What 4 Rods Would You Take As A Co-Angler?

[pbizzle]

I fish in a club as a co-angler, and I really hate bringing a lot of rods. I really want to keep the amount of rods I take to 4, but I need the rods to cover all of the techniques that I'm going to fish. Currently I have 3 rods that I fish, and these can do most of the things that I like to fish.

1.) 7' MH F Casting - 12LB or 15LB CXX or 50LB Spiderwire Stealth - Worms, jigs, spinnerbaits, etc.

2.)7' M M Casting - 12LB CXX - Crankbaits

3.)6'8" M F Spinning - 20LB Sufix 832 - Shaky heads, senkos, flukes, drop shot, topwaters, jerkbaits, etc

I don't know what I should get next. My favorite technique is pitching 1/4 ounce jigs to boat docks and other shallow structure up to 10 feet, and I was going to get a rod just for that. I don't think that it would be versatile enough though, and I've had a hard time fishing heavier cover and structure with my current tackle. Now I'm considering a heavy action flipping stick. I think that it would allow me to fish frogs, punch mats, and flip heavier weight jigs and texas rigs. The one that I've been really looking at is a 7'11" H F. It's rated for 3/8 - 2 OZ but that's really just general guidelines. The only thing I don't really know about is that I don't flip heavier lures like that very much. I'm not quite sure what would be the best for me to get, and I would really appreciate anyone's input.

[camovan]

I would personally add a second 7' mh

[Got1Fishing]

I would get another 7' or above MHF for pitching your jigs or t-rigs and use the other one for spinnerbaits or t-rigs. That way you have a bulkier profile (jig) and a more finesse t-rig on at the same time. My best advice is to get another rod for your favorite technique and use the rest for whatever. 

[Fishes in trees]

To me, that question totally depends on the time of year and body of water and person you are fishing with.  Going as a co-angler with just 4 rods and no information, I probably wouldn't do it.  What I would do, when I fished BFL's is take a dozen or so rods to the event and after the tournament meeting, but before take off in the am, I would pack the  or 7 rods most likely to be useful.  I would make judgements on what to pack in the truck based on previous tournament results and seasonal patterns.  I wouldn't make any decisions until after the tournament meeting.

[bass1980]

I am in your position as a coangler but I have to bring at least 5 setups.

- spinning 7' M for drop shot

- 7' M for senko/flukes

- 7' M for Cranks

- 7'3 H for jigs

- 7'3 H for frogs

For later in season I need this setup also

- 7'6 H for Punching/flip/pitch

[FishinCop646]

1. 7' medium spinning. This will cover all your finesse baits.

2. 7'-7'6 heavy casting. This can be used for flipping, heavy jigging, or frogging.

3. 7' medium heavy casting. This can be used for jigs, t-rigs, c-rigs, cranking, or just about anything. It's a real versitile rod.

4. 7' medium casting. This will cover jerkbaits, crankbaits, and top water.

As mentioned before, you should really be basing your selection off of how you plan to fish for each trip. Those 4 rods will cover just about every scenario though.

[Grantman83]

As a general rule, I would go with

1. 7ft-F spinning for finesse

2. 7ft MHM for all Treble hook baits

3. 7ft Mhxf - chatterbaits/spinnerbaits/soft swimbaits/t-rigs

4. 7ft HF w/braid for frogs, jigs, pads etc.

Obviously it will be different based on what rods you own but this is the simplest way. All 4 rods are 7ft and it's an easy system to go by.

The rods I own are abit longer so mine would be between 7 and 7'4

[SenkoGuru]

As a general rule, I would go with

1. 7ft-F spinning for finesse

2. 7ft MHM for all Treble hook baits

3. 7ft Mhxf - chatterbaits/spinnerbaits/soft swimbaits/t-rigs

4. 7ft HF w/braid for frogs, jigs, pads etc.

Obviously it will be different based on what rods you own but this is the simplest way. All 4 rods are 7ft and it's an easy system to go by.

