Ok guy, I'm in need of help here. I am trying to get serious about my fishing without going seriously broke. I love to fish, but I realize I don't know much at all about having the right gear. I would like to change this. I want to invest in a great rod/reel for the "type" of fishing I do, but don't want some store clerk tryin to push some $200 rod or reel on me that I honestly can't afford just because Joe Pro is endorsing it right now, or it's the best.
Since I don't own a boat all of my fishin is done from the bank. I fish ponds, creeks, lakes, and spillways. I target bass. Largemouth, Sandies, and Hybrids. Sure I catch the occassional carp, drum, or catfish. But mostly bass. Most of the water I fish is shallow as I cannot reach deep water from the bank. I want to treat myself to a quality reel that will last for seasons to come as long as I give it proper care. I've waited long enough. I usually just purchase whatever $50 combo is on sale and suffer for it later on.
I currently have a H2O Mettle on a 7'0 M Lightning Rod Shock. This setup has been good to me, and I've caught alot of fish, but I'm sure I've missed a lot too. Problem is I use this setup for basically everything. I throw lipless cranks, worms, flukes, senkos, everything. I know this is not something I should be doing but it's all I got.
I fish braided line cause it last forever and saves me money over time. Plus I just love the way I can feel everything with it.
I'm looking at getting one of the following reels. BPS CarbonLite, BPS Johnny Morris Ltd, BPS Pro Qualifer, or Shimano Citica. So I'm thinking I need to invest in at least 1 decent "proper setup". I'm open to rod selections, but please keep suggestions reasonable. I'm gonna spend $100 on a reel, so my rod prob needs to be around $70 or less. I don't mind mixing and matching with what I already have as well. Meaning if my lightning rod will work as a decent crankbait rod, I will pair it with the new reel, or if its already a decent worm setup I'll buy a new rod for crankin. Hope this makes sense. Buddy of mine from here on the forum let me toss his bass setup this weekend and I realized exactly how much I have to learn about having proper gear. He had a 6'6 St Croix Mojo paired with a Revo SX and it was unbelievable, but truth is, I just can't afford that right now.
I've heard a lot of names when it comes to rods, Allstar, Falcon, Loomis, St. Croix, and so on.. Too many choices out there. And most of em out my range, but if you guys can get me close I'd be forever thankful.
I only want to have two decent setups as I'm only allowed to have 2 poles with me while banking it around DFW. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my book.

In your case you can't afford to buy a lemon, so go with the Citica for your reel.

I'd say a 6'6" MH or 7' MH Bionic Blade/Citica combo from BPS at $175 would serve your needs well.

Other rods I'd recommend for a little more than you suggested are the Bucoo, BPS Carbonlite, Abu Veritas (get a medium), and Shimano Compre.

Thanks Aggiegolfer....All these views and only one reply.Oh well. Thank you sir. Maybe someone can answer this...
Can anyone tell me kinda rod my Berkley Lightning Rod Shock is? All I know is that it is designed for superlines. Nothing online says if this is a jigging rod, cranking rod, spinnerbait rod,etc... Can anyone answer this? I'm looking to make my purchase this weekend during the BPS spring sale.

If it's near the same as the regular lightning rod then it's kind of an all purpose rod. With only 2 rods I'd highly recommend both your setups being all-purpose.

6'6" medium/medium heavy to 7' medium/medium heavy is a good range for all-purpose rods.

I have said this way too many times but I will say it again. You will get way more bang for your buck buying the proper rod than reel. The reel is just a means of getting your lure out. There is no feel through the reel. As long as you are not putting these reels through torture (salt or big fish) they don't matter near as much. A nice reel is a good thing but a nice rod is by far a better choice. Your H2O Mettle is a fine enough reel for any bass. A world record bass is not going to eat up that reel/drag if redfish can't. Go pick up a bunch of rods and don't look at the price. See which ones feel the best in your hand. Shake them around a little and bend the tips real good. You need higher power rods (medium heavy)with fast tips for what they call bottom baits (worms, jigs, creatures, craws, etc.) You'll want a lower power (medium) rod with a moderate fast tip for what they call horizontal baits (moving stuff like spinners, cranks, spoons, jerks, etc). You can find awesome stuff on clearances this time of year. Most of the stuff is going fast though as the Spring Classics all start. I saw plenty of carrot stix, allstar platinums, american rodsmiths and so on for practically nothing over the past few weeks. I own a Mettle and the Citica. While the Citica is slightly better/smoother and will probably outlast the Mettle, I paid $25 for my Mettles. Citicas cost $120 and I was happy to get mine for $80 but I would rather have three Mettles than 1 Citica.

Just a tip for anyone reading recommendations... Plastic chunkers will say the rod is most important and any reel works, while moving bait tossers like a high quality reel on any ole rod...

And they're both right in their thinking!

I've caught tons of bass, catfish, white bass, and trout from the banks of reservoirs, creeks, and ponds with a $30 Shimano Syncopate spinning reel on a $40 medium-light Berkeley rod and a $60 Shimano Bantam 100 baitcaster on a medium Shimano rod.

Don't get hung up on the equipment, it won't make you a better fisherman.

I like to pick the reel I want, and then walk around trying it on different rods with the action I want until I find the one that feels just right and is nicely balanced.

This is the kinda info I'm seeking. Thank you both. So I guess I may want to adjust my thinking and grab a couple decent rods this weekend and worry about reels later. I love my H20 mettle. Its lasted a few years and no problems yet. I also got mine for $25. I'm not saying I need a $100 reel, but I also don't want to continue to fish incorrectly. If I'm crankin, then I prob need a crank bait rod. I just don't want one setup for every type of fishin application.

But then again if my Lightning Rod is considered an all-purpose rod, then I may just wanna grab another. Have a senko ready on one and my lipless crank on another. Like I stated in my first message. I've caught lots of fish with this setup. But this is good stuff. You guys have helped alot.

H2O with that castaway combo at academy went on sale a while back for 60.00... I will be buying 2 or three more when that happens again! Nice rig for the money!

I was just in your shoes but did go higher end for once with a curado E7 on a used (mint cond.) Falcon lowrider... But as stated already, it wont make me a better fisherman!!

I plan to have one more expensive rig and then H2O/castaway combos for everything else..

i love the h20 mettel there the best reel under 150 bucks

Definitely under 75.00.... Revos and Curados can be purchased on ebay for 130-150...

You've already got a "proper setup" and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. You can spend 5x the money and you may end up with something slightly better- under some conditions. But it won't fundamentally change your results- that's down to practice, practice more practice and a little luck thrown in.

You can spend more time with your lure in the water if you have 2 or more rigs set up so you don't have to retie when you get to where a different lure is appropriate. And you'll be more likely to change your presentation to meet conditions if you have another rod ready to go.

But have confidence in your equipment because what you have is fine.

Like I said, if you really want application rigs then the two I mentioned are all you need unless you want to get real specific. If I had to only have two rods for freshwater fishing, I would have a 7 foot MH fast tip rod for thick cover and a Medium to Medium Light (depends on brand) 6-6'6 footer for moving baits in open water. Reels are your choice but I have never managed to skip a worm/jig far under a dock with a baitcaster. A baitcaster would work fine for anything else though.

Do you skip with a spin cast?? I am a motor moron with spin cast rigs... I can do everything with baitcast...