Three Rod Setup, What Would You Use?

[Kachok]

If you could only have three rods for bass fishing how would you set them up?

Here is what I am thinking now.

Finesse: medium spinning reel on a 7-8' light-medium action one piece rod with 8-12lbs clear mono or flurocarbon line. Perfect for weightless wacky worming in pockets, and throwing tiny 4" worms when they get tight lipped.

Genral purpose: Low profile medium baitcaster on 6-7' medium action one piece rod with 12-15lbs mono. Ideal for crankbaits, topwaters, and jerkbaits.

Swamp Boss: Heavy duty round baitcaster on 8' medium-heavy action ugly stick with 30-50lbs braid (whatever you need to drag the big ones out of your local vegetation) Great for throwing/pitching jigs, frogs, and large Texas rigged worms in dense weeds where nobody else dares fish.

What would your setup be and why?

[BASSHUNTER1961]

If I could only have three....

1) St Croix 6' ultra Lite spinning rod paired with a Sedona 1000 reel, and spooled with 10# Power Pro...

2) Falcon Bucoo Micro 7' Medium spinning rod paired with a Sedona 2500 reel, and spooled with 20# Power Pro...

3) 7'6" Daiwa Jupiter Heavy or 6'6" St Croix Ledgend MH baitcast rod paired with a Shimano Citica reel, spooled with 30# Power Pro...

Choice #1) Cause I like to fish for Crappie...

Choice #2) Cause it covers every technique I choose to fish.

Choice #3) Froggin!

These are all some of the combos I currently fish.

[bkohlman]

#1 5 foot light action spinning rod for panfish.

#2 6 foot medium action baitcaster

#3 6-6 Heavy Medium bait caster.

[LgMouthGambler]

Easy,1) Shimano Curado 50E on a MH rod and 12# YoZuri for finese/cranks/topwater plugs/open water plastics.

2) Shimano Chronarch 50E on a MH rod and 50# Power Pro for plastics in heavy cover/spinner baits/jigs

3) Shimano Chronarch 200E on MH rod and 20# YoZuri for heavy cover plastics for finiky fish/jigs mod cover

I based this on all the Shimano's that I own, and if had to keep 3 to fish only, this would be the 3.

Now bring on the bashing!

[thehooligan]

Exactly what i use now

1. shimano stradic fj1000 with fenwick elite tech smallmouth rod 6'3 medium - topwater/cranks

2. daiwa fuego 1000a with dobyns 682 champion 6'8 ml - dropshot/senkos/shakeyhead

3. shimano stradic ci4 2500 with dobyns coalition 704 - frog/swimbaits

[rockchalk06]

If I had to stick with three I would go with the following:

a 6'6"-7' Spinning rod in M with a 2500 sized reel. This would cover anything from bettle spins and up.

a 7' medium casting rod with a low profile reel with a fast action with a ratio of 6. This would cover anything from a small popr to a 3/8 oz jig and work for cranking.

Last a 7' Heavy fast casting rod with a low profile reel in a 5 gear ratio. This would cover anything from heavy spinner baits to jigs

[roadwarrior]

For enthusiasts, technique specific gear is fun

to collect. However, three rigs cover all the

basics:

#1 6 1/2' or 7' MH baitcaster for jigs, some

soft plastics and spinnerbaits

#2 6 1/2' or 7' MM baitcaster for treble hook

lures

#3 7' MF spinning rod for lighter lures and a

variety of techniques

[Raul]

For my neck of the woods pretty much what RW said, probably the only thing I´d trade is the MH for a H, normally where I throw jigs, spinners & soft plastics is standing timber.

[ww2farmer]

For me, the 3 set ups I CURRENTLY have that I could do everything with if I had to have just 3 are:

6'8 M/XF St Croix Mojo spinning rod, with a Shimano Sonora 2500 spooled with 10lb power pro braid, and using fluoro leaders in 8 or 10 lb test. I can drop shot, flick shake, shakey head, weight less plastics, jerkbaits, small jigs and skip docks with this

7' M/F St Croix Legend Tournament, with a Curado 51E, spooled with 20lb Power pro braid, and 12+15 lb fluoro leaders, shallow , mid depth and lipless cranks, topwaters, light cover jigs + t-rigs,

and my 7' MH/F St Croix Legend Tournament, also with a Curado 51E spooled with 30lb Power pro, and 15+20 lb fluoro leaders.Frogs, swimjigs, swimbaits, pitch jigs and t-rigs, deep cranks (not ideal but works) spinnerbaits, c-rigs, etc..

[iabass8]

69mlxf st. croix xtreme spinning rod , stradic 1000 fj /w 6lb suffix 832 high vis yellow with and w/o a 7# leader

72MHM xtreme casting, curado 51e /w 12lb fluoro

NRX 854c curado 201e /w 15lb fluoro

these are the 3 I use the most anyway.

[The American]

6'9 MLXF Legend Tournament, 2500 President, 6# YZH

baby ball head jigs, shaky heads, drop shot, weightless trick worms

7'MM Carbonlite, Lews Tournament MG in the 5.x ratio, 10# YZH

Traps, KVD 1.5s, topwater

7'MHF Avid, Curado 51, 12# YZH

Jigs, Texas rigged plastics, Carolina rigs, Spinnerbaits, Buzzbaits, Spooks, Senkos

I'd do without deep cranks and wouldn't have a devoted skipping setup(big spin combo), but I think i'd do fine with only three.