Best Baitcasting Rods Under a Hundred Bucks
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
During the 2024 season, Brandon Palaniuk cashed a check during a tough tournament on Alabama’s Smith Lake using a lure that’s not yet widely available in the United States – the Megabass Makippa. Here’s his treatise on how and where he fishes it.