All around baitcater & Rod combo??

I have a spinning reel & rod that works well for me when I'm throwing lighter lures or soft plastics.
Looking for some input for a all around baitcasting reel & rod combo. I use a lot of spinnerbaits, jigs & crankbaits. don't have alot of money to spend on multiple reels & rods so, I'm looking for that baitcaster that can do the job well.
Looking to spend about $100.

Hey Fishingreek:

I just bought my first baitcaster combo and went with the Abu Revo Black Max with a Daiwa 6-6 medium/fast 2 piece rod. I paid about $75 for the whole set. Cabelas has some combos on sale right now with that reel that look pretty good. The reel, at this price, gets good reviews and seems to be made well. It's a solid company so I don't worry about them standing behind their product. Cabelas has a couple of combos on sale with the black max at 65 and 99, depending on rod size, 1 or 2 piece, etc. The Bill Dance Quantum combo is a nice set also at BPS, but they didn't have a 2 piece rod.

Also, I ordered some gear from Tackle Warehouse recently and they have a demo program where you can try out any gear for just the price of shipping. www.tacklewarehouse.com Nice selection, mostly upper tier stuff but some more reasonable priced eqpt., and they have tons of lures, etc. at great prices and only 2.95 shipping if you call them to order. Good luck.

I'll vouch for the Bill Dance combo. The reel is solid, rod is light and has good action. I caught a tree once and snapped it, and Quantum sent me a new one no questions asked (save your receipts)

Is that the combo from bps for about $70?
Its seems that it didn't get very good reveiws.
But, if you look at any thing under $100 it looks like its hit or miss.
I'd hate to drop a $100 & get a miss.

if you are willing to pay more, the quantem catylist PT is on sale for 100 at cabelas and a great rod is the shimano clarius, which is lifetime warrenty. i have 3 of these rods and two of these reels. the are soooooooo sweet other great rods are the shimano convergence, and voltious. they are also have a life warrenty. even if the rod is cheaper, the reel is what should be your focus. id get a 7 foot MH 1 piece so you have great tip and tons of power in a super sensitive rod. i have one and cant believe how great they are.
any good reel will have an aluminum frame and a smooth drag. make sure that is comfertable for you and try to make it as light as possable. the new quantem kinetic PT is also an awsome reel for the money. i would spend the extra money, you wont be dissaponted.

General rule of thumb for a bait-caster combo is to put your money into the reel first and then the rod second. A good bait-casting reel make a huge difference in your fishing experience. An inexpensive reel usually results in people giving up bait-casters all together.
For a hundred dollar price ceiling, you're really cutting it close. If buying new, I'd go to Basspro and pick up one of the extreme reels on sale right now for I believe $59. I've been reading up on them and some people have had good luck with them. Then find a 6' 6" to 6' 8" medium heavy / fast action rod with your remaining funds.

I've always avoided reel/rod combos - but that was in the past. Nowadays, you CAN get decent stuff in a single non-bank-breaking purchase. There IS some crap out there - my local Walmart has a bunch of barely mediocre (mainly saltwater)combos that I wouldn't spend 5 bucks on - but there are some gems to be found too.

here's pretty damn good combo I personally checked out, first online, then in person at the Bass Pro Shops in Foxborough:

BPS Mega-Cast - 6.3:1 ratio, 4 bearings, instant anti-reverse, palmable baitcast reel, & a 6' medium, or 6'6" medium-heavy rod...only $50(!)

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_104118_100003001_100000000_100003000_100-3-1

As per Chuck's comment on the BPS extreme reel...I got one of those too this year, and it's pretty sweet. I did have a problem with the line guide (it kept getting stuck on one side of spool and the line would all build up at one spot) after a few months, but I feel like it was downpouring everytime I was out fishing. They sent me a new piece for free and I fixed and lubed it, now it runs like a champ. It's a solid reel though, I don't have experience with expensive reels (this is my most expensive), but I think its worth the money, especially if its on sale for 59$.

If you can get to Bass Pro Shops before the fishing classic is over you can get the BPS Pro Qualifier for $79.99 originally $99.99. It looks slightly different than the one on the website. The guy at BPS told me they just changed the color to have a special reel for the fishing classic. I have this reel (the original) and its really good for the money and I bought it for $99, check out the reviews on BPS website. You can also get a trigger rod on sale they have a couple around $25-$35. I know this is a few bucks more then you want to spend but everyone has told me not to go too cheap on baitcasters because you will get really frustrated with there performance and give up. I just started with baitcasters last year and this reel has been really nice, hardly any backlashes.

Does anyone have a Diawa? What are you thoughts on this combo?
Daiwa® Strikeforce® Low-Profile Reel/Bass Pro Shops® Graphite Series Rod Baitcast Combos

It has a lot of good reviews & the price is right!

All of my spinning reels are diawa. I have 2 diawa baitcasters now.
I like them all. I think alot of reels on the market are good. I bought a cheaper reel once and it was brought back the next day.But my first baitcaster ever cost $225.00.Just like people said buy a quality reel and you won't be disappointed. I now spend about 150.00 minimum on a baitcaster and 75.00 on a spinning reel.
good luck if you buy the right reel you will love a baicaster!