Do you truly match your rod setup to your presentation?

[Craig P]

If you watch any YouTube Video or Read an Article about Bass Fishing, most will tell you when you’re starting to get a nice 7’ medium to medium heavy setup and you’ll be well on your way for most presentations…..and they’re right….but only up until a point.

 

This year I spent alot of time being scientific matching rods, reels, lines and presentations.  Result, it’s been rewarding and more fun because my “tool” is doing exactly what it is suppose to do.  I cast further than I ever have, I detect more bites, and misses!   Hook-ups have increased and it has narrowed down my rod selection to just 7.  2 of those setups are specific to 2 different lakes due to vegetation and only see action when visiting those lakes so I typically only carry 5 rods on my boat.  If I can’t catch fish with these 5 setups in my region of SE PA, it’s literally just not my day!  And of course, it’s the fishes fault!  

 

Do you get super-analytical with your setups or do you just go fishing?  For a couple of years, I thought I was over-thinking this stuff as I honestly just didn’t truly understand the importance of “line weight”, “lure weight” or “action” written on the side of a rod.  I would feel a rod in hand at the store, liked it and bought it.  At one time too I thought people who bought rods online were crazy….how could they possibly know how it would feel in hand?  Now I get it….

[MIbassyaker]

I don't think you have to be "super-analytical" to just follow the rod rating -- the rod-maker did the analysis for you!  The problem is, you have to notice that different rods have different ratings, which a lot of people never do.

 

I won't forget the look my wife gave me the first time she was with me looking at rods, and I said I was looking for a "Medium-heavy, fast" model. 

 

"Uhh...fast?" she says, giving me the side-eye. "It....moves?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A-Jay]

30 minutes ago, Craig P said:

Do you get super-analytical with your setups or do you just go fishing?  

I'd describe my version of this as experienced rather than analytical.

And so I do both ~

A-Jay

[txchaser]

Rod, and the line, and the gear ratio of the reel. It's all kind of optional, but it improves the outcomes for sure. Three examples that come to mind:

 

1) a shorter rod with some give for jerkbaits. The way you fish it the tip really needs to be down, and it is much easier to do that with a shorter rod. And the give helps with the smallish trebles on most. Lighter line than most of my setups. Don't care much about reel speed.

 

2) The rod I use for big single hook swimbaits is long and has enough stiffness and backbone to get the owner beast to penetrate properly. It'd be a train wreck with treble hooks. Heavier line than most setups, prefer a 7.x or better to be able to catch up to them when I'm getting bit from behind.

 

3) for me, I'm much more accurate flipping with a shorter rod. I can't explain it but it's like night and day. But I wouldn't want to use that rod for casting a jig. Standard line, fast reel so I don't have to reel as much getting it back to the boat. 

 

And... 3-5 rods is plenty to get the job done just fine. 

[MediumMouthBass]

I was extremely detail oriented when i got into bass fishing.

Dozens of tackle trays full of lures, very organized and thoughtout.

 

Had a rod n reel combo for each type of bait. Some even had 2-3 combos just for them.

 

Realized after awhile it didnt matter much, i can take my favorite 7'3" MH rod and fish just about anything on it. I would bank fish with about 6-8 rods, now ill use about 2....

The revelation came to me when i didnt bring my cranking rod to the local lake, i used my stiff, MH rod with stiff line to fish my lipless crankbait.

Lost a bunch of really nice bass, even a 5lber too.... I was upset by this and blamed it on the rod not being a moderate cranking rod. (I spent quite a bit of money on cranking oriented gear and left it at home that day). This was when pre spawn was on fire here in PA.

 

I simply tried loosening my drag and that changed the game for me. After that with the same combo i caught hundreds and hundreds of bass with lipless among other crankbaits. Ripping them through weeds, over wood and rocks. And hauled in alot of big bass. Including a double digit 10lber.... I still refuse to use actual cranking rods to this day, they can sit in the corner and collect dust.

