20 Best Bass Fishing Rods And Reels (2022 Updated)

I purchased three of these SLX spinning rods. Two were the same length and the third was a bit different. I ended up giving one to a buddy. All three rods broke between the first and second eyelet at the tip of the rod in the first season.

I always keep mine in our boat rod storage and I don’t know about the rod I gave to my friend. Also have heard from others who have purchased these rods of issues breaking in the same spot. Buy something else!.

Unfortunately, this model missed the mark. I have gone through 4 SLX rods, thankfully, Academy has handled all of the exchanges for me. The first rod broke on the second fishing trip. Reeling in a 5lbs bass, the tip snapped.

The second one snapped mid core while casting a small top water lure, well within the weight range of line and lure. The 3rd had another rod tip break on a 1lb bluegill. I reluctantly exchanged again for the same model.

When I arrived at the ranch, the reel seat lock’s cover was loose. I figured it’s only cosmetic and can be glued down. Then I went to cast a $12 lure only to watch it sail out to the middle of the pond due to a snapped line.

I looked over the rod and found the guides were in poor condition and cut the line on casting. I took it back, and Academy let me trade it for a Dobyn’s. I can’t applaud Academy’s customer service enough, but avoid this Shimano rod.

I bought two of these and paired them with Abu Garcia Revo Inshore Reels. The rods are amazing. Lightweight, fast but strong action, and will cast a lure/ bait as far as you could possibly want to cast it.

Great for trout and bass fishing. Highly recommend.

I bought this fishing rod based upon its longevity and positive reviews. The Zebco 33 has been around for a long time. I am a new angler and felt comfortable getting this rod before I moved up to something more advanced.

The price was right and so far it has served me adequately. The reasons for the three stars are the lack of printed directions and the tendency when casting that the top section of the rod will pop out.

This has happened twice, and it is disconcerting. I have caught some nice bass with it using traditional rigs and baits including a topwater lure but I wish it had more umpf for longer casts, but maybe that is part of the deal with this rod and reel.

It is an excellent rod for a newbie. But it didn’t quite meet my expectations.

Nice, remarkably smooth, but the one I got had some grease in it. That can be a coin toss depending on the assembler at the factory. Not a problem. Be warened, every picture I’ve seen of the spinning head has a double pic up pin set.

This one only has one. Not a deal breaker, but wish it was the dual. Mybe I can get one from a regular 808 and replace it, if it ends up bothering me.

2 days ago I pulled a 21. 7 lb. Blue cat out of an area lake. This combo handled it like a beast. I KNOW it could have handled much larger. Great buy for the price and one really can’t go wrong with a Zebco.

The perfect rod for 3/8 oz. swim jigs with plastic trailer. The balance is spot on, handle is super comfortable for casting 10 hours straight and the action and sensitivity is spot on. While this is the least expensive rod in my tournament set up, it’s just perfect for swim jigs with the extra fast tip and backbone starting at just the right place.

If you use a 3/8 oz. swim jig, you will not be sorry if you buy this rod. I now own 3 as I use them for DT6 cranks too.

100% Fantastic!! Shipped safe in a tube, well insulated, and extremily quick. Thank you for another 5 star transaction. I would buy here again, no question. This was a 7’2″ Shimano SLX one piece fishing rod, and I am stoked to have it!! GREAT JOB.

So me and my girlfriend both bought this combo while on vacation. Took a trip to go fish a local river. First off, the combo is very lightweight and easy to pack around. Second is the lure weight, which we tested.

We we’re rigged up with Santee Cooper rigs and casting with one ounce weights with a decent amount of weight on the end of the line. It did excellent!!!!! And she caught a nice channel catfish from a long distance away and the combo did great!!!! I was pretty surprised.

And I’ve had a big blue catfish slam this rod in a rod holder and it did excellent there as well. I have to say, for a cheaper combo, it’s a great value. The drag works great. It’s perfect for beginner fisherman and seems to be able to take a beating.

Only time will tell how tough it really is but I have to say, I’m impressed so far!!!!.

Rods look and feel great. Have not used but compared to other rods they should last a long time. Eyes are really strong and well made, rod is flexible and strong enough to hold up to drift fishing in lake.

