Fishing can be overwhelming. Simple as that…
I fished most of my life growing up in Western Illinois near the Rock River, with the occasional trip up north to Wisconsin. I almost exclusively used live bait for bass, walleyes, pike, and panfish, and I threw some kind of doughball and/or stink bait to catch carp and catfish. But when I started to really get into bass fishing and finally moved up to Wisconsin to be near better-quality bass fishing, it was a lot to figure out.
You have crankbaits, jigs, jerkbaits, topwater lures, other hard baits, a zillion different soft plastics, different kinds of hooks, different kinds of line, different kinds of weights… the learning process can be tricky at first. Since buying the right kind of stuff is pretty dependent on where you’re fishing, you can easily wind up wasting a ton of money on baits you don’t need if you’re just watching some pro on YouTube.
And that’s not even talking about rods… heavy power, fast action, medium power, moderate action… just like baits, there are a zillion different rods out there, and they’re designed for different things. Different brands, different sizes—it can be tough to understand your needs when you’re first starting out. Thankfully, there are a handful of rod lines that cover ALL the bases at a relatively affordable price.
That means you don’t have to think about which brand and model you want; you can outfit yourself with a handful of rods from the same line, and you’ll be able to handle all of your bass fishing needs. If you have no idea where to start, check out this rod guide that details what length, power, and action your first few rods should be. But if you know what you’re looking for and just aren’t sure which way to go, these 5 rod lines will cut out the guesswork… and like I said, they all come in at a relatively budget price.
So without further ado, here are 5 rod lines that will cover all of your bass fishing needs.
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1. Fenwick Eagle: $99.95- $119.95
Fenwick completely overhauled everything in their lineup in the past couple years, the the result is phenomenal. The Eagle is their most affordable line of rods, and with 19 different models, you can easily cover all the bases… and then some.
I personally use the 7’5″ Heavy as my flipping stick, and specifically for light punching. Caught my PB largemouth punching on an Eagle last summer. They look great, they feel great, they fish great, and the best part is that they won’t break the bank.
Eagle Casting Rod: 99.95 – $119.95
2. Shimano SLX A – $99.99
The Shimano SLX line is arguably the pinnacle of where affordability meets quality in the bass fishing world. Their SLX A 150 casting reel is also arguably the pinnacle of baitcasting reels at the $115 price tag, but we’ll save reel talk for another day.
For $100 bucks, you’re getting a fantastic rod that can hang with rods well above its price point. The 7′ MH Fast SLX A is a go-to for me, and I also have a 7′ ML Extra Fast SLX A spinning rod rigged up at all times, but they have plenty in the lineup (17 different rods I believe) to cover all the bases. It’s TOUGH to beat.
The SLX A also has a glass crankbait line and a swimbait line to supplement their standard spinning and casting gear.
3. Daiwa Tatula XT – $99.99
I’m admittedly a BIG Tatula guy. I love the Tatula Elite rods, I love the regular ol’ Tatula line, I have a few different Tatula reels that I’m using at all times… but I’ll tell you what, the budget-friendly Tatula XT always seems to find its way into my hand.
I primarily utilize their spinning rods for throwing swimbaits and minnow-style baits, but the Tatula XT line has 15 great rods including a budget-friendly frog rod, solid jig rod… I just really love this lineup at the $100 price point. If you’re looking to get into bass fishing on a budget, you just can’t go wrong with the Daiwa Tatula XT. They just look so clean too… if that matters to you at all (let’s face it, nobody wants to fish an ugly rod).
They also offer a BFS rod and a glass cranking rod in the Tatula XT Family.
4. St. Croix Bass X – $135.00
As a Wisconsin resident, I’m fairly partial to St. Croix, and use a number of rods across various lines, but the Bass X is a great place to start. A relatively low price point (minus some giant swimbait rods) from St. Croix, but one that offers a ton of options and versatility. Since they’re a little more affordable, I generally use the Bass X line for moving baits where sensitivity isn’t paramount. I love the 7’4″ Chatterbait rod (I have two of them) as well as the 6’8″ jerkbait rod.
And one of the great things about St. Croix is that actions stay pretty consistent across all of their lines, and you can find a TON of rods in each line. Whatever kind of rod you’re looking for, they have one dialed in for that specific purpose.
And with their warranty system, you can basically just pay a small fee to get yours replaced, or skip the fee and just pay the difference to upgrade to the next rod line (which in many cases can be cheaper than the replacement fee of your old rod). So not only do you get a new one, you get a better one with the same exact action.
Casting Rod: $135.00 – $165.00
5. Lew’s KVD Elite – $129.95
If it’s got the stamp of approval from the GOAT, it has to be good, right? The truth is, the KVD line from Lew’s is a fantastic rod at its price point. I jumped on the original IM8 KVD rods when they came out a few years back and was very impressed, but now, the second generation is here with the KVD Elite Series. With 19 different styles across the lineup, there’s a rod here for every technique you could want, and it won’t break the bank to grab a few different models.
