Well...I'd find a reel that suits my prior style. That hints of an open face for you.
Shimano still sells them if you prefer or if you would try a newer model or most current Stradic for nostalgia's sake.

For versatility A higher capacity spool will take the worry out of bigger fish. You can always use a backing filler if staying with smaller species.
8-10 lb. mono handling range is middle of the road enough for versatility. You can use a 6 lb. leader for panfish. Or smaller of course.
A plain Jane Shakespeare ugly stick with a lure weight range in middle ground too (3/4 ounce max maybe?) might get it.
Add another rod later if you get studying more or settle into a fish class ect. Or for a lighter spare. Or a heavier spare...

Thing with new rods is new eyes.
Braided lines will tear up old ones.
IF you go braid study line diameters first. And a leader can work as a shock absorber. And as a weak spot. Breaking braid can get interesting. And bend a reels shaft. This I know from experience. I got lucky bending it straight by hand . Rolling it on a flat surface repeatedly and making slight adjustments repeatedly.
So consider line type too.
Might go heaper for two rigs than one high cost one that way. One heavier with braid and one lighter with mono. Or not! On you to decide.

 

I still like the Penn Battle series. Good value around $100 bucks. I like the 2500 or 3000 size. No issues with my Penns thus far.

I own about 6 different models.

Fwiw, I also own an older model Stradic circa 1996 or so. I still use it once in awhile.

 

If your budget is $300 spend $50-80 on a decent reel and the rest on a rod.

 

Can’t hardly go wrong with St.Croix in that price range, or Shimano for that matter

 

Pfleuger President. All day long. Affordable and durable. Usually find good rods at the farm store on year-end clearance. Can likely get two decent rigs for $300. I fish for bluegill and salmon. One rig ain't gonna' get it done. Get in the game and then watch for deals on higher end rods. Can use the others for guests/friend rigs.

 

I would stay as far as I can from Pfluger as I can.
You have to baby the reels way to much.
They don't like to be wet.
Had three go bad on me last year, and always was trouble getting them to work right at the start of a day.
I am currently trying out a few different set up and will see what a season does.

 

No need to spend that much money for a decent setup. I catch a ton of bass and pike with ultra light diawa spinmatic rods and piscifun carbon 500 and carbon 1000 spinning reels. Less than $100 for a rod and reel combo. there is no reel (sic) cents (sicx2) in buying a reel that holds 200 or even 300 yards of line. It's rare to have a bass or typical pike pull more than a few yards of line on a run. A pike in the low 30's today never ran more than 20 feet or so. I was mainly fishing with the 500 and a whopping 70 yards or so of 6lb test. Might as well make fighting fish fun. I rarely loose fish due to not enough backbone in the rod or too light a test.

If I had a $200 budget I'd do exactly as I did last year. Buy two of the Spinmatics and one each of the 500 and 1000 reels. Unless I'm just fishing topwater off the dock in the evening, I seldom hit the water without 4 rods, two spinmatics, my levelwind and a mini ultralight for gills.

Levelwinds are another story...tincannery. I use a cheapo Shimano black max for my topwater and thick vegetation, it works just fine and I've been using it for years. I wouldn't mind something nicer but never seem to save enough cash without buying something else first.

Amazon.com : Piscifun Carbon X Spinning Reels, Carbon Frame and Rotor, Ultralight 5.1oz Spinning Fishing Reel, 5.2:1 Low Speed Gear Ratio, 10+1 Shieled BB Smooth Powerful Fishing Spinning Reel 500 Series : Sports & Outdoors

Daiwa Spinmatic D Spinning Rod | FishUSA

 

If you decide on the Piscifun reels, they have A LOT of sales - like a week doesn't go by without a fire sale appearing in my in box. Wait patiently and you can find 30-50 percent discounts. I bought their Aliojos as a back up muskie rig and haven't had any issues with it. My oldest (15) has taken a shine to it, as he likes the color scheme and the power handle.

