Multiple rods on the boat deck

[WRB]

Watching MLF competition sets the tone for today's pro's with anywhere from 10 to 15 or more rof combos out on the front deck while fishing. It amazes me how bass anglers copy what they see on TV.

A few days ago I took an old friend who can't get up early due to his health issue fishing. We arrived at the lake around 9A bright sunny day and the spawn is on so you don't need a lot of different rods and reels. We both got out 2 rods for worms and jigs put them out on the deck and launched. While I was parking another bright yellow 21' bass boat launched and I got back to the dock the other guy arrived looked at our 2 rods each, I look over at thier 20+ rods out on the deck and said " are you fishing MLF"? He answered can't catch em if you don't have the right stuff. 

Got in my boat and idled out about 20 yds while the other guys were trying to figure out what to start with and metered a rock pile with bass on it, turned off the engine and put down the trolling motor, turned around and the guys yells to me "your secret spot and starts laughing. Fred and I both made a cast to the rock pile, we both caught bass on the first cast while the guys watched.

Before the others got their rods sorted out we caught 7 bass between 3 to 4 lbs off that rock pile.

Silence, no more laughing from the peanut gallery.

Tom

[Glenn]

Over the past couple three dozen years or so, there's been countless times I've had 10 to 15 or more combos out on the front deck while fishing; while some days only 1 or 2.  Not trying to copy anyone. That's just how I roll.

 

Good story though!

[RoLo]

Tom, when reading your story I couldn't help but think of Jason Lucas.

Among the many tidbits he shared, Jason suggested to always stop close to the launch ramp,

and work the real estate that every other angler races past on his way to Eden.

That was long before tournament fishing was initialized by Ray Scott in 1967.

 

Today, we have yet another reason to stop close to the launch ramp.

Today you can tap into bass released after every tournament,

which tend to loiter close to the release site  

 

Roger

 

[NYWayfarer]

I usually take 2-3 rods with me. Anymore than that is just clutter.

 

I have learned over the years to downsize the tackle I take as well. Less is best with me.

[A-Jay]

Nice work Tom.  Bet that felt OK.

I'll admit to being guilty of having what sometimes ends up to be a decent pile of rods on deck, but that's just because I'm a Hack.

And I smell what you're cooking Tom.

The "TV"  bass angler has played a decent role in more than a few different ways IMO.

And for the anglers who have grown up watching them and their success, that's just the way it's done.

I'd include the following on the list; 

No Net use, Boat Flip only.  

Never even try to play a fish, just Speed reel it all the way to the boat. (water ski that bass)

 What's an anchor ?  Trolling motor on ALL DAY - especially before the advent of shallow water anchoring systems ( btw I love mine).

 Screaming like a limp has been lost after a fish catch - Thanks Ike.

Then there's the names of everything -  Power Fishing, Dock Fishing & Junk Fishing (first time I heard that one I got a little nauseous) Finesse Fishing & Structure Fishing.    Before this I think it was all just fishing - didn't really matter where I was casting or if I had any power or junk.

And let's not forget all "the Rigs" - Where Texas & Carolina may have started it all - Ned, Do-Nothing, Chicken, Neko, Split Shot, Jako, Rage, Wacky, Doodle Dong, (alright I made that one up - or did I ?) and the A or Umbrella Rigs. 

 

And I have no problem with most all of it, (well, except for the post catch screaming like a sea bird one, not a fan), just as long as I get to do it, doesn't matter what it's called.

A-Jay 

 

[Junk Fisherman]

Just got my boat ready for tomorrow.  This is what I have tied on:

Rattle trap

Chatterbait

C-Rig

Dropshot

2 finesse combos

Pitching Combo

 

So I have 7 on the deck but I'll probably put the pitching combo in the box so that will give me 6.  Different spots call for different baits.  I could narrow that down to 3 but why?  Part of the reason of having a big boat is being to carry a bunch of stuff.

 

I agree that 20 is excessive.  

[A-Jay]

14 minutes ago, Junk Fisherman said:

Just got my boat ready for tomorrow.  This is what I have tied on:

Rattle trap

Chatterbait

C-Rig

Dropshot

2 finesse combos

Pitching Combo

 

So I have 7 on the deck but I'll probably put the pitching combo in the box so that will give me 6.  Different spots call for different baits.  I could narrow that down to 3 but why?  Part of the reason of having a big boat is being to carry a bunch of stuff.

