Why So Many Rods?

[LakeNormanFishing]

Being new to fishing and a teenager without a steady income it stuns me how many rods people have. So I have 2 questions:

 

1. Why have so many?

 

2. Also, if it is such a big deal what should I do if I really can't afford more than 1 rod and reel combo? 

 

Thanks for any responses, anything helps!

[gulfcaptain]

First off, I do have a lot of rods, but it's within my budget and I have started to get outfits I use for certain applications and techniques as well as being able to carry a few rods as so I don't have to constantly change baits.  Now prior to this I fished with one rod for quite a bit.  Depending on what you're doing more then likely with only one rod I would go to a MH 7' rod (baitcaster) as it can be an around good fit for almost anything you want to do.  Line depends on you. For me, I fish a lot of clear water and am comfortable with lighter braid in the 20lb range.  This may not be the case for some.  But for me it works great as I can topshot most anything from 10lb to 20lb mono or FC. 

[John G]

If you can't afford more than one rod n reel, don't worry about it cause it ain't no big deal. I did a lot of fishing as a kid with one rod n reel and I was content with what I had back then. If you can afford a different combo for every technique, that is nice too but it's definitely not necessary. The best thing that you can do is to buy a decent to good quality 6'6" to 7' MH/F rod and a Shimano reel and go with that.

[ABW]

Being new to fishing and a teenager without a steady income it stuns me how many rods people have. So I have 2 questions:

 

1. Why have so many?

 

2. Also, if it is such a big deal what should I do if I really can't afford more than 1 rod and reel combo? 

 

Thanks for any responses, anything helps!

 

People have so many rods because there are so many techniques in bass fishing, and some people like to have technique specific rods so they don't have to retie their knots. This would be convenient when fishing in a tournament. Also, some baits perform better on other rods. ex) crankbaits on rods with a parabolic bend so you give the fish more to work with

 

If you can't afford more than 1 combo, then I would suggest you get the most versatile there could be. A 7' MH Fast with a 6.4:1 gear ratio for baitcasting. This can effectively fish texas rigs, jigs, spinnerbaits and more.

[FrankW]

Hi LakeNormanFishing,

Shore fishers usually only take one or two rods. It is the boat fishers that carry a lot of rods. I usually carry about 8 rods that are on deck for fishing. I have 3 spinning rods and 4 bait casting rods. Why so many? Because it saves time and helps to catch more fish. For instants, If I am fishing a worm or other plastic and all of a sudden Bass break the surface chasing shad. I can quickly pick up a shallow running crank, jerk, or spinner bait and cast into the action. Most times I will hook up. Other times I might be fishing a worm and can pick up another rod with a Senko with out having to take the time to retie a new bait.

For someone like you I would suggest two rods. One for plastics and one for everything else. I would rig the second rod with a snap so it is quick to change lures. I would also buy spinner baits with a twisted tie. They work better with a snap.

Frank

[LakeNormanFishing]

Great advice above, much appreciated. Another thought, if Im bank fishing with lures about 1/8oz to 3/4oz max should i use a baitcaster or spinning rod?

[ThatZX14Fella]

I bank fish and only use one rod. It's a $180 setup so it's not gonna break the budget and I love my reel. The rod I'm trying to sell or trade for a cork handle because I'm not a foam grip fan after using one for a while.

 

It's more along the lines of if you have the money, you will have more equipment. Trust me, if you get into fishing, you will be wanting to buy a lot more equipment and tackle whether you have the money for it or not. When you're walking through BPS or Acadamy or something and you see a nice reel and find a nice rod to go with it right after, you'll be wanting to save your money up to buy it.

[masterbass]

If your going as light as 1/8 use a spinning set up.  For me buying rods and reels is more of an addiction.  I have more than enough gear, but I just love researching and buying new stuff almost as much as fishing. 

[crankbank]

roadwarrior has a good post, that is stickied, about the best rods to have if you're only going to use a few.

 

I use to ask myself the same question about the insane amounts of rods I would see on the decks of boats when watching shows on tv.  I always used one spinning setup for everything, then bought a nice baitcasting setup and that started an avalanche of sorts. I still do not have a huge fleet, but I now understand the different line and technique options can be made much easier with a nice arsenal.  

 

The same can be said for tackle.  Not too long ago, I thought my small Plano tackle box held more lures and plastics than I could ever need.  Fast forward a few years and I am now saying the same thing about the 6 or so utility boxes I have filled to the brim.

