Why So Many

[Herbert Lorenzo]

Putting away fishing rods after bass fishing and just put away rod number 10 ..... when I was younger I carried one rod not 10 and caught fish . Any one else doing this or am I odd ?

[A-Jay]

You'll get no sympathy from me Sir ~

A-Jay 

[2tall79]

This is like going golfing with one club.  At least for me, they all have a different purpose.  IMHO

[soflabasser]

I have over 20 rods but I usually only bring 1 to 4 rods with me when I go fishing. Have had some great bass fishing trips fishing with 1 rod and focusing on 1 technique that works well in the area I was fishing in.

[MN Fisher]

I don't have the storage room A-Jay has - but even in my canoe I carry 10 rigs. There's a little overlap, but I start the day with 10 different setups.

[Captain Phil]

I started out with a Pflueger Akron casting reel and a fiberglass rod.  When plastic worms came out, I moved to a Mitchell 300 spinning reel.  No one rod and reel works for all types of fishing.  Retrieve ratios vary, different rod actions and lengths are required.  The rod you use for flipping heavy cover is not suitable for fishing a finesse worm on a MoJo rig.

 

I carry at least seven rods.  A Spinning rod for light lures, casting rod for cranks baits, casting rod for spinner baits, casting rod for top water lures, A heavy worm rod, a flipping stick and a frog rod with braid.  In a day, I may use all of them.  

 

 

[FishinBuck07]

I had 9 in the boat the other day and still couldn't catch a fish!  I looked down and thought what are you doing goofball.  I understand and agree!

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

I don't have the storage room A-Jay has - but even in my canoe I carry 10 rigs. There's a little overlap, but I start the day with 10 different setups.

Me Too ~

Including the one in my hand . . .

A-Jay

[DitchPanda]

I'm a bank guy and find myself lugging around 4 or 5 rods most days. PITA. I live for the days of two rods...when all I need is a swim jig or spinner bait and a finesse jig.

[kayaking_kev]

When bank fishing I like to take one all around rod with me. I need to be able to move around constantly and can't be lugging around multiple rods. I've taken 10 rods with me before, but I have the leave my rod mule bag laying around while I move and I don't like leaving thousands of dollars worth of rods and reels just laying around, especially in my City.

 

When I Kayak I take multiple rods, but can usually get away with two, one rigged with topwater and one with a follow up bait. I like to travel as light as possible, if I had a bass boat with rod lockers, I would take a ton of them though. 

[Tywithay]

I only take one or two if I'm on banks, two in my float tube, and usually 10-12 on the boat, if I'm bass fishing. It's mainly out of laziness, so I can throw something new without retying. I own roughly 50 rod and reels, but they're for different species, techniques, etc.

[WRB]

It hasn't been that long that application specific bass rods didn't exist outside crankbait and bottom contact rods. Bass rods were predominately 6'6" MHF casting in today's terms. 

Gary Dobyn's introduced application specific bass rods about 20 years now. I remember thinking what is he thinking! Fast foreward he was on top of today's bass anglers needs.

Tom

[Captain Phil]

Originally, tournament fisherman started carrying different rods to keep from retying. When different techniques were developed, specialized rods and reels became available. At a minimum, I would think you need at least two, a spinning rod and a casting rod.  

[MartinTheFisherman]

When i'm exploring new fishing spots with my dad I normally keep a minimum of six rods. On my bike pond hopping I carry two and when I just want to relax and go walking and fish I just bring one rod. 

[BrianMDTX]

I usually take 3 rods bank fishing. An UL spinning, a medium-fast spinning for finesse/wacky and a medium heavy-fast for Texas rigs and some crankbaits. At a minimum I’ll take two. I’d rather carry at least two rods vs constantly changing tackle on one. 

[Tywithay]

11 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Originally, tournament fisherman started carrying different rods to keep from retying. When different techniques were developed, specialized rods and reels became available. At a minimum, I would think you need at least two, a spinning rod and a casting rod.  

