Comments on: How do you choose a good fishing pole?

By: tabkenan25

tabkenan25 — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:02:19 +0000

the heck with walmart…….get hime a gift card for bass pro shops…….they know a ton more about fishing than any guy at any walmart, and they also have a better variety. a good name brand of rods and reels……..Quantum…the Quantum PT Tour Edition Combo is a great one. kind of pricy, but depending on how much he loves to fish, this could be the perfect one. I know that any bass angler would take that rod & reel combo any day….i definitely would!

NO WALMART………….. BASS PRO SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Basterisk

Basterisk — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:34:44 +0000

If your husband only had one rod to begin with, he’s probably is not what one would call an ‘avid’ fisherman. Also, being in Tennessee, I’m going to assume that he and your son will be chasing bass or trout or panfish, since any of these types of fish are catchable to some degree by beginners. That said, a 6-foot medium-light or medium action rod would be a sensible choice. Easily found brands that are decent to good in quality are Shakespeare Ugly Sticks, Daiwa, St. Croix, and Fenwick.

I’m guessing also that the rod had a reel attached to it, so you’ll need one of those too. A spinning reel is the best all-around choice here for the less-experienced, while for the experienced anglers you’d definitely want to go with a bait-caster. Good basic reels are made by companies such as Shimano, Daiwa and Pflueger…..what model you choose is probably based on budget.

Overall a perfectly nice rod/reel outfit can be had for as little as $60, though of course you can spend a lot more too if you want.

Finally, go to an outdoors or fishing store to buy, not a Walmart or something like that……a salesman who knows fishing can make good suggestions.

By: Kryptonian

Kryptonian — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:18:44 +0000

This question is obviously being answered by point answerers and people with multiple accounts, as I’ve seen some valid answers given the thumbs down, and some not so good responses given the thumbs up.

If this is a fishing rod for you husband, I wouldn’t buy him a rod for his birthday. This is something an avid fisherman wants to buy for himself. Get him a gift card at a local bait and tackle or other sporting goods store.

If this is a fishing rod for your son, since you did not mention the age of your son, I would get him any of the combo rods available at Wal-Mart as a starter, and as he gets accustomed or good at fishing, you can stylize the rods later on.

P.S. Ugly Sticks are good, especially for youngsters, hard to break, very flexible, and good in many environments. Not sure what one of the contributors had against them, they’ve withstood the test of time.

By: fisherman72156

fisherman72156 — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:59:45 +0000

Buy your husband a gift card. That way he can get the rod he needs for his type of fishing he likes to do.

By: jreeads

jreeads — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:30:00 +0000

A medium light action rod. There made in different actions for different types ofo fish. U dont want a heavy action or a ultra light cause they r the 2 extremes. U want something near the middle and since hes teaching his son he will have him fishing for bluegill and stuff. So ya a medium light is the way to go.

By: Blazer 1

Blazer 1 — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:26:56 +0000

Someone already said to buy an Ugly Stick, and I know others will say it again, but listen to me…STAY AWAY FROM THE UGLY STICK!!!!!

By: R W

R W — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:00:59 +0000

I agree with IndianaH,
it is best, to let the person that is going to use the tackle, pick it out.
Otherwise, you are libel to buy a dust collector.

it took me several tries, to convince my wife of that.

I don’t buy her clothes & she doesn’t buy my fishing gear

By: rodney_long97

rodney_long97 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:46:22 +0000

u may want to purchase him a medium action rod of six feet long, ugly stick is one of the best u can get at walmart

By: IndianaHoosier

IndianaHoosier — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:33:37 +0000

Figuring out the best pole for an individual comes with trial and error over time by the angler. One thing I told my wife is to NEVER spend the money and try to buy me a rod or reel as a surprise. Chances is with so many makes and models out there, it wouldn’t be what I would use.
With this said, it be to yours and his best interest to just ask him what type he wants and go together and allow him to pick it out for himself. Not knowing the age of your son and what type of fishing your husband wants to teach him (fly/casting/spinning or type of fish they will be going after). The rod you get him will be taken with appreciation, but may get set off in a corner to draw dust.

Edit: Reading Krypt’s answer, I agree with something he said and like to add to that. I use the Cabela’s Whuppin’ Stick, but on the same token the Ugly Stick would be my 2nd rod of choice over all others. It is a very common rod and well liked rod.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:52:49 +0000

I think I would find the nearest walmart store and buy him
a gift card and let him pick out his own he can get all three choices of light, medium,or heavy rod for under 25 dollars and if hes reel is gone also, for another 15 dollars he can get a decent reel———–if he is really into fishing and don’t want walmart stuff , you might want to listen to the first answer you got,