The rods I own are abit longer so mine would be between 7 and 7'4

 

 

 This would be my advice too pretty much spot on

[CJV]

I would say if your not flipping and frogging in the heavy stuff with a stiff heavy action rod your missing out!

[gripnrip]

You need a heavy stick for frogs and jigs as well!!!!

[SenkoGuru]

You guys are right about the big heavy stick for pitching, I use a 7'9" Extra heavy white ice for punching mats and flipping but with this topic he was wanting advice for a four rig set up for a co-angler. He can get away with a heavy 7'0" for frogs and flipping and it will work better than a big stick for co-angler. Best advice is to know where they are fishing and then plan according the info he has, he might have some trouble punching but everything else he could make do with.

[WIGuide]

I would say probably a rod anywhere from 7' to 7'6" H with a fast tip. That should let you do your frogging as well as flip an pitch or punch the heavy stuff. 

[pbizzle]

I've looked around and decided that I either want a 6'8" MH XF,  a 6'10" MH F, another 7'0" MH F, a 7'0" H F, or a 7'3" H XF. I'm really leaning towards the 7'0" MH F, because my bass club is not going to fish Nickajack that much this year. It's just a church club with a bunch of college guys in it so they can't afford the gas to haul their boats 45 minutes away. Chickamauga doesn't have nearly as much cover or mats as Nickajack.

[Bankbeater]

All of my rods are 6'-6". 

 

MH-F trigger rod for jigs

MH-F trigger rod for Cranks/spinnerbaits

MH-F trigger rod for t-rigged baits

M-F spinning rod for finesse plastics

 

These four usually cover anything that I run into while in someone else's boat.  If I know I am going somewhere and I will need a rod for punching through mats, I will bring a 6'-6" H-F bc rod that is basically a utility pole that I can attach a reel to.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

You have a good base to cover all the basics. What to add depends on the type of water you typically fish. I'd probably look for a 7'-7'6" H/F for heavy cover. This also good for Carolina rigs which can be the co-anglers best friend on some days. Sometimes casting a  heavy jig that falls faster can help you keep up if the boater it flying down the bank and you only get quick shots at targets. Now, if you fish a lot of clear open water for smallies, a ML/XF 6'8" drop shot rod might suit you better. As suggested, you don't have to bring everything you own on the boat every time. Talk to the boater ahead of tim and get a feel for what and where you'll fish. 

[ChiCityBasser]

To me, that question totally depends on the time of year and body of water and person you are fishing with.  Going as a co-angler with just 4 rods and no information, I probably wouldn't do it.  What I would do, when I fished BFL's is take a dozen or so rods to the event and after the tournament meeting, but before take off in the am, I would pack the  or 7 rods most likely to be useful.  I would make judgements on what to pack in the truck based on previous tournament results and seasonal patterns.  I wouldn't make any decisions until after the tournament meeting.

I fish the BFL's and pretty much take 8 rods with me and pair it down after the meeting based on how the boater says he will be fishing the next day. I have 2-3 spinning rods and 3-4 casting rods for the event depending on how we are fishing and seasonal patterns fishing from the back of the boat. The rods I have used the least so far have been my crankbait rods. I have a 7'6" MH/F rig & jig, 7'3" MH/F rig & jig casting rods that see most of the action. I also have a 7' MH/F rig & jig spinning rod that sees alot of action as I use it for swim jigs with the reel having 15-30# braid for this technique.

[Jassch82]

All of my rods are 6'-6". 

 

MH-F trigger rod for jigs

MH-F trigger rod for Cranks/spinnerbaits

MH-F trigger rod for t-rigged baits

M-F spinning rod for finesse plastics

 

These four usually cover anything that I run into while in someone else's boat.  If I know I am going somewhere and I will need a rod for punching through mats, I will bring a 6'-6" H-F bc rod that is basically a utility pole that I can attach a reel to.

What size and type of line are you using on each setup?