[gulfcaptain]

Great advice above, much appreciated. Another thought, if Im bank fishing with lures about 1/8oz to 3/4oz max should i use a baitcaster or spinning rod?

All depends on what you're comfortable with.  I normally don't use anything over a 1/4oz on my spinning rod.  And an 1/8oz is tough on a spinning rod.  Now if you're fishing a plastic worm with an 1/8oz weight that's different.   May have to save and carry 1 of each so you have all your bases covered.

[crankbank]

If your going as light as 1/8 use a spinning set up.  For me buying rods and reels is more of an addiction.  I have more than enough gear, but I just love researching and buying new stuff almost as much as fishing. 

Couldn't have said it better myself. 

[ThatZX14Fella]

Great advice above, much appreciated. Another thought, if Im bank fishing with lures about 1/8oz to 3/4oz max should i use a baitcaster or spinning rod?

 

I can throw weightless worms on my BC, I don't like to though because I have no idea how to fish them.

[roadwarrior]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/130634-rod-selection-the-basics/

[LakeNormanFishing]

Thanks for the advice guys, I think this answers all my questions!

[new2BC4bass]

Fished with one rod for a good many years catching fish from a few ounces to a few pounds....from sunnies to catfish to pickerel to bass, etc.  Definitely stick with a spinning rod for 2 reasons.  1) 1/8 oz. lure and 2) fishing from shore.  Baitcasters require more room to cast...unless you want to flip or pitch short distances.   Casting 1/8 oz. on a baitcast reel is going to require special gear that won't work very well for a lot of other techniques because the rod will be a little too under-powered.  The spinning rod will let you fish in tighter areas, and with the right rod it will handle from at least 1/8-5/8 oz..

[Raul]

You don´t need a bunch of rods to fish.

 

It´s nice to have several with different baits tied and just grab one for this, then grab another for that and so on without having to retie every time you want or need to change lures, but is not necessary.

 

I´ve been "poor" too, for years I fished with only one rod, caught tons of trout, carp, bass with it, now I´m not "rich" but I do have a lot more rods that what I used to own. Believe or not, I don´t use them THAT much, I´m  a pedestrian most of the time because I fish from the bank and .... I don´t need a bunch of rod to fish, I now can afford 1 nice setup specifically purchased for the foot patrol.

[Grantman83]

Why not?

[DogBone_384]

In my case I fished most of my life with one rod/reel combo, but now that I'm older (NOT grown up....) and in good financial shape I have a greater desire to learn new/different things about bass fishing.  It started a couple of years ago when I wanted to try baitcasters, which started with an Ugly Stick and BPS Pro Qualifier and as I read this forum I became curious as to what type of rod reacted which way under certain conditions - you get it...  

 

It's just been an evolution.  Being a teenager, I'd suggest sticking with what you can afford and upgrading as you get older and make more money.  Not to sound like a parent, but I am, it'll happen in time.  Good luck with it.

[JaxBasser]

As a teen/young adult (not that I'm old lol) I used one combo and caught plenty of fish. It was a 6:4 baitcaster with a MH/F rod and it could handle a lot of different techniques even though it wasn't optimal for all I did with it. Now that I have a decent job I have a lot more rods/reels but I still loved fishing even when I just had one decent combo. Collecting gear just becomes another part of the hobby.

[smalljaw67]

You don't need a lot of rods to fish but if you pursue a single species on a pretty serious basis and use multiple techniques then you need a few different set ups to handle different things. I often make the golf analogy, "why do you need so many clubs?" , in theory you can hit the ball all over the course with a driver or a putter but it will be hard to putt with a driver and it the ball won't go to far trying to drive it with a putter or pitching wedge. The same thing applies in fishing, if you are using a wide range of baits you aren't going to use 4 or 6 pound line with a light wire hook and an ultra light rod to fish 3/4oz jigs in heavy cover or you aren't going to use a heavy power rod and 50 pound braid to fish 1/16oz hair jigs, but if you are using a 2500 size spinning reel with a medium power rod and 8 or 10 pound line chunking some bait or small lures from the bank and wanting to catch anything that happens by then 1 set up is fine.

[Ratherbfishing]

Because there is a fine line between insanity and a hobby.  :  )

[tomustang]

Because the locker is big enough for more than one rod

[Tywithay]

I just hate retying out on the water, so I figure I need one rod for every lure I own. Won't stop until I get to that point.

[ThatZX14Fella]

It's easier to grab another rod than it is retie a lure on.

[boostr]

It's like crack.