9 Best Fishing Poles For Beginners (& Which To Avoid)

When starting out in the world of fishing, the need for a high-quality, budget-friendly rod applies to both conventional angling and fly fishing. While there will be plenty of other tackle and gear you'll need, it all begins with the rod. The right rod can make learning the sport much easier, and more enjoyable. By contrast, the wrong pole can make it more difficult to catch fish and quickly dampen your enthusiasm for the sport. At its most basic, some rods work better than others for beginners, no matter what the water or how you're fishing.

Perhaps you're completely new fishing as a hobby. Maybe you want to try fishing in a national park on your next summer vacation. Or, possibly you're an experienced angler who is delving into a different category of fishing. In each instance, you will need to invest in a fishing pole. However, at this point, there's no need to break the bank with a top-of-the-line fishing rod: The rods on this list range from about $50 to $200, but are all good deals for their category. At the same time, you need a rod that is user-friendly, easy to cast, versatile, and that you won't outgrow anytime soon as your experience level advances. With that in mind, this list is what we consider the best beginner fishing pole in a variety of categories — plus a few you might consider avoiding — to help take the guesswork out and to get started on the right foot.

Ugly Stik Carbon Spinning Rod gets the nod here. In particular, the 7-foot, medium-power model is a good choice to target a variety of species. Additionally, it has the durability of South Carolina-based Shakespeare's Ugly Stik lineup of rods, but is much lighter and more sensitive. Rated for 6- to 12-pound line, this fast-action rod can be used for all but the heaviest and lightest freshwater fishing applications, making it an extremely versatile fishing rod. This particular model is also available in both 1- and 2-piece versions if portability is a consideration, and is backed by a 7-year warranty.

Abu-Garcia's Vendetta casting rod is lightweight, well-balanced, and sensitive enough for a wide range of applications. The 7-foot, medium power model has a fast action and is rated for 8- to 17-pound test line. Featuring stainless steel guides and EVA foam split grips, the rod is durable, yet designed for easy casting with even light lures. It's a great beginner-to-intermediate bass rod, but is versatile enough to handle other freshwater casting rod duties, such as fishing for pike or catfish.

There was a trend among fly rod manufacturers to offer high-quality beginner rods at relatively low cost. Unfortunately for those looking into fly fishing, the cost of many of those beginner rods have soared in recent years. However, the Temple Forks Outitters' (TFO) Signature III Series is a budget-friendly beginner fly rod that far outperforms its price point. The 9-foot, 5-weight model provides the versatility for use in a variety of trout fishing scenarios, as well as for bass, panfish and other species. Additionally, the smooth castability of the Signature III makes it much easier to learn how to fly fish.

Those specifically looking to get into freshwater fishing for trout or panfish will need a lighter pole than the all-arounds suggested above, in order to cast lighter lures and baits. While there are some low-price ultralight rods available, they can be difficult to cast and lack adequate fish-fighting power. The Shimano Sensilite Spinning A 6'6", fast-action ultralight is affordable, versatile, and high-quality enough to prevent the need to upgrade later. It is rated for 2- to 6-pound test line and 1/32- to 3/16-ounce lures. This is more than enough flexibility to cover a wide range of trout and panfish duties.

Inshore saltwater rods need to be versatile in order to target a variety of species with a number of different lures and baits. The 7-foot, medium-power Fenwick Eagle Inshore Spinning Rod from Fenwick Fishing is just that. This fast-action rod is rated for 8- to 17-pound test line and can handle lures weighing from 1/8- to 1-ounce. This is will cover most bases for inshore species along the Gulf, Atlantic, and Pacific Coasts. Additionally, the high-modulus graphite makes it very sensitive and it is backed by Fenwick's limited lifetime warranty.

