Advice...rod vs. reel

[guitpic]

I've gotten lots of advice(for my river fishing adventure) (1) suggesting reels were the most important aspect of fishing followed by others who said (2) rods were more important.

 

Thoughts?

 

Tx

[eyeguy 54]

what ya chasin?

[Mike89]

let me guess???   fish???

[ANYFISH2]

1 hour ago, eyeguy 54 said:

what ya chasin?

This is pretty important. to give an honest opinion.

 

without it, i feel a good reel (drag) is most important.

[eyeguy 54]

haha @Mike89 .      lotta different kinda fishies to chase in the rivers.  some of them might be easier to catch with a sensitive rod, others, rod no biggey but a good reel important. for bass I love the pflueger purists I have been using this year.  works just fine for smallies with rods I can buy for under 40 bucks. for eyes I like a little better rod. Overall tho I would rather have a dandy reel on a cheezy rod than the other way around. chasing muskies?  might want both to be good... LOL 

[BobT]

For me, the rod is by far the more important part of the tools. This is because I do not rely on the reel's drag but prefer to back reel when fighting fish and the drag is only a backup in case I need it. That is not to say that a reel doesn't have value for me. A good, smooth reel with instant anti-reverse well balanced with the rod is a plus for sure. My St. Croix Premier walleye rod is currently fitted with a Pflueger Trion spinning reel. When I first put that together it was the first rod/reel I ever had where I spent more than about $50 for and I thought I had the walleye outfit of my dreams until I picked up my Fenwick Elite Tech together with my Pflueger Supreme spinning reel. Now, any time I pick up that St. Croix it feels heavy and clumsy in my hands by comparison. I intend to replace the reel with something lighter like my Supreme. 

 

For my walleye rods my St. Croix is a 6-1/2' medium rod with fast tip. Really nice for more subtle presentations. My Fenwick is a medium rod with a ultra fast tip and I really like that one when the fish are biting super light. I can feel just about everything with that rod and having the lighter weight Supreme reel helps with the balance and feel. Both of these rods can deliver plenty of backbone for fighting even the biggest walleyes I've handled so far. 

 

My crappie rod is a Cabelas ultra light rod my wife got me for Christmas a couple decades ago. I call it my whip stick and it works nice for crappies with their soft mouths. 

 

When I am trolling I like a heavier rod that can deliver stability for setting the hook and dragging heavy lures. 

 

My bass rod is also a heavier rod with a bait casting reel.  

[guitpic]

Many tx.  I am learning.  Fishing a river for bass, crappie etc.

[eyeguy 54]

good luck and have fun !  I use different setups on eyes rivers vs lakes. Gotta have my really good rod while after eyes with crawlers.  

[monstermoose78]

Rods are most important to me

Why if I can't fee the bite the reel is not used

[guitpic]

Tx