Trying to understand how to select the best fishing rod and reel when you are a beginner can be a daunting task. There are so many different factors that you need to consider and if you are a beginner you will not have a good understanding of how this will affect your fishing. This is why I always recommend beginners to pick up a fishing rod and reel combo that is prepackaged together. This removes the complexity of picking rods and reels individually and tends to be cheaper.
So the question is what is the best fishing rod and reel for beginners? I have used and have known other people who love the Ugly Stik – GX2 Spinning Fishing Reel and Rod Combo to start off with. Personally, I have not been able to find a better combo that has such good quality for being under $50.
I have used this rod in both freshwater and saltwater fishing which performs well for the price. It durable enough to take some punishment which all new anglers will cause to their gear. It is just part of learning how to work with and maintaining your equipment.
If you are planning to take children out fishing as well Ugly Stik has created a very similar style fishing rod and reel combo for children called Ugly Stik – GX2 2-Piece Fishing Rod and Spinning Reel Combo. This is a much smaller rod and a lighter reel than the adult version.
Click Here if you are interested in learning more why I recommend this rod and reel combo for beginners.
If you preferred to hunt down your own fishing rod and reel combo then keep on reading. I will outline the major items that you will need to be concerned about when selecting your own fishing rod and reel.
How to Pick the Right Rod Beginners
A good rod and reel combo for any beginner is all about versatility. Using the same rod and reel to casting a line from a dock to fishing coastal saltwater bottom fishing will allow you to experience different types of fishing with the same gear. Once you find out what type of fishing you like you can start developing your own preferences and adjust your gear slowly.
Here are the specifications that I consider to be a good starting point when selecting your rod and reel.
Fishing Rod:
- Rod Length: ~ 6′ 6″
- Rod Power: Medium
- Rod Action: Fast
- Rod Lure Weight: 1/8 oz to 5/8 oz
Fishing Reel:
- Reel Size: 35/350/3500 (Mono Line: 6 – 10lb) to 55/550/5500 (Mono Line: 8 – 12lb)
- Gear Ratio: 5.2:1 to 6.2:1
- Ball Bearings: 4+
If this all sounds like a little too much for you then please let me explain what each of these specifications means and how will these affect your fishing performance.
Fishing Rod Lengths
The rod length (measured from one end to the rod tip) will determine primarily affect your casting abilities. The longer the rod the further you can cast but the casting will not be as accurate compare to casting with a shorter rod.
Handling a longer rod typically requires more skill. When used properly, a longer rod can be better will fighting a fish where you need to pull the fish out of its cover and away from rocks by ulitizing the extra leverage from the longer rod.
However, if you are holding the rod incorrectly when fighting a fish can be exhausting because the fish is using the rod’s leverage against you.
Typical fishing Rod Length Ranges:
- Longer Fishing Rod: Greater than 7ft
- Med Size Fishing Rod: 6ft – 7ft
- Short Fishing Rod: Less than 6ft
I recommend going with a rod that is a med size fishing rod. A med size rod will provide sufficient casting distance and with practice, you can become pretty accurate as well. The overall size of the rod is long enough that it will take some time to get used but not long enough that you will be worried if you are going to poke an eye out because how long it is.
Rod Power
A rod’s power is defined as the ability for a rod to resistance blending when a force is applied to the rod. The power of a rod is generally classified in the following categories:
- Ultra Light
- Light
- Medium Light
- Medium
- Medium Heavy
- Heavy
A medium power rod will require more force than a light power rod to bend the rod.
Great but how does this affect your fishing ?
By selecting the appropriate rod power it will ensure that you can fully set the hook properly in the fish and assist with fighting the fish.
When researching for what type of rod power to pick generally the rod will specify the recommended line weight to be used. This will ensure that you are not using a weaker line for that particular rod.
The fastest way to ruin your day fishing is to continually snap your line because your rod has to much power than what the line can take. Therefore, I recommend that you go with a medium power rod which will provide enough power to explore fishing different kinds of fish but not overpowered where it will cause you all sorts of problems if you decide to go for smaller fish.
Rod Action
A rod’s action is defined as the speed at which a bent rod wants to return to its neutral position once a load is removed and how much of the rod will bend when a load is applied. A rod’s action can be generally classified as the following categories:
- Extra Fast (will bend the least)
- Fast
- Moderate
- Slow (will bend the most)
Fast action rod is expected to have the 1/3 of the rod length bend at the tip. A slow action rod is expected to have the whole rod bend from the tip to the handle.
The action will affect how quickly you can apply power to set the hook in the fish when they bite, casting distance and sensitivity to feel bites and when the lure is dragging on the seafloor.
Faster the action, faster to apply power in the hook set and increased sensitivity. Slower the action the better casting distance and softer hook set.
Proper selection of the rod action is dependent on the type of fish you are going after and fishing techniques. However, as a beginner, I recommend using a fast action rod. This will provide enough sensitivity to get used to the feeling of how a fish’s bite feels. Over time once you become more experience and start developing preferences you can play with the different rod actions.
