Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleJax
X3 on quality bearings. I have a Stradic1000FH which I bought over a decade ago with 3 bearings. At the time the guy was trying to sell me on a 10 bearing quantum and it didn't even come close... 10 years later the stradic works just like the day I bought it, love it!
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Agreed with the Stradic ... but there goes the budget on the rod .... I have a stradic on my light action rod - but I think it was $ 130 or so???
I'd suggest a Abu Garcia Ora S in a 10 size - about $70 and has the best drag of any similarly priced reel - for mid market reels its my opinion Abu Garcia is amongst the best products out there. It has 7 bearings, silky smooth drag but is about 1 oz heavier than other reels of similar size.
Both Abu Garcia and Shimano get my vote. When looking at mid market reels - ($70-$150) usually the Abu wins for me.
For a rod - Fenwick HMX 7 foot Light Action gets my vote. For $80 it's the best value out there.
I would go top a St.Croix ( spend another $40 ) but it would put you over budget ...... St.Croix is my favourite stick out there.