I Have Noticed Something.

[speed craw]

I grew up watching bill dance , as im sure many of you have. Lately I have seen multiple episodes of him using crankbaits, but he is not using a crankbait specific rod. It would appear he is using a medium action rod . My question is why ? But even though he is on the quatum pro staff , why not atleast use the kvd tour rod. Just kind of weird coming from a legend .

[BaconStealer303]

He also had a show where he used a med. action rod while using hollow bodies frogs. I guess he just does whatever he feels like at this point.

[BridgerM]

I caught a bass on a jig with a ML rod one time.

[Bluebasser86]

He also had a show where he used a med. action rod while using hollow bodies frogs. I guess he just does whatever he feels like at this point.

I use a medium action rod for hollow body frogs also, our grass is sparse and combined with braid it gets the job done.

 

There's a guy a few guys may have heard of, Rick Clunn, used to use nothing but 7' H/F rods for everything because it was easier for him to pick up each rod and not have to adjust to a different feeling rod for every application. You don't have to use the technique specific rods and reels, it just makes it easier and at times more effective. 

[SirSnookalot]

I use equipment I feel is suited for the water and type of fishing I do, what some one is doing on TV may not apply to my situations.

[Basshammer]

I think with Bill Dance he is using his sponsors products and not specific to the lure he is using.  Notice during his show he tells you what he is using that may be new to the market and he is actually selling that product through advertisement.  I have seen him frogging with medium light rods which may be new to the market as he says, today i am using the new quantum smoke reel and smoke medium action rod but is throwing a jig or heavy worm which comes from another sponsor on his show.

[Sam]

I use a medium action rod for hollow body frogs also, our grass is sparse and combined with braid it gets the job done.

 

There's a guy a few guys may have heard of, Rick Clunn, used to use nothing but 7' H/F rods for everything because it was easier for him to pick up each rod and not have to adjust to a different feeling rod for every application. You don't have to use the technique specific rods and reels, it just makes it easier and at times more effective. 

 

Bluebasser is correct. With all the advertising about each type of application specific rods one can understand the confusion when someone goes against the advertising and hype and uses a rod not designed for the application.

 

Of course, application specific rods are supposed to give you an edge and the majority of them do as advertised. However, you can use any rod you want for any application you wish and three things can happen: 1) you are successful and catch bass; 2) you catch nothing; or 3) you break the rod as it is not designed for your presentation.

 

As KVD has said, get all rods from one manufacturer so you can learn their "feel" and be more comfortable fishing them.

[JT Bagwell]

While this seems odd because it is BD, I think a Medium rod for crankbait fishing is very common.

 

Most people can't afford (or at least justify) to have rods specific to every technique that they fish.

[CC268]

While this seems odd because it is BD, I think a Medium rod for crankbait fishing is very common.

 

Most people can't afford (or at least justify) to have rods specific to every technique that they fish.

 

Yea I wish I could buy multiple rods and reels....I just have my dropshot rod w/ spinning reel and my MH rod and baitcaster...its all I got!

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I caught a bass on a jig with a ML rod one time.

I do about half of my jigging on a 7' ML XFast rod. How else am I supposed to throw 1/16oz. jigs? Most other jigging I do is on a 7'3" M XFast rod, and very rarely I'll break out the MH. The ML rod with 10lb. braid can cast a country mile, and if you get a good rod it will have plenty of sensitivity and more than enough hook setting power. My main striper rod is a M action.

 

One thing I've never understood about bass fishing is peoples tendency to totally overdo it on gear. 60-80lb. braid, heavy rod, etc. It's rare that I put anything heavier than 15lb. braid on any of my rods. 14 lb. snakehead in my avatar was caught on 8lb. fluoro.    

[Mr_Scrogg]

I run 65# braid on my Frog/jig rod. I fish gnarley mossbeds, milfoil, and coontail. Ive pulled up huge clumps of vegetation over a 3lb fish that I thought would snap my heavy stick.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I run 65# braid on my Frog/jig rod. I fish gnarley mossbeds, milfoil, and coontail. Ive pulled up huge clumps of vegetation over a 3lb fish that I thought would snap my heavy stick.

To each his own. I fish some heavy weeds too but never felt that I needed anything heavier than 30lb. braid. I'm usually fishing for snakeheads in that stuff too, which are commonly over 10lbs. Never had a problem pulling one through the heavy weeds on 15-30lb. braid. 

