Getting the itch. What combo am I missing?

[Luke Barnes]

The bait monkey is fighting me hard on getting a new rod and reel. So I got thinking what do i not have a specialty setup for? This is what I have and what I use it for. I am purposely leaving out brands and models because I'm looking more at technique specifics and not upgrading what I already have. If it turns out I have all I need then I'll work on upgrading to better setups.

 

Casting:

7 ft MH/F for chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and lighter jigs, buzz baits 

7 ft MH/F for T rig, swing heads, swimbaits,

6'6 M/M for cranks and lighter weight stuff I want to use on a baitcaster, top water treble hook lures

7'2 H/F with a high speed reel for frogs, A Rig, and big jigs

 

Spinning:

7' M I think fast action??? Wacky and Neko

6'6 M for drop shot, shakey head

6' 6 ML for ned rigs and any really light wire hooks

 

Not sure what else I really need technique wise. I dont throw big swimbaits or do super serious cranking or deep cranking because I'm mainly bank bound. 

[ironbjorn]

You already have too much for being bank bound. Anything else added to this list is a niche enthusiast purchase.

[Luke Barnes]

2 minutes ago, ironbjorn said:

You already have too much for being bank bound. Anything else added to this list is a niche enthusiast purchase.

I dont bring everything with me when I go. It depends where I'm going and what I think will work at that location that I take. I dont always take the heavy if I'm not frogging and usually pick two of the spinning for my finesse approach. Usually two casting and two spinning. 

[Kenny Yi]

what's your favorite lure to use?

[ATA]

you need a 7'6" XH for bigger swimbaits and maybe frogs?

[bulldog1935]

been having so much fun casting BFS, with tiny-capacity spool, tiny braid and tiny weights, couldn't imagine life without one.  

 

[Deleted account]

I don't see anything missing. But then again, you are the only one who can answer that. What lures and cover are you fishing where your current rod(s) seem lacking to YOU?

[Fishes in trees]

The next step in your fishing evolution is to get off the bank.   I might lay off new rods & reels for a while and look to getting off the bank somehow.    Pond boat - Jon boat - canoe - kayak - something - waders - belly boat.

[lynxcat]

1 hour ago, Fishes in trees said:

The next step in your fishing evolution is to get off the bank.   I might lay off new rods & reels for a while and look to getting off the bank somehow.    Pond boat - Jon boat - canoe - kayak - something - waders - belly boat.

Assumes he wants to get off the bank...

[BrianMDTX]

32 minutes ago, lynxcat said:

Assumes he wants to get off the bank...

True. I have a small inflatable. Sometimes I just want to fish the bank lol. 

[Luke Barnes]

21 hours ago, Kenny Yi said:

what's your favorite lure to use?

Chatterbait and have a dedicated setup for it.

 

16 hours ago, ATA said:

you need a 7'6" XH for bigger swimbaits and maybe frogs?

I frog with a 7'2 H and cant imagine going heavier!

 

16 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

been having so much fun casting BFS, with tiny-capacity spool, tiny braid and tiny weights, couldn't imagine life without one.  

 

Now that's something ive considered, but why not just switch to spinning?

 

10 hours ago, Fishes in trees said:

The next step in your fishing evolution is to get off the bank.   I might lay off new rods & reels for a while and look to getting off the bank somehow.    Pond boat - Jon boat - canoe - kayak - something - waders - belly boat.

Have a jon boat that is in need of work before its water ready. I know there ya go spend your money there! Which is smart, but its not a new rod and reel I could have tomorrow!

[Michigander]

Other than picking your favorite technique that you don't already have a combo for, you basically have your bases covered. It would just be upgrades from here. 

 

You could buy a kayak tomorrow and sell the job boat later. ? This would open up the world of kayak rods....

[bulldog1935]

10 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

Now that's something ive considered, but why not just switch to spinning?

 

That's not considering, that's writing off.  

I've fished Japanese XUL and UL small game spinning rods for over a dozen years.  These are designed for shore fishing - casting UL lures to fish sign.  

They call them rockfish rods partly for the fish that live in the niche, but especially because they cast them from the rocks.  

YouTube of a flagship light game rod edited to a couple of fish with shoulders.  

 

Bought our first low-end versions for kid fishing nursery seatrout from pier lights with my daughters, but soon discovered sight-fishing big seatrout in canal lights, they have the backbone (really, the butt section) to handle big fish.  

 

We have standing winter trips to  the Texas tropics to dock-fish the nite-lites for schoolie seatrout that sweep through the lights every night, with a by-catch of snook and redfish.  Also use the rods winter through spring fishing tide passes - both uses are to imitate tiny baits - glass minnows, tiny shrimp, tiny crabs.  

The Japanese have only been offering the bait versions of small game rods to match with BFS reels for a few years.  

A few weeks ago, was able to fish my just-put-together bait combo at the same tide pass I fished comparable spinning rockfish UL the spring before.  It's a favorite spot we paddle to because under the right tide and wind, it creates an eddy that pins the bait and stacks gamefish.   

 

At this cut between big bay and shallow flat, we wade the hard-pack beach, and cast into the grass edge across the deeper channel.  

 

With the 8' bait rod and my Steez raced out with BFS spool, I could cast a 3 g plug farther and with much greater accuracy and daring into the edge of the grass than I could a 5 g plug on the spinning version of this tackle.  

If you want to do the math, it's well over 100'

  

 

If you don't get the thrill of accelerating a raced-out bait spool with UL lures, you simply haven't tried it. For sheer fun, it compares to casting my raced-out CT surf reels.  

 

 

I liked it so much, added a wide-range BFS bass rod, working up a range of finesse bass lures, added a second racy spool, and a new Zillion to move into my salt ML niche.  

