Can I Realistically Use My Bass Rod For Trout/Panfish Situations?

[Gravy Master]

I understand that whatever I mention here and what gets discussed are not ideal scenarios - believe me I completely get it. If I wasn't so tight on cash then I would just buy a super lightweight setup and be done with it. I typically fish for largemouths and ony largemouths, but there are some lakes and rivers in my area that have trout, crappie, perch, and other panfish and I have never fished for anything like that in my life and think it would be awesome to try it once in a while. So here is what I have for a current setup and what I'm wondering if I can do or not:

 

• 7 ft Medium Heavy, Fast Action Rod (Fenwick Eagle)
• Daiwa BG3000 Spinning Reel
• 30# Braid (Moss Green Color)

 

So...the million dollar question: Can I tie on a few feet of 6# fluoro as a leader and then toss out some lightweight lures like spoons, rooster tails, and maybe small Rapala minnows and maybe catch me a trout or crappie? If the answer is no, then why not exactly? 

[Choporoz]

Take it in the yard and tie on the lure you want to throw.  You'll know soon enough. 

 

The only real limitation will be whether or not you can actually cast that small spoon or spinner.  Ratings are very 'approximate'...however, if your rod is rated 1/4-1oz and you try to cast a 1/16oz beetle spin, you're likely to be disappointed.

[S Hovanec]

Will it work? yes.  Ideal? No. That MH will suffer in the casting distance department with light lures.  Hooksets will need adjusted or you will rip the hooks out of the fish, especially the crappie.  I will use my ML bass rods on occasion, but I have a couple light power rids dedicated to panfish/trout.

[Choporoz]

You're welcome.   

 

If your cashless situation EVER changes, we're here to help.

[PNW LipRipper]

I see no problem using that set up for slime rockets (trout) tie on a 6 foot leader floro mono etc . Troll jig or cast. I know trout do it cranks on some lakes I fish 

[bish0p]

When my funds were tight I got a $10 Dock Demon at Walmart, just for the glass rod. I replaced the reel with the my 2500 size reel. Not ideal, but it works. It's fun to catch panfish and trout on this rod.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Zebco-Dock-Demon-Spincast-Combo/19491283

[J Francho]

A medium heavy is going to be a struggle, but a medium power would be better.  I use a medium pwoer rod here for these trout:

 

 

[fishwizzard]

If you have any solder laying around you can use it to add weight to smaller lures.  I will sometimes use it to add weight to these 1/8oz spinnerbaits I throw for white perch. 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Go ahead and try your set-up, maybe add a bobber cause your distance wont be the greatest but should be doable with say 1/16 inline spinners. The small rapala minnows will be iffy.

 

Plenty of people say not to use 10 pound braid on a baitcaster and surely cant throw frogs using 10pound braid on slop but it worked for me. Here is one of many 10pound braid slop catches

 

[Bluebasser86]

I actually just ordered 2 of these rods tonight to replace too that fell victim to me not paying attention while backing out of the covered dock slip I had taken shelter under from a storm last week. Broke a Shock and Vendetta spinning rod, so I'm going to give those Heritage a try. I've heard good things about them and almost picked up the light action one for myself to replace one my son broke earlier this year. Nice thing is they have a deal going on right now if you spend $50 you get $15 off, so with the 2 rods and shipping I ended up only paying $54. Not bad considering they're normally $60 each. 

[Lures'n'Liberty]

Keep an eye out at thrift stores, yard sales, pawn shops, etc. Chances are very good that you'll find an ultralight rod for $5 or less to fit the bill one day if you get the extra cash, that will really help a lot. A lot of great tips above, and I know we all want to catch on lures. If you wind up totally unable to cast the light baits but still want to catch trout and crappie, you should have no trouble floating bait. All the equipment and lures in the world can't make up for the sheer number of kids who caught their first trout on a worm and a bobber with crappy 20# mono on an over-medium Zebco that's probably about as stiff as your Fenwick. 

[burrows]

You can always just pick up a cheapy trout rig at Walmart probably only spend 30 bucks at Walmart for a decent ultra light combo.

[Boomstick]

I would suggest picking up a cheap ultra light or light spinning combo and use that for trout and panfish. Ultra light Ugly Sticks are generally a decent affordable option as it takes a long to break them should you land something much larger.

 

Also as trout fishing is the most common up here in the northeast, you can probably find a lot of 5 light and ultra light spinning setups for around $30 on Craigslist.