If You Could Only Take 5 Rods

[Idahobassin]

You have a few big reserviors like spirit lake and Cour D Alene, both have LMB and SMB with deep structure and areas with aquatic weeds that make 5 rod-reel combo's difficult to select. It comes down to how you fish and what lures you like to use.

Spinning: with deep structure and smallmouth bass you need at least 1 outfit with 6-8 lb FC.

Baitcasting, you need at least 3 outfits, a deep diving crankbaits rod (5/8-1 oz) , a MH or 4 power jig & worm rod and a small swimbait (1-3 oz) - frog rod.

So the decision is what should be the 5th outfit. Only you can make that decision. Another baitcasting rod for jerk baits, small crankbaits (3/8-5/8 oz) and structure spoons would be my choice, you might want to consider another spinning outfit or H-5 power jig & worm rod.

Tom

Thanks Tom! I do fish spirit and cda a ton so that's a good point

[poisonokie]

1) ~7' MH jig

2) ~7'6" H flipping

3) ~7'6" M cranking

4) ~7' ML finesse

5) ~6'6" MH skipping

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Its about being versatile with lures my superflukes can be used in shallow water as a jerkbait or deep water with a pegged weight same as my manns minus 1 its made for shallow water but i can add a 1 oz parimid sinker and go as far as i have too no need for a deep cranking rod.i aint saying i know it all but fishing for 35 yrs i have learned a lot with what i have at hand.Like i have said many times before less is more less does not mean im handicapped with what i have at hand.i just learn to capitalize with what i know and the many ways to throw a nickle on the floor and bounce 4 quarters out of it.i have the resources to have 75 combos on hand or 5 but in reality 2 is good.its all between the ears not the fingers and thumb.

[SirSnookalot]

Just take what you like to fish.

I have lots of rods and reels, I don't fish on a budget.  I fish with 1 rod, may have 2-3 more in the car that usually don't get used.

[clh121787]

If I had to pick from my rods. I'd take my orochii xx emtf, orochii xx pitch perfect, falcon cara st amistad, 84 j&w imx , and my imx 843 mbr. My style is jigs and worms. Today I had 2 c rigs a t rig a jig and a weightless fluke/dropshot (same rod). I could make due with those techniques all year and never throw a crankbait or spinner bait. And I do t think I leave fish on the table by not fishing more cranks spinners chatter baits w/e. Most of the time. But that's me. Bass ain't that smart Yall. He's sees a bait and makes a decision .

[UKCATSBASSER]

2-7 foot medium heavy action. Use for jigs worms. All around workhorse.

Flipping stick. Also use for Carolina rigs and football jigs. Alabama rig as well.

MH moderate action crank bait Rod.

Medium action 6 foot 6 inch Rod for topwaters and jerkbaits. Also doubles as a close in cover casting spinnerbait Rod

7 foot medium action spinning Rod.

[garvin]

• Carolina rig

Weightless Texas rig

Ned rig

Square bill

Shaky head or weighted weedless wacky depending on my mood.

[Raul]

No need to take 5 with:

 

1 Heavy Fast action Trigger

1 Medium Heavy fast action trigger

1 Medium fast action spinning

 

That´s all I need

[Senko lover]

1 Medium Spinning rod: weightless soft plastics, poppers, dropshot, shakeyhead 

1 MH Baitcasting rod: weighted soft plastics, swimbaits, frogs, ect. 

 

 

That's all I take, and the only (servicable) combos I have.

[SirSnookalot]

1 day last year I had 3 rods with me.  Fishing on a jetty 2 of them were leaning up against the rail, a friend tripped over 1 and broke a reel, he had it fixed for me.   That is a rare event, they do get stolen at times.   When I'm boating, it's in a center console, Need room to fight  a fish 360 degrees around the boat, especially if the boat is about 28' and under.  The rods not being used are always in a rod holder as not to trip over them.

 

If I were to buy another boat (I like my boat club membership) it would be a skiff or flats boat, to fish the mangroves in the ICW, with any rod not being used it would be out of the way.  Most of what I do I only need 1 rod and reel, anything else is either for back up or changing  my target species.

[Subaqua Adinterim]

Fishing from a kayak, I take only 2 rods. Fishing for bass, they are 7' MF spinning outfits. Any more than that is a recipe for disaster, with the potential for all sorts of trouble caused by things getting in the way.

I've learned to spend more time fishing with less stuff, instead of more time messing with stuff and less time actually fishing.

[Bankbeater]

Weightless plastics

Weighted T-rig plastics

Spinnerbait/Chatterbait

Crankbaits

Drop shot

[new2BC4bass]

Sounds like Tom (WRB) knows your area and has given some very good advice.  I have quite a few more than 5 rods.  I am finding an excess to choose from is not always a good thing.  Which MH, which Medium, which ML rods and reels do I take today?  Should I take a Heavy?  I try to take 8-10 with me even though some never leave the car.   I can't afford $200 plus rods, yet have accumulated enough rods, that 5-6 really good rods could have been purchased for less than the amount I have spent on the less expensive rods.  I think I would be happier had I gone that route.  I know my wife would be much happier if there were only 6 rods in the basement instead of 46.  Of course there would be no need for her to know the cost of those 6 rods.  

 

I don't know how you like to fish...and even if I did, I wouldn't be the best person by a long shot to offer advice.  I can tell you which 5 of my current rods would be among my top choices.

 

Don't have too many spinning outfits so the 6' 9" M-XF Elite Tech Smallmouth is an easy choice.  A 6' 9" MF Elite Tech Jig and Worm rod would be my 2nd choice.

 

Casting rods are hard to narrow down to 4 so I'll probably list more.

 

A Rainshadow RX7 7' MHF is a favorite.  The Endurance 7' 2" MH-XF is very nice, but I think I would have to go with the 7' MHF Aetos over it.  I really like my ET Smallmouth 6'10" MF, but the 7' MF Smoke has gained ground.  The handle is a tad shorter than I like, but the trigger makes up for it my being extremely comfortable for me.  Probably the most comfortable of all my rods.  I'd have to go with my older Fenwick HMG for a ML rod.  I enjoy using my two 6' 10" Quantum HF rods, but if limited to just one Heavy, it would have to be the Zillion 7' 6" HF.

 

I didn't mention my 7' ML and 7' 2" MH regular action Tatula rods that I got over the past winter.  These 2 rods are quickly becoming favorites as well.

 

All I can say is that the options today are so vast that it is impossible to pick out just 5 rods and not wonder afterwards if you made the right choices.  If I had it to do over again, I would choose more expensive rods, limit their number while making sure each was very versatile.

 

Best of luck with your choices.  Be sure to let us know what you decided on.  Always interesting to hear about others' arsenals.

 

[ww2farmer]

I only use 8 to begin with, but if I had to pair it down to 5, those five would be:

 

1- 7'6" H flipping stick with 50lb braid

 

2-7' MH/F casting rod with 30lb braid

 

1- 7' M/F casting rod with 20lb braid

 

1-6'8" M/XF spinning rod with 10lb braid