 

Shimano Miravel with a St Croix Premier 7' ML or M. That'll come right in around $300. I wouldn't use Piscifun. You seem like a buy it for life kinda guy, and that eliminates them from the equation.

 

Better yet, a Shimano Spheros SW would be better if you don't mind the added weight. Cheapest worm oscillation spinner on the market, pretty much a Vanford outfitted for saltwater use.

Shimano Spheros SW 3000HG 6.0:1 Spinning Reel | SPC3000HGSW

Packed with proven Shimano features like Hagane Gear, Hagane Body, and X-Ship, the Spheros SW is designed and built to maximize cranking power.

www.americanlegacyfishing.com

 

So I have not been in the fishing game in quite a while. I like buying decent to nicer equipment for my hunting and fishing needs. I used to have a shimano Stradic (the older model everyone loved) and I had a st croix avid rod.

I know that different fishing equipment is needed for certain styles of fishing but this question leans more towards the average guy who has a 6’6 rod with a smaller reel who gets out once in a while to jig for walleye or just go for bass in a nearby water source.

In todays market, if you had to choose a rod and reel And you are buying brand new setup with a budget of $200-$300 what would you buy for a nice fish, ing setup?

All feedback is greatly appreciated thank you all!

You're going to have to downgrade a lot to meet that budget. 20 years ago a white Stradic was $130 and an Avid rod was $160. With the budget you set, expect half of the quality (or less) of your previous rod/reel combo.

 

Not really. You can get a Stradic for $143 and free shipping from Digitaka. St. Croix Eyecon rods are nice walleye sticks for under $150.

 

I would never buy a president reel... just my opinion, I would start with a vanford and build from there. Again just my opinion

 

I have about...5 president reels and the only problem I've ever had with any of them is dropping the cap from the unused handle side into the water.

 

Pflueger disappointed me a while back, I tried Daiwa and they’ve been great, will stick with them until they disappoint. Except I’d like a curado 301 hgk if I can find a good price. I don’t want it bad enough yet to pay full price.

 

Had a pflueger in my hand at basspro, grabbed a diawa was much, much smoother. Seems good so far.
Have 2 other Pflueger that haven't had a problem with though. Drag don't "click" one but still works...

 

I just can't get away from the vanford series and up from there... I've tried many companies and come back to shimano. I have no issues spending 250$ and up for a good reel

 

There are very few reels out there over the $250 price point that aren't at least good. When you're spending more than that, you'll be very hard pressed to find anything that isn't very, very good. It's when you get in that $100 range is where you find the most trade-offs. The $250+ stuff is mostly functionally very similar to the really high end stuff, except top tier reels will have better craftsmanship, maybe more bearings, and different body/frame composition.

 

Appreciate all the info everyone. I am leaning towards a miravel or Daiwa reel atm and for a pole I may stick with my old St croux triumph I found tucked away in my basement

 

Okuma has really impressed me lately. Used to only fish shimano. Also declined in quality- just like most everything else- including people!

 

The big issue with spinning reels in general is they have become overly complex for the sake of smoothness. There are only a few truly great spinners that can be had for decent prices and the big commonality among them is they are simple designs. One is the ABU Cardinal, sold here as the Zebco Cardinal. Next there's the ABU Cardinal C series, the successor to the original Cardinal post Garcia merger. Lastly, there's the Daiwa SS Tournament series. The SS Tournament reels were just discontinued a couple of years ago after 35 years in production. The Cardinal 3 still exists on the Japanese market, but they cost a fortune. Luckily you can get older used reels for under $100. The Cardinal C series has been out of production for 30 years but there are still many out there. The Cardinals can be updated with modern drags, better spools, and silicon carbide line rollers to make them braid friendly. They aren't the last word in smoothness or won't win a beauty contest, but they'll outlast you. The people that bought these reels 4+ decades ago are still fishing them. Jim Bedford is still using the Cardinal 3 he bought in '76. Funny enough, he bought two of them in case one crapped out. The spare is still sitting new in the box in his home office.