How many fishing poles should I own?

[Wizardneck2@gmail.com]

I currently own a pretty nice spinning reel setup and a decent bait caster. I just purchased a 7'6" medium fast Mojo Bass with a Lew's Tournament spinning reel. I'm quickly realizing my older equipment is pretty much junk. I can only drop shot with them maybe a little top water, but that is about it. I have been buying different lures which are much heavier and I've been looking for fish in deeper water. Changing lures is one thing, but line size has kept me limited. I have already spent about a $1,000 bucks this year on annual passes, batteries, line lures etc. I really need to be prudent and not just buy what I see the more advanced fisherman (wealthy) have. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks 

Red Dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[dave]

Is this a trick question?

[Wizardneck2@gmail.com]

No, just wondering if most folks have different poles for line size and or for lure types and fishing depths.  

[Raul]

As many as you can.

[Fishin' Fool]

Just accumulate as many as you can over time. I don't own a boat but fish in a bass club and I own around 10-12 casting and spinning rods in various lengths and power.

[roadwarrior]

Don't be in a hurry adding more gear until you really know what else you "need". These are examples of a few that come to mind:

Dedicated A Rig, jerkbait rod and if you fish a lot of deep-diving crankbaits, that's another.

BTW, "rod" is the preferred term for "pole".

 

[Wizardneck2@gmail.com]

I guess I should also preface space. I almost always have a buddy with me and things can get a little hectic with poles every where.  

[IowaHusker28]

Find deals. There are stores everywhere that offer some kind of sales either at the end of the year or in the winter right before spring because they need to get rid of old product. I am up to 18 combos, ideally I would like 2 more or more lol but its not that you "need" a lot of rods but it sure makes it faster and easier. I fish for my school in many different college leagues and in a bass club. It gets expensive, so when you see deals,even though you might not use it right away. It will come in handy eventually. You can stay around 250 for a combo or heck even 180 you'll slowly build up a good quality selection. 

Also think about your purchases. You can get a new Tatula for 150 or a Type R for 180ish but is it worth the extra 30 dollars? You can buy a tatula or a revo s or a lews lfs for under 150 and a mojo bass or a veritas or a ghost and many more..... where I am going with this, is you can get quality stuff and not break the bank. Especially if you can find sales. Take the time to find what you need or the gap in your "arsenal" and make the best choice based on what you want to spend. Don't up caught up on trying to buy 10 $600 combos. 

[WRB]

If you own and fish out of a bass boat with rod storage lockers you can easily have 15 to 20 rod-reel combos. However, unless you troll, you can only use 1 at a time. Knowing what that 1 outfit going to takes trail and error every outing. 

I don't own a 7'6" medium spinning rod and have no use for it.

My spinning rods are 6' 10" , 2 each  3 power or medium fast with 6 lb FC and 1 each 2 power or medium light fast 6 lb FC.

Spinning outfits to me are used for light lure finesse presentations like drop shot, slip shot, darter head jig, etc.

I usually will have 15 bait casting outfits that range from 8 lb FC to 60 lb braid and use them for everything from big swimbaits to small lures. Most commonly used rods are 6'10" 5 power or heavy jig & worm rods with 14 lb FC, 7'5" 5 power or H crank bait rod with 12 lb mono, 7' 5 power (popping rod) used for crank baits, spoons,  8' XH swimbait rod with 25 lb mono, 6'8" 4 power/MH mod-fast top water and spinner bait rod with 15 mono. About 6 bait casters and 1 spinning  average each outing.

The basic bass rod is a 4 power-MH fast action 6' 6" to 7' bait casting outfit general use with 12lb to 15 lb mono, should have 2 of those. I use 5 power because of targeting big bass and prefer them.

Tom

[DogBone_384]

There's only one answer:    ALL

[JustinU1X]

You might have come to the wrong place to ask that question haha

In a post by road warrior he suggests three that can get you by but six or so can cover almost any application. 

