uses for different rods

[Bama bassin]

Like I said in my previous post I recently got back into bass fishing and trying to decide what rods I need that I don't have and the best uses for my current setups 

 

current setups 

7' mh fast action carbonlite and pro qualifier 

7' bass pro mh cranking stick Lews lfs speed spool

7' mh fast carbonlite with pro qualifier (spinning)

7'1" m fast st croix bass x shimano canean  

 

what should I use each rod for and what others should I get to complete my aresenal probably getting a m fast st croix spinning rod for drop shots and shakey heads and a 7' mh fast mojo bass for frogs thanks!

[fishnkamp]

Without handling each rod lets turn this around a bit.  I say this because I do not what gear ratio each reels has and also not sure how some of the rods act.

 

First I like a 6'6" to 6'10" medium power fast action rod that will fish grubs, tubes, shakey heads, texas rigs up to 1/4 ounce (plus the bait so that runs about 3/8 or more) with a typical worm or creature bait. I would see how well your carbonlite spinning rod can do that job. 

Next I like a rod around 6'8" but a ML Fast action for drop shots, Ned rigs and floating worms. This might be a good rod to add.

 

The 7'1 bass x would get a 6.?-1 reel on it. I would throw small to mid sized crankbaits, rattle traps, and even square bills.  This rod might be my spinnerbait rod also ( up to 5/8 ounce spinnerbaits).  Try and see how well this rod handles minnow style jerkbaits like Rapala and Lucky Craft Pointers.  Another good use would be to fish plastic swimbaits like the Keitechs and Reaction Innovations Skinny Dippers. These baits are deadly and can be fished 3 ways. First on a plain swimbait hook (weightless in shallow water) on a belly weighted swimbait hook ( for shallow to mid depths like say 8 feet of water over grass) or with a full fish head style swimbait jig head. Look at a Picasso swimbait jig head, it looks like a fish head on the hook.  These in 3/8 or 1/2  ounce work really well in deep water. I have used these to fish for suspended bass feeding on shad above them. They are also deadly on stripers.

 

If the 7' mh fast carbonlite is stiffer than the Bass x I would try to use it for chatterbaits, topwaters, bigger spinnerbaits ( like 3/4 to 1 ounce) and larger deeper diving cranks. I hope that has a 6?-1 or max 7-1 reel on it.  If it is a 7-1 it would forget the deep diving cranks.

 

I would use your 7' mh fast action carbonlite for bottom bouncing baits such as worms and creature baits both texas rigged and carolina rigged. I would throw all of my jigs on this rod.

 

You never said where you live, what city or state. I ask because I have no idea what type of water you fish. Is it mostly big deep clear lakes, small rivers, or like me dirty tidal rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay. Here at home I fish off color water like the Potomac River and Upper Susquehanna Flats. These have lots of heavy grass, lily pads etc. A flippin stick and even a big heavy rod for punching makes sense. When I travel to my favorite Tennessee lakes I have no use for them since we do not punch in 20 to 40 feet of water.  SO if you let us know what type of wate,r I can give you some idea as to awhat would be useful to add.

[Bama bassin]

I live in Alabama I mostly fish the Alabama river Tallapoosa river lake Martin and some ponds on our property the mh fast carbonlite has a 7:1:1 the cranking stick has a 5:?:? I'll look when I get home and the bassx has a 6:3:1

[RichF]

Your 7' mh carbonlite with the fast reel would be good for a number of techniques.  I have a bunch and use them for small jigs (not finesse unless the hook is fairly stout), swim jigs, texas rigged soft plastics, small swimbaits on lead heads, and spinnerbaits/buzzbaits (not so much now since I've switched to heavy glass for this).  I'm using a bunch of different lines for all these as well. 

 

You can definitely get away with throwing frogs on a mh if the cover you're fishing isn't too gnarly.  I fish frogs a lot and use a 7'3 H that has a nice soft tip that really helps with skipping and walking. 

 

Your crank setup is a solid, all purpose choice.  The slower reel will allow you to toss deeper baits with relative ease and you can still toss just about any other crank (like squarebills) with it.  

 

Like previously stated, your St. Croix can give you a lot of options.  Though I rarely use medium action rods anymore, I've tossed jerkbaits, lipless cranks, small spinnerbaits, weightless plastics, and topwaters with them in the past.    

 

For drop shotting with small, nose hooked baits, I prefer more of a medium light action over a medium.  I'll bump up to a heavier power if I'm fishing it with the bait texas rigged around some cover though.  

 

Along with your future, lighter spinning outfit and additional mh casting rig, I'd highly recommend a 7'3 to 7'6 heavy casting rod with 7+:1 gear ratio reel.  

[fishnkamp]

Well  the rigs you have are well matched. 

Your crankin stick is great with the 5.?-1 reel for larger cranks.

Your Bass X will do fine with a 6.3-1 reel as your smaller crankbait, traps and spinnerbaits as well as the other baits we have already suggested.

The 7' mh carbonlite and a 7-1 reel is perfect for all bottom contact stuff.

We already discussed the spinning rod and its uses.  

 

So that leaves us with what will help you going forward. For me I would add the 6'6 to 6'8 ml spinning rod, that is a no brainer because I like to throw Sencos, Ned rigs and finesse texas rigs.

Any other additions would be technique driven. I did some quick research and it looks like the Alabama river fishes much like the Susquehanna river, lots of shallow water in the river sections and then deeper lakes built by dams.  Keith Poche had an article listing the best places are grass islands, points, creek mouths etc and lots of flipping cover options.   He targets a lot of water 10 foot or less.  The river sections seem to have a lot of kayak water so obviously if I was fishing that area I do not need a dedicated 7'6 flipping stick.  If I am fishing from a bass boat on the lake sections I would flip cover with what you have or maybe add a 7'6 flipping- frog rod.

Take a few minutes to read his short article. Lots of good info in there.

http://www.alabamabasstrail.org/keith-poche-summer-on-the-alabama-river/

 

 I would definitely add a dedicated jerkbait rod and a 6-3 of even 7-1 reel on it.  That would allow me to have a bait like a Bandit 200, KVD 1.5, Norman little N or deep little n on your Bass X and still have a jerkbait ready.  I would have a floater diver or suspending jerkbait on that rod. Rapalas, Lucky Craft Pointers, prop style baits and even Rebel minnow baits are good too.

Your 7 ft Carbonlite mhf would probably have a swim jig and a creature bait trailer like a Craw Papy or Mega Strike megabug on it most of the time. 

 

 

[Bama bassin]

Thanks for all the help guys definitely going to be picking up a frogging setup and a m or ml spinning setup next