Right Setup For The Right Rod?

[Bryce_Fishin24]

First off let me start by saying I have an ugly stik Elite casting rod MH lure weight of 1/4-3/4. I know they're not the most sensitive rods but for the price it was affordable in my range.... What I'm looking for is the brutal honest opinion of what I should be and should be using. All I use are rat-l-traps and some football jigs because that's all I have... But when I put the 3/4 football jig with a paca chunk it seemed wayyy to heavy, I fish from the shore so I'm not going out to far in deep water. Could someone just give me the straight up opinion of what I should be using for the rod I bought because I'm slightly confused and I just really want to do everything right, I would greatly appreciate it.

[deep]

My "brutal honest opinion" is that the ugly stick is not a bass rod.

 

A 3/4 oz jig with a trailer probably weighs over an ounce.

 

Moving baits shouldn't be a problem, even single-hook ones, especially with braid. Try a crank, or a spinner, or a topwater. Maybe something in the 1/2 oz range. You can try a swimjig, or even weighted plastics (fish seem to hold onto plastics a little longer, compared to jigs). And hey, if you really like fishing jigs, and find out the rod isn't good enough, a year from now, you can buy a better rod.

 

Forget about doing everything right the first time. We all start out with what we have, learn new stuff on the way, and find out our preferences.

 

Good luck.

[OroBass]

I agree ^^^^ there are better options. Look at Berkley lightning rods.

[Raul]

There you go, Deep just put it right.

 

You are already catching fish don´t you ? ergo, you are doing things "right".

[smalljaw67]

Yeah, Deep is spot on with your set up. I'd stay away from jigs and even Texas rig worms aren't going to be a little difficult but shallow cranks, 1/4oz spinnerbaits and popper type topwater baits will be your best bets until you get a graphite rod with a little faster action and added backbone.

[fishballer06]

If I were you, if you want one rod to upgrade to that will handle your two favorite techniques, I'd get a 7' MH fast action graphite rod. If you're trying to stay on a budget, look at rods in the $100 range. There's quite a few quality rods in that range (Abu Garcia Veritas, BPS Extreme, Fenwick HMG, Duckett Ghost, ***). 

[Bryce_Fishin24]

My "brutal honest opinion" is that the ugly stick is not a bass rod.

A 3/4 oz jig with a trailer probably weighs over an ounce.

Moving baits shouldn't be a problem, even single-hook ones, especially with braid. Try a crank, or a spinner, or a topwater. Maybe something in the 1/2 oz range. You can try a swimjig, or even weighted plastics (fish seem to hold onto plastics a little longer, compared to jigs). And hey, if you really like fishing jigs, and find out the rod isn't good enough, a year from now, you can buy a better rod.

Forget about doing everything right the first time. We all start out with what we have, learn new stuff on the way, and find out our preferences.

Good luck.

[Bryce_Fishin24]

Thank you guys so much I appreciate you giving me tips and such, I'll make sure to use the right set up and invest in another rod... I was actually going to get the duckett ghost but I thought a rookie like me doesn't need one yet, but thank you all!