Upgrading My Gear Have A Few Questions

[7eleven]

I have a few off the shelf baitcast combos and i am wanting to upgrade to some newer better stuff I have been looking at the abu garcia revo line but my question is do I need to get different reels for the different techniques/baits its gonna be used for or does that not make a differance in the reel? Now rods I know I need to use one rod for crankbaits a different rod for carolina rig and so on bit I'm not 100% sure what rod is best for what set up. Any help would be great. Thanks

[OK Bass Hunter]

Regardless what you buy, it is better to save up and buy one quality piece at a time than buying quantity. You will be more satisfied with that than if you buy cheap.

[derekxec]

you dont even need different rods for all those...i dont know why bass fisherman carry 20 rods with them when 2 or 3 will do the same job

 

that said i use 2 spinning rods for lures unless im throwing heavy lures then i pick up my bottom fishing rod and use that....then again im mostly a saltwater fisherman so one rod does lots of jobs 

[skeletor6]

I have a few off the shelf baitcast combos and i am wanting to upgrade to some newer better stuff I have been looking at the abu garcia revo line but my question is do I need to get different reels for the different techniques/baits its gonna be used for or does that not make a differance in the reel? Now rods I know I need to use one rod for crankbaits a different rod for carolina rig and so on bit I'm not 100% sure what rod is best for what set up. Any help would be great. Thanks

 

Probably need a little more information to answer your question. Such as how many rods are you looking to get? How much are you looking to spend?

 

Anyways, one can get very specific in their rod/reel pairings. For instance, some people will have a few rods for every technique. Say a crankbait rod, a deep crankbait rod, a dropshot rod, a senko rod, a weightless t-rig rod, etc. etc.

 

If I were you I would get a nice bottom contact rod. If you get the right one it will fish jigs, t-rigs, carolina rigs and maybe even spinnerbaits. Not saying it will be perfect for each, but it will be a good start and introduction to getting nicer equipment. The rod is of extreme importance when fishing bottom contact so a much larger percentage of your money should be spent that way.

 

As for getting a crankbait rod, really many rods will suffice. You are going to want something with a slower taper. If I were you I would get a rod that is good for crankbaits, jerkbaits, and topwater. Put mono on it and you can have a fairly versatile rod.

Then I would say a spinning setup would be good as well. It will help when fishing any of the lighter bait or "finesse" techniques. 

 

So you could get a fairly decent 3 rod setup that will cover many techniques. May not all perfectly, but will suffice and will be an excellent start.

 

As for gear ratio, 6.X:1 is pretty versatile. Start with a reel wit that that ratio. If you are deep cranking, a 5.X:1 gear ratio is good since it will have more torque. You could get a 7.X:1 gear ratio too if torque is not an issue, you can always slow down. It is up to you.

[7eleven]

That's kinda what I was going for I would like a three rod set up like that now that being said what do u suggest as far as a rod for those? I am prob gonna buy 2 of the revo s reels to me it had a lot of good reviews and is rightaround the price I wanna be at. But I am open to suggestions also what sspining rod and reel do you suggest?

[SirSnookalot]

you dont even need different rods for all those...i dont know why bass fisherman carry 20 rods with them when 2 or 3 will do the same job

 

that said i use 2 spinning rods for lures unless im throwing heavy lures then i pick up my bottom fishing rod and use that....then again im mostly a saltwater fisherman so one rod does lots of jobs 

Being primarily a saltwater fisherman myself I do see the point of carrying a number of rods whether it's bass fishing or saltwater.  Fishing from the bank in either environment I will have but 1 rod with me and just a few lures.  I no longer fish in a boat for fresh but I do for salt and I take 3 rods.  When I'm on the jettie (I have a place to set them down) I'll have several rods depending on the species I'm targeting, but still just a very small handful of lures, just don't really need much.  All spinning for me too.  I do see conventional rod and reels used for bait fishing for larger species, but have seen no more than 1/2 dozen low profile b/c in the last 10 years of being out there everyday.

[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

[pkpence]

You should check out the H2O rods from Academy, if you have one close to you. They have worked well for me, and they are in the $60 price range for the mid-grade rods. Also, you should check out the Omen13 rods. They are in the $100 range, but have great reviews.

 

I just bought a spinning set-up that was an Omen13, 6-6 MF with a Diawa AirD reel. The reel and rod were both $80, so I got the combo for $160 and love it.

 

Let us know what you end up with

 

Kevin

[J Francho]

Start with finding the perfect rod for what you throw the most. Build from there, as necessity or desire to improve the gear you're using arises.  That's how I did it.  No sense buying a sick crankbait set up, if you never throw them. 

[Chris at Tech]

Price range and favorite techniques?

[Arv]

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

 

 

Start with finding the perfect rod for what you throw the most. Build from there, as necessity or desire to improve the gear you're using arises.  That's how I did it.  No sense buying a sick crankbait set up, if you never throw them. 

Great advice here.

 

If you want more specifics, about rod and reel selection, a lot gets into personal preference but I think most will say that a 7'-ish MH/F rod will cover the majority of applications you can throw.

 

I would also say, if you are someone that likes to throw a lot of bottom contact presentations (jigs, T-rigs, etc.) I would put as much money as I can afford into that rod. Being able to discern the differences in structure and cover under the water can be huge in fishing those types of presentations.

 

As far as gear ratios go, all of my reels are 6:1. You might want a 7:1 for fast moving applications or situations where you'd need to pick up slack quickly. 5:1 are usually used for cranking, although I think you will hear a lot of people that us 6:1 for cranking as well.

 

If you give us some more info on what you would like your 3 set ups to be used for and price ranges on the remaining gear we can probably help more. The Revo S is definitely a good place to start if you ask me. I have a gen1 and 2 and I think they are solid reels.