Casting rods for inshore saltwater duty need adequate backbone for fighting tenacious fish. However, they also need to be castable enough to allow for delivering lures in often windy coastal conditions. That combination can be hard to find at a price palatable for the beginner. However, the Falcon Rods Coastal Series 6'7" Grinder model has plenty of power and can easily cast lures ranging from 1/16- to 1/2-ounce in weight. This medium-light, mid-flex rod is versatile enough to handle inshore angling duties for a wide variety of species and comes at a budget-friendly price with a 5-year warranty.

As with entry-level freshwater fly rods, it is hard to find saltwater versions that perform well for budget-conscious beginners. However, the Redington Wrangler fits the bill, as it is easy casting, has adequate fish-fighting power, is backed by Redington's lifetime warranty, and won't empty your wallet. The 9-foot, 8-weight model gives inshore saltwater fly fishermen the most flexibility. Since it breaks down into 4 pieces, it is also easy to travel with — even on a plane. An 8-weight is considered the most versatile as it can handle anything from bonefish and redfish to small tarpon.

If you want to get into offshore fishing, a good all-around choice is the Penn Rampage Conventional Boat Rod. The 6-foot, medium-heavy version can handle 20- to 50-pound test line. It can handle a variety of duties, ranging from bottom fishing to drifting baits. It is a bit on the heavy side, as it's made from fiberglass. But, that also lends itself to durability. The Rampage is fitted with EVA foam grips and stainless steel guides, ensuring it will hold up to harsh offshore conditions. Plus, it is an affordable option as a beginner offshore rod.

If you just want a general purpose fishing pole that doesn't cost a lot, the Ugly Stick GX2 is the way to go. The 6'6" medium power spinning model is rated for 6- to 15-pound test line and can be used for a wide range of both freshwater and saltwater fishing applications. While it is a little heavier and not quite as sensitive as some rods, it is extremely durable in addition to be versatile and inexpensive. It also includes a 10-year warranty.

At a $50 price point, it may be tempting to grab a Bass Pro Shops Graphite Series spinning rod. However, this is one that is best avoided. Although the rod is lightweight and fairly sensitive for a rod that price, the big issue is durability. Even on the company website, this rod reviews at about 3.8 out of 5 stars. The most common complaint, by far, was breakage. Sometimes before it even gets out on the water. So, even though it may perform decently, it's not worth rolling the dice and having to buy replacement in short order.

As is the case with the spinning rod to avoid, durability is the Achilles' heel of the beginner casting rod to avoid. The Favorite White Bird casting rod from Favorite Fishing retails around $20 less than our recommended casting rod. But it has a number of poor reviews on major retailer websites. In fairness, it also has some good reviews and admirable qualities, such as being lightweight and easy to cast. However, breakage seems to be a recurring issue, so it's probably not the best choice as your first — and possibly only — fishing pole.

When it comes to tempting price points, the Martin fly rod combo from Zebco certainly falls into that category. This tubular glass fly rod, paired with a reel and line, comes in at about a third of the price of beginner fly rods recommended above. Although this model rod has been around for generations, it is very heavy and difficult to cast compared more modern models. As a result, the learning curve for a beginner fly fishermen is much steeper. It is also quite likely if you do stick with the sport, this rod will quickly be discarded for an upgrade.

There is a variety of useful criteria when rating fishing rods. For this article, price, functionality, ease-of-use, versatility, and durability were prioritized, as these poles are meant for beginners. The following characteristics were considered as well: quality, performance, warranty, and portability. The rods which had the highest cumulative rating from these categories after extensive use in a variety of circumstances were chosen as the best for each category. Beyond my own experience using each of these rods, as well as many others I compared them to, I also consulted online reviews and compared notes with other anglers who had experience with these rods.

Quality, for the purpose of this article, was related to the materials of the rod blank as well as rod components, such as eyelets or guides, handles and grips, and reel seats. The performance entailed both casting and fish-fighting ability. Versatility addresses how many different scenarios, water bodies, and species each rod would be appropriate for, while portability rated the ease of traveling with the rod in different situations.