 

I agree that 20 is excessive.  

What ? - No Jerkbait ? ? ? - I  am seriously having trouble breathing right now  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..

A-Jay

[RoLo]

15 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

What ? - No Jerkbait ? ? ? - I  am seriously having trouble breathing right now  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..

A-Jay

 

 

SO, where are you & the bait monkey going to dine tonight? 

He had better pick-up the tab 

 

Roger

[Junk Fisherman]

22 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

What ? - No Jerkbait ? ? ? - I  am seriously having trouble breathing right now  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..

A-Jay

 

This lake is not a big jerk bait lake and I am a lousy jerkbait fisherman on top of it.  It's a powerplant lake so the water will be 60-something degrees.  

[A-Jay]

4 minutes ago, Junk Fisherman said:

 

This lake is not a big jerk bait lake and I am a lousy jerkbait fisherman on top of it.  It's a powerplant lake so the water will be 60-something degrees.  

 

See - I told you I was a Hack ~

AJay

[slonezp]

39 minutes ago, Junk Fisherman said:

 

This lake is not a big jerk bait lake and I am a lousy jerkbait fisherman on top of it.  It's a powerplant lake so the water will be 60-something degrees.  

You hitting Lasalle?

If I have 5 or 6 on deck, that's a lot. Frankly, I could probably cut it to 3 for 90% of my day. 

[ethan-333]

i put 10 on the deck today. ended up only needing 3. but to me its versatility and more time fishing not because i seen it on tv. went to a lake and had no idea what the fish might be doing. so i had it pretty well covered and didnt have to stop and tie on a bunch of different baits. on tournament day once we have fish patterned ill have 3 rods on the deck set up for what were doing and a 5 or 6 more in the rod locker in case things change

[flechero]

I just wish my deck was big enough for 20 rods...  it has nothing to do with TV, being organized is a lot of time and effort.  If my deck held all my rods, I'd probably leave them out as well.  ...lol   As it stands, I try not to keep more than 2-3 out at once. 

[Junk Fisherman]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

You hitting Lasalle?

If I have 5 or 6 on deck, that's a lot. Frankly, I could probably cut it to 3 for 90% of my day. 

 

Braidwood.  Never fished Lasalle before.

 

If I am fishing the 2nd or 3rd day I might cut it down but I haven't fished this lake in 2 weeks so I will try several things.

 

I also feel it is good to have options and to go through a lot of different stuff throughout the day.  If the combo is in the locker I am more likely not to take it out.  Not trying to be offensive but I think there is subtle undertone of "All I need to catch fish is a couple combos" which I don't subscribe to.  If I am fishing a woody shoreline for example I want to have a jig, two plastics, a square bill, a bladed jig, a swimjig, a shakey head- I want all that stuff out so all I have to do is pick it up.  I don't know what the fish want so I am going to show them a lot of different things.  Even if I only run that squarebill a dozen times I still want to see if that is what the fish want.  Obviously, we all have those days where we only need 1 or 2 combos but when I am starting out I want to go through a lot of different baits.  

 

[wdp]

I'm somewhat guilty of this, but not because of watching tourneys on tv. I'll carry up to 7 rods/combos depending on the location I'm fishing. And that's in my lil 12 ft jon boat. I might have a shaky head set up, shallow cranks, lipless cranks, topwater frog, swimbait set up, weightless soft plastic (fluke, etc), and a Texas rig. To me, it's that the reels & rods are so technique specific now, which is good. Makes presentations easier & leads to more landed fish. 

 

But there are some lakes I fish that I know I'll only need 2-3 rods. Just depends. 

