:) Any help would be appreciated. I currently have a couple of conventional combos for trolling and am looking to buy a couple of casting rods and reels for my father so if he chooses to stop while in his boat to get a line wet he will be able to. The trolling set ups are of not much use. :thanks:

I have a few I'd be willing to sell, what are you looking for???
Conv.,spin?????

Here are the "Standard" choices:

Penn SS from the 4500 to the 7500
Penn slammer series
Shimano Sahara or Stradic (I love my Stradic. My 8000 is a bit
of overkill though. Go with the 4000)

Go with a 7 foot or smaller rod. Waving a 8 foot rod around a T-Top is a bit of a pain.

If you give us more info, we can be more specific. Give us a budget range...

Im no expert by any stretch but I love my penn 550ssg/roddy gator combo... Casts very nicely. The right line matters too... Found that out the hard way :)

My budget is about $150. Is this reasonable or am I just wishing? I would prefer new stuff but if I must I will buy used. Where is a good place to purchase this stuff? MandDs?? Thanks for any info

probably 7 ft rod with a spinning reel. He does not have a lot of experience with the conventional reels.

For that price about all you can get is the Cabela's combo.

My budget is about $150. Where is a good place to purchase this stuff? MandDs?? Thanks for any info

yes,

check out m&ds he can prob get you into somthing for that price

For $150 you can rule out the Stradics. But you can get away with the smaller Penn SS (4500, 5500) or the Shimano Sahara's or Sedona's, matched with an Ugly Stick or a Star Stella Lite.....

This will work on the smaller to mid size of the inshore world. I wouldn't want a 40 pound bass or a 20 pounder blue on these. But they will work just fine for the vast majority of the fish you will get into...

For a boat, a medium/heavy (saltwater rated) 7 footer is perfect (remember, yer in a boat so you don't have to cast too far). Anything over 7 feet is a pain. For reels, I like Penn reliability and serviceability. A 6500-7500 is usually perfect (or a 4600-5600 live liner).

Shimano Stradics, even though they don't have water proof drag washers, are an excellent choice since if they get dunked, you've got a lot more problems than a wet reel. :)

If your budget is $150...figure on putting $75-100 in the reel and $50-$75 into the blank. I make my own rods, so I'm not sure what factory rods cost anymore, but if you go to a custom rod-maker, look for blanks by Rainshadow or Allstar (and not Lamiglass, St. Croix, or G-Loomis) for good values.