Unhappy with Rod Collection

[kentropy]

I could use some advice from those of you that fish from a boat with a collection of rods.  I am still relatively new to boat fishing (bought a 16" Tracker this year) and I am having a hard time building a good baitcaster rod collection to cover the variety of techniques (Ohio Bass/Saugeye in lakes).  Each rod I buy feels like a mistake looking back.  I am underwhelmed with the cheap Abu Garcia Vengeance rods I have and would eventually like to replace them.   I really like St Croix Mojo Bass rods, my favorite rod is probably my ML XF spincaster finesse setup with a stradic reel  (I didn't add it below since not a baitcaster).  I was at the Columbus Ohio fishing expo this fall and a vendor also talked me into getting my first Bass Mojo baitcaster rod (MH XF).  Unfortunately, I am a little worried now that I have started using it, that it isn't a very versatile rod due to the length and XF tip (I now know it is a swim frog rod).  I would like to get another Bass Mojo, but I am a little lost on what to go with next or how to build on what I have .  I could use some advice on what to get to round out what I have and what techniques to use for each rod.  I also included the reels I have them paired with in case that helps.

 

St Croix Mojo Bass 7’5” MH XF Baitcaster with Shimano Metanium 7.4:1 - I have no idea how to use this rod other than for "swim frogs" - any advice?, it feels like a waste for the Metanium reel (got a crazy deal)

 

Abu Garcia Vengeance 7’6” H MF Heavy Baitcast with Abu Garcia Revo Rocket 9.0:1 (currently set up as a punching rod with 50 lb braid and a 1 oz titanium weight/skirt/soft plastic beaver tail)

 

Abu Garcia Vengeance 6'6" MH F Baitcaster with Lews Mach Speed Spool 5:1  7.2 oz.  (Despite being the cheapest setup, I find myself using this combo the most because it seems more versatile.  It drives me crazy that I am not using the Mojo Bass / Metanium reel more)

 

Overall, my setup feels pretty messed up and not very versatile.  What should I change with my setups?  How should I use these rods?  What should I add?

 

Thanks for any help,

 

Ken

[DanielG]

Not a ton of experience here and not a lot of rods but...

Last year I got a Dobyns Champion 735C glass mh/f  I just love the rod. I fish a lot of crankbaits. It casts nicely but it's great in the fight also. I have it paired with a Curado DC but that's just a matter of taste.

[Fishes in trees]

You're just a few years in, it is to be expected that you're not particularly happy with your gear.  Assembling gear takes time, in that you need to learn what you like and what you don't.  Should you desire to use the Mojo rod more, then do. Me, that would be my primary soft plastic pitching rod.   You can throw anything with that rod - 10 " worms,  tx rigged stick baits, assorted other soft plastics.  I'd put some 15 or 17 lb Abrazx , maybe start off with a quarter ounce tungsten and just start pitching at stuff.   I use a very similar set up for my home made jika rigs, which is mostly a deep weedline thing

You didn't say what kind of spinning gear you got, spinning gear definitely has a place in bass fishing.  Ned rigs, shakey head rigs, lightweight crank rigs all come to mind.  Currently my dedicated wacky senko rig is a 7' MH/ EXF Fenwick HMG spinning rod.   This is a pretty stout rig, but it is easy for me to skip the bait underneath stuff.   I have issues skipping with a bait caster.

 

Your  6'6" rig seems like the one you ought to use for reaction baits, spinner baits, chatter baits, square bills and the like.

 

[Fishingmickey]

7 hours ago, kentropy said:

 

 

St Croix Mojo Bass 7’5” MH XF Baitcaster with Shimano Metanium 7.4:1 - I have no idea how to use this rod other than for "swim frogs" - any advice?, it feels like a waste for the Metanium reel (got a crazy deal)

 

 

Overall, my setup feels pretty messed up and not very versatile.  What should I change with my setups?  How should I use these rods?  What should I add?

