I Have A Reel, What Rod?

[MBernardez]

hi everyone,

I'm preparing for a once a year trip up to Minnesota in early august where ill be fishing for bass from a boat at eagle lake. I've been reading and researching a lot from this site and others to make sure i have a successful fishing trip. I plan on fishing top water because that's what has worked fairly well in the past. Although its seems bait casting set ups work best for top water i have a Shimano Stradic FH spinning reel to work with. I've read that having more then one set up is ideal but i don't have the money or the know how to fish that many different ways. I'm having trouble figuring out what would be a good rod to match my reel. Any suggestions?

[Raul]

First of all, don´t plan ahead, fishing topwaters because that´s what worked, well, that was yesterday, rule of thumb: don´t fish history, fish the current conditions.

You don´t have a lot of money ? Shimano offers a big bunch of rods from where to choose at reasonable prices, Clarus rods are very good and cheap, if you can only have one rod 6+ ft MH fast will have you covered for most lures and for most ocassions.

[MichiganFishing1997]

Whats your price range? that will help with us being able to help you. In genereal, i would go with a 6'6 to 7' Medium, or MH rod.

First of all, don´t plan ahead, fishing topwaters because that´s what worked, well, that was yesterday, rule of thumb: don´t fish history, fish the current conditions.

You don´t have a lot of money ? Shimano offers a big bunch of rods from where to choose at reasonable prices, Clarus rods are very good and cheap, if you can only have one rod 6+ ft MH fast will have you covered for most lures and for most ocassions.

I have the Clarus in a 5'6 MH and i love it, especially for the money.

[MBernardez]

youre right top water may not work as well as it has in the past. problem is, all i have is top water lures, and all i know how to fish is top water. once we get up there to start fishing there isnt anywhere to buy lures or to change what im using. ill have to use what i have. so im really stoked for this trip and i can do some reading to try to learn other ways to fish but ill have to make sure i have what i need in order to fish those ways before i make the 24 hour trip. if you have a suggestion on a few other popular ways to fish and what i need to fish that way i might be able to prepare myself to try something new if top water isnt working. what do yall think?

[MichiganFishing1997]

There are plenty of things you can try that are not top water, here are some simple ones.

Spoons- Relatively cheap, and come in many colors. I have a lot of luck here with red and white, or yellow and red. All you have to do is cast and reel in.

Worms- There are a many different ways to fish a worm, for you, the easiest would be to buy the pre-rigged worms. They run about $1.49, i prefer mine in purple and white, but there are many different colors. With this you cast out, twitch it a time or to, reel in the slack, and continue.

Jerkbait- This is a hard bait that sits right under the water, and you use it just as it sounds. Cast out, jerk, reel in slack, continue.

Swimbaits- Many are made to look like small minnows or other fish, and you can use these in many different ways. You could simply cast out and reel in, jig it off the bottom, or use it like a jerk bait.

Spinners- These are lures used for many different fish, and range in size. All you need to do is cast and reel in, they come in a variety of colors and styles.

Hopes this helps, and most of these should be easy on the wallet.

[MBernardez]

ok cool, i have actually tried some of these up there. spoons are difficult becasuse i like fishing towards the shore where in the past i felt like it was to shallow for the spoons and also there are many lily pads and stuff on the bottom that spoons get caught up in. ive had trouble fishing worms because my past set ups couldnt get enough distance and i think i dont have the technique down yet. jerk baits were no better. ive never tried swimbaits. spinners have gotten some pike but not very many. i think i might have been using spinners that were to big though.

ive been there 4 times over the past years and always caught fish with poppers and hula poppers are great, the ones that look like frogs. the most succesful bait that always works up there is a bass oreno made by southern bend. im going to buy like 6 of those before i go up. they are hard to find and cost like 15$ on ebay but they have never let me down. i really think worms are my best bet if top water isnt working i just, like i said, have trouble casting them long enough and i just have no idea how to put them together right and how to work them out in the water.

[Bair]

Whats your price range? that will help with us being able to help you. In genereal, i would go with a 6'6 to 7' Medium, or MH rod.

I have the Clarus in a 5'6 MH and i love it, especially for the money.

Scale that up to 7'2" MH and fast action. I feel it handles finesse presentations a bit better and still handles heavier lures.

[new2BC4bass]

i think i might have been using spinners that were to big though.

I seriously doubt this unless the fish are really small....like babies.

If a fish can swallow it, he'll try to eat it. The first fish I caught on my Tech Spec rod was a rock bass hardly bigger than the crankbait.

[Super_fluker]

I would recommend a 7' medium clarus. There made for river fishing but there pretty sensative to hits and really good for setting hooks. And i would reccomend a frog for areas with lillipads and a zoom super fluke in white or watermelon red with no weight. Both of those will swim near the top and are very good this time of year

[Super_fluker]

MBernardez, get a few packs of zoom super flukes in pearl/ watermelon red and reel them jerking the rod tip every few seconds. I kill them doing this. And size 3/0 straight worm hooks work best.

I

[MBernardez]

sounds like a tech spec or a clarus are good choices according to yall. everyone has different opinions as far as the length and action go. ive heard the longer length gets you more distance which i like because i use small lures and sometimes its very windy up there. on the other hand, it sounds like a shorter length will give me a bigger variety of ways to fish. i did a lot of research before i posted this topic, and im still just as torn for what i want to get as before i posted this topic. I still appreciate everyone who has responded though! if you have anything else to add or say or suggest go ahead! thx!

[MBernardez]

also you guys have asked for my price range. im looking to spend between 100-200 on a rod. and like 50-100 on lures and what not.

[new2BC4bass]

In that price range you have more rods than you can shake a stick at.

I picked up an Abu Villain ML, but have had it out only once so far. Like its looks, tho. I need another spinning rod, and one I am looking at is the Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth. Have 2 of the casting rods and really like them. Smalljaw on here considers them comparable to a $200 rod. The Phenix Recons get excellent reviews. Then we have Shimano, Denali, Dobyns, Lamiglas, Powell, Falcon, GLoomis, and St. Croix just to name a few. After Roadwarrior's review of the Pinnacle baitcasting rod, I have to add it to my list.

I have several Falcons and like them all, but none are spinning rods. Powell is suppose to be an excellent rod for the money, and is another I haven't tried yet, but want to. So many rods, so little money!

Right now my top 5 picks are the Fenwick Smallmouth, Phenix Recon, Abu Villain, Powell Endurance and the Pinnacle Perfecta...in no specific order. I may add Cashion to the mix. I wish you the best of luck trying to decide on just one. I'm leaning towards the Smallmouth because it is the lowest price and money is tight. The Smallmouth may be an excellent choice for you as well. Then spend a little more on lures, or save the money for the trip.

EDIT: BTW, if you go with the Smallmouth, be sure to check on Amazon periodically. Different models go on sale for as low as $81, although I am not seeing as many that low lately. Must be the word is getting out on how good they are.

[Bair]

also you guys have asked for my price range. im looking to spend between 100-200 on a rod. and like 50-100 on lures and what not.

Clarus's are on the cheaper side from $70 to a $100 and are a great first BC rod. Besides, then you get to spend that other two hundred dollars on tackle without feeling bad.