Rod and reels

I have about 4 rod and reels that I take with me every time I go fishing; one with a spinner, one with a crank bait, and two with soft plastics on them. All my reels are hand-me-downs from my dad, so my equipment is far from being modern. I'm thinking about upgrading some of my rod and reels that are the oldest and that have the wide handle that won't fit in my rod holders.

What are the best rod and reel combos to buy and what are all of you using for the different lures? I didn't know until recently that there was actually a method to choosing a rod for a certain type of fishing, so any insight would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Man you could go on for days and everyone will have differing opinions about what is the best combo. Of course there is price too, you can get a rod and reel combo for $40 or you can spend $350 on just a rod. I'm a believer in using what is comfortable to you, that being said it's hard to go wrong with a 7' MH rod, and a descent baitcaster. The 7' MH could do pretty much whatever you want it to with the exception of throwing a huge swimbait or heavy frog fishing, I use it for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, wacky rig, TX rig, etc.

If you're looking for value. Go to academy and get a pinnacle or h2o reel and match it up on an All-star rod. If you want to spend some money there are a million different hi-quality options out there.

If you're fishing crankbaits you want to get a slower speed reel 5:1 or so. Rod needs to be somewhat parabolic (bendy)

Everything else you can go with a higher speed reel 7:1 6:3:1, and a medium or medium heavy rod will suit most applications.

I hit up Cabelas in Allen a few months back and I found a 7 foot Diawa rod Medium Heavy with a fast tip, for $29 and some change. I then found a Diawa reel for $29.99 on sale. Both the rod and reel are Luguna series and It's one of my "Always" have when I go fishing. Extremely versatile. Not bad for about $60

I did find at Academy the H2O reels to be rather well designed. I use two of them regularly and haven't had a single problem with either of them in the last 2 years. Great buy for the price as well.

I have 2 of these combos and like them a lot. I also bought the reels on sale from Cabelas for $29.99. The rods I got at Academy for $29.99 which is their regular price. One is a 6'6 MH and the other is 7' M.

Wal-Mart has the Abu Garcia Black Max for $39.99 and it's a good reel for the money. I like the Laguna reel better but the Black Max is good.

Good luck in your search.

Don't forget used equipment, if you shop around you can find some good deals on quality gear.

I buy cheap stuff because I'm rough on rods and reels. I have broken two in 3 weeks. I use a Cabelas brand fly rod too the I gave $80 for rod/reel/line. I catch just as many fish if not more than my buddy who uses a $600 sage rod.