 

Thanks for any help,

 

Ken

Hi Ken,

    I agree with you and with Fishesintrees assessment. I wouldn't be too hung up on the XF action on your Mojo/Met combo. It is a excellent bottom contact bait set-up. For me 15-17lb Invisx or Tatsu. Fish T-rigged, jig's, swim jig etc.

    I suspect it would do fine for pitching into light to moderate cover also.  IMHO try it out on different lures! Weightless flukes regular and mag sized fished over or through veggies comes to mind.

FM

[KP Duty]

I would put the rocket on your 7'5" for pitching/flipping....the 5.1 ratio on your 7-6 H/mod for larger deep divers, chatterbaits, and other larger tasks.  The 7.4 met on your 6-6mh would be your do-it-all rod from walking baits to squarebills and everything in between.

[kentropy]

3 hours ago, Fishes in trees said:

You're just a few years in, it is to be expected that you're not particularly happy with your gear.  Assembling gear takes time, in that you need to learn what you like and what you don't.  Should you desire to use the Mojo rod more, then do. Me, that would be my primary soft plastic pitching rod.   You can throw anything with that rod - 10 " worms,  tx rigged stick baits, assorted other soft plastics.  I'd put some 15 or 17 lb Abrazx , maybe start off with a quarter ounce tungsten and just start pitching at stuff.   I use a very similar set up for my home made jika rigs, which is mostly a deep weedline thing

You didn't say what kind of spinning gear you got, spinning gear definitely has a place in bass fishing.  Ned rigs, shakey head rigs, lightweight crank rigs all come to mind.  Currently my dedicated wacky senko rig is a 7' MH/ EXF Fenwick HMG spinning rod.   This is a pretty stout rig, but it is easy for me to skip the bait underneath stuff.   I have issues skipping with a bait caster.

 

Your  6'6" rig seems like the one you ought to use for reaction baits, spinner baits, chatter baits, square bills and the like.

 

Thanks for the advice, that is helpful.   I do have a nice spinning finesse rig that I am really happy with, its the ML XF bass mojo with the shimano stradic reel.   I also have a couple flueger president spinning reels in szs 20 and 40 and some cheap spinning rods (abu garcia vengeance, field & stream and ugly stick all medium weight or lighter).  I will put some thought into my spinning setup later, but I do feel like I am missing something more in between the spinning finesse setups and my heavy/fast baitcaster setups.  Looking at those baitcaster rods I listed, what would you add next?  Thanks

3 hours ago, Fishingmickey said:

Hi Ken,

    I agree with you and with Fishesintrees assessment. I wouldn't be too hung up on the XF action on your Mojo/Met combo. It is a excellent bottom contact bait set-up. For me 15-17lb Invisx or Tatsu. Fish T-rigged, jig's, swim jig etc.

    I suspect it would do fine for pitching into light to moderate cover also.  IMHO try it out on different lures! Weightless flukes regular and mag sized fished over or through veggies comes to mind.

FM

Thanks, you nailed it when you said I was hung up on the XF action, I think that is the part that bothers me.  I may just need to have a little more confidence that it can do more than fling frogs and try it out more as a bottom set up.  I'll try to use it more that way and see how it feels.  Any advice on a "next rod" to add?

[kentropy]

59 minutes ago, KP Duty said:

I would put the rocket on your 7'5" for pitching/flipping....the 5.1 ratio on your 7-6 H/mod for larger deep divers, chatterbaits, and other larger tasks.  The 7.4 met on your 6-6mh would be your do-it-all rod from walking baits to squarebills and everything in between.

Thanks for adding this.  That is exactly the rod/reel swap up I was considering and it makes a lot of sense to me, but I am a little hung up on on putting a high end reel (I actually got it for much cheaper at an expo clearance) on a $50 rod (vengeance).   Looking at those rods as a whole, would getting something better for that metanium be the priority for a next purchase (6'6 vs 7', M vs MH, F vs MF?).  What's the next step?  thanks again

[PhishLI]

3 minutes ago, kentropy said:

Looking at those rods as a whole, would getting something better for that metanium be the priority for a next purchase (6'6 vs 7', M vs MH, F vs MF?).  What's the next step?  thanks again

If it feels good in your hand and does what it's supposed to that's all that matters, not the rod's price vs the cost of the reel. I have a few price mismatched combos and I'm not changing a thing because I like how they fish.