"Specialized" rods are also developed to sell more rods. Some manufacturers will make 3 rods that are almost identical and slap a different technique on the side to convince fisherman they need one of each to catch fish. I throw t-rigs a lot on a "spinnerbait" rod. The rod doesn't seem to know the difference. 

[Vilas15]

Ive got 4. Dont see a need for any more (maybe 1) based on how I fish. Although I have plenty of room to upgrade the stuff Ive got. If I fished the banks I'd carry two max. In a boat I think a few are necessary to be able to pick sonething else up and make a few casts if you come across the right type of structure or change depths rapidly while motoring along.

[BrianMDTX]

Reminds me a lot of hunting. You could carry a .30-06 and kill anything in North America from prairie dogs with 110 grain bullets, to deer-sized game with 150-165 grain bullets, elk and moose with 180 grainers and 200-220 grain bullets for the great bears. Or...you can have a dedicated  varmint rifle in .223 or .22-.250, a .243 for deer, .308 for black bear, and on and on and on. 

 

I don’t think anyone actually needs 20 rods to be a successful angler. But ones set up for specific methods of fishing likely gives the experienced angler an edge. A newbie should focus on two, maybe three set-ups. Having a dedicating set-up for flipping or punching makes little sense when just getting started. 

[browne762]

I have 4 when shore fishing because the rod carrier I use has that capacity. When on the boat I normally have 10-12, but that the limit because of space. 

 

I am also a gear junkie so I like have lots of options/stuff. I also like just picking up another rod to throw something else rather then retie so I pretty much have specialized combos. 

[BassNJake]

I thought I was gonna see my wife's name as the thread starter

Why so many rods? 

Why so many lures?

Why so many spools of line?

Why so many excuses for not catching fish .....

 

J/K my wife is awesome about my bass fishing addiction as long as her and the kids come first!!

[Armtx77]

I max out at 4 on the YAK and when I am bank fishing, just one rod.

[Fishingmickey]

     I fish Kayak tournaments and I practice like I am fishing a tournament. I carry..... 15 rods on my hobie PA14. I'd compare it to being able to change gears easily. I will usually have three crankbaits tied on, shallow or squatre bill, mid depth and deeper diver. I will have a chatterbait, underspin and spinnerbait. Sometimes a frog or buzzbait. Always a Texas rigged worm, jig, creature bait and weightless plastic keitech or fluke or something along those lines. Oh yes and I forgot I will have a topwater tied on too. usually either the plopper 75, or a popper or walking bait.

     I am running a bank with a spinnerbait and I get a roll/flash or short strike on the spinner. Boom, I reach behind me and grab the weightless fluke or finesse worm or weightless senko and pitch it in the spot or the spot I think the fish came out of and quite a few times I will catch that fish or at least get another shot at hooking it.  Tournament kayak fishing requires you to be able to really work your stretches of water that are in range of your kayak much more thoroughly then vs being in a bass boat and having the ability to hit the switch fire up the big motor and run that half mile to the next honey hole, spot or point.  Being efficient with your time is king.

Fishingmickey

 

P.S. I did have KVD comment on how many rods I was carrying in March. I think he approved we were both smiling.

 

[NYWayfarer]

I have been taking 3 rods bank fishing with me lately. One topwater, one cranking and one finesse setup.

 

Easier than one rod fits all, cut and re-tie often session.

[Captain Phil]

1 hour ago, Tywithay said:

"Specialized" rods are also developed to sell more rods. Some manufacturers will make 3 rods that are almost identical and slap a different technique on the side to convince fisherman they need one of each to catch fish. I throw t-rigs a lot on a "spinnerbait" rod. The rod doesn't seem to know the difference. 

The majority of my rods are Bass Pro $39.95 specials.  They will do everything a $300 rod will do.  A rod's action is more important to me than how pretty it is.  No offense, but if I had to carry 15 rods to win a tournament, I need to do more prefishing.

[J Francho]

Prefishing isn't always an option.