 

I started trying other baits i once thought "i need this exact rod and this exact reel or it wont work", well they worked, and worked well. I have since started putting more and more gear for sale locally, because for me personally i can do just about everything with 2 rods with the right reels of course.

And with a quick change of the drag i can go from pitching a jig into brush, to ripping a lipless or chatterbait out of grass. But for some people the match is needed, especially with certain baits.

 

And i bring in about 9/10 bass i hook, regardless of it being not the proper combo.

[Catt]

Worm & Jig rods...absolutely!

 

For years I had a matching pair of Shimano Crucial 6' 10" Medium Heavy X-Fast. Both had Shimano Calcutta 100A mounted on them. Both were spotted with 15# Berkley Big Game.

 

Today my jig rod leans a little bit on the heavy side of medium heavy. While my worm rod is pretty medium heavy. How I determine this is totally by feel. 

 

When I buy a new Worm or Jig rod I have to mount a reel on it, string it up, & tie on a jig or t-rig. 

 

Yes I have issues ordering on line or having a rod built. 🙄 

[papajoe222]

I Would call it technique specific and yes I am very much so inclined.  I have purchased or built rods specific to the technique I plan to use them for. Some have dual purpose, but the intended one is why I have it.  One specific rod is one I built on a medium/mod spinning rod blank rated for 1/8-3/8oz. The only presentation I use it for is hair jigs, specifically 1/8-3/16oz. ones. Paired to a Daiwa Alphas and 6lb. mono, anytime I feel the need to 'finesse' that rod is on my deck.  I could use my jerkbait rod, which would be a suitable substitute, but then what would I use for jerkbaits?

[GreenPig]

I like gear, alot.

[Fyrewulf]

Absolutely not. Outside of something super specialized like big swimbaits, there's really nothing I can't do effectively with a M/F spinning, MH/F casting, and H/F casting. Outside of that it's nothing more than enthusiasts having the money to blow on a hobby, which isn't a bad thing, but it isn't necessary either. When reading the articles and watching the videos it's very important to remember that you're taking in information from well off and well sponsored pros and the top 1% amateurs and enthusiasts who have the time, money, and space for such things, because for them a negligible difference matters where the every-man wouldn't even notice.

[Susky River Rat]

I have a few different set ups. More so just match the weight of the lure vs the rod rating. Other than that chuck and wind 

[Swamp Girl]

Nope. Other than a fiberglass spinning rod that I use for surface lures and a M rod that I use for some of my lighter soft plastics, I'm using the same MH rods and Shimano spinning reels for all lures. Look at @A-Jay's pretty array of rods. I'm the exact opposite, a tangle of rods, weeds, and leaves in a wet canoe. 

[Junk Fisherman]

I fall more on the spectrum that rods can be used for more presentations than the bass pros and expert articles will suggest.  Location and presentation matter much more in your overall success than if your combo is ideal for the lure you are throwing.  With that said, I have near perfectly-matched combos for all my confidence presentations.  When you're a tackle junkie and have an arsenal similar to AJay's, you'll have well-matched rod set-ups for just about everything you throw.    

[ike8120]

I try too but that not always happens. That is why we have so many different combos. Also it keeps the tackle mfg.'s is business.

[Mike L]

Like @Catt I always match my bottom contact rods (2 plus the big stick) to the  presentation.
Rod ratings should never be considered absolute as one can be totally different than another, they are indicators to get you close, nothing more. 
 

I don’t use a spinning rod for anything. 
My arsenal of MH/F and H/F rods in different lengths and varied powers are interchangeable with the thought of what I want to throw, but always where and how considered first. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

[Pat Brown]

I am going to bring 4-5 rods on the boat or in the car so I might as well make sure they're suited to their jobs - beyond that I tend to think it doesn't matter much.  

 

I'm not trying to snap my rod rated for 1 oz baits with a 4 oz swim or glide bait and I'm not trying to sling 1/8 Oz jig heads On a 7'8 heavy fast with 20 lb big game.