[kentropy]

5 hours ago, DanielG said:

Not a ton of experience here and not a lot of rods but...

Last year I got a Dobyns Champion 735C glass mh/f  I just love the rod. I fish a lot of crankbaits. It casts nicely but it's great in the fight also. I have it paired with a Curado DC but that's just a matter of taste.

Thanks, I have heard a lot of good things about the Dobyns rods and the MH/F being a good all around rod.   I do need to add a crankbait rod at some point that has a little more flex.  I appreciate the input.  K

7 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

If it feels good in your hand and does what it's supposed to that's all that matters, not the rod's price vs the cost of the reel. I have a few price mismatched combos and I'm not changing a thing because I like how they fish.

Point taken, I should just swap up the reels and fish them for a while before making a decision on what to add next.   I should probably try the mojo/metanium first as a bottom plastics rig (like fishingmickey suggested) also before I swap things out.

[PhishLI]

9 minutes ago, kentropy said:

Point taken, I should just swap up the reels and fish them for a while before making a decision on what to add next.  

Correct. While some people think of a reel as something that simply winds line back on, there's more to it. Subtle differences in rod/reel/line synergy are noticeable if you're sensitive to such things. I've hated particular rods and reels, but once combined in a ceratin way, which is often counterintuitive, magic happens.

[mheichelbech]

Don’t let what you paid for something mess with your mind.  I used to do that thinking if I didn’t pay at least $150 for a rod it wasn’t any good.  I now use a 25 year old All Star rod quite a bit because I like how it fishes for me.  I have a Chronarch MG on it.

IMHO, high end rods are priced way more than the extra value that they bring.  I have had Loomis IMX, GLX and NRX rods and I can for sure say the NRX did not catch more fish than the IMX and the IMX has not caught more than my old All Star. Maybe having a higher priced rod gives you more confidence to start with but that dissipates pretty quickly on a cold windy day when the fish aren’t biting!

 

If you are going to spend, do it on custom made rods that fit you, even if they aren’t the highest priced blanks.

[WRB]

13 hours ago, kentropy said:

I could use some advice from those of you that fish from a boat with a collection of rods.  I am still relatively new to boat fishing (bought a 16" Tracker this year) and I am having a hard time building a good baitcaster rod collection to cover the variety of techniques (Ohio Bass/Saugeye in lakes).  Each rod I buy feels like a mistake looking back.  I am underwhelmed with the cheap Abu Garcia Vengeance rods I have and would eventually like to replace them.   I really like St Croix Mojo Bass rods, my favorite rod is probably my ML XF spincaster finesse setup with a stradic reel  (I didn't add it below since not a baitcaster).  I was at the Columbus Ohio fishing expo this fall and a vendor also talked me into getting my first Bass Mojo baitcaster rod (MH XF).  Unfortunately, I am a little worried now that I have started using it, that it isn't a very versatile rod due to the length and XF tip (I now know it is a swim frog rod).  I would like to get another Bass Mojo, but I am a little lost on what to go with next or how to build on what I have .  I could use some advice on what to get to round out what I have and what techniques to use for each rod.  I also included the reels I have them paired with in case that helps.

