St. Croix Avid Series Fishing Rods (6'6" MHF casting and 6' MLF spinning) $89.93 shipped at Dicks

In for one. Thanks.

Thats a very good deal!

Awesome. Thanks!

Wow, the casting rod is OOS now.

Anyone have advice about a good reel for the 6 ft. spinner? Trying to surprise the husband.

Quote from profea : Anyone have advice about a good reel for the 6 ft. spinner? Trying to surprise the husband.

What's your budget? What does he fish with otherwise? If he fishes a lot then you might take a peek at what he's using now. A lot of people tend to like certain brands for various reasons.

That rod is relatively light so you don't want anything real big. You don't want an "ultra-light" reel but on the smaller size in the scheme of things. Probably something that holds about 100 - 120=ish feet of 6 to 8 lb line. You could step up maybe one size from that but I wouldn't go any bigger.

Hard to go too far wrong with Shimano above about the $50 range as a regular price, Quantum reels with "PT" in the name, Okuma makes some decent reels for the money. There are tons.

Quote from Mike A. : What's your budget? What does he fish with otherwise? If he fishes a lot then you might take a peek at what he's using now. A lot of people tend to like certain brands for various reasons. That rod is relatively light so you don't want anything real big. You don't want an "ultra-light" reel but on the smaller size in the scheme of things. Probably something that holds about 100 - 120=ish feet of 6 to 8 lb line. You could step up maybe one size from that but I wouldn't go any bigger. Hard to go too far wrong with Shimano above about the $50 range as a regular price, Quantum reels with "PT" in the name, Okuma makes some decent reels for the money. There are tons.

Thanks for the tips. I'll look for 6-8 lb line. I looked at some quantum reels - pt will narrow the search.

Quote from profea : Thanks for the tips. I'll look for 6-8 lb line. I looked at some quantum reels - pt will narrow the search.

Just to be clear re the line weight, it's not that you're looking for that line weight so much as the line capacity at that weight. Typically, you'll see it given as "6/140, 8/120" or something similar which means that it will hold 140 yards of 6 lb. line or 120 yards of 8 lb. line. A line has a certain diameter so a given reel will hold N yards of it which then roughly corresponds to the overall size of the reel. Lower weight lines will have a smaller diameter so a given reel will hold more of it versus a higher weight line. Doesn't mean that you have to use only those weights. You could put more 4 lb line or less 10 lb line on the same reel. Bottom line, you want something that fits the overall size/weight and action of the rod, this being on the lighter side of a medium-sized/action rod. Most of the reels in this range will have a 2 or 3 somewhere in the model number (e.g., 20, 2500, 30, 300, etc.)

What you're going to find with reels is that across major manufacturers most are roughly equal at the same price range. Some generally better or worse with some specific differences in features but it's a very competitive market so things tend to settle out at about the same price/quality levels. Within product lines there are kind of 4 levels: junk at the very low end (say $30 and down), workable low-end budget reels (say $30 - $50), nicer mid-range reels (say $50 - $100), and the higher-end ($100 on up). Stay away from the junk. There are some good reels at the budget end but that's kind of hit or miss and you need to know specifics. Mid-range usually are a worthwhile step up. Higher-end have some desirable aspects but you kind of reach a point of diminishing returns and you're paying a lot for "nice." For something like this rod, which I'd say is on the higher end of mid-range, I'd be looking for something along those same lines.

Hopefully, that all makes sense. I don't see any real screaming deals on anything right now or I'd try to point you to something.

Quote from profea : Anyone have advice about a good reel for the 6 ft. spinner? Trying to surprise the husband.

Get a reel that weighs around 7 to 7.5 ounces. That will be a balanced rod and reel. I know have that Avid.