Arsenal for co angler

[jmcarriere]

Happy Labor Day everyone i am trying to put together a good arsenal for myself as a co angler i understand that you want to keep it to 5-6 rods i know some bring 7 rods here are the 7 that i feel like i need but will have an 8th at home depending on what the lake is doing that i can swap for a different one.

1. 7' medium mod-mod fast spinning

2. 7'6 h-xh f flipping pitching heavy jigs swimbaits

3. 7'3 hf frog swim jig

4. 7'2 mh modf cranks chatterbait spinnerbait buzzbaits 

5. 7' mhf lighter trig and jigs

6. 7' m mod cranks up to dt10

7. 6'9 med xf topwater and jerkbaits

 

My biggest question is can i combine number 6 and 7 or do i need a seperate rod for those i will also have an extra spinning setup at home for when i am fishing for smallies

I live in Minnesota anf need help with this thank you

[kickerfish1]

2 and 3 are interchangeable IMO. I would likely get rid of one and consider a 2nd spinning rod. I would want something for neds and dropshots and another for tubes and shakeyheads. Just my $.02. Most of the time for smallie fishing I feel like I am using 50% casting and 50% spinning.

[jmcarriere]

12 minutes ago, kickerfish1 said:

2 and 3 are interchangeable IMO. I would likely get rid of one and consider a 2nd spinning rod. I would want something for neds and dropshots and another for tubes and shakeyheads. Just my $.02. Most of the time for smallie fishing I feel like I am using 50% casting and 50% spinning.

Yes your right amd i agree 2 and 3 are interchangeable and if i was fishing a lake that didnt have big weed beds then both wouldnt go but i also love to throw frogs and flip and pitch so was doing that so i didnt have to tie on a punch setup after the frog bit turned off. 

[kickerfish1]

So if you have say 8 rods you can just talk to the boater and get the scoop on how they plan on fishing so you can take the 5 you feel would be best matches. For example do they anticipate a deep off shore bite or a lot of shoreline cover fishing. You may find you can shuffle things as well depending upon the season. I have zero use for my jerkbait rod during the summer when the weeds take over. I also have no use for my frogging rod late in the fall or early spring. If you can afford to have more combos on hand then you need you can just pick and choose what to bring based upon lake, conditions, time of year or what your boater does. Going in with 5 rods most guys should be able to catch fish.

[JustinJ]

I would definitely  add a medium light spinning rod to fish slider worms, ned rig, dropshot

[Angry John]

I also fully agree 5 as a rider is tops.  I use 5 or 4 as a rider with my regular partner.  Setup trays that go with each rod and it makes packing for the trip soooo much easier.  

[r83srock]

I fish as a Co Angler in Anglers Choice, as a team. I was using 8 rods and am down to 6, much more manageable and forces me to stick with the baits I know I need to grind out, such as a finesse worm or jig. Fish will hit that jig if it's in front of them. I also keep only 6 in my boat anytime I'm fishing out of mine. Pre fishing I load up on tackle and being 8-10 rods, or more, whether it's my boat or someone else's. by the time game day rolls around I'm down to 6 rods and a bag with 20lbs or less worth of tackle and "stuff". I know what I need on game day and nothing more. That being said I would pull #2 and #4 out, add another 7'mh f casting setup, and yes, a finesse spinning setup like a 6'8" m xf or 6'9" ml xf. That's just what I would do, otherwise not bad.

I also want to add to what others have said. I don't just rig stuff up and that's it for the year. I spend countless hours going through by bag and rods. I keep rods at home that I only use for certain presentations such as jerk baits, I save that rod for jerks and maybe topwater in the fall for smallies, if they happen to be hitting jerkbaits mid summer I can get the job done on my square bill rod, no sweat. My terminal tackle, jigs, cranks, jerks, topwater all get sorted through before each event. I'm not going to carry 10 frogs on a body of water that doesn't have pads or slop, I might carry 4, in two different colors. I'm not going to carry deep diving cranks on a shallow body of water loaded with grass, I'll carry a few more rattle traps though. I'm not taking 1.5 oz grass jigs on a river system loaded with smallmouth, but I'm going to take 1/2-3/4oz football jigs, usually in two colors. You get the idea.