 

St Croix Mojo Bass 7’5” MH XF Baitcaster with Shimano Metanium 7.4:1 - I have no idea how to use this rod other than for "swim frogs" - any advice?, it feels like a waste for the Metanium reel (got a crazy deal)

 

Abu Garcia Vengeance 7’6” H MF Heavy Baitcast with Abu Garcia Revo Rocket 9.0:1 (currently set up as a punching rod with 50 lb braid and a 1 oz titanium weight/skirt/soft plastic beaver tail)

 

Abu Garcia Vengeance 6'6" MH F Baitcaster with Lews Mach Speed Spool 5:1  7.2 oz.  (Despite being the cheapest setup, I find myself using this combo the most because it seems more versatile.  It drives me crazy that I am not using the Mojo Bass / Metanium reel more)

 

Overall, my setup feels pretty messed up and not very versatile.  What should I change with my setups?  How should I use these rods?  What should I add?

 

Thanks for any help,

 

Ken

Let's take thecreels of the rods set them aside

You only need long medium heavy power fast action rod for fishing in heavy cover. If you don't fish heavy cover the rod goes into the sell pile.

You only need a long heavy power moderate fast rod for big deep diving crankbaits, if that something you use, into the sell pile.

The 6'6" MH fast is a more all around bass rod for bottom tp contact lures and spinnerbaits, bigger top water lures a little over powered for jerk baits. You like to use the rid but not happy with it's performance, it goes into the sell pile.

You need 3 rods.

Reels, 

Shimano 7.4:1 perfect all around bass repel.

Revo Rocket 9:1 questionable reel, possible bottom contact lure reel.

Lew's 5:1 OK deep diving crankbait reel.

Choices only you can make.

I would match the Shimano 7.4:1 with a general use rod for presentations you like to use most often where you fish. So what is your favorite lures you use that catches the most bass?

The Revo can be used for jigs and worms if that is something you like to use, otherwise it goes into the sell pile, same with the Lew's if you don't use deep diving cranks.

Tom

PS, sell pile can be the Fishing Flea Market forum.

 

[Teal]

I'm with Tom, if it were me, keep the short rod and air it with the shimano. If you keep the 7-5 my c.f.  Id put that rocket on it and use it for closer quarters pitching/flipping stick or maybe for long casting football jig/ big worms/ c rigs or maybe big spoons.   That rocket is a little fast for me, for long casting and dragging you would have to slow it down    but I'm sure you can make it work.   If you can't use the cranking rod, sell it and pick up some all around sticks 

[NOC 1]

Try some medium power rods for starters. What you have so far are all pretty stout and long rods. I would go for something like a 6'10" MF for a decent all around rod. The rods you have are all bruisers. That's okay if you are going to always use big baits and want to throw them a mile I guess.

 

Underwhelmed by the ABU Vengeance seems like a charitable thing to say in my opinion. Terrible rods.

 

I don't know your budget, but judging by the fact that you tried a MOJO, I would say maybe a Falcon, Diawa Tatula or ABU Villain to name a few.

 

 

[kentropy]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

Let's take thecreels of the rods set them aside

You only need long medium heavy power fast action rod for fishing in heavy cover. If you don't fish heavy cover the rod goes into the sell pile.

You only need a long heavy power moderate fast rod for big deep diving crankbaits, if that something you use, into the sell pile.

The 6'6" MH fast is a more all around bass rod for bottom tp contact lures and spinnerbaits, bigger top water lures a little over powered for jerk baits. You like to use the rid but not happy with it's performance, it goes into the sell pile.

You need 3 rods.

Reels, 

Shimano 7.4:1 perfect all around bass repel.

Revo Rocket 9:1 questionable reel, possible bottom contact lure reel.

Lew's 5:1 OK deep diving crankbait reel.

Choices only you can make.

I would match the Shimano 7.4:1 with a general use rod for presentations you like to use most often where you fish. So what is your favorite lures you use that catches the most bass?

The Revo can be used for jigs and worms if that is something you like to use, otherwise it goes into the sell pile, same with the Lew's if you don't use deep diving cranks.

Tom

PS, sell pile can be the Fishing Flea Market forum.

