Rods And Reels

[Roaring River Veteran]

Okay all I want to start a topic talking about rods and reels. I started bass fishing with friends about 4 years ago. At that time I bought a couple of rods and reels from bass pro. The reels were a couple of cheap shimano's and a couple of cheap daiwa's. The rods were the cheap bass pro rods. a couple are 6.5' and a couple of 7'ers. They have proven to be functional, because I didn't want to get to deep into something without knowing if I would like it. Well I've decided it is time to purchase a new rod or two and a new reel or two. I use mainly bait casting rods and reels but I may also look at a spinning rod or two. I will mostly be dragging plastic at night. I have never tried to drop shot but I am going to start. I also enjoy a crankbait just before dark.

What I want to know If you were going to have 3 rod reel combos what reels would you have? what length rods would you have? and what weight rods would you use? What lb line would you use and what situations would you use each of them?

Seriously, all lets hear some opinions.

Good luck and good fishing.

[Bill Babler]

RRV, that is a great question. Let's see if we can get some of the OAF Contributors to reply, before I throw in my uneducated 2 cents worth.

SK, Phil, Don,T, Freak or any of the guys that are out there everyday, can let it rip on what they like C5, Denjac, and too many more to mention, can give your their favorites, and why.

Great Question, lets get it rollin, that is what this is all about.

Trav may post also, but only 1 sentence, and it better be good.

[Champ188]

RR Vet,

Since Bill's going to sandbag, I'll offer my own uneducated 2 cents' worth.

Over the past several years, I've become a big fan of Shimano gear. Three outfits? Here's my choices, emphasis on MY.

First would be a 6-6 medium heavy Shimano Crucial casting rod with fast or extra fast tip. Reel would be a Shimano Chronarch spooled with 15-pound Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon. This would be for Texas-rigging soft plastics or casting/pitching a regular (not FB) jig. This outfit could also double as a spinner bait rod.

Second would be a 7-foot Crucial, medium heavy/extra fast, Chronarch reel and 15-pound Trilene 100% fluoro. This would be for Carolina-rigging and dragging a FB jig. Although the 15-pound line might be a bit heavy, you could also use this rig to throw a big crank bait (DD22), especially at night.

Third, I'd choose a 6-6 or 7-foot Crucial spinning rod, medium action with fast or extra fast tip. I'd put a Shimano Symetre 2500 series reel on it and spool it with 6-pound P-Line mono. The rod has a drop-shot weight keeper at the butt end and is great for drop-shotting. It can also double as a shaky-head rod.

The Crucial rods are IM9 construction and for my money are the way to go. They retail for around $139. Personally, I don't see paying for the GLoomis name. I own one GLX model and to me, there's not $5 worth of added performance in it over my Crucials, much less $200. But others may feel differently and that's certainly their right.

The other advantage to the Crucials or any other Shimano rod is their over-the-counter, no-questions-asked replacement policy. You break it, they replace it over-the-counter wherever you bought it. Can't beat that.

Hope this has been some help. Look forward to reading other posts on this great topic.

[CaptainJoe]

RR Vet,

Well, I used to buy the Shimanos, Daiwas, and Loomis rods and spend the big bucks. That has all changed since I retired and with the new equipment we have today. I have found that you do not need a $200 reel and a $250 rod to catch fish. Plus, I have also found that today's equipment lasts just as long as the expensive models. My old Shimanos and Daiwas have been worked on just as much as my other reels. My Loomis has been replaced two times and some of my other cheaper equipment is still hanging in there. Finally, by not spending as much, I can afford more than three rod combos. Tiger Woods uses 14 clubs, I have 14 rod and reel combos in my boat and ready to go. But, here are my (cheap, but good) top three, if I was limited to only three:

1. Bass Pro Extreme 7' (all rods are 7' or longer because I am 6'4") Medium/Heavy with a fast tip outiftted with a Bass Pro Extreme 6.3:1 Flipping Switch reel spooled with 12# Mono backing, 14# Fireline Crystal (or 20# Spiderwire Invisi-Braid), and a 4' leader of P-line 10# Florocarbon. I use this for big soft plastics, jigs, flipping, etc.

2. Bass Pro Crankin Stick 7' Medium with a fast tip outfitted with a Bass Pro Extreme 6.3:1 Flipping Switch (flipping around docks) reel spooled with 10# P-Line Florocarbon. I use this rod for crankin, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, flukes, and with a line change to 17# mono for topwater and a carolina rig.

3. BassPro Extreme 7' Medium Spinning Rod with a fast tip outfitted with a Bass Pro Extreme Wide Spool EX-2000 Spinning Reel (excellent for dropshotting - less line twist) spooled with 12# mono backing, 10# Fireline Crystal (or 10# Spiderwire Invisi-Braid), and a 4' leader of P-Line 6# Florocarbon. I use this setup for dropshotting, shakey head, spoons, splitshotting, etc. The spare spool that comes with the reel is spooled the same for quick changes when broken off or 12# mono for topwater.

Less line changing with the Fireline and the Spiderwire Invisi-Braid and the line allows you to feel so much more.