[Dwight Hottle]

I fish jerk baits on a croix MHM while most people prefer MF or MXF. Whatever works for you . Bill Dance is a old school guy and probably uses one rod for many different applications because it just works for him.

[Mr_Scrogg]

Its all about confidence. Like you said. To each his own.

I run 10lb pp on my finesse spinning rod, 15lb Flouro on my TRig/jig rod, 10lb Big Game on my crankbait, 6lb InvisiX on my Dropshot/Shakeyhead rod. I have confidence I wont break off a fish using any of them. If I check my line and use each around its intended area.

[Catt]

In what rule book is it written that this rod is only to be used for this technique?

I don't give my rods names that way if I throw a worm on my jig rod it doesn't get confused.

In my opinion Bill uses lighter rods because to him the fun is in the fight!

[Maxximus Redneckus]

You can do it all with 2.anything more is just showing off .it's about the fish.not impressing anyone.

[SirSnookalot]

To each his own. I fish some heavy weeds too but never felt that I needed anything heavier than 30lb. braid. I'm usually fishing for snakeheads in that stuff too, which are commonly over 10lbs. Never had a problem pulling one through the heavy weeds on 15-30lb. braid. 

I couldn't agree more.  I grew up fishing nothing but freshwater on Lake St Clair, pretty much only fishing with my dad I had no idea of what other people used, there was no internet then.  We fished LMB, smallmouth, walleye, pike and muskie, 1 lighter spinning combo and another just a bit heavier, I even caught a 61# cobia on one of those outfits in Key West, before I knew there was a difference in salt gear.  Fast forward 40 years and I'm reading people are using 50# braid for bass, and 80# for muskie I can't comprehend that to save my life, I don't think the fish are bigger now or is there any more vegetation.

[*Hootie]

I'm waiting for rods for 6" worms, and different rods for 7 1/2" worms. Rods for 1/4 oz. jigs, different rods for 3/8 oz. jigs, etc. etc. It will happen eventually, just watch. And remember, you heard it here first....lol.

How about worm color, specific rods.

Hootie

[Maxximus Redneckus]

If the rod companies build um people will buy um...Chinese made 6" purple lizard rods for 15$ 20 diff colors 20 powers 20 lengths.can only be used for 6" purple lizards.......sold

[DogBone_384]

Is anyone going to question him?

Until I reentered the fishing hobby seriously I had only one setup and fished whatever bait I cared without analyzing anything more than going fishing, as I'm sure many of you did when you were young.

[derekxec]

One thing I've never understood about bass fishing is peoples tendency to totally overdo it on gear. 60-80lb. braid, heavy rod, etc. It's rare that I put anything heavier than 15lb. braid on any of my rods. 14 lb. snakehead in my avatar was caught on 8lb. fluoro.    

 

i do the line part but its because i use the same equipment to catch saltwater fish like snook, jack etc...my bass rods(well all my rods are for salt lol but the ones i use for bass also) use 30-65lb braid

[Jrob78]

I grew up watching bill dance , as im sure many of you have. Lately I have seen multiple episodes of him using crankbaits, but he is not using a crankbait specific rod. It would appear he is using a medium action rod . My question is why ? But even though he is on the quatum pro staff , why not atleast use the kvd tour rod. Just kind of weird coming from a legend .

How do you know he wasn't using a crankbait rod?  "Medium action" doesn't really exist.  Medium is a power, Quantum makes a few medium power crankbait rods in a few different lines.  Many people, Pros too, use the term "action" wrong.  When Dance said "medium action," he meant "medium power," which could very easily be a crankbait rod, just not a KVD signature rod.

 

Also, for me at least, a medium powered fast action rod is good for crankbaits.  The lighter power makes up for the faster action, you still get plenty of flex it's just closer to the tip than with a moderate action rod.

[bigbill]

I carry up to five rod setups sometimes. The difference is the rod length, the action and the line test. Some lures require a lighter line so they will run at the correct depth and action. My topwater setup is the strongest. Bb

[dodgeguy]

bill dance has stated he doesn't like glass crankbait rods. he prefers medium action graphite rods for crankbaits because he feels they are more sensitive. I think technique specific rods are way overated as many of us don't agree with what the rods are labeled  as being good for.personally for most bass fishing I use 6-6 mh fast action baitcast rods and 6-6 mh spinning rods all loaded with braid.