I have bought a new bay boat and I fish RC for the most part. I want to do some bay fishing as well.
What is the best all around rod and reel combo for salt water reds and fresh water striper , white bass
Along with hybird fishing that won’t break the bank ? Also a good all around fishing line to reel them bad boys in.
Any advise would be appreciated.

I use a ugly stick 7’ medium heavy rod with Berkley Trilene XL in 17 or 20lb. You can cast with it for saltwater fish, slab for hybrids and striper and its $49 for the combo full price. I have 7 of them. You can pay way more for a combo (my Valley Hill and Stella tuna outfit is $1400), but I don’t see the need to...

So what’s the reel you recommend on the ugly stick as that’s very important to reel those bad boys in. Also where
is the best place to purchase them. Thanks for the info.

Basspro Spring Classic should be right around the corner. They will have a lot of combos on sale. I have had good luck with their Proqualifier line.

If you want to keep it budget minded, H20 reels from Academy, Falcon HD's for artificials. Any limber cheap rod like Tournament Choice at Academy will work for live bait, but I don't prefer them. I use Garcias on my live bait set ups. Idk what else is out there that's cheaper and reliable.

You should be able to get a great combo ( spinning or bait caster) for just under $100.00. Watch for sale ads from Cabela's and Academy.

I use GX2 ugly stick 7 foot medium or medium heavy rod ($40) paired with a Lews Mach spincast reel (purchase on amazon for ($55). I use 20-30 pound cheap braid Pro Cat from academy. Couldn't be happier with how it handles hybrids. Never salt water fished but I think if you buy the biggest Lews Mach reel you can put about 150 yards of string on it so have some play room.

So if you had a choice of any bait cast reel to go with that ugly stick what would you go with ?

Abu C4 with clicker alarm. Alarm is very handy for live bait fishing.

That’s a combo!

Whichever make and model you purchase, line color and strength is critical. Being able to see a strike, slack line or push up is key this time of year when fishing for stripes, sandies and hybrids . We use 10 to 14 lb line in. order to feel the lightest of taps. A lot of dead stickers use heavy 20 and up braid etc. I have been dead sticking for over 14 years, don't know it all . However, the older my eyes, the more visible my line puts more fish in the boat.

Thanks for all the advise.

I’ve tried bait cast reels for casting and I personally hate them. Even experienced guests backlash them and cause such a hassle which takes away from me fishing cuz I’m trying to repair stuff on the water, plus when a big hybrid hits I hate holding the rod in my non dominate hand so I’m a spin cast guy all the way other than with live bait fishing in spring/early summer. I had a nice Lews Mach II baitcaster and after several trips I decided it didn’t belong in my boat though it was a nice quality reel.

Hey have any of you guys heard of the bullet zebco ? I was at cabellas this weekend and the guy
helping mentioned it being used for big fish like Hybirds. I have those few people on the boat at times
that just can’t seem to get it and needs a zebco.