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New fishing pole help!

I fished a ton growing up, it was one of my dads favorite things to do. Now i'm an "adult" and whenever I go over to the father in-laws house, we go around his neighborhood in his golf cart, fishing at the various ponds.
He's got a bunch of poles, so he let's me use one with no problem, but the real problem is...i'm left handed and all of his poles are setup for righties.

We only do fresh water fishing, and the biggest thing we've pulled out has been maybe 10lbs. Any recommendations for a pole for me? Don't want to spend a ton, but I want quality as well.
 
The pole, or rod, doesn't care what your dominant hand is. The reel does, fortunately many common reels have the option of moving the crank from right to left via a screw or thumb screw. Take a look at your in laws reels and ask him if its alright to switch one or two for left handed use. Should fix you up.
 
Many reels allow you to switch from right handed to left handed. Pole stays the same.
I have tons of fun with an Ultra Light Fast St Croix Avid spinning rod in 6' 6" using a small Pflueger Supreme or Trion loaded with Abrazx 6lb.
 

Mike H

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Jason, I am left handed and just now I realized, when I use a baitcaster, I throw with my left hand and reel with my right. If I am using a spinning rod, I throw with my right hand and reel with my left. So I guess all my bait casters are set up right handed, and all my spinning reels are left. Almost all spinning reels can be switched, but not all baitcasters have that option.

I will go against the purist here and recommend a nice baitcaster (spincaster if your not into open reels) or spinning reel combo, 6 1/2 foot medium action Shimano or Shakespeare rod and reel combo from one of the big box stores. A nice setup can be had for under $50.
 
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Cabela's has a couple great deals right now. One of them is a Shimano reel with one of the Cabela's Tourney Trail rods. (Their return policy is great) I can vouch for both the Shimano and the Tourney trail rods. This set-up will run you $69.99 and $2.00 for shipping with this promo code for $2 shipping -- 32SHIP


Here is a link to the rod & reel combo I am talking about. You can switch the handle on the reel to make it the way you'd like it - either left or right handed. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Bargain-Cave/Fishing/Rod-Reel-Combos%7C/pc/105591780/c/105740280/sc/105741180/Shimano174-SonoraCabelas-Tourney-Trail174-Spinning-Combo/1334504.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fbargain-cave-fishing-rod-reel-combos%2F_%2FN-1102768%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_105741180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253Bcat105591780%253Bcat105740280&WTz_l=SBC%3Bcat105591780%3Bcat105740280%3Bcat105741180
 
The pole, or rod, doesn't care what your dominant hand is. The reel does, fortunately many common reels have the option of moving the crank from right to left via a screw or thumb screw. Take a look at your in laws reels and ask him if its alright to switch one or two for left handed use. Should fix you up.
He offered to, but i'd rather help the economy.
 
Baitcaster is the reel that sits on top of the rod while you hold it. All the line is exposed on a horizontal spindle between the two sides of the reel. As you cast, you thumb the reel on top to control the line. Some claim you can get further casts with this. However, this is also the more difficult to master, and you can spend more time getting rid of "birds nests" than fishing (if you are new to it).

A spin casting reel is also open to the air, but it hangs under the rod. To cast this reel, you hold the line with one finger to open the "bail" (flip open a sort of lever), and cast. This is much easier to master and one can become more accurate and proficient with this style in a much shorter period of time.
 
Just saw this from Cabelas, a few sites that i read last night said that Daiwa was a decent brand of reel. Also the more bearings on a baitcaster the better (this one has 6).

Edit: It also qualifies for $2 shipping. So this could be yours for a less than $52
 
I would recommend going to a store that carries a wide variety of rods and try out as many as possible. I have rods from 30 - 300 dollars depending on what I am fishing for but no matter the price they have to be comfortable to me. Depending on what you are casting and what you are fishing for should help you determine what weight/tip speed of rod to look at. To me tip speed is always a bigger factor in purchase vs the weight.

Another consideration is how you are going to transport the rod so you may want to look at a 2 piece rod (most prefer the feel of a 1 piece).

For reels I find most of the brand name reels (Shimano, Pflueger, Abu Garcia & many more) to be of a qualitity build and you might be able to combo the reel with the rod for a discount.
 
When fishing the type of rod should be refelected by what type of lure your using. A 6.6 or 7 foot spinning rod with a medium action is very versatile. This is the guide i use when buying a new rod, taken from http://www.bassfishingandcatching.com/fishing-rod-action.html

Jigs and Worms6.5-7.5'FastFastBaitcasting
Crankbaits6.0-7.0'MediumMediumBaitcast/Spinning
Topwater Lures****
Spinnerbaits, deep7-7' 10"FastMedium-HeavyBaitcasting
Spinnerbaits, shallow5-6'FastMedium-HeavyBaitcasting, Pistol Grip
Swimbaits7-8'X-Fast, FastMed-Heavy, HeavyBaitcasting
Drop Shot6-7'X-FastMediumSpinning
Shaky Head6-7'X-FastMediumSpinning
Carolina Rig7'-7.5'FastMed-Heavy, HeavyBaitcasting
Jerk Bait6.5-7.5'MediumMedium, Med-HeavyBaitcast/Spinning
Frogs7.5'FastHeavyFlippin' Stick
Tubes6.5-7.5'MediummediumSpinning
Flipping7-7.5'FastMed-Heavy, HeavyFlippin' Stick
Pitching7-7.5'FastMed-Heavy, HeavyBaitcasting
 
Dicks had a Shiamo setup on sale for 50% off, so I picked it up yesterday. Was $50. Now I need to go get some line. Lures. Hooks. Sinkers. Bobbers.
May have been cheaper to just go fishing with my .22!
 
Dicks had a Shiamo setup on sale for 50% off, so I picked it up yesterday. Was $50. Now I need to go get some line. Lures. Hooks. Sinkers. Bobbers.
May have been cheaper to just go fishing with my .22!

You have no idea what you're getting into! Give it a couple years and you'll want to buy every bait at your local tacke shop. Pan fishing can be cheap, so can bass fishing if you don't accumulate lures like me. DON'T musky fish! That will drain you're wallet like no other. Good luck this fishing season, Shimano is a good brand, it will work just fine! What kind of fish are you going after if you don't mind my asking?
 
I'm going for whatever is in the pond out back! Probably just bass, bluegill and sunfish.
Picked up a loaf of bread to use as bait for now. The guy also gave me an "old indian trick"...he said to pop the eye out of the first fish you catch and use that as bait. Also got my freshwater license. Now to find somebody with a laminating machine!
 
went out today with just some white bread as bait.
the only thing biting was a turtle that kept following me around...EATING MY FREAKIN BREAD OFF THE HOOK
 
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