Eyes are closer together and this adds strength to rod, helps relieve stress points.

Rod casts very well with my Zebco 808 spin cast reel on it. The length allows more line to be picked up on the hookset. The glass tip is strength that is needed in a critical area. A two piece rod that works very well.

The rod was really cooked! I’m very familiar with rod splines as I have built many rods in my day but this rod is just plain dog leg crooked. If I had seen this rod in person I would not have purchased it.

It is a 6 1/2, 2 piece rod and it arrived in one piece in a 8 ft long tube open at one end and it fell out of the tube when I picked it up from my porch! Not sure if it could have been damaged or bent from falling out of the tube during shipping like it did for me all though I don’t see how that could happen with out breaking it.

There was no packing slip with it. I purchased it for a friend as a gift but didn’t give it to him. Instead I went to Wallmart and bought another ugly stick that was not messed up to give him. If I had a packing slip and a reasonable way to send it back I would.

It looks to me like it could be a factory reject or something. I was very dissatisfied with the purchase.

Bought the rod before the price hike. Really liked it I caught a 30 pound black drum on the beach at Ft Pickens near Pensacola. Have since caught several medium sized reds with it. Ok, great! Great action for 10 pound line.

Then last Friday at Dauphin Island throwing a 2 oz surf weight the rod broke (snapped) above the large first guide on the forward swing of the cast. I was somewhat shocked to say the least. That’s never happened with me and this brand before.

Love me some Ugly Sticks! Anyway, I have 2 more of the same rods. Might consider adding a little more backbone toward the butt of the rod.

I brought 2 of these Combos a while back and they are working great. I’ve used them for both Fresh and Saltwater and the reels seem to hold up just fine provided you do the proper care after fishing.

These are light and you can feel the hits when they strike. The Rod itself is a beast I’ve had both of them get snagged and put them through some really tough bends and neither of them snapped, Uglystix holding true to there name.

These rods are a beast. Only Issue I had with the reel was I fell and landed with the reel hitting a boulder and bent the bail. Thats on me not the company, I was able to bend it back into place and make it work again so they can take some abuse :-).

I deffinetly recommend these combos.

Do not hesitate to buy. I looked at the medium light for about a year. Several months before they came out. Then I decided to buy it with trout season coming up. It has done nothing but perform. I had a cardinal s before that was 50 bucks and it took a beating and lasted forever.

So I thought if their cheap rods are that good then their high ends have to be top notch. So far the action of the rod is tremendous. Can cast with ease. Would definitely buy another if needed too but hopefully this thing will last like my other one.

The color is also a big plus!!! I love a od green color and that makes this set up that much better when fishing the creeks of Tellico Plains TN. to down in Blue Ridge streams in GA.

Few purchases come to mind that was as good of a decision as this one. I am very happy with this combo. The reel is as smooth as butter, and the 1pc rod has a true medium feel with a light action. All of the little accents of red, gold, carbon fiber, and gunmetal grey are showstoppers.

I have had this combo for a week and have taken it out 4 times. Every time I do, I get a compliment. For me, my favorite feature is the drag adjustment. There are so many small clicks, and you can really get precise.

Our granddaughter bought this with money she had saved over the summer. She easily casts a small/medium lure 20-25 metres. She has used it many times with no issues or problems. Many sunfish (42 in two days) have been caught and returned for future fishers.

i got to say i fish alot i bought this rod as a a bet to see if i could catch a big fis with it and got a 4 pound large mouth bass and it held up amazingly would definitely recommend this rod

Amazing deal yet again made by zebco. Made for the affordable fisherman on a budget!

I am a huge Lews fan, and I typically don’t buy combos, but I bought this a year ago after having been impressed with the Mach Crush baitcast combo I had purchased the year before. I was excited to give this a try, but quickly realized that this combo did not live up to the standard of the Mach Crush.

The two things I do not like about this combo. First, the color. I really wish they would have toned down the color a bit. Second, the feel of the reel. In my opinion the reel has a very cheap feel to it.

