Buy the best rods and reels you can..

Over and over again...the cheap rods and reels I bought when I was just starting out have failed, and I wish I had bought better to start with.  Or at I wish I had understood which cheap brands to avoid.
Yesterday I was using a cheap Tica steelhead rod at Westport - a ling grabbed the lure, and the rod broke - with hardly any drag set.  That Tica rod was probably the worst purchase I ever made - almost immediately after purchase one of the eyes failed, then the reel seat came loose, and now its toast.  I have other "cheap" rods which have held up better, including Shimanos and Berkeleys.
Same story with reels .. I bought a Pfueger President spinning reel, rated for salt water - the action started getting rough after a couple fishing outings.  I took it apart, and the pot metal gears were all corroded.  I now have all mid-range priced Shimanos, and love them ...but even a cheaper Shimano I bought earlier did not have as smooth a drag as the Curado, Tekota, and Stradic.

I would consider the Shimano and Berkley rods to be medium end. And I have also experienced the exact same issue with the Pfleuger President. Mine rusted out after 7 uses of fresh water only. And that's without submerging it. Junk.
I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for.

Any information on which lasts longer, the barbie mini pole or Batman. Should I get the reel with flashing lights 

Good advice though, I ate thought a abu garcia 6500 in a season of being very nice to it. Lesson learned there..  well see how a tekota 600 handles the puget sound

I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for.

+1

I also believe that trying to save too much ends up costing you more in the long run.

I learned the hard way as well.  Several reels crapper out on me during college on some nice fish.  Since then, I've slowly built up my arsenal with good quality gear with good warranties.  2 of my most expensive rods have already come in handy (due to their warranties)...sent them in and got new rods and cases no problem.

As for less expensive stuff....hard to beat an ugly stick.  I've caught decent sized catfish on ultralight ugly sticks........thought the rod was going to bend into a pretzel and break, but I landed the fish.

You don't have to buy the shiniest, most expensive thing in the counter, but get something with a good history of toughness and longevity.  The extra cash up front might hurt, but when you're still using it 10 years later you'll be glad

I've had an Abu Garcia reel for over 25 years and it's never failed.  It's been gone through at Ollie Damon's twice, but is still my favorite reel.  Fresh and salt water, and am looking forward to another season with it this year.  Been considering a new RVO TORO NaCl60 to replace the latest saltwater casualty, a Cabela's saltstriker (which lasted one season).  Time will tell...

I have a revo toro 51 that has been flawless! They are great reels.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Interesting comments about the president... I'm going on 3 seasons of regular saltwater use and it is still working great.

I've had an Abu Garcia reel for over 25 years and it's never failed.  It's been gone through at Ollie Damon's twice, but is still my favorite reel.  Fresh and salt water, and am looking forward to another season with it this year.  Been considering a new RVO TORO NaCl60 to replace the latest saltwater casualty, a Cabela's saltstriker (which lasted one season).  Time will tell...

What happened with the Saltstriker? I was thinking of picking one up this week while they are on sale. Seems like they have good reviews. Is this the one you had?

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Bargain-Cave/Fishing/Reels%7C/pc/105591780/c/105740280/sc/105742980/Cabelas-Salt-Strikerreg-Spinning-Reels/728574.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fbargain-cave-fishing-reels%2F_%2FN-1102770%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_105742980%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253Bcat105591780%253Bcat105740280&WTz_l=SBC%3Bcat105591780%3Bcat105740280%3Bcat105742980

Anyone use a daiwa Lexa? Love it hate it?

Anyone use a daiwa Lexa? Love it hate it?

I was hoping someone would ask that.  I never jumped on the Revo bandwagon, mostly because I didn't feel I needed a new reel.  But I lost an SX overboard this winter and am going to shop to replace.  The Lexa is on the list.  Although I do like a reel with a clicker on it, and as I understand it, the Lexa doesn't have one.

-Allen

Anyone use a daiwa Lexa? Love it hate it?

I was hoping someone would ask that.  I never jumped on the Revo bandwagon, mostly because I didn't feel I needed a new reel.  But I lost an SX overboard this winter and am going to shop to replace.  The Lexa is on the list.  Although I do like a reel with a clicker on it, and as I understand it, the Lexa doesn't have one.

-Allen

Now I understand why people rave about the Avet SX. I bought this SX 5.3 MC a couple weeks ago and took it out for lings last Friday. Not only does it look good, it fishes like a dream. This reel just moved to my top 5 list.

Now I understand why people rave about the Avet SX.

Yes, great reels.  I still have one in my arsenal.

Mind you ... you need to service them more regularly than most other reels.

-Allen

Now I understand why people rave about the Avet SX.

Yes, great reels.  I still have one in my arsenal.

Mind you ... you need to service them more regularly than most other reels.

-Allen

So I hear. Thankfully they're fairly easy to breakdown and clean.

So I hear. Thankfully they're fairly easy to breakdown and clean.

Yes they are!  And well worth the effort!

On the other SX I have, the clicker is slightly off ... I had to remove the nylone washer to make it work all right.  But I haven't seen any issue with that after years of use.  Although I pay extra attention to lubricating it out of fear metal to metal corrosion.  I know, I should probably send it into the factory to take a look ...

-Allen