What setup do I get next?

[JWall14]

I fish in northern Illinois for smallmouth and largemouth. So far I have a tourney special 6’6 MH baitcaster with a abu Garcia silver max reel and am getting a Dobyns fury 7’0 ML spinning with a Shimano NASCI on Black Friday. What setup should I get next? Should I get a better MH setup or something else? I would like to end up with around 5 setups which will cover basically everything.

[burrows]

This decision is  totally up to you...

 What do you think is missing for the type of applications you fish, spinnerbaits, jigs, crank-baits, frogs and so on each combo has its place like every tool in your tool box. What do you think you need to add for your style of fishing? Get what you need to get the job done.

[KickingFish]

19 hours ago, JWall14 said:

I fish in northern Illinois for smallmouth and largemouth. So far I have a tourney special 6’6 MH baitcaster with a abu Garcia silver max reel and am getting a Dobyns fury 7’0 ML spinning with a Shimano NASCI on Black Friday. What setup should I get next? Should I get a better MH setup or something else? I would like to end up with around 5 setups which will cover basically everything.

It is all up to how and what you like to fish, this will determine the setups you buy. I would reccomend getting a medium light rod and a smaller reel next.

[Spankey]

You’ll probably like the NACSI. I  know I do. They done away with the Symetre because of some name or rights to the name thing. The Symetre are/were my favorites and I like the two NACSI just as much. Good luck. 

[Hook2Jaw]

I'm having the same issue, except I'm having to rebuild my baitcaster arsenal after having four stolen in addition to two spinners.

 

Here's my rebuild order, from what I found most important to least.  I've currently knocked out the first two setups.  My priorities are setup to move me into prominent techniques throughout the coming months for kayak tournaments.

 

1. 7' MHF, 6.3:1, 12# fluoro.  Universal setup.

2. 7' MHF, 7.3:1, 14# fluoro.  Universal setup.

3. 6'7" MXF, 6.3:1, 10# mono.  Jerkbait setup.

4. 7'3" MHF, 7.3:1, 14# fluoro.  Carolina, Texas, casting jigs.

5. 7'4" HF, 8.1:1, 50# braid.  Pitching, punching, and frogging.

6. 7'3" Crankbait Rod, 6.3:1, 12# fluoro.  Chatter, swimjigs, small swimbaits, medium crankbaits.

7. 7'9" Crankbait Rod, 5.4:1, 10# fluoro.  Deep crankbaits, medium swimbaits, A-Rigs.

8. 8' Swimbait Rod, 5.3:1 round reel, 20# copoly.  Large swimbaits, A-Rigs.

9. 7'1" MF, 2500 Spinning Reel, 20# braid to 6-10# fluoro, finesse baits.

 

If I were you I would get a 7'-7'6" MHF with a medium to high speed reel for casting weighted worms and jigs or the finesse setup in the area of 7' and a size 2000 or 2500 spinning reel.  That Nasci is an incredible reel.

[burrows]

18 minutes ago, KickingFish said:

It is all up to how and what you like to fish, this will determine the setups you buy. I would reccomend getting a medium light rod and a smaller reel next.

Why would you recommend another medium light rod if he already has one?

[Spankey]

I’m not trying to recommend anything. Can only comment on the quality level of something I already use. 

 

The type of fishing will dictate what you need. 

[KickingFish]

8 minutes ago, Burrows said:

Why would you recommend another medium light rod if he already has one?

You could use them for anything and I did not specify but I was talking about a baitcaster.

[MrFrost]

I'm over in the NW Burbs, but my best advice would be to fish for awhile and get a good feel for what method of fishing you like to do the most and invest in that.  And then as budget allows keep investing in the methods you enjoy the most and you find catch you the most fish.  

[I/MBasser]

20 hours ago, JWall14 said:

I fish in northern Illinois for smallmouth and largemouth. So far I have a tourney special 6’6 MH baitcaster with a abu Garcia silver max reel and am getting a Dobyns fury 7’0 ML spinning with a Shimano NASCI on Black Friday. What setup should I get next? Should I get a better MH setup or something else? I would like to end up with around 5 setups which will cover basically everything.

I'm in Northern Illinois and have 5 set ups as well.  All my rods are Fox River Lures and Rods.  It's local, reasonably priced  and I like them a lot.  Not sure spending an additional $100 on any rod is going to help me catch more fish.

 

My setups are:

7'9" MH.  I use this for topwater and flipping.

7' M-M.  This is my crankbait rod.

7' MH-F.  I use this rod for most applications... jigs, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, jerkbaits, some topwater, heavier Texas rigs, etc..

6-9" M-F.  This is my spinning rod.

I also have a very inexpensive 6-6" ML-F Pflueger Trion that I use for small mouth bass, specifically the DuPage River.  Currently looking for a new set up and prefer a shorter rod.  Since Fox River only makes a 7' ML rod I'll likely buy a different brand.

[Boomstick]

I would get a 7'+ cranking rod. There's several options here.

 

I run a 7'2" Daiwa Tatula Glass MH/MF which is a good bet for pretty much any moving bait. It's a little on the stiffer side for cranks but I rarely lose a fish on it. It's best with deep divers or square bills but I can also fish a spinnerbait or bladed jig on it. You could also use a M/F rod and fish lighter spinnerbaits and square bills on it, or go with a M/M or MH/M rod as well.

 

The Tatula Glass rod does compliment my MH/F rod quite nicely though, and I also have a ML/XF spinning rod for finesse techniques. I plan to add a M/F or M/XF rod for jerkbaits, topwater and weightless soft plastics and a heavy rod for frogs and jigs. Additionally, 7'2" is long enough to give me some extra casting distance but still small enough to fit inside my truck. I'm using 15lb Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon this year and have used Sufix Siege mono 14lb last year -- basically pick your line based on the depth you fish at regularly.

 

This way you can have a soft plastic or jig and a crank or spinnerbait rigged up.

[bigfruits]

a medium for weightless plastics? heavy for jig/worm?

 

if i only had 5 rods for largemouth:

 

Med F or XF spinning - finesse, weightless plastics

Med Moderate Fast or F BC - shallow cranks, topwater

MH F BC - all around rod. single hook moving baits, topwater and anything it is weight range except deep cranks.

MH F or XF BC - jigs and t-rig (this would probably be the most expensive)

Heavy F   - frogs, big bottom contact, small swimbaits, heavy cover

 

If i did a lot of crankbait fishing, id swap the least used one above with a moderate action rod. prob MH.