I understand that this is a lower level combo but I was expecting a much better feel similar to the Mach Crush. Now with all of that said, the combo does fish well. The rod is sensitive and the reel casts well and performs well when reeling in the big ones.

I was able to quickly adjust the reel to what I was throwing and did not have any issues with backlash. I would recommend this as a good beginner baitcaster, hard to beat the price, but would not recommend this to someone that fishes a lot and has experience with baitcasters.

For the price, it’s not horrible. You get a fair amount for it like textured grips and a textured thumb bar. There’s also holes in the spool to help get your line on easier. It’s held up pretty well.

I’ve accidentally hit the guides on the concrete sidewalk a few times. I’m not going to complain about the color because you know very well it’s a bright red. No sense in knocking it for that. I will say I’ve never lost it or stepped on it because it’s so easy to spot.

Now into some cons. The reel lock drives me insane. After a few casts, it loosens making the reel wobble. If you’re not paying attention, it’ll fully loosen and when you cast, the reel will just fly right off.

I check it every few casts, but it’s the only rod that happens to out of my 6 baitcasters (all Lew’s). It also annoys me the drag and spool tensioner don’t click when you adjust them. You should also know it doesn’t truly have a fast action tip.

All my rods are fast action, but this one takes significantly more effort to cast the same distance than say the Lew’s TXS, Mach1, Mach2, American Hero rods. If I could go back in time, would I have still bought this? No.

The tip not truly being fast really irritates me.

This Lews combo is really smooth and casts beautifully. Just note that the hook keeper is behind the reel where you hold the rod, that’s the only downside. Everything else on the rod and reel is perfect for me.

The handles are very comfortable and the spool release is too. This was my 1st baitcaster combo from lews and I love it. I would definitely recommend it to others.

I bought this reel for Christmas this year and I have taken it out to the water about 10 time now. The reel is super nice with great handles that fit to your hand perfectly and over all it feels super smooth and nice, the rod is strong and you are able to make long casts with it.

I took it down to Florida last week and it held up great, to some big Floridian bass. Highly recommend.

We have thrown umbrella rigs to crankbaits on these this tournament season and not one problem. The only thing I would change in my opinion would be to put the handles like the SX on them, but that’s because most of our reels are the Revo SX and it’s a little different going from one handle to the next.

That is about the only difference we have noticed.

I bought this as a Christmas present for my dad when he received it he couldn’t be happier. I’m not sure if it was the rod or him but his next trip with my uncle he smoked him 25-4. He said that it’s the best reel that he’s ever owned that it almost makes reeling them in unfair.

I ordered this because it was cheap and I was waiting for my Lew’s KVD to be delivered in 2 weeks. I wanted to fish! I was very impressed with this rod and reel especially for under $20. I thought it would be a throw away or parked in the garage but it goes with me on my fishing trips.

Both the rod and reel have great action. The only thing I would change is that the rod has no specs on it so it is a guessing game but it handles like a medium/fast action rod.

For the money spent, this rod and reel combination is excellent. There are much more expensive options that I am sure deliver higher quality, but if you want a decent starter rode and reel, this is a great choice.

Broke on the first fishing trip. Very disappointing. Would have returned it if I didn’t have to return in person in the store. Poor quality. Reading the good reviews, I wonder if I just got damaged item at the first place.

I bought this a little while ago on a whim. I’ve never used this brand but I am a fan now! I bout a Lews Combo a few weeks ago for $99 on sale and it’s half the combo that this is. I’m in love! I threw on some 40# braided line and it is a dream to fish with, the handle on the rod is very nice also.

It’s a nice light rod for pan fish and bass. It is pretty delicate and subject to break at the tip easily. Reel is fine and does a fine job. I bought it for my 12 year old grandson and the tip broke the first day.

Luckily Academy allowed us to return it. It’s replacement is holding up well.

This has to be one of the smoothest casting and reeling combos that I’ve ever purchased. Unbelievable sensitivity and easily able to cast with accuracy. I’d highly recommend it to any angler.