Rod Lure Weight
Lure weight refers to the max weight of the lure on your line for casting without damaging the rod. A rod will usually indicate to max lure weight on the rod itself near the handle.
A medium power rod is generally good for most lure weights ranging from 1/8 to 5/8 Oz. If you cast a lure with an additional sinker on your line it could potentially damage or even snap your rod. If casting with a sinker then can sure that the sinker is within the rod’s lure weight limit and use a much lighter lure instead.
The lure weight is a guideline and to go over this limit by just a little bit will not result in damage in your rod unless the rod is damage already with a hairline crack.
How to Pick the Right Reel
In order to pick the best reel for the job, you must fish have determined what kind of species of fish you are going after and have selected your rod.
Fishing rods will have the range of recommended line test specified on the rod itself. If a recommended line weight range is 8-12 lb then the rod is designed for a 12 lb fish. This would mean that your reel should be designed for a similar size fish.
If you are just starting off then I would suggest that you go for a spinning reel. These type of reels are easy to use and very diverse in what application they can be used.
Spinning reels are generally assigned a number that corresponds to the associated line test that should be used for that reel. Keep in mind that stronger the line less line capacity the reel can hold.
- 1000 to 3500 (or can be classified as 10 to 35 or 100 to 350): Typically good for monofilament line test from 2 – 14 lb.
- 4000 to 5500 (or can be classified as 40 to 55 or 400 to 550): Typically good for monofilament line test from 14 – 25 lb.
- 6000 to 9500 (or can be classified as 60 to 95 or 600 to 950): Typically good for monofilament line test from 12 – +40 lb.
I recommended that you select a reel between 1000 to 5500. Anything higher than that would be too expensive for a beginner and will require some skills in how to use all the additional features of the reel.
I suggest that you keep in mind of the price you paid for the fishing rod. It seems pointless to put an expensive reel and a cheaper rod or reverse. What you pay for the rod should be similar to what you pay for the reel.
Reel Gear Ratio
Not a really important factor for beginner anglers at this point. To avoid over tensioning the line as you reel in a fish I suggest that you stick with a lower gear ratio.
The gear ratio determine how many times your spool on the reel rotates per a single rotation of the reel’s handle. Example, if your reel has a gear ration of 7.1:1 that would mean for every rotation of the reel’s handle you complete the reel’s spool rotations 7.1 times.
This is why for a beginner it can be really easy to over tension the line with a higher gear ratio and should only be used by more experienced anglers.
I recommend that you go with a gear ratio of about 5:1. This gear ratio is on the lower end but it will be a good starting up to learn how to reel in a fish without accidentally snapping your line.
Reel Ball Bearings
Ball bearings are what allows the reel’s spool to rotate smoothly. The amount theoretically would mean a smoother reel but this is misleading. Yes, more ball bearing can result in a more smoother reel but it is the machine surface of the balls in the bearing that has a MUCH greater effect with how smooth the reel feels. There is no rating system for machine surface smoothness so the market decided the bearing count is a better method.
For beginners, I would not focus on this too much. The higher the bearing count the more you will pay. A reel with a 3 ball bearing count may feel better than a reel with a 7 ball bearing count if the machine finish for the 7 ball bearing reel is rougher than the 3 ball bearing count.
Depending on what your type of fishing I suggest that you select a reel with a ball bearing count between 3 to 7.
Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Fishing Reel and Rod Combo
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Don’t let the name fool you, this combination of rod and reel is anything but ugly especially with a price tag under $50.
If you think that is expensive then you have not gone hunting for rod and reels long enough. I dare you to show me a combination under $50 without sacrificing quality.
When handling this rod and reel it definitely feels like a more expensive combination which is great for you.
The rod specifications that I would recommend is:
| Rod Length | # of Pieces | Power | Action | Lure Weight | Fish Size |
| 6′ 6″ | 2 | Medium | Fast | 6 oz max | 6 – 15 lb |
The reel equipped with the above rod will have the following specifications:
| Reel Type | Reel Size | Gear Ratio | Bearing Count | Handle Position |
| Spinning | 40 | 5.2:1 | 4 | Right & Left |
Ugly Stik GX2 2-Piece Fishing Rod and Spinning Reel Combo
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If you are planning to take the kids out fishing then this model which is of similar quality as the larger adult version would be perfect for kids.
Not as lengthy makes the rod lighter and easier to handle. I have not used this rod and I don’t have any kids of my own but check out the reviews on Amazon for tons of positive reviews.
The rod specifications that I would recommend is:
| Rod Length | # of Pieces | Power | Action | Lure Weight | Fish Size |
| 5′ 6″ | 2 | Medium | Fast | 6 oz max | 6 – 12 lb |
The reel equipped with the above rod will have the following specifications:
| Reel Type | Reel Size | Gear Ratio | Bearing Count | Handle Position |
| Spinning | 30 | 5:1 | 1 | Right & Left |