 

@WRB Your story reminds me of a similar instance where this happened to me and a buddy. We were fishing a shallow lake that was just covered in grass & lily pads. We passed a family in a boat that was leaving just as we launched and started heading out to a big grass flat. I asked if they'd had any luck. The woman responded (in a very thick redneck tone), "You see all that grass? That's all you gonna catch." I looked over at her husband who was holding a rod with what looked like 1/4 oz t rigged lizard. I proceeded to make my 1st cast with a weightless Ribbit frog. Not 10 cranks in, I had about a 2 pounder blow up on it which I quickly reeled in. When I turned around, I saw all 3 (father, wife & son) staring at me wide eyed with their mouths open, lol.  Quite a funny sight. So the "You see all that grass" became our catch phrase the rest of the day, and we still say it occasionally & laugh. 

 

Btw, only had 2 rods that day. Ribbit frog & weightless fluke. I think we caught over 40 before the sun set. 

[soflabasser]

Doesnt matter how many rods someone fishes with if they don't know how to bass fish well,plain and simple.Have had plenty of successful days fishing with 1 rod from land,and the most rods I fish with on a boat is 5(2 rods are usually enough).

[stk44]

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Nice work Tom.  Bet that felt OK.

I'll admit to being guilty of having what sometimes ends up to be a decent pile of rods on deck, but that's just because I'm a Hack.

And I smell what you're cooking Tom.

The "TV"  bass angler has played a decent role in more than a few different ways IMO.

And for the anglers who have grown up watching them and their success, that's just the way it's done.

I'd include the following on the list; 

No Net use, Boat Flip only.  

Never even try to play a fish, just Speed reel it all the way to the boat. (water ski that bass)

 What's an anchor ?  Trolling motor on ALL DAY - especially before the advent of shallow water anchoring systems ( btw I love mine).

 Screaming like a limp has been lost after a fish catch - Thanks Ike.

Then there's the names of everything -  Power Fishing, Dock Fishing & Junk Fishing (first time I heard that one I got a little nauseous) Finesse Fishing & Structure Fishing.    Before this I think it was all just fishing - didn't really matter where I was casting or if I had any power or junk.

And let's not forget all "the Rigs" - Where Texas & Carolina may have started it all - Ned, Do-Nothing, Chicken, Neko, Split Shot, Jako, Rage, Wacky, Doodle Dong, (alright I made that one up - or did I ?) and the A or Umbrella Rigs. 

 

And I have no problem with most all of it, (well, except for the post catch screaming like a sea bird one, not a fan), just as long as I get to do it, doesn't matter what it's called.

A-Jay 

 

Is the doodle dong a close relative of the dangle berry rig?

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, stk44 said:

Is the doodle dong a close relative of the dangle berry rig?

Yea it is.  LOL ~

I was trying to remember that one but CRS was getting the best of me - not uncommon.

So it ended up coming out a little jacked up.

And I'm not real sure about either rig but I think one involves a wacky rigged cheese curl and a fermented pickle.

A-Jay

[WRB]

Summer fishing it's common to end up with a 1/2 dozen rods or more on the deck if you don't know what the bite us. Spring/spawn cycle shouldn't be that complicated, the majority bass are moving up or are already moved up into water less than 8' deep. Pre spawn are deeper and a few more rod choices may be necessary. Texas rigged worm/craw/creature can all be used on 1 rod, jig on another. If you use a drop shot that would be a 3rd rod.

Fred brought 5 rods and apologized for bring so many, I have 15 outfits in the rod locker and added 3 of Freds. We caught everyone of our bass that day on a white colored hair jig w/3" smoke silver flake single tail grub...worked all day for spawning or staged bass. I will bet we were the only anglers fishing 7/16 oz white hair jigs that day, old school that will always work during the spawn.

The one thing night bass fishing will teach you fast is keep organized and don't keep several rods out on the deck, put the rods and stuff away you are not using.

My routine is to meter the marina area to determine how deep the bass and bait maybe, it's a habit for decades and somedays I don't leave...why run away form fish?

Tom

[geo g]

I usually have six on the deck and usually use two.

[riverbasser]

Maybe its just me but I have instances where I feel I need to throw a certain lure, only to throw it for a few minutes and then pick up something else. Its nice having  an extra rod so I didn't just waste time tying and then retying. Plus if that urge arises again I just pick the other rod up again lol.

 

I normally run 5 or 6 setups on deck because it gives me that piece of mind to not wonder "what if" 

[Catt]

5 on deck is normal for me

 

I have 2 identical rod-n-reels; 1 is for Texas Rigs from weightless to 1/4 oz & the other is a Jig rod from 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz.