 

Hey Tom, Thanks for the thoughtful advice.  I do flip and pitch into a lot of heavy cover around bank edges for bass in the lake I fish.   I have heard that a fast reel like the revo rocket is good for getting bass out of heavy cover quickly so I was thinking about pairing those two.  This combo was also suggested by answers to this post so I may give the 7'5 MH XF Bass Mojo a try with the rocket for flipping into cover (your first suggestion I believe).   In retrospect, I wish I wouldn't have gotten a MH XF, but it sounds like that could still work for me and I could still use that rod for some heavier bottom contact soft baits.  

 

I hadn't thought of it until now but I do sometimes troll for saugeye using flicker shads which I believe qualifies as a deep crankbait.   I had only been thinking of that heavy rod as a heavy flipping rod for punching with a heavy weight texas rig plastic, but maybe it should become a flicker shad type trolling rod.  Does that align with your thoughts?

 

It sounds like my next purchase should be something MH mod fast to fast for the shimano metanium.  Maybe a less than 7' Dobyns fury MH F or a Bass Mojo MH M (it seems their action labeling is on the stiff side).

 

To answer your question about what I fish most, I tend to use my finnesse spinning setup (not really mentioned in this discussion) for ned rigs.  I fish a lot of wacky rig senkos, spinner baits, chatterbaits, texas rigged soft plastics and I pitch/flip jigs the most.   I live in Columbus Ohio where we have some great lakes but they are extremely pressured and it isn't easy to catch fish without season/species/spawn specific technical knowledge.  I have only been seriously fishing for a couple years.  The first year I hardly caught anything on a kayak, it was incredibly discouraging.  The second year I bought a 10' plastic boat with a trolling motor and I had the most success on ned, wacky rigs and spinnerbaits.  This year I just bought a 16' Tracker and have tried to pound the shore more with jigs and texas rigs, but I am still learning and clueless.

 

thanks for the advice, I'll keep experimenting

 

Ken

 

 

[WRB]

You don't use the reel to winch a bass out of cover, if you did the lower ratio reel has more power. The pros who like to fish as fast as possible to make more cast promote faster gear ratios. The average bass angler is slower and more methodical when pitching to targets, you don't use the reel when flipping. Retreiving 30' line with a 9:1 reel vs a 6:1 reel is about 2 seconds or meaningless to you.

The Dobyns 734C is his all around rod. 

Tom

[Teal]

9 minutes ago, WRB said:

You don't use the reel to winch a bass out of cover, if you did the lower ratio reel has more power. The pros who like to fish as fast as possible to make more cast promote faster gear ratios. The average bass angler is slower and more methodical when pitching to targets, you don't use the reel when flipping. Retreiving 30' line with a 9:1 reel vs a 6:1 reel is about 2 seconds or meaningless to you.

The Dobyns 734C is his all around rod. 

Tom

^^this^^   

[kentropy]

On 4/21/2020 at 8:28 PM, WRB said:

You don't use the reel to winch a bass out of cover, if you did the lower ratio reel has more power. The pros who like to fish as fast as possible to make more cast promote faster gear ratios. The average bass angler is slower and more methodical when pitching to targets, you don't use the reel when flipping. Retreiving 30' line with a 9:1 reel vs a 6:1 reel is about 2 seconds or meaningless to you.

The Dobyns 734C is his all around rod. 

Tom

Thanks.  I really do appreciate your advice, your point about pros wanting to get to the next cast makes sense.  I’ll definitely look at the 734c.  I didn’t mean to imply a fast reel winches out a bass, but reels it in quickly from cover once caught.   I have read some version of the following in multiple places:

 

  “The reels used for flipping and pitching can be the same reels you use everyday for other techniques but they should be high speed, around 6:1, to pick up line quickly when a fish inhales your bait for a solid hookset and to ensure the big bass cannot turn around in the thick cover and wrap itself up so you cannot get it out. “
 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/guides/flippitch.html

 

A high speed reel is my choice for techniques like flippin' and pitching or worming — anything where you're working the bait for a short stretch and then hustling it in to make another presentation. When you're pitching and fighting a big bass in close quarters, you need to be able to catch up to that fish quickly if she heads toward the boat. You can only do that with a fast reel.

