spinning combos

[jose "nacho" mejia]

can any one here give some good advise on picking out a nice cheap spinning combo for caching nice quality gills?

any info helps.

[Allen Morgan]

I've got a couple Quantam Optix in a 60-size, had them for years.  Those are "catfish" reels for me; work very good at that.

[mike martinez]

I can vouch for the President,awesome reel......

[Jason Preslar]

I also have a Pfleuger President but in the larger size.....for bass....excellent combo!

[Jim McCants]

For what it's worth - I bought a Pflueger President in April of 2012 and it is the BEST reel I've ever had. Have 4lb line on it and have had a blast. This is the smoothest reel I've ever had. I've gone the cheap route and it is not worth it. Get a top quality reel and you won't be sorry.

Have a blessed day!

[Vince Fusco]

Quantum makes a good inexpensive reel for gills. It's called the Optix, and sells for about 20 bucks at most discount stores. They also make good rods for the money. You should be able to get one for about 20-25 bucks or so. NOT ALWAYS, but a lot of times when you buy a rod and reel as a combo, either the reel will be good, and the rod won't, or vise versa. This seems especially true on the more inexpensive combos. I agree with Allan on reels that come pre spooled with line. Decent mono line can be bought in 300 yd. filler spools for less than 10 bucks, and you will be able to fill your reel several times with one of these spools. I like Berkley Trilene, but there are many good brands of line out there.Don't skimp on line. Remember your line is the link between you and a trophy fish. 

[Jason Preslar]

Love my Gander Mtn GSX light combo....

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Cheap means different things to each of us.
In rods, I look for the $20-$25 range, 6'-7' and limber. I usually go with Shakespeare, since I trust their products. The rod should whip from the middle when you shake it, not be stiff like stick. You need a limber rod to cast the lighter weight rigs used for pan fishing.

For reels, I almost buy them used on ebay. I get nice reels for little money this way. Do as Allen says and seek working reels with ball bearings. The more the better.
Look for reels that can handle 8-10lb. test line. Nothing greater is needed for bluegill, and the reels will only be heavier as you go up in line test capacity. Try to select a name brand, especially Daiwa, Shimano, Shakespeare, Pleuger and so on.
A good quality, used reel is always a better buy than a similarly priced "bargain" reel.

[james bluto gillette]

I use a6'6 to 8'6 with 4 to 6lb with a soft tip and a good reel the best bet for good spinning rod is to check out sport shops or bass pro,cabelas,walmart,etc.u will want to spend a little money on whatever u find for the better quality and wont break as easy.

[Leo Nguyen]

How about the Quantum Signature Series, ultralight, 6'2"? Walmart, Bass Pro, and Big 5 carry it.

[Allen Morgan]

Find a combo that you can live with.  The more you spend, the better quality the set-up.  I would suggest that if the reel comes pre-spooled with line, strip that off and go with some quality 4 lbs test mono, or 10 lbs test braid.

Personally, I like a rod with a soft tip.  This helps lob the lighter baits and/or lures out there.

Be advised that once you get "something that works", you'll probably start looking to upgrade.  Take it slow, buy a decent rod.  I have a 7' ML power IM6 graphite stick that let me enjoy the smaller fish more, but still has the backbone to handle bigger fish.  I've tangled with LMB, Long-nosed Gar, Stripers up to 11 lbs, and other bigger fish on this little rig.

As far as spinning reels, when you do decide to upgrade, look for something that has some decent bearing.  Probably a minimum of 4 bearings + 1 roller bearing (for the bail).  This may sound like overkill, but trust me, it does help when you have a good reel.

Some folks will go as far as to have a custom rod tied up, usually using a fly rod blank.