I have these 2 on deck 24/7/365

 

The next 3 depend on body of water

 

The next setup is for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, swimjigs, cranks, or Traps.

 

Next is for heavy Pitching & Punching 

 

The final setup will be a topwater of some type

 

It about what suits your style of fishing!

[OCdockskipper]

When I fished from the bank, I would carry 2 or 3 rods (depending on how rough the terrain was to walk).  I thought that was enough to cover everything I needed.

 

When I fished from a little paddle boat, I would carry 5 rods because I could set them up on the spare seat without interfering with my casts.  I liked having the additional rods & thought that was enough to cover everything I needed.

 

In my Pond Prowler, I can carry 8 rods comfortably, all within reach.  I really liked having the additional rods handy and thought that was enough to cover everything I needed.

 

Today, I figured out what the fish were doing pretty quickly, so 6 of the 8 rods were barely used and caught nothing.  A jerkbait caught 3 bass (fry guarders) and a Zman Hula Stickz on a Ned jighead caught the other 34 (bed fish & post spawn).  However, I would have been ticked off if I didn't have those other 6 available and needed them...

[Sam]

13 hours ago, WRB said:

Watching MLF competition sets the tone for today's pro's with anywhere from 10 to 15 or more rof combos out on the front deck while fishing. It amazes me how bass anglers copy what they see on TV.

A few days ago I took an old friend who can't get up early due to his health issue fishing. We arrived at the lake around 9A bright sunny day and the spawn is on so you don't need a lot of different rods and reels. We both got out 2 rods for worms and jigs put them out on the deck and launched. While I was parking another bright yellow 21' bass boat launched and I got back to the dock the other guy arrived looked at our 2 rods each, I look over at thier 20+ rods out on the deck and said " are you fishing MLF"? He answered can't catch em if you don't have the right stuff. 

Got in my boat and idled out about 20 yds while the other guys were trying to figure out what to start with and metered a rock pile with bass on it, turned off the engine and put down the trolling motor, turned around and the guys yells to me "your secret spot and starts laughing. Fred and I both made a cast to the rock pile, we both caught bass on the first cast while the guys watched.

Before the others got their rods sorted out we caught 7 bass between 3 to 4 lbs off that rock pile.

Silence, no more laughing from the peanut gallery.

Tom

 

Tom, I was at the Walkerton Ramp on the Mattaponi River waiting my turn to launch after a bass club launched at least 20 boats.  While they were sitting in the water waiting for their blast off I walked to the end of the short pier and threw a wacky rigged Senko and nailed a small bass.

 

You should have seen the faces on those guys waiting to blast off. It was funny seeing them in shock that they were running away from the fish.

 

Yes, sometimes karma works in your favor.

 

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

[whitwolf]

The power of advertisement and the need/want to replicate. It's truly a fascinating study. There was a time that I had set ups that had whatever bait I was told would guarantee a boatload of bass within easy reach. I not only had the baits but the "look" that screamed "look at me I not only know but I look the part." I stayed this way during my mid 20's through my mid 30's "thinking" I was just a few more baits/fancy gadgets away from figuring it all out.

 

A solitary trip with my son changed my fishing for life. I will always believe when you have little folks and or beginners on board you should keep it simple and make durn sure they catch fish. He didn't care  about the latest and greatest and comfort was far more Important than style. The simplicity of a cricket and bobber  and the smile/exuberance of my son that day in particular, brought back memories of a time when fishing was simple, fun, and what drew me to the water in the first place to chase those majestic green fish. 

 

Through many more years of transformation/experimentation I found what works for me. Yes, there are days I have six set ups at my feet but more times than not I worry little about having what I think I "might" need and just fish. I pretty much go through a progression of what I know works for me and let the rest sort itself out regardless of time. On average I have four set ups at the ready and as the day goes on i usually put one away. 

 

Lastly, It's a decision that's entirely up to the Individual as to what to do but for me I base much of what i do with one simple tenant at the forefront; I want to catch fish and have FUN. If you fish long enough you tend to realize that most every decision you make comes from a lifetime of experience. 

 

Great thread Tom, thanks for starting it!