A Question For The Spinning Equipment Folks.

[starweldpro16]

Hey all. I have a question for all the spin fishing bassers here. I have a bit of a problem and need some opinions. It seems my use of baitcasting reels is about over,or at least going to be limited. An old martial arts injury (broken radial bone) is making casting a pain. Literally. A poor job of healing or nerve damage maybe. Don't know. I do know the dynamics of casting a baitcaster for hours on end is pretty much over. So, on to the next option. This off season I want to rig 2 spinning outfits to handle the bulk of my bass fishing. One worm/jig rig and a crank/jerk rig. I'm a firm believer you get what you pay for,but all that glitters isn't gold either. What do you fellas recommend for reliable, durable reels that can take the hours of continuous use? What are your favorite rod / reel combinations? Custom? Off the shelf? What will take a licking and keep on ticking? What's your go-to? Your experience will be appreciated. Thanks!

[A-Jay]

A Pflueger Supreme XT Spinning Reel matched with a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth Spinning Rod.

 

A Sweet set up that balances & fishes very nicely.  The price point is fair & reasonable as well.

 

Choose the action that suits your needs.

 

btw - these rods work perfectly on green bass too . . . . .

 

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

I recently had a custom built by Mike at DVT:  http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/142505-custom-rod-from-d-v-t/

Recommendations really depend on your budget. There is plenty of good gear at a variety of

pricing points.

[starweldpro16]

Hey A-Jay. I see you like Erie for smallies. My B-in-Law has been beating on me to go up with him (Presque Isle) for smallmouth. I really need to take him up on it next spring. He's all about walleye right now. 

 

Sweet stick there roadwarrior! Thanks for the link. 

[A-Jay]

Hey A-Jay. I see you like Erie for smallies. My B-in-Law has been beating on me to go up with him (Presque Isle) for smallmouth. I really need to take him up on it next spring. He's all about walleye right now. 

 

Sweet stick there roadwarrior! Thanks for the link. 

 

Yup - Lake Erie Smallies are real addicting. 

A member here, Dwight Hottle, turned me on to the magic that big body of water offers (and I could never thank him enough)  The fall bite should be coming on once the water temps start to dip - you should get over there if you can.  I hope to.

 

A-Jay

[ww2farmer]

A Pflueger Supreme XT Spinning Reel matched with a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth Spinning Rod.

 

A Sweet set up that balances & fishes very nicely.  The price point is fair & reasonable as well.

 

Choose the action that suits your needs.

 

btw - these rods work perfectly on green bass too . . . . .

 

A-Jay

My thoughts too. I have the Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'8" M/XF spinning rod, paired with a Pflueger Purist spinning reel. It might be...............no it is........my favorite combo. Spooled with 10lb braid and using a 8 or 10 lb flourocarbon leader, this set up is very versatile. I use for flick shaking, shaky heads, small finesse jigs, small jerkbaits, cranbaits and topwaters, split shotting, skipping small weight-less plastics under docks, and probably more things than I can recall right at thins moment. I don't drop shot with it, but it could and would just fine, but I have a dedicicated drop shot rod/reel combo...BUT...I am going to sometime soon, replace my current drop shot set up with the 6'9" ML version of that rod (or the new Bass ET series), and a Pflueger spinning reel.

[starweldpro16]

I took a co-worker out on the lake yesterday for a little bass fishing. He was using one of my rigs with a Pflueger on it. He couldn't say enough good things about the reel. Really liked it. I could see adding another Pflueger or two to the rod locker. 

 

ww2Farmer;  Are you putting the braid on mono backing on that Purist? That a 1330?

[WdyCrankbait]

Yep, I have a Supreme XT as well, fantastic reel.  I did have a problem with it awhile ago, sent it back to Pure Fishing for repair and they sent me a brand new reel.

 

Sorry to hear about your injury, hope you can find a combo that works out for you.

 

Wdy

[starweldpro16]

Thanks Wdy. Is that purefishinggear.com? 

[WdyCrankbait]

Star,

    I checked the website and it is closed when you get to the Pfluger thread.

 

    I have the 9230XT reel.  Tackle warehouse.com is now demoing that reel.  So, maybe you should try it out for a week before you drop the $$ on it.  But, it is an awesome reel, and the drag will lock down.

 

Wdy

[smalljaw67]

I too have a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'9" M-XF and it is a super versatile stick. I got mine for shaky heads but now I use it for tubes, jigs (1/4oz finesse type), flukes, and shad raps and in-line spinners in addition to the shaky head technique I originally got it for. The new Elite Tech Bass has a 6'9" M-F coming to replace the smallmouth rod and the fine folks at Fenwick told me it is going to be very close in feel to my current smallmouth rod and they did use a fast action as the blanks are a higher modulus graphite so the fast action is faster than the original, not quite extra fast but close.  As for a second set up I'd look at a MH in a 7', I like Fenwick so I'd go with an Aetos but really any good spinning rod in a medium heavy fast will be great for those larger jigs and spinnerbaits with big blades. 

[starweldpro16]

Thanks Wdy. I'll check it out my friend   .

 

smalljaw67; I was over on the Fenwick site and liked the looks of the Elite Bass line. I didn't realize they were replacing the smallmouth rods. Still,sounds like they are going to be pretty sweet. I like long rods. My stream fishing rod for trout is an 8' Cortland Endurance. I run single salmon eggs on it up on the Sinnemahoning and here at home. The real bummer is most of my bass rods are 7' plus. My rod locker in the Starweld is 6'6"! Oh well. I may make some racks for up on the gunnel for the longer stuff.