What is the best rod n reel combo for freshwater fishing?

shakespear ugly stick rod with maybe a Mitchell 308 reel should be sufficient for quality and price.

A price range would be great, but you can never go wrong with quality products. I would recommend checking out cabela’s website.
I personally prefer Quantum and Abu Garcia combos. They are somewhat mid-range in price, but they are both good quality. Shakespeare is one of the other ones, but it is a lower quality rod and reel. I hope this helps you!

the best combination is no rod and no reel. It IS PROVEN that fish CAN FEEL PAIN. Fishing is one of the cruelest things that anyone can do. Imagine going in for a jiggly worm, then stabbed with a hook through your mouth and dragged through the water at a high rate of speed by this hook. excruciatingly painful, that’s what it is. PLEASE don’t become a cruel person!!

Sounds like you are looking for a Fathers Day Gift. Cool. Bass Pro Shops is a great place to find some good deals on rods and reels. First you need to know what he likes to fish with, there are lots of choices. Does he use a closed face reel, or a bait caster or a spinning reel? If you aren’t sure you should pick something thats pretty popular with most fishermen. Price can be from very expensive to not much. And what I think is pricey you might think is cheap.
1) Give him a gift certificate to Bass ProShops..he’ll love it and can pick his own.
2)Spinning Rod and Reel
You can see what Bass ProShops has to offer and either order from them or use the information to go to a local store.
Here are some offered by Bass Proshops;
or
As for just buying a rod you can’t beat an Ugly Stick, they are the best.
Good Luck!

A decent spin.casting outfit would be best; maybe a spinning rig if hes somewhat adept or wants to fit in with his fishing ******** buds……..

Go to your sporting good store and pick a combo consisting of a 7 ft. medium action rod and a companion closed face spinning reel. Get a closed face reel because it is easier for a rookie to use. To cast with it you just push the button on the reel, hold it down then release it just at the right instant on forward cast. Easy. With a little practice he will figure out when that “right instant” is. Later on he will want an open face spinning reel because it gives more flexibility in the casting and line management. Nice birthday or Christmas present. Later he will want to graduate to a baitcast type of reel which takes yet more practice to kearn to use well. That’s when things start to get pricey. He will be in college by then so he can buy it with his own money.

Somewhere along the way be sure that he learns how to use a fly rod. Start with an 8 ft rod with 8 weight - weight forward line. (BTW - Don’t be tempted to buy a combo with level line. Level line is junk for beginners. He will want a better line real quickly.)

I should stop now because I’m getting a bit ahead of things.

Hope this helps.

I assumed that the rod and reel were for a youngster, but I just noticed your picture (I presume that is you) and Whoa! I don’t think it is for a youngster. If so, he sure has a gorgeous mommie! So I must now assume that it is to be a gift for someone older. Nothing changes except that I would start with an open face reel not the closed face reel. You see the closed face reel says, “I’m a rookie” to all the other guys. If it is for your husband or your beau that may not be the message he wants to convey to his buds. If it is for your dad then, like me, he’s old enough to have made his mark on this old world and he’s past worring about such nonsense. Get him the closed face reel if he is really a rookie at this fishing thing or the open face reel if he has had some experience..

Good luck and good fishing - 73 from the Fisherman

I would say that a graphite 7 or 7.5 ft, 8-15lb rod, with a med-fast action. The Shimano Clarus is an excelent mid-range rod. Besides, it comes in both casting and spinning for the discerning individual.

For a reel, something in the “3000/4000″ size is more than enough to handle anything out there and small enough to not cramp your hand fishing for the day. The line yardage is about 200yds of 10lb test.

If it’s a spinning setup you’re after, then I would recommend a Daiwa Exceler 3000 or the Shimano Sahara 4000.

This would be appropriate for catfish, bass, pike, salmon, steelhead…this would be too heavy for panfish, baitfish, trout….etc