How Many Rod/reel Combos Do You Really Need?

[Florida Cracker2]

It's a case of 'too many is barely enough'. I just love rod and reels.

[Chris Brunk]

I have to say that it depends on what your chasing and where? 

For example if I am fishing for mangrove snapper, or bream with live bait then 1 is all you need. really its too difficult to fish with more than that and you tend to loose more fish than you catch. if they are biting then it does not take long to get a bite and you more than likely will get your bites at the same time causing frustration and lost fish.

If I am fishing catfish I tend to bring three and cast at different depths to figure out where I am getting the most bites.  Then I turn all three to the same area to increase my odds. once I find my sweet zone i do not leave it.

If I am fishing for snook or reds then its two, one for live bait and one for lures.  I have a few spots where we anchor down and just use live bait.  If the bite is slow I may pick up the lure rod just to have a wider search area without constantly pulling my bait in and recasting it over and over killing my bait.

However, if I am fishing a bass tournament then I tend to bring about 8-12.  I am not about to change lures while chasing bass.  Here is the problem, if I am chasing bass with say a worm and near by I see the bass schooling on the surface.  By the time I change my rig, they will be gone, and they may not want the worm.  When it comes to lure fishing for bass, you really don't know what they are hitting until you start hooking up.  I keep an assortment of lures pre-set up so that I don't miss an opportunity or keep changing lures to find what is working.  In the end I normally only use about 2-3 rods with 1 of them being used about 90% of the day.  Its not a matter of having a lot of rods out, but being prepared for anything.  

In the end its up to your comfort level and funds,  but this is what works for me.  cheers and good luck hunting!

[dave]

This...