[jmcarriere]

12 minutes ago, r83srock said:

I fish as a Co Angler in Anglers Choice, as a team. I was using 8 rods and am down to 6, much more manageable and forces me to stick with the baits I know I need to grind out, such as a finesse worm or jig. Fish will hit that jig if it's in front of them. I also keep only 6 in my boat anytime I'm fishing out of mine. Pre fishing I load up on tackle and being 8-10 rods, or more, whether it's my boat or someone else's. by the time game day rolls around I'm down to 6 rods and a bag with 20lbs or less worth of tackle and "stuff". I know what I need on game day and nothing more. That being said I would pull #2 and #4 out, add another 7'mh f casting setup, and yes, a finesse spinning setup like a 6'8" m xf or 6'9" ml xf. That's just what I would do, otherwise not bad.

I know that on game day i cam only bring 5-6 i would never try to bring 7 or 8 rods with me as a coangler. Am just trying to figure out what i do need to own and am appreciating the responses

[Fishin' Fool]

4-5 rods is reasonable as a co-angler

[Quarry Man]

combine 2 and 3  combine 6 and 7. For heavy stuff, i think a 7'3" H or 7'6" Mh or H ought to do the trick. I use a 7' m mod for cranks with 10 lb mono. I also use it for slow twitching jerk baits and trebled topwater baits. The reason why a m mod is good for slow twitch is because it loads more and has give. its hard to work them fast but not impossible. if you have more questions and want to know my setups as a co angler, just shoot me a PM, ill give you all i know

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

If you and your draw partner have a good idea where and how you'll fish that day a couple setups may be all you need. Many days I fished with just one rod. 

[Chance_Taker4]

I fish Co angler for a few years now. I have 6 setups rigged but most of the time I only bring 4 on the boat unless my boater tells me its going to be a grind. my list is as follows:

 

6'9" ML F Spinning Combo for weightless

6'10" M F Spinning Combo for Shakey Head and light Weights

6'6" M MF Casting with a 7:1 for topwater, Jerkbait and squarebills

7' MH F Casting with a 7:1 for spinnebait, chatterbait, buzzbait, Carolina rig, t-rig

7'2" Hvy F Casting with a 8:1 for flipping, pitching, jigs, frogs

 

Occasionally I'll take a 6'9" MH F 6:1 as a second MH setup. But only if my boater and I are clueless on what is going on that day.

 

[jmcarriere]

4 minutes ago, Chance_Taker4 said:

I fish Co angler for a few years now. I have 6 setups rigged but most of the time I only bring 4 on the boat unless my boater tells me its going to be a grind. my list is as follows:

 

6'9" ML F Spinning Combo for weightless

6'10" M F Spinning Combo for Shakey Head and light Weights

6'6" M MF Casting with a 7:1 for topwater, Jerkbait and squarebills

7' MH F Casting with a 7:1 for spinnebait, chatterbait, buzzbait, Carolina rig, t-rig

7'2" Hvy F Casting with a 8:1 for flipping, pitching, jigs, frogs

 

Occasionally I'll take a 6'9" MH F 6:1 as a second MH setup. But only if my boater and I are clueless on what is going on that day.

 

Thank you for your response. I am really trying to figure out how to get some things to pull double duty.

[Chance_Taker4]

7 minutes ago, jmcarriere said:

Thank you for your response. I am really trying to figure out how to get some things to pull double duty.

I would eliminate 2,4,7 and add a second spinning combo. The three I eliminated could swap with other combos when you know you are planning on using the specific presentation.

[jmcarriere]

3 minutes ago, Chance_Taker4 said:

I would eliminate 2,4,7 and add a second spinning combo. The three I eliminated could swap with other combos when you know you are planning on using the specific presentation.