 

https://m.bassmaster.com/tips/how-do-you-choose-right-gear-ratio

 

[Basseditor]

For most of us that start with a few rods, we develop favorite techniques and baits that make us rethink our set ups. That’s ok in the beginning. The more I’ve fished, the more I’ve refined my collection of rods. I’m not being critical with the following, it’s just how I fish:

 

A medium heavy rod is supposed to be multi purpose but here is where I get on a different track than most. A MH is like a jack-of-all-trades — master of none. It’s too heavy for light duty techniques. And it’s too light for heavy duty punching, pitching, frogs in heavy cover, etc.

 

I only use Kistler Rods (by choice) partly because I like the rating system to help identify technique-specific applications. Their rods are rated 2-6 power mostly. Most of the time I use either a 3 (LMH light medium heavy) or 5 (H heavy) power. I gave away the 4 power rods (MH) I had.

 

To me, a collection of MH is like playing a round of golf with only 6-irons in your bag.

[Hower08]

I likely fish all the same lakes you do . I spend the majority of my bass fishing time flipping and pitching. If you are looking for rods that fish well above there price point look at ARK rods. If I was just sticking with 3 casting rods I would have a med mod/fast a med/heavy fast and a heavy fast in what ever lengths fit you most comfortably.  I have many more rods than that but I could easily get by with those 3 casting rods and then 2 spinning rods 

[.ghoti.]

I have come to believe that bass anglers, myself included, have gone totally bonkers with this application specific concept regarding our gear. Who says that one rod, with that one reel, spooled with that specific line is only good for one thing? The fish are not telling that. Try thinking about what all you actually do with that one combo. You may get lucky and discover that you do not really need thirty different combos. I have at least that many. But, some of them haven't been out on the water in quite some time. Experiment. Take that MH jig rod and throw a buzzbait with it. You may find it works just fine. Try anything you think of. Some of those ideas will work for you, and some will not. What do you have to lose? You may discover that eight higher end combos, that will give you years of reliable service, will fit your needs as well as or better than  twenty lower value combos, which will need to be replaced on a regular basis.

 

I have a standard four rod selection I will take anywhere, anytime for bass fishing. All casting rods.

1. 7’ MF built on a Point Blank. OG Fuego with #12 mono. Has a 4/0 EWG hook tied on. Used for Houdini shads, super flukes, senkos, Fat Ikas, tubes with internal weight, and will get used for shallow and medium depth cranks and jerkbaits.

2. 6’10” ML built an an MHX Elite Pro blank. PX-R spooled with #10 mono. Has a 1/8oz skipgap jighead. Used for trick worms, hula grubs, Ned rigs, small poppers, and small shallow cranks.

3. 7’2” MHF built on an Immortal blank. OG Zillion, #14 mono. T-Rig and jig rod. Also used for buzzbaits, deep cranks, larger spinnerbaits, spooks and large topwaters.

4. 6’6” MHF built with a short handle on a Setyr blank. TD-Z #12 mono spinnerbait rod. Also used for jerkbaits, cranks, and topwaters. Sees occasional duty as an alternate plastics rod. 

 

That’s four rods for applications most would have to take a dozen rods to cover.
 

If I think I will need it, a fifth rod will be a 7’4” heavy power mod-fast rod built on an MHX blank, CV-Z253 #40 smackdown braid, used for heavy cover pitching. Also used for buzzbaits and frogs. 

 

 

 

 

[Tennessee Boy]

4 minutes ago, .ghoti. said:

I have come to believe that bass anglers, myself included, have gone totally bonkers with this application specific concept regarding our gear.

AMEN!!!

 

Application specific rods are one fad that I've always found interesting. I'm sure it has sold a lot of rods.  I remember in the early 90s after a club tournament,  a bunch of us younger/poorer club members were gathered around one of the older/richer member's boat admiring all his stuff.  He had about 10 identical combos.  We all thought that was so cool.  The thinking in those days was if all your rods were the same,  you could put one down and pick another up without having to make any adjustments.   If the current trend continues,  we will need different rods to fish different color baits.

