If you could choose 4 different rods to fish, what would they be?

[livininthebasslane]

Want to know 4 rod power/actions that i should have if i could only have 4 rods

[Jm526]

1. 7'3" med hvy Fast

2. 7' med fast

3. 7' hvy fast

4. 7'11" hvy fast

thats me, I don't throw cranks 

[Choporoz]

 

[MBB Nate]

7' md hvy fast casting rod

7' med mod casting rod

7' med light fast spin rod

7'6 hvy fast casting rod

[MassYak85]

7' MMF casting for smaller treble hook baits and cranks

7'3 MHF casting for jigs, rigged plastics, chatterbaits and spinnerbaits (not Ideal but I've done it and don't mind it too much), heavy topwaters, frogs etc. 

6'10 MXF spinning for stuff like drop shots, ned rigs, shakeyheads

8'0 XH for swimbaits

 

[rippin-lips]

It's like asking if you prefer an apple or an orange. People's locations will play a role on what they use to fish. There's no thick mats here so I have no need for a punching rod. I don't throw bigger cranks so I don't need a 7'6-7'11 cranking rod. 2 rods you can't go with are medium heavy casting rod and a spinning rod in a medium light - medium power. For me the other 2 are going to be a heavy and a medium. Actions aren't universal between companies so one companies xf could be another's fast. Same with rod powers.

Spinning - ml or med/fast

casting - medium/fast or mod fast 

casting - medium heavy/fast or xf

casting - heavy/fast

[alkaiser]

6'5 ul fast spinning rod for ultra finesse stuff

6'5 ul/l fast casting rod for finesse fishing (most of what I do)

7'2 medium fast casting rod for jerkbaits/texas rigs/anything that's too heavy for my finesse setup

7'2 medium heavy fast casting rod for anything heavier

I tend to fish local city ponds that are super pressured so finesse works well for me. I also don't catch a lot of fish so I like the excitement of the fight that ultralight rods give.

[hunterPRO1]

7' mh fast casting

7'3 mh mod casting

7'4 h fast casting

6'9 m fast spinning

[Jar11591]

7' MH F casting 

6'6" M F casting

7' H XF casting

7' M F spinning 

 

[Robert Riley]

Big cranking rod MH or H mod fast (D806)

Moving baits M or MH fast (SS703)

Squarebills and jerkbaits M mod fast (D684cb)

jig rod MH or H ex fast (DX745)

[Poolshark]

Where and how I plan on fishing pretty much dictates this. 

But for most of my personal fishing 

a 7 1/2 ft heavy fast casting

7 to 7 1/2 med/heavy fast casting 

7 to 7 1/2 med/heavy moderate casting 

7 ft med/fast spinning rod 

 

 

[DrMarlboro92]

I do my best to always leave the house with these: 

7'6-8'6 heavy, fast casting rod.

7'6 medium heavy, fast casting rod.

6'6 medium, fast casting rod.

7'0 medium, moderate casting rod. 

 

I'm a power Fisher. The most "finesse" I ever do is a Texas rig or drop shot in the summer. this is going to drastically change the rods that i feel are important to have, as opposed to say, someone who primarily finesse fishes. even with that in mind I'm sure a few of my choices might make certain bass fisherman cringe. 

The first rod depends on where I'm fishing. If i know there is going to be a chance of good frog action I'm going to take the 8'6 heavy. if I feel there won't be, then I take the 7'6 heavy for other topwaters. 

The second is my "everything with a single hook" rod. I'll throw a t-rig, jigs, spinnerbaits, bladed swim jigs, squarebills, or even paddle tail swimbaits with this rod. obviously it's not the best choice for all of those, but it will get the job done with the least amount of frustration if all i can take is 4 rods. 

The third is my jerkbait rod. I won't leave home without it. some jerkbait fisherman will disagree with me, but you can cover a lot of water, very fast and efficiently with a jerkbait. I love fishing these and would never leave home with my jerk baits! 

The last is my meat and potatoes rod. I fish cranks more than i fish anything else. Which is Why a moderate rod falls under my list of must haves. 

 

The problem with us telling you what rods you need, is that we don't know. we can give you tips, and steer you in the right direction, but when it's all said and done you have to choose what feels best to you. I would recommend grabbing a 7'6 medium heavy, then feeling out your other rods from there. don't be in a rush to buy all your rods at once, or you will end up with gear you don't like. take your time, and eventually you get a feel for what kind of rod you want to fish what lures on. Just remind yourself, that lures are cheaper then rods, and they are easier to part with if you don't like them. 

[joe chum]

I target only Smallies.

 

7' 1" M/XF spinning

6' 10" M/XF spinning

7' M/F casting

6' 10" M/XF casting

[livininthebasslane]

I live in Texas and fish out of a kayak so I fish cover a lot if that helps in any way

[MassYak85]

2 minutes ago, livininthebasslane said:

I live in Texas and fish out of a kayak so I fish cover a lot if that helps in any way

I fish from a kayak the majority of the time and I usually make sure to have a rod for frogs (7' + HF), something for jigs and weighted plastics (7' MHF) and a versatile spinning rod (7' MF) for stuff like weightless plastics. I like to throw wacky rigs a lot.