Do You Match Your Gear?

[Diggy]

I just swapped all my reels to different rods that I own just to try new things, so no

[*Hootie]

Better ?

Better what???

[OkobojiEagle]

I prefer as much familiarity as possible with my equipment. The working length of my rods are all +/-3" of each other (6.5" Fenwick HMG and Techna AVs). My baitcasting reels are all Morrum c1601 mags filled with 10lb & 20lb hi-vis Sufix 832. My spinning reels are all Cardinal 802s filled with 10lb NanoFil.

I guess I would consider this matching my combos.

oe

[RevoSEMIpro]

Most of my reels are Abu Garcia Revo's for casting and Shimano for spin casting. Rods are all over, from Fenwick to Phenix to Dobyns. Don't care about colors, just catching fish.

[jj'sbassinforfun]

At first I didn't match much. Now that I have been monkey bit!

Yes, I try to match as much as possible. I also like to color match as well.

[Bair]

I don't have the money to match. If it looks cool it is an accident.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

I like to blasphemy with my combos. I go out of my way to put my Diawa reels on Shimano rods, my Shimano reels on Diawa rods. Really for no other reason then to get a rise out of the diehards out there. Other wiseI have a lot of different rods mixed with different reels.

[loodkop]

I use shimano reels on different rods. The closest to matching is 4 old green crucial rods with B series curados.

[Hooligan]

The vast majority of what I fish is Cumara and NRX with Curado, Core, Chronarch or JDM Shimano reels. I do have a mix of Daiwa reels as well.

[jeb2]

I'd hardly call it frankentackle, but that's the closest option to what I have.

Same here, except I didn't vote since there is not really a category for it, and I would not call it frankentackle. Need a category for "best performance, regardless of looks or brand", IMO.

I have Loomis, Dobyn's and Kistler sticks. Daiwa, Shimano and Abu reels. Almost all of it pretty high end USDM stuff. I've moved them around to find the best overall performance for *me* given the type of fishing I do and my fishing style. I could not care less what the combos look like and pay zero attention to that kind of thing. I spend a lot of time on the water and all I care about is getting the best fish catching performance out of what I have.

Not putting anyone down. We all have different perspectives, and different reasons for liking what we like. It's all good.

[Stasher1]

If I'm reel shopping and have narrowed my selections down to 2-3 models with comparable prices/features/performance, then color or appearance might be the deciding factor. It's never high on the list of priorities when reel shopping, but I have been known to pass over certain rods due to their appearance...like Ducketts, W&M Skeet Reese, and those hideous orange things.

[Bankbeater]

I go by how the rig is balanced and how it feels. If I put a reel on a rod and it feels bottom or top heavy, I switch the reel to a different rod.

[Goose52]

I match every combo - I always try to make sure that each rod has a reel on it...

Like others above - I'm looking for fish-catching potential. I usually buy rods and reels based on value, features, and performance for a specific need. I put combos together to get the desired end result, with no regard for brand, color, or other non-fish catching factors.

Although, I will have to admit that I did once slip over to the dark side to match a black reel with red accents with a black rod with red accents...

[tholmes]

Frakentackle for me...and i don't care what color.

X2^ Function over form.

Tom

[pbizzle]

I'm OCD so I can't match a different brand reel to another brands reel, but I can match a reel to another companies rod if that company only makes rods. For some reason I feel like they just wouldn't be compatible to each other. So for example I could never match an abu reel to a shimano rod or a daiwa rod to an okuma reel, but I can match an abu reel to an E21 or *** rod or a shimano to a G-Loomis or St.Croix. I have a hard time buyinganother brand than what I usually use (Abu, Pfluger, and I've started to become a shimano fan).

[bassinbrian]

and I've started to become a shimano fan.

Another possible candidate lost to the Shimano posse

I'm pretty much the same way to, though at 1 time I did put a shimano reel on a Daiwa rod to make due for a bit. I felt so dirty..... Well thinking about, I do have 2 JDM Abu reels not on the matching rod (Just nothing that intrigues me in there line of rods)

[buzzfrog]

Frankin but I match a little bit. Like orange line and white rid. Lexa is gold and black and matches carbonlite then the line 832 just sets it off then my smoke is black and will match with hawg tech with orange accents to make it halloween colors

[roadwarrior]

Everything I own matches perfectly, I mean perfectly down to the color of the line.

I think the term is "anal retentive".

 

 

 

 

[pbizzle]

Another possible candidate lost to the Shimano posse

I'm pretty much the same way to, though at 1 time I did put a shimano reel on a Daiwa rod to make due for a bit. I felt so dirty..... Well thinking about, I do have 2 JDM Abu reels not on the matching rod (Just nothing that intrigues me in there line of rods)

Shimano posse is part of what made me not like them. That and the older reels. I feel dirty... like I'm cheating on pure fishing. 

[SirSnookalot]

Everything I own matches perfectly, I mean perfectly down to the color of the line.

I think the term is "anal retentive".

 

 

 

 

No thinking about it !

[Capt.Bob]

I guess Frankentackle?? but there all a perfect match for me,, St Croix Rods!! Shimano Spinners, and Lew's Casters! I did settle for one G. Loomis,,,,price was right!!

[The Young Gun]

Any skeet Reese's out there? He takes matching to a crazy level. I call him bumble bee

[SirSnookalot]

I tend to favor 1 rod brand and model over all the others that I've used, but a number of different brand and reel models on them. 

[Hogsticker]

Yes, I do match my rods and reels. Well to some degree I suppose. TackleTour ruined me for the better I like to believe. But hey, I'm proud of my gear, and take pride in tinkering with my reels. Plus it's a lot of fun. I only own 5 casting set ups and 1 spinning combo at the moment, but I really see no need to add more. That being said I figured why get 5 150 dollar reels? So I got a little more expensive stuff (this was after owning and selling some). No this is what I love to fish with. It makes my experience on the water even sweeter. All reels have ABEC 7 ceramic spool bearings

I have a Daiwa Zilion hyper long cast on a Daiwa Zillion rod. Hedgehog Studio purple accents to match the reel, and a purple Fuji easy keeper on the rod.

Shimano Scorpion XT with Hedgehog deep purple accents on a Shimano Cumara Gen 1 with the same easy keeper on the rod

Shimano Chronarch 101D7 with gold Hedhehog accent parts on a Fenwick Elite Tech SM with an orange Fuji easy keeper

Daiwa T3 MX with an orange SV spool, with orange accent parts from Japan Tackle. This sits on a Kistler KLX with a black Fuji easy keeper

Daiwa Fuego with TDZ100M spool. I am in the process of doing my 1st paint job. Going for a flat dark Charcoal color, and I'm gonna use Hedgehog Studio "sky blue" dress up parts. Will go on a Dobyns Champion with a blue easy keeper.

OCD? Perhaps.....But like I tell my wife, I could be spending my money on a lot worse things for sure!

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I like to blasphemy with my combos. I go out of my way to put my Diawa reels on Shimano rods, my Shimano reels on Diawa rods. Really for no other reason then to get a rise out of the diehards out there. Other wiseI have a lot of different rods mixed with different reels.

 

My favorite bc combo is my Shimano Core50 on a Quatum Smoke 7' M/F rod super light yet has some good power to twhip 3/4oz lures. I have Cumara and LTB but this combo just feels best.