Curious to see what yall think about what to spend more $$ on, the rod or the reel? Lets say you can spend $200 on one and $100 on the other (and $150/$150 is not an option)

I would spend the 200 on a better rod. You can get some quality reels for 100 bucks, especially if you look for sales or clearance. A good sensitive rod pays dividends

200 rod, and the 99.00 lews speed spool

$100 rod
$100 reel
$100 in fishing lures

I'd spend more on a reel than on a rod.

With that crazy Abu sale last year, I got a $200 reel for just under $100.
Really enjoyable reel to fish with.

I�d spend more on the reel as well.

If it's for dragging lures on the bottom where sensitivity is important I'd spend more on the rod than the reel.
If it's for casting moving baits like crankbaits, bladed jigs, spinnerbaits and such I'd consider spending more on the reel but would still usually opt for the more expensive rod. There are so many good dependable reels in the $100 range these days.

Usually I'd say rod, but depends on how many other combo's you have and what you are trying to achieve.

Depends...

If you are good with a bait caster and just adding combos, I would go with a slightly better rod and something like a lews or BPS PQ on the reel.

If you are just learning to cast a bait caster, buy the best reel you can afford and a serviceable rod in little bit lighter action until you learn to control the reel. A heavier bait will also help the learning curve.

Fancy rods even in lighter actions tend to be stiff (but sensitive) IMO which make them not the best choice for new casters.

Just my$.02

I think it depends. Cranking and winding combos i don't see the need to spend a bunch of money on the rod. I know I hhad a few BPS graphite rods that were 50 bucks, caught a lot on them.

Any specific use rod that requires feel, like a senko, CR rig, or shakey head rod, I would spend more money. I have been very happy with the BPS carbon lite rods. I use a mix of older BPS PQs, JM reels and carbon lite reels.

I would say rod at least with feel presentations. Other than different materials to make a reel a couple of ounces lighter I just see no significant increase in the operational quality of reels. My comparisons are of my own lot. I have reels in the $200-$300 range and I also have $100 reels. Neither out perform the other and both have given me excellent durability.

I would find a happy medium between both. To me both are equally as important. There are some really great reels at $150 and less. Some great rods at same price point. On bottom technique stuff I would always go quality over quantity. That is true of almost all setups though. Spend a few dollars more and they last longer, perform better and you will enjoy fishing with them more. You don't have to spend big money. Just buy the best that you can afford on your budget is all I am saying.

Also don't skimp on line or hooks.

I prefer to get BETTER RODS, as that is what is getting the fish to the boat. If your reel breaks, you can still hand line them in. If your rod breaks, normally it cuts the line and all fish are gone. I fish with TOP END RODS (Dobyns) and medium reels (Shimano Curado or low end Revos. Maybe I am wrong, but that is what works for me. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

Years ago I thought the reel is more important. Looking back I realize how wrong I was. The rod is way more critical not only for detecting the bite but being able to feel what your lure is bouncing off of as well.

Depends how you plan to use it. Any sort of moving bait and I'd favor the reel. If you plan to mostly worm or jig fish, then I'd say the rod.

I can't recall if it was Doug Hannon or Bob Underwood, but one of these guys used to say he would scuba dive and observe guys bass fishing. Guys would have no clue they were even getting bit about 70% of the time. I think increasing that detection rate is one of the big factors that separates the pro's from the smo's.