I generally don’t review something I haven’t use yet, but I’ve owned this rod/reel combo for years, I currently have two I use for river bank catfishing. This week this combo will get broken in as a dedicated carp combo, I’ve been fishin’ Zebco since I was weened off the cane pole, and to be truthful I’m not completely weened off cane poles and I’m 63 yrs old.

lol.

Casted great, worked great, until I hooked onto a few 20lb cats and the reel broke. Ok for the money for smaller channelcats

I fish ALOT and have no less than 40 rods. I bought 2 of these and the eyelets fell out of both, one I patched 3X w new guides. If you cant fix them don’t buy them and ABSOULUTELY stay away from the reels.

They were practically giving them away 2 years ago. Reel siezed up after I lent it to someone in salt water. Took apart a mess.

Time will tell on the 6’ M version I bought today, but please keep in mind that when you read the reviews of rods breaking: this is an entry level graphite rod that a lot of anglers are coming into from the world of fiberglass.

You cannot treat these like you do fiberglass (high-sticking, dropping, throwing in the bed of a pickup). I suspect if the beginners treated this rod carefully, the negative reviews about breakage would dwindle.

I bought the LAG702MFS which is a 2-piece 7′ spinning rod. I like the 2-piece rod for taking on the 5 hour trip to the Texas Gulf Coast. These trips are family vacations rather than fishing expeditions so 2-piece rods are easier to manage in a short rod case in a minivan filled with kids and a dog.

I primarily fish the surf for Trout and Spanish Mackerel. The rod holds up fine under saltwater conditions. I have made (4) multi-day trips with the rod, caught over 100 fish and it doesn’t have any issues.

There are better rods out there but they cost 2 to 3 times more. At this price point, if it breaks, I will just buy another one.

My husband purchased this for me as a Mother’s Day gift. I spooled it up with braided and added mono to the ending to fine tune my bass game. Threw a green/purple whacky worm on got a nice hit with a good fight heart racing…reeling it in saw the nice large mouth top the water the ole gal went under the boat and “pole snapped” lost the top of the pole and the bass.

I cannot recommend this pole and reading the other posts regarding breakage there must be a design flaw? I’m out money. Pole. And. Good fish pic. Hope yawl can do better.

I looked at this combo in my local Sportsman’s. It seemed of high quality, particularly for the price. I bought this for my grandson who lives right on the Missouri in Montana. When I was talking to his neighbor who is an avid fisherman and he said he had purchased this exact combo and was extremely pleased with it on walleye and channel cats in the river.

When I came back I found this on a 4th of July special and grabbed it. I can’t give it better stars since it needs a few more fish. I have had nothing but great results with both Pflueger reels and Fenwick rods.

I’ve used this for a few weeks now. Replaced a cheap chinese amazon knockoff that snapped in half hooking a bass. The reel birds nests like crazy. This is freshwater pond fishing only. Using worms on hook, mepps aglia spinners, larger rattling bass lures, etc.

I’ve tried multple weights, brands lines(birkely, trilene, even yozuri bybrid). They ALL birds nest bad on cast. About the only line that doest nest with this reel so far is yozuri hybrid but only 8lbs or less.

Anything more like 15 or 20lb and even the yozuri nests. which i’ve never seen before. To confirm i took the cheap chinese reel off the old broken rod and used the same exact line spools. No bird nesting.

The reel in this combo is absolute trash. Period.

I use this paired with an okuma komodo 471-P for fishing inshore southern california kelp beds/boilers, paddy hopping. Handled 25 lb yellowtail and yellowfin fine. I fish off a private center console.

Usually using 20-30# fluoro when using live bait. Lightweight makes it fun to fish all day. Blanks are narrower than the old school Calstar type tuna rods which some people may not like. Used it for live bait, irons, and even dropper loops.

Blanks i believe are not from US , but have not had any failures, and the hardware seems solid. Great return policy. If you live in so cal you can just drive over to the phenix warehouse in Bellflower- they’ll fix guides for $10, and will replace a damaged rod for a flat reasonable fee or give you credit to change to a different rod/series.

Great for the kind of everyday local inshore fishing here in so cal without paying for the super high end gear. I have only been salt fishing for 5 years though so keep that in mind.