 

[cottny27]

4-5 combos will do to cover most everything imo 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

How fast a car, or pretty of a girl should you have ? Kidding aside Roadwarriors list of three starting combos is dead on. Welcome and enjoy the forum and the sport. No pressure. 

[jc68]

the one with the most toys in the end wins 

[new2BC4bass]

Welcome to the forum.  As you can see, there is no limit to how many rods we should have.....only to how many we can afford. 

When I visit relation in Florida, I carry 4 casting rod combos in a 14' dingy.  Other guy carries 3 spinning combos.  We make do. 

[smallie.mike]

Own or use???

[Florida Cracker2]

Another option is extra spools (spinning reel) with other line weights on them. Takes a few minutes to change-over...but will save some money.

[jignfule]

After extensive research, the answer is 17.5

[Airman4754]

46 minutes ago, jignfule said:

After extensive research, the answer is 17.5

Agreed. 

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Having great equipment has nothing to do with wealth its all about if you need it or if you want it...i can afford steez,mgxs,megabass, etc but i do fine with my abu round reels used for $5 to 120$ new no need for anythi.g more IMO

[Chris at Tech]

The answer is always one more than you currently have.

[rawjuice]

As much as you can! It's an addiction! Lol

[thirtysixit]

3 hours ago, cottny27 said:

4-5 combos will do to cover most everything imo 

I agree with this gentleman... I fish Falcon rods so I'll use my stuff as an example

Flipping Rod: Cara Amistad 7'3'' heavy action with a fast tip.  Good for Carolina rigs and froggin too.

Deep Crank Rod: Cara Deep Runner 7'3'' medium heavy with a moderate tip. Its also my Trap rod

All Purpose Rod: Falcon Original Herm 6'6'' medium heavy with a fast tip. Finesse jigs, spinnetbaits and worms

Small/Medium Crank Rod: BuCoo 6'6'' medium action with a moderate tip

Spinning Rod: Cara Squirrel Tail 7' medium action with a fast tip for shaky heads and finesse presentations

I paired all of them with Quantum Smoke reels that I found on eBay. Usually paid around 125$ for each of them.

Just my two cents............

 

[Turkey sandwich]

There's some really good advise on here.  Some of the best, I think, is to figure out what you want to fish and buy what's versatile and will last.  

Braid outlasts mono or flurocarbon as a mainline (can last several years depending upon use, sun exposure, etc), has better sensitivity and can be high vis for line watching.  

You can get a lot of rod for under $150 now.  (St Croix Mojo, Abu Veritas, Duckett Ghost)

As for reels, you can get decent spinning reels without going broke, but going cheap on a baitcaster can create a lot of headaches.  Lews, Abu, Diawa, and Shimano all have some pretty solid casting reels in the $150-$200 range. 

If you spool with braid, consider softer tips for anything with treble hooks and reaction baits.... So, a decent MH moderate makes a great stick for Crankbaits, lipless cranks, and spinnerbaits.  It's also a good option for larger walking baits (Spooks, etc) The moderate action will also help launch them a mile.  (For Crankbaits, a slow gear ratio reel is pretty ideal) 

A 6'6ish Med moderate spinning rod is a great option for fishing jerkbaits and even small shallow running Crankbaits. 

For Texas rigs and jigs over 1/4 oz, a 7'-7'3 MH fast/x-fast action casting combo is ideal for getting maximum feel and getting good hook sets with heavier wire hooks. (I like a high gear ratio reel)

for flipping, taste matters, but with braid, a mod/fast tip on a 7'6-8' rod makes for a good start.  ( you want an high gear ratio reel to get fish out of tangles fast)

I like a 6'6-6'9 ML x-fast rod for fishing drop shots, and weightless finesse plastics.

A 7' M Fast spinning combo is great for throwing tubes, Senkos, and shaky heads.  

 

From there, you can specialize a ton, but those are the basics. Depending upon the water you fish and your style you might want to make some small changes, or pick up more of one combo than another, but with those 6, your bases are covered and you haven't broke the bank (too badly).

 

 

[F14A-B]

35 to 40 should about cover it.