sellus MHXF rod
Pflueger President 6935 reel

If you are just getting into bass fishing, and have never used a bait caster before, it might be better to invest in a spinning set up like Collincountytx suggested, there is a lot to learn when chasing bass and it can get quite frustrating when you throw in the leaning curve of a bait caster. If shore bound, you will find that a spinning rig can give you that extra few feet to get a lure to that sweet spot. They work very well although I would suggest using a very good ball bearing swivel. You can get a lot more bang for your buck with spinning gear also.

Heck, when I was starting out, I fished and caught a lot of nice fish with a Zebco 33, then graduated to spinning gear, then got into bait casters. Now that I fish salt more than fresh I find that I am back to using spinning gear more than anything else for a bunch of reasons.

Pferox, Can you expand on your comment to use a very good ball bearing swivel? Does this help reduce the line twist when using a spinning real? What manufacturer swivel?

I have been tying my spro frog and spook directly onto the braid line. I do get line knots on my spinning reel.

Line twist is more prevalent when using mono, fluoro, and copolymers, but it can be observed with braids also. Just about any brand ball bearing swivel works, other swivels will help, but ball bearing ones are the best for the job, especially when tossing lures.

Wind knots are usually caused by a few things, the biggest one is having the reel close the bail instead of doing it by hand. Loose line also contributes to wind knots. Make sure your line is on your reel as tight as the tightest drag will pull it on, then make sure the line is not going on the reel loosely when bringing in the lure. Always keep an eye on the line as it goes on the spool, don't let it loop around the lip of the spool, this will tangle every time.

Captain Chris Myers Explains the line management while casting best in this video. Check it out.

My braid reels are wound extremely tight, so I usually only have to rewind them once a year or so, but I know other people who rewind their spools more often. Tie a very good swivel to the end of your braid, tie a piece of heavy mono through the other eye of the swivel and wrap it around a tree (car bumper, what ever) a few times. Either lighten your drag or open the bail and walk away from the anchor point until you have totally stripped the reel. Crank the drag down to max and reel yourself in keeping a bend in the rod. This will reel the line in under a lot of tension setting it onto the reel.

Spro makes a good swivel, they are expensive, but well worth it, Sampo is another one that works well, Berkeley's works good too. I use the black stainless steel ones, but that is because I'm fishing in salt. I clean them when I get home and spray them with a little Reel Magic, and make sure they are free. I also keep a few of them in a little container kind of soaking in Reel Magic, then dry them off when I'm going to use them.

Since I'm babbling here about braid, make sure you set your drag around 1/4th to 1/2 the break rating, 1/3rd is the general rule of thumb. Braids will dig into itself when you have too much drag pressure set, it happens less often when the line is spooled on tightly, some braids do worse than others, I hardly change my drag setting on my reels when fishing, if a big fish is running and I want to add a little more pressure, I usually do it by putting some pressure on the lip of the spool with my fingers, hand if it is a hard running big fish.

Thanks Pferox, thats really great information!!