Review Bass Rods
Abu Garcia Vendetta 7' Medium Heavy Fast Review
My take on the 7-foot, one-piece, medium heavy, fast Abu Garcia Vendetta: light and sensitive enough to feel jig ticks, and the one-piece transport problem.
Fishing gear, compared
Find the right bass & trout gear without the guesswork.
Honest reviews, side-by-side comparison tables and plain-English buying guides for reels, rods, line, lures and tackle.
Start here
Shop by species
Gear picks organized by the fish you chase.
Bass Fishing
Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass gear: baitcasters, spinning setups, crankbaits, soft plastics, jigs and the electronics that help you find them.
Explore bass gear →Trout Fishing
Gear for rivers, streams, lakes and ponds: light spinning outfits, fly rods and reels, leaders and tippet, small lures, waders and wading essentials.
Explore trout gear →Everything fishing
Browse by gear type
Fresh from the site
Latest reviews & guides
Review Bass Reels
Shimano SLX DC 150 Review: My All-Around Baitcaster
Two years with the Shimano SLX DC 150 (6.3:1) for jigs, finesse and spinners. What the four-mode digital brake does well, where it struggles, and who should buy it.
Review Bass Line & Leaders
Sufix 832 Braid Review: Smooth, Tough, Thin Braided Line
Why Sufix 832 is the braid on my bass reels: smooth casting, good fray resistance, thin diameters, plus the honest downsides of fading and knots.
Roundup Bass Reels
Best Baitcasting Reels for Bass by Technique (Gear Ratios)
Five baitcasting reels for bass sorted by technique: jigs, finesse, crankbaits, topwater and frogs, with the gear ratio to pick for each. One I fish daily.
Guide Bass Line & Leaders
Braid to Fluorocarbon Leader Setup for Bass (Double Uni)
How I rig braid to a fluorocarbon leader for bass: line sizes, how much leader to leave, the double uni knot, and when to skip the leader in weeds and lily pads.
Guide Bass Lures & Baits
How to Fish a Football Jig for Bass: Drag, Hop and Set the Hook
How I fish football jigs for bass: the drag-and-sweep retrieve, a hop pattern that never repeats, where to cast, and why you should always set the hook.
What you'll find here
Four ways to choose your next piece of gear
Reviews
In-depth reviews of individual reels, rods, line, lures and tackle: who each is for, what it does well, and where it falls short.
Best Of
Ranked roundups with comparison tables, so you can see the top picks for a given budget, species or technique at a glance.
Comparisons
Direct matchups between two or three popular products, with a clear winner for each type of angler.
Guides
Plain-English how-tos and buyer’s guides for bass and trout anglers, from picking your first reel to rigging and technique.
How we work
BaitRodReel is supported by affiliate commissions. When you buy through links on this site we may earn a small fee at no extra cost to you. That's how we keep the lights on, and it never changes the price you pay.