I used to only use the shimano teramar rod. well i broke a couple and can no longer get them locally especially since shimano has the 1 year warranty now. Then i decided to order a American Made Rod(Won’t name company), but build and ship was taking too long so i canceled and ordered this Phenix rod instead after reading so many reviews online about the company and products.

The rod is exceptional and very light. I especially like the carbon fiber reel seat and the phenix custom handle. Cast great and the backbone reeled in a nice 38″ red and a 43 lb black ugly. I have it matched with a stradic 5000fj.

I purchased this rod to replace a Powell 3D MagHeavy rod, which could not take the pressure fishing for false albicore. The Powell rod broke after the fourth or fifth albie. The next trip out, I had the Phoenix rod, and it was at least as sensitive and accurate as the Powell, plus it was able to take the pressure.

Excellent rod. Highly recommend.

Best rod I’ve tried ! to this date, super light, super sensitive, strong (I believe) , biggest fish on this rod so far is 2 lbs , no problem at all !! I have Fenwick’s ($100 & $130), Halo’s ($150 & $170), & Lamiglas($100) bass rods, and I feel like this rod surpasses them all.

I also have a Fenwick Elite Tech Bass ($170) which I believe is a tie with this one. however the Phenix is 30 bucks cheaper, both have a lifetime warranty !! I will be adding more Phenix’s to my stable, as soon as budget allows !! Side note: Discount Tackle has packed this rod better than any other retailer !!! I’m just a working man , who is a weekend angler, (hobbyist) no tournaments, so the price does matter !! Thanks you Discount Tackle & Phenix Rods !!.

I chose this rod over the M1 to pair with my Daiwa Tatula LT 2000D-XH. Everyone says these are softer than their ratings. I’m not sure, it has a range of 1/4-3/4oz, so it’s probably a little more parabolic.

Fishes great and my combo i believe is just under 9oz which is basically 1/2lb😱 I really like the setup but it’s still too early to really give more input. I gave it 4 stars because i can hear the line through the rod itself when reeling it in.

The sound is from the line rubbing on the eyelets but transfers through the rod itself. Maybe this is part of the rod being designed to be so sensitive, idk. I’ve never experienced this sort of thing.

Overall very pleased with the rod and my setup. Thank you sportsman’s for having it in stock👍 We are limited on what we have available here locally at the bigger box stores.

This is my new All time Favorite rod! I picked up the 6’9″ Med Hvy. And lemme tell you something bucko. Paired with my Diawa TWS Tatula wound with 10lb braid, I can fish a Gary Yamamoto Senko Texas rig.

No split shot nothing. This rod is so strong for how light it feels. <333.

I have used these elite series rods before. Love them. Unfortunately I never received one. If you want to spend $200 on a rod with shipping and all, buy from a place that will actually give you the rod you paid $200 for.

Its been over a month and still have no rod. Customer service was talking to me about the fact that it was broken in shipping and never arrived. When I asked for a replacement they said they don’t have this rod in stock anymore.

When I asked for a refund they stopped answering me all together. This fishing rod gets a 5 out of 5. Fishing online gets a 0 out of 5, but 1 is as low as the review will go, so 1 star it is.

These rods have good sensitivity for the money. They are nice and light, and have great actions to them. My only knock on them is that the guides seem to be a little fragile. I baby my stuff, but somehow managed to bend one of the guides on one of the two of these that I own.

Even with that said though I would still recommend these, and still use and enjoy them on a regular basis.

Bought this rod for bladed jigs. Paired it with the Tatula elite reel, what a great combo. Very versatile rod, plan to use it for all my reaction style baits ,. Soft tip with plenty of backbone. A winner all the way around.

Overall build quality of the rod is very good. I usually buy Diawa Steez rods and although it is not quite a Steez for the price point it is a good value. Sensitivity, feel, weight and balance are good.

One area that could use improvement would be the locking nut and reel seat this however would raise the price point and it is by no mean an inexpensive rod. Value for the money is unbeatable. I will and already have bought several more of the signature model rods.

I would have taken some pictures of the rod and the reel I matched it up with but, my son grabbed up the rod and reel and I haven’t been able to get it back from him.