My Equipment...good For Small Bass And Trout?

[mayer74]

Greetings! I am brand spanking new to the sport. I inherited some fishing equipment and am unsure just what to use it for. I have a Shimano Sellus ultra light rod with a pflueger trion spinning reel and an Abu Garcia Vengeance medium rod with a pflueger president spinning reel. Both 6'6". Just beginner stuff I think. The tackle box that came with them is filled with this type of bait: (1) floating and countdown rapalas size 01, 03, and 05, (2) rattling rapala 04, (3) in line spinners, hum dingers, spoons, kast masters 1/4oz and under, (4) various bait hooks (5) 1/32 jigs with plastic grubs, and (5) several bags of 2" plastic shad and 4" roboworms. There are also containers of firebait in various colors. So, I checked YouTube and think these are for trout, bluegill, crappie, smallmouth bass, perch, and similar types of fish. I also think I may be needing a medium light rod and not the ultra light I recieved? One salesman at a local store said the UL is perfect and another said to get a ML. I'm a little confused. Also both rods have p-line fluroclear 8 & 6 lb test that was in the box. I think I'd like to try drop shot, some wacky rigging, and Texas rigging too. I saw it on the videos. Too ambitious? Am I on the right track with what I've got? Sorry if that's too much or not the right info. It's my first forum post. Thanks for any help.

[Tony L.]

Your medium setup (vengeance with a pflueger reel) is a lot nicer than you may realize. I imagine that you can have a lot of success using it. If you someday get into fishing heavier cover or for trophy sized fish, you could bump up to a MH. As far as spinning outfits go, I really like what you have. Abu rods are a little more stout than ones from other manufacturers anyway, so it should have no problems hauling them in. You'll be in good shape for the soft plastic techniques that you just described. That's actually very similar to the setup I use in my area.

I don't know that I would go as small as an ML for bass, unless they are pretty small in your area. That being said, i have certainly seen it done. Definitely wouldn't use your UL. I just don't think it has enough backbone to properly set the hook on a largemouth. It would be perfect for bluegill and crappie though.

[Raul]

In my neck of the woods there's hatchery raised trout in the sierra and any of them is larger than the bass most guys catch, actually, it's easier for the fellers to catch a 10 lb trout than a 10 lb bass. Your gear is fine, I don't see the need for lighter gear.

[CDobber]

I use an UL spinning setup when I go trout fishing, and here in Wisconsin, anglers are either using those or fly rods....but trout here (much like bass) are not huge, probably comparable to the many 14" LMB I frequently catch nearby, and that's on the big side.  20"+ is top end for the creeks, though there are bigger rainbows and lake trout in the Great Lakes and such.

[einscodek]

X2 on the ultralight spinning outfit for trout and small bass

[Capt.Bob]

First off welcome to BR and the sport of fishing!!!

 

The ultra light is more fun and well suited to smaller trout and is quite capable of the fish you state, you should learn to use your equipment to help you tame and stay hooked up on a fish, with the lighter setup. The ML in my opinion for the fishing you are talking about "bass under 14" and comparable trout) it will work and is going to take a lot of fun out of those size fish over an UL. Your not in a tournament and should be fishing to have fun fun, and believe me the Ultra light with a 14" bass is more fun to me than a ML with that size fish, it takes a lot of the chalenge out of keeping them on, if both are hooked good the Ultra light with light line will be more challenge and you will learn to use your equipment more than a heavy stick that your just bulling fish in. 

 

I personally think if you are going to catch the majority of fish smaller than a 14" Bass or a comparable species under that size, The Ultra Light is hard to beat. If 14" is minimum and a 20" is common, maybe a ML, but it is going to take any fun out of the fish smaller than 14", an alternative is a Light Action, but when your new to the sport an Ultra Light should be in your arsenal,

 

This is  just one fish I have landed on an UL that was larger than I intended to try on the UL. I landed this one on a BPS 5' UL w/6# braid and a 4# Fluorocarbon leader, it was the challenge that made it sweet, we fished Dale Hollow for a week and caught 10" gills, and Crappie up to 16" all were fun but this is one I will remember about that trip over all the others, it comes to mind first when I think about that trip  If you are not fishing for money the main goal should be having fun, the UL will make it more fun and anymore that is what fishing is all about to me! 

[BuffaloBass716]

I actually have a 7' MF Abu Vengeance (the two piece version) with a 6930 Pflueger President with 10# braid and I've caught both my largemouth and Smallmouth personal best's using it.  Both in the 4-5 lbs range.  It's the only set up I can currently afford but I've never have a problem with a fish being to big...