Baitcasting Combo Lure

best baitcasting reel combo?

ok so i love fishing!!! i take it seriously and i just dont throw out a bobber like a little kid or an old man!lol
so i have a rod and reel that i bought seperatley, no combo. its a lightweight diawa rod and a lightweight abu garcia reel, believe me ive reeled in PLENTY of small mouth on it but i just feel like with how the rod is about 5 foot 7 and how its lieght weight is affecting my jigging and lures for fishing, i usually use it for trout and its just great, its so light and versitile but i would like to know the best baitcasting rod/reel combo for smallmouth/largemouth bass!!!! also with simplicity because ive been fishing on spinning reels my whole life

You are making a good choice in getting a Baitcasting set-up. I think your rod is a little short at 5 1/2', I'd go with something around 6 1/2' or 7'. There's lots of good Baitcasters out there, one of the best is arguably the ABU Garcia Revo Premier, it's the highest version of the Revo and is lightweight and works for everything. It's $279.99 retail.

There's much cheaper reels out there though. The Shimano Curado 200E5/E7 for $179.99 would be an excellent choice as well. For even cheaper, the Shimano Citica 200E for $119.99 would be an excellent choice. The ABU Garcia Revo S would be good at $129.99 if you needed something for heavy cover fishing (14lb or heavier lines, heavy weeds, frog fishing, etc).

A lot of good rods out there, too. Shimano's Crucial for under $200 is a great choice, and for closer to $100 you can get the Shimano Compre. Shimano's rods are just straight cork-handled rod and are built well and have a LIFETIME warranty. If you prefer a split-grip handle, there's good rods like the Falcon BuCoo for around $100. I honestly think that anything over $250 is too much for a rod.

6 1/2' or 7' version of any of those rods in a M action if you are using smaller lures (1/4 to 1/2oz).