 

At the beach this past summer I caught Largemouth bass out of a retention pond with a spinning rod that had 8 lb monofilament on it on hollow belly frog lures. 

 

The gear was as wrong as you can possibly get and it worked fine.

[Functional]

when I was a casual fisherman I can confidently say I couldnt tell the difference from one MH-F to another. Fishing much more consistently I can absolutely say I feel the difference. My MH-F dobyns sierra micro is completely different from my ARK MH-F rod. Even the ARK MH-F is different from my Expride MH-F. Unfortunately you have to fish the rod or line of rods to know (this site helps some) but its caused me to start matching up rods and techniques much more. I've seen it effect my hookup ratio more than anything and in some cases how well I can fish a present/fish a lure.

 

There are some rods that I'd consider "all around" like my Kage MH-F rod. Typically when I only take 2-3 rods somewhere I'm taking what I feel are all around rods and can fish everything I bring effectively enough.  

[Reel]

I'm the opposite.  I would like a setup for every lure I use.  Example: light drop shot, medium drop shot, heavy drop shot.  

I don't buy rods by mail. That's a shot in the dark.  Even at the store, without a reel, line and a lure on the rod, I feel I'm partly wrong about my choice about half the time.  I eventually find the right use for that rod by using it in different situation with different reels, line and lure in real fishing situations. 

When I find the ideal rod ( for me) I don't think anybody could persuade me that a versatile seven MH footer would be the same.

[Mobasser]

I'm picky about my bottom contact rod. But, I've thrown other baits on several different rods. 

[TnRiver46]

Nope 

[gim]

I generally do not get super caught in up rod/reel-specific types for specific presentations.

 

Obviously I would never use a spinning rod for froggin or flippin, nor would I use a baitcaster for a ned rig.  But you get the point.

 

The only advice I would offer is to not limit yourself.  Its like a toolbox, each tool has a purpose.  Trying to tighten a philips screw with a flat head screwdriver might work, but it works a lot better with a philips screwdriver.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Mike L said:

Rod ratings should never be considered absolute as one can be totally different than another, they are indicators to get you close, nothing more. 

 

 

[MN Fisher]

I go more by the ratings rather than what the manufacturer states as the 'technique specific' usage...while there are certain rods that are technique specific, I try to get rods that can be used for more than one thing as my budget foregoes me from getting  a spread like @A-Jay has.

[Zcoker]

As with everything else, folks have their favorites. Certain rods that I use may be meant for something else but I do well using them for other things. Same with the reels. They may all be the same but there’s that one special one that I always reach for. Allowing things to come together to form a connection is what it’s all about. Certain setups that I have are so connected to my style of fishing that I hardly even know that I’m using them.  

[WRB]

I am older then specific application rods were thought of.

We had a bass casting rod period.

Around 1970 I made a crank bait rod using Fenwick salt water popping rod 7’ blank and trigger handle, used it for decades.

Swimbaits weighing over 3 oz required the next set of application rods as musky rod were too stiff and heavy.

Todays MHF rod is yesterdays bass rod for multi use.

My advice is pick up the rod and feel it before buying, you may surprise yourself and find that perfect rod you are looking for.

I sold over 20 rods and reels 4 years ago and kept 5, 3 finesse spinning, 1 of my custom ALX jig rod and Iovino’s Splash-It NAC-T681M/SI rod for utility use; top water, medium crank baits ,shaking T-rigs and spoons.

 

Tom

[MassYak85]

I'm pretty particular when deciding which rod to buy, but that is more about looking at reviews and opinions of people that have used the rod, not necessarily what is written on the blank. If I buy it I am buying it for a purpose and usually a specific presentation or a handful of similar presentations. So matching the rod, line, reel is important to me. That said, if I just want to go out and catch fish I can fish 90% of my lures on like 3 rods and feel fairly comfortable doing so.