All three outfits can be purchased between $80 to $99 each if bought during sales. Try this test: go to Bass Pro, disengage the reel on any Bass Pro Extreme Baitcasting Reel and spin the spool with your finger. Then, immediately disengage the reel on your favorite reel and spin the spool with your finger. In most cases, the Bass Pro Extreme Baitcasting Reel will still be spinning after your favorite reel stops. The Bass Pro Extreme reel, in my opinion, is smooth, casts just as far as my Shimanos and Daiwas, and his more than 1/2 the price. The Bass Pro Extreme rods come in many styles and sizes and preform very well.

[Don House]

Three Rods, Ok lets see. These would be my personal favorites to take.

1) Casting Rod

7.0" Med Hvy casting rod. This rod would be used for Topwater, Jigs, Swim Baits, c-rigs, big crankbaits and spooning.

2) Spinning Rod

7.0 Med action rod. This rod would be used for Topwater, small Jigs, Tubes, Shakey Jigs and Swimming grubs.

3) Spinning Rod

6.6 Med Light action rod. This rod would be used for Drop Shot, Small Shakey Jigs, Skipping small Jigs, and Swimming Grubs

Give me that and I would be just fine as a fiddle. Now for my Rod Company, I guess I'm lucky, I found a great company that makes really good rods at a reasonable price and a unreal warranty, so it's a one rod company for me. I use Grandt Custom Rods out of Chi-Town IL. Some of the Best performance rods I have ever used, strong but lightweight and great sensitivity..

Reels, well on my Spinning rods I have really started to use the new Pflueger President or MG reels really nice 10 BB and under 70.00 bucks, great reel for the money. Now my Bait Casting reels I use the new XS-1000 Ardent Reels very nice reels 10 BB with the best casting distance I have ever seen, easy to setup for even a non angler to use and even better they are all-American made.

Ok, there are my pick's and what I use everyday. Ok, lets hear everyone else now.

Good Fishing

Capt. Don

[Roaring River Veteran]

Capt. Joe,

you made a reference to your height. I had never thought about that. What does the longer rod do for you because of your height? The reason I ask is I am 6'2" in your opinion should I be looking at longer rods?

Don,

I am not familiar with ardent reels, Can I get those at BPS or do I have to order them?

All,

I see most of you like florocarbon line. I have used florocarbon at RR but never bass fishing. Why do you like florocarbon over mono?

Thanks and keep the opinions coming

Good luck and good fishing.

[Trav]

Penn, Diawa, Shimano, Mitchell, Quantum, I have them all. All spincast. And I like them all pretty much equally. Although, I do have a thing for Penn. Darn good reels.

I dont put too much emphasis on rod brands, (I tend to break them to often to spend alot) but I like to have an assortment. From super sensitive to stiff as a log. They all serve a purpose. I also prefer rods with long butts. Just suits my style better. And outside of my ultra lights, wich I have 6# test, I put 10# on everything. And I am old school mono. I like the stretch and you usually can save your lures in snag situations if you have a little give. With lures going at 10 bucks a pop, I will go to extreme measures to save them.

For the average person, I would say just use what your comfortable with. Just use what you like. Your confidence is usually higher if your using a rod that you can easily handle. After all, your supposed to be having fun!

Sorry Bill, Couldnt get that in just one sentence. But I did curb the text alot! Haha

[Paul Nienhaus]

I have rod and reel preferences for different lures/weight, water body, and casting room. I use 6 and 8 lb. Line on 2500 series shimano spinning reels, heavier line is used on 4000 series spinning reels because of line diameter. I use 5 to 6 foot med. action on creeks and rivers and for pinpoint casting , though they are not in style and harder to find. I use longer rods on open water. For casting rods the same is true for me – short rods for lighter lures and for accuracy, long rods for open water and dragging lures. Flipping would be the exception, where a long heavier action rod works great.

[rps]

Great comments from everyone. Don's description of rod length and power fitted to task is very helpful, although I am forced to disagree with him a bit. The 7' MH is right. The third rod is also correct, although I am building a casting rod with the length and power he describes to use a Shimano Curado 100D. Unless I am going down to 4# line, I prefer baitcasting. The middle rod is where I differ. I am tall only in my own mind and a 7' rod is too long for me to stand on my deck and walk a dog comfortable. I use a 6' rod instead. That rod is also my choice when I must accurately cast (docks, openings in trees, etc.) as I have learned the hard way to avoid 7' rods when accuracy counts more than distance.

Store bought rods: Falcon offers the best combination of quality and value. I just wish I could buy their blanks for the rods I am working on.

rps

[techo]

I am still working on my favorites. I have Shimano spinning reels that are coming up on ten years old or more. I love the Pfleuger President spinning reels and have two of them on Falcon rods. I also have three BPS Extreme rod and reel bait cast combos. The nut seems to come off and little pieces fly off the BPS Extreme baitcasters, but they feel smooth and haven stopped working.

THe funny thing is I usually have three rods on deck. It is usually the Falcon rod for spinning, and the BPS for baitcasting. The rod length and sensitivity depends on the lake and type of fishing.

That was a long way to say I have no clue yet.