I know that i will throw a chatterbait almost everyday but dont know that i will throw a crankbait deeper then 15 ft much the reason i was having a seperate rod for frogs and swim jigs then my flipping and pitching was so if i miss a blow up on the frog i could throw a heavier trig right away so i could drop 4 and ues i can drop 7 bit dont know what rod i could use for topwater and jerkbaits

[WRB]

Co anglers needs to talk to the boater before hauling a lot of tackle to the tournament.

It's better to have a backup combo for the primary presentation of the day.

MN you are fishing a lot of cover and docks for LMB or more rocky reefs and deeper weed breaks for smallmouth, you need specific tackle.

If I was fishing MN tournaments wouldn't need a big swimbait rod, low % presentation.

IRod IRG 754F Freds Magic stick is ideal for multiple presentations from frogs and your other heavier lure presentations.

Irod IRG 744C is ideal for everything from 1/4- 1 oz lures, bottom contact or chatter baits, spinnerbaits etc.

Iovino MajorCraft finesse spinning rod for spinning finesse presentations

Iovino MajorCraft Splash-It casting rod for top water and jerk baits.

That is what I suggest, equal brands is your choice.

Tom

 

[jmcarriere]

2 minutes ago, WRB said:

Co anglers needs to talk to the boater before hauling a lot of tackle to the tournament.

It's better to have a backup combo for the primary presentation of the day.

MN you are fishing a lot of cover and docks for LMB or more rocky reefs and deeper weed breaks for smallmouth, you need specific tackle.

If I was fishing MN tournaments wouldn't need a big swimbait rod, low % presentation.

IRod IRG 754F Freds Magic stick is ideal for multiple presentations from frogs and your other heavier lure presentations.

Irod IRG 744C is ideal for everything from 1/4- 1 oz lures, bottom contact or chatter baits, spinnerbaits etc.

Iovino MajorCraft finesse spinning rod for spinning finesse presentations

Iovino MajorCraft Splash-It casting rod for top water and jerk baits.

That is what I suggest, equal brands is your choice.

Tom

 

I agree that as a co angler i can not bring a lot of tackle with me and i dont ever want to be that guy. Do i know that in the club i am in that if their boat is big enough that they dont have a problem with you bringing 7 rods with you yes i know that. But am trying to get everything covered in 5-6 set ups. So i appreciate all the responses

[ww2farmer]

When I get on the back of someone else's boat I take 3 rods

 

7'3" H/F with a 7:1 reel and 50lb braid: I can do all my flipping, pitching, c-rigging, frogging,  etc... with this

 

7' MH/Mod F with a 6:1 reel and 20lb braid: I can deep crank, shallow crank, lip-less crank, chatterbait/swim jig, etc...with this rod

 

And a 6'8" M/XF spinnng rod with 10lb braid: I can drop shot, shaky head, flick shake, skip weightless plastics under overhead cover, etc...with this.

 

I put small spools of various fluorocarbon for making/tying leaders in my bag, and keep the scissors handy. Every boater I fish with is happy with this situation, and it makes for a trim, streamlined approach.

 

On my own boat...it's another story, there's often 200 rods on the front deck LOL

 

[r83srock]

1 hour ago, ww2farmer said:

When I get on the back of someone else's boat I take 3 rods

 

7'3" H/F with a 7:1 reel and 50lb braid: I can do all my flipping, pitching, c-rigging, frogging,  etc... with this

 

7' MH/Mod F with a 6:1 reel and 20lb braid: I can deep crank, shallow crank, lip-less crank, chatterbait/swim jig, etc...with this rod

 

And a 6'8" M/XF spinnng rod with 10lb braid: I can drop shot, shaky head, flick shake, skip weightless plastics under overhead cover, etc...with this.

 

I put small spools of various fluorocarbon for making/tying leaders in my bag, and keep the scissors handy. Every boater I fish with is happy with this situation, and it makes for a trim, streamlined approach.

 

On my own boat...it's another story, there's often 200 rods on the front deck LOL

 

That's really a great way to do it. So you have to retie more often? Big deal, your knot is always fresh. Very efficient!