Rod question

[nwstriper]

In my quest to focus more on bass and less on salmon/steelhead fishing, I have been down sizing my equipment. I will keep some but have probably 30 + set ups. My questions is I have 2 G Loomis IMX Hot shot rods. specs are 2 Piece | Length: 7'6" | Line: 6lb-12lb | Lure: 1/4oz - 1/2oz | Power: Mag-Light | Action: Extra Fast. I'm wondering if they would work as bass rods. Very light weight at 4.7 oz and have a sensitive tip.  Opinions?  

[A-Jay]

May depend on what you use them for.

Salmon/steelhead rods generally fairly 'soft' tip, effective at what they are designed for, but may be a little soft when compared to most conventional 'bass tackle'.

So the characteristics of the Hot Shot rods that you like for Salmon/steelhead, may prove to be undesirable in many bass fishing applications.

A-Jay

[nwstriper]

G Loomis rod description :When you're looking for a really good spinning rod for steelhead, silvers and other small salmon, this is an excellent choice. It's got a lot of power with our magnum taper design and the tip is light enough to cast spinners, spoons or crankbaits. It is very popular for light-duty saltwater use, fishing jigs, spinnerbaits and spoons for redfish, bonefish and permit. IMX makes it surprisingly light considering how powerful this rod is and it's extremely versatile. There's probably nothing you can't do with it except maybe cast a fly.

[A-Jay]

7 minutes ago, nwstripper said:

G Loomis rod description :When you're looking for a really good spinning rod for steelhead, silvers and other small salmon, this is an excellent choice. It's got a lot of power with our magnum taper design and the tip is light enough to cast spinners, spoons or crankbaits. It is very popular for light-duty saltwater use, fishing jigs, spinnerbaits and spoons for redfish, bonefish and permit. IMX makes it surprisingly light considering how powerful this rod is and it's extremely versatile. There's probably nothing you can't do with it except maybe cast a fly.

Awesome - let us know how you make out.

A-Jay

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Those will make nice jerk bait rods I believe. Maybe traps, square bills and chatter baits. 

[Tywithay]

There's no real difference between a bass rod, panfish rod, salmon rod, etc., other than the name. They're all graphite and/or glass in a variety of configurations. I have inshore rods that I use in freshwater and the rod doesn't seem to know the difference...

 

Stay within the recommended weights on the rod and find bass-specific lures that fit the bill. I would guess it'd work really well for light jigs and unweighted small plastics.

[MickD]

The issue here is that these rods are "hot shot rods," very stiff butt, soft tip, extra fast action.  They are hard to describe properly, and I know that Rainshadow calls one of theirs medium light power when in fact the tip is light but the overall rod is quite powerful due to the heavy butt that goes very far out the blank.  Checked on CCS it measures 525 grams, 82 degrees action angle, which is quite powerful, more powerful than what most would call medium light.  More like a medium heavy when talking freshwater spin.  So these rods should be very versatile rods.  Because of the light tip they will cast light lures well.  Because of the power of the whole rod, they should cast fairly heavy lures well, also, and should handle large fish very well.  I suggest you try them at whatever you need another outfit for and see how they work.  Most likely you will find them very good rods for many techniques, and they will load properly on the cast with a larger range of lure weights than most other rods.  It is my opinion that most fishermen don't really understand this type of rod, but as more do understand them, they will become much more popular.  Point Blank has a number of this type of rod in their premium blank lineup,  I've built a couple, and they are terrific.

[nwstriper]

Thanks everyone. I will give them a try. Now to decide reels. 

[Deleted account]

I'd take an inch off the tip and maybe 2 off the butt, and then get a sticker that says "Easy Transport, custom bass action and length" and line it up over the salmon specs.