What would be a good bait casting combo to start out with. I don't have much experience with them and am looking for a good one to pratice with. Any suggestions?

I am a big Curado fan, but for your fist baitcasting rig, I would probably go with an abu garcia ambassadeur, because it will last forever, and they are not that expensive.

You can't go wrong with abu garcia ambassadeur i own 6 of them, i went all abu at the beginning of the year and have not looked back.

Like Bassmaster150 said they do last forever: 4600c3 are good all around reels, i also have a couple of the 5000 series all good reels.

I fish at least one tourney a month and hey have held up to the abuse of hard fishing, you match these reels up with some good quality rods and you are ready to fish, my rods of choice are falcon lowriders.

Also for a good rod and reel to start out with, i'd also suggest going to bass pro shops and picking up one of there extreame combo's, decent price and well made products.

ray

The Extreme combo is the way to go, even for an experienced angler. They cast like a dream. Being a first timer, use all six brakes, and loosen the spool tension knob until it can slightly move side to side. Then crank it tight about one full turn of the knob. That should give you enough resistance to keep your spool from overrunning. As you get better, loosen the spool tension knob first back to where it can slightly move side to side, then start turning the brakes off. With the Extreme, you will find that using six brakes all the time is not a bad thing. The rod, while not as light as their Pro Qualifier, has the same basic feel, but is a much stronger work horse and less prone to breaking.

i use only Abu's and Penns.

I use the Rick Clunn Bass Pro Shop bait casting reel. I got it for about 100 bucks and it has like 8 bearings and is easy to use. You have to practice, practice, practice, casting and like they said this model has brakes that you adjust by pushing in these little plastic deals. It is best to put like 15 pound test, some cheapo line, on cast, cast, cast, because you will get some big birds nests-back lashes. Try different type lures without the hooks to cast. Heavy lures will cast across the lake, and the light ones dont go near as far. Then you also, adjust the drop tension on the reel according to the weight of the lure. You will get it...PRACTICE!

I recommend shimano....a curado, chronach or calcutta depending on what you want to spend and the type of fishing you do. They are great reels and you won't be disappointed. If you get an inexpensive, crappy reel to learn on, you will get frustrated because it won't perform smoothly and accurately. This is what causes most people to give up on baitcasting reels.

Hey, look at it this way....if you go spend $120 on a shimano curado, try it out and if it doesn't work out for you it can always be resold to someone on ebay or on this forum. At least you would be trying out a good quality reel. I know a few people who have bought them, tried them out and returned them for a full refund too....no risk. he he

Shimano Curado...all the way, falcon rod lowrider, you will not come back

The main thing is the practice on it....i mean you can shoot pool with any stick in the house if you practice enough.

Spend some money and don't go cheap. A lot of first-timers buy an inexpensive reel and regret it. By spending more, you'll get a reel that is easier to cast right out of the box. Also, it will last longer. Look for a reel with as many ball bearings as you can afford. As for cast control, your two most common options are magnetic or centrifigal. Either work well (I use centrifigal exclusively.), but magnets are controlled by a dial that is easier to adjust. Some newer reels offer a dial to adjust the centrifigal, as well. The smoother mechanics of a higher end reel will make your learning curve shorter. A good bargain is the Curado Superfree combo at Academy. They tend to be very affordable, and you'll get a solid reel and quality rod. I agree that Ambassadors are solidly built, but I tried learning on one years ago, and it was brutal. Bass Hog gave some good tips for learning. I would add that you should read the user's guide that comes with the reel--they usually offer some very good advice. Good luck!

I would go to BPS and get you a combo. The Abu is a good starter. Just go out in the back yard and practice, practice, practice and more practice. Once you get used to them you will not go back. All my spinning reels get used for is crappie and sandies in the creeks.

Abu is about all I use.

Abu Torno 3006HSI One GREAT reel About 125.00

A buddy of mine gave me a Spidercast reel to start with. I loaded this with Spiderline Fusion and started casting.
The fusion is a little easier to get untangled and the Spidercast had the magnetic brake with 10 settings. I backlashed quite a bit and learned really quick that it is easier to cast heavy lures than light. This gave me lots of confidence. I'm still no expert but I'm getting better and have been using a Shimano Corsair that is great. Just bought the Pro Series reel at BPS and can't wait to try it. I bought several reels off ebay just to try, the ones I liked I kept the other were re-listed. This way I've been able to try lots of different reels without breaking the bank. I'd love to have a Curado or Chronarch but it's just not in the budget. I will admit that after years of buying cheap rods you get what you pay for. I still have a problem spending a large amount of money on a rod.

try the shimano citica. it is like the curado but only with 2 bb's. i just bought two of them and used it yesterday in a tournament. it worked flawlesslly. it should run about $90.00 at walmart.