Best Baitcasting Rods Under a Hundred Bucks

Old school pistol grip rod handle on hundred dollar bills

My tackle accumulation continues unabated, and I’m willing to spend a little more when warranted, but Pete Robbins is all about using the least expensive gear necessary. I have plenty of great rods that retail in the $200-300 range, and some that cost a little more, but I’m not convinced that more expensive always equals better. In fact, I have quite a few baitcasting rods that cost under $150 and several under $100 that regularly make the cut. I don’t have to use them – I choose to use them.

Here are five that are in my rotation:

Dobyns Colt Baitcasting Rod 704C

I’ve used a lot of different rods across the Dobyns lineup and love many of them, but this budget 704C doesn’t fish like a rod that should sell at this low price. It’s a great all-around option, whether you’re just beginning or a serious tournament angler.

Daiwa Tatula XT Baitcasting Rod

I’ve been using the 7’ Medium Fast model as an all-around option when I need something slightly lighter than the 704C described above. Particularly good for small topwaters, flukes and weightless Senkos.

Shimano Convergence four-piece travel rod baitcasting

It’s four pieces, but it doesn’t suffer from the same maladies as some other bargain multi-piece sticks. We’ve battled some big fish on it and trust it for a variety of applications.

Falcon BuCoo SR baitcasting reel

The BuCoo Series was one of the pleasant surprises of an Outdoor Life tackle test a few years back. Some of them are $109.99, but the ones I’ve used are $99.99. I particularly like the 6’8” medium-heavy for throwing topwaters and squarebills in tight spaces.

Academy H2OX Evo Casting Rod

The H2OX reels were a pleasant surprise and star of last year’s Outdoor Life test and the rods overperform, too. Stetson Blaylock uses these on tour. They feature comfortable EVA foregrips and semi-micro Kigan SiC line guides.

At these price points, you can put together a solid and complete tournament arsenal. If you want to spend a little bit more on a technique-specific rod – like a flipping stick or crank launcher – it’s ok to do so, but it’s also nice to know that it’s not strictly necessary.

 
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