 

The people who claim over and over on BFS threads they can do all this on spinning tackle are in denial.  

[Riverside.bassin]

Hmmm maybe a M/f or M/xf casting setup? Preferably paired with a lighter reel like the Curado 70 mgl or something. I have this and I love throwing small bottom contact baits and top waters on it... jerkbaits too!!

 

[Luke Barnes]

3 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

That's not considering, that's writing off.  

I've fished Japanese XUL and UL small game spinning rods for over a dozen years.  These are designed for shore fishing - casting UL lures to fish sign.  

They call them rockfish rods partly for the fish that live in the niche, but especially because they cast them from the rocks.  

YouTube of a flagship light game rod edited to a couple of fish with shoulders.  

 

Bought our first low-end versions for kid fishing nursery seatrout from pier lights with my daughters, but soon discovered sight-fishing big seatrout in canal lights, they have the backbone (really, the butt section) to handle big fish.  

 

We have standing winter trips to  the Texas tropics to dock-fish the nite-lites for schoolie seatrout that sweep through the lights every night, with a by-catch of snook and redfish.  Also use the rods winter through spring fishing tide passes - both uses are to imitate tiny baits - glass minnows, tiny shrimp, tiny crabs.  

The Japanese have only been offering the bait versions of small game rods to match with BFS reels for a few years.  

A few weeks ago, was able to fish my just-put-together bait combo at the same tide pass I fished comparable spinning rockfish UL the spring before.  It's a favorite spot we paddle to because under the right tide and wind, it creates an eddy that pins the bait and stacks gamefish.   

 

At this cut between big bay and shallow flat, we wade the hard-pack beach, and cast into the grass edge across the deeper channel.  

 

With the 8' bait rod and my Steez raced out with BFS spool, I could cast a 3 g plug farther and with much greater accuracy and daring into the edge of the grass than I could a 5 g plug on the spinning version of this tackle.  

If you want to do the math, it's well over 100'

  

 

If you don't get the thrill of accelerating a raced-out bait spool with UL lures, you simply haven't tried it. For sheer fun, it compares to casting my raced-out CT surf reels.  

 

 

I liked it so much, added a wide-range BFS bass rod, working up a range of finesse bass lures, added a second racy spool, and a new Zillion to move into my salt ML niche.  

 

The people who claim over and over on BFS threads they can do all this on spinning tackle are in denial.  

It sounds interesting and fun. I live in oklahoma so it would be bass only and no saltwater. But I can see a long light rod and one of these shallow spool finesse baitcasters being fun. 

[bulldog1935]

Plugging the bank or bottom bouncing works the same regardless of salinity.  

Don't fish many spinnerbaits (some do), but the plugs, jerkbaits, spoons, and wakebaits are pretty much the same with salt hooks.  

... sounds like you do a lot of bank fishing, which is what we're doing here - we just get there via kayak (this is Feb, the seagrass is dormant)

 

We also drift fish our kayaks on the flats with a drift sock, and using heavier rods comparable to traditional bass tackle.  

@Luke Barnes

Here's my buddy Alex fishing one of my first Takamiya rockfish rods (7'9") in Pedernales R.  headwaters - he sight-fished a 4-lb bass in the 2nd photo.  

This is a remarkable cold spring creek with Really big fish.  

  

 

Noteworthy, the light-lure distance I can get on the raced-out Steez with 6'7" Valleyhill bass rod is not much different than I get on 8'2" Y/B rockfish rod (and yes, the longer rod has a distance edge).  The salt use isn't singular for this tackle, but is certainly both novel and Japanese. 

[Luke Barnes]

3 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Plugging the bank or bottom bouncing works the same regardless of salinity.  

Don't fish many spinnerbaits (some do), but the plugs, jerkbaits, spoons, and wakebaits are pretty much the same with salt hooks.  

... sounds like you do a lot of bank fishing, which is what we're doing here - we just get there via kayak (this is Feb, the seagrass is dormant)

 

We also drift fish our kayaks on the flats with a drift sock, and using heavier rods comparable to traditional bass tackle.  

@Luke Barnes

Here's my buddy Alex fishing one of my first Takamiya rockfish rods (7'9") in Pedernales R.  headwaters - he sight-fished a 4-lb bass in the 2nd photo.  

This is a remarkable cold spring creek with Really big fish.  

  

 

Noteworthy, the light-lure distance I can get on the raced-out Steez with 6'7" Valleyhill bass rod is not much different than I get on 8'2" Y/B rockfish rod (and yes, the longer rod has a distance edge).  The salt use isn't singular for this tackle, but is certainly both novel and Japanese. 

Very cool and great pics. I'm jealous of the saltwater fishing! Ive always wanted to try it. Now are you kidding reels to get this performance or are there stock reels like this?

[bulldog1935]

admitting I began at the top with a Steez, and added lighter/racier spools and bearings than even Daiwa's new RCS SV Boost spool. The two spools I swapped in cost either side of $70 - I plan to get my miles out of them.  And since I ended up with two spare spools that fit both reels, sold one those for that much.  

I never intend to fish the wide lure weight range of the Daiwa spool, unless I swap the loaded Daiwa spool in as my spare.  

I went this route because Jun Sonata at Japan Tackle rates the Roro-X spool as the only spool that will fish 2 g - others make claims, but I've found Jun to be pretty sharp.  

 

Especially in JDM, Daiwa, Shimano and Abu all offer their high-dollar ready-to-go Japan-Special BFS reels.  Other people can answer about their experience with 
"Air BFS" versions marketed to US.  My first dialed-in back-acre cast with 2 g out to 100' - then 4 in a row - I was giggling and sold.