 

[WRB]

I use 8:1 high speed Tatula R 100 size reels for jigs and worms because of making casts over 40 yards the IPT is reduced radically. When you get a strike with over 120' of line off the reel high speed helps to get a good a hook set and keep up pressure on the fish.

10 yards or 30' of line off the reel the IPT doesn't change and you should be able to keep the line tight using any ratio bass reel controlling the bass using the rod. Getting fish in the boat as fast as possible seems to be today's concept of bass fishing. Me, I am always telling myself to slow down and controll the big bass, it's taken a long time to hook it so enjoy it, the fight will be over in a minute or so.

The thing today is rods are getting longer every year. With the exception of my 7'5"* frog rod and 8' swimbait rods, my other rods are 7' or less, most are 6'10".

I can cast over 50 yards using a 6'10" jig and jig rod, that my limit detecting strikes.

Swimbaits a 50 yard cast is about average sometimes over 60 yards if needed, the 8' rod with longer handle helps to launch the big heavy lures.

Tom

*IRG754F Irod Freds Magic stick is s good all around heavy cover use rod for frogs and pitching plus smaller swimbaits, big deep diving crankbaits.

[kentropy]

1 hour ago, Hower08 said:

I likely fish all the same lakes you do . I spend the majority of my bass fishing time flipping and pitching. If you are looking for rods that fish well above there price point look at ARK rods. If I has just sticking with 3 casting rods I would have a med mod/fast a med/heavy fast and a heavy fast in what ever lengths fit you most comfortably.  I have many more rods than that but I could easily get by with those 3 casting rods and then 2 spinning rods 

Thanks, I'll take a look at the ARK rods.  Thanks for breaking down your basics for me.  Good to see an Ohio brother on here.

[kentropy]

2 hours ago, .ghoti. said:

I have come to believe that bass anglers, myself included, have gone totally bonkers with this application specific concept regarding our gear. Who says that one rod, with that one reel, spooled with that specific line is only good for one thing? The fish are not telling that. Try thinking about what all you actually do with that one combo. You may get lucky and discover that you do not really need thirty different combos. I have at least that many. But, some of them haven't been out on the water in quite some time. Experiment. Take that MH jig rod and throw a buzzbait with it. You may find it works just fine. Try anything you think of. Some of those ideas will work for you, and some will not. What do you have to lose? You may discover that eight higher end combos, that will give you years of reliable service, will fit your needs as well as or better than  twenty lower value combos, which will need to be replaced on a regular basis.

 

I have a standard four rod selection I will take anywhere, anytime for bass fishing. All casting rods.

1. 7’ MF built on a Point Blank. OG Fuego with #12 mono. Has a 4/0 EWG hook tied on. Used for Houdini shads, super flukes, senkos, Fat Ikas, tubes with internal weight, and will get used for shallow and medium depth cranks and jerkbaits.

2. 6’10” ML built an an MHX Elite Pro blank. PX-R spooled with #10 mono. Has a 1/8oz skipgap jighead. Used for trick worms, hula grubs, Ned rigs, small poppers, and small shallow cranks.

3. 7’2” MHF built on an Immortal blank. OG Zillion, #14 mono. T-Rig and jig rod. Also used for buzzbaits, deep cranks, larger spinnerbaits, spooks and large topwaters.

4. 6’6” MHF built with a short handle on a Setyr blank. TD-Z #12 mono spinnerbait rod. Also used for jerkbaits, cranks, and topwaters. Sees occasional duty as an alternate plastics rod. 

 

That’s four rods for applications most would have to take a dozen rods to cover.
 

If I think I will need it, a fifth rod will be a 7’4” heavy power mod-fast rod built on an MHX blank, CV-Z253 #40 smackdown braid, used for heavy cover pitching. Also used for buzzbaits and frogs. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the breakdown.  Awesome setup.