When I first started fishing in the 1980s, baitcasting reels were mysterious and a little bit daunting. The old-timers told us tales of monstrous “bird’s nests” and “backlashes,” which they euphemized ...

Out of the dozen different models and blanks in our baitcasting rod test, the Okuma X-Series came out on top. It is everything a high-end bass rod should be—light, strong, and capable—without the $500 ...