Do you carry multiple rods for the same tehcnique?

[Swamp Girl]

22 minutes ago, JHoss said:

Based on the posts I've seen from you and the numbers you catch, you need to be on the Elites or I need to come check out Maine.

 

This made me laugh because I pictured all the bass boats roaring away and me in my scuffed canoe trying not to tip in their wakes. 

 

And the first announcer would say, "Swamp Girl has taken on some water and might sink. Her canoe is that low in the water. Wait! Five five-pounders have actually swum into her canoe!"

 

Second announcer, "She's yelling, 'My entire canoe is a livewell!'"

 

First announcer: "And she's paddling back with a big smile on her face."

 

Second announcer: "That smile is pure confidence. She thinks she's won the tourney without a single cast...and she just might have. Those are some big gals in her livewell canoe. Here's hoping she makes it back to shore. She's looking pretty tippy."

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, JHoss said:

My first couple years of bass fishing were spent in kayak tournaments. An Ascend 12T first and then a NuCanoe Pursuit. I only owned 6-8 combos when I had the Ascend but I brought every one of them every time. By the time I got the Pursuit I had maybe a dozen and usually carried 10. That Pursuit had integrated rod tubes so I could hide 4-6 in those, a couple on the deck, and a couple in rod holders. 

 

I've got a horizontal rod rack that holds 4, plus one in my hand.  I can throw a spare rod holder on a rear track and keep it parallel to the water.  A two piece spinning rod will fit in the rear well if I really really wanted to do that.  I've also got two rear facing tubes in the back well built in.  About twice a year, usually on the shoulder season between no grass and grass (mid may) and on bigger lakes that offer options I have to make choices about what I take.  Past that though?  if I can't make it work with 5 rods then I have made some bad choices.

 

[JHoss]

52 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Do you carry multiple rods for the same technique ?

Yes ~ for example

When the Jerkbait bite is hot I'll have 5-7 on deck.

Spinnerbait - at least 3

Vibrating jig - 4

Topwater - at least 4

Swinghead - 3 or 4

I think you get the Idea . . .  .

 

A-Jay

Do you start with 5-7 jerkbaits on the deck if you expect it to be a jerkbait bite based on season and conditions? Or start with fewer and bring more out once you know there's a jerkbait bite and want to dial it in?

 

50 minutes ago, TheSwearingAngler said:

During the summer I may have 2 frogs. One walking one popping..

I am with you on this. Especially if I think I may be fishing one in dense grass and one in more open cover.

 

48 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I don't think it's possible to truly dial in a worm bite with just one worm rod. 

I'm glad I'm not a big worm guy then! My boat is already full enough without needing 4 rods just for that.

 

56 minutes ago, gimruis said:

When I bought my current house, I spent 3 months straight organizing the crap out of it.  Shelves, hooks, storage compartments, etc.  Its the only way I know how to operate.

And our differences continue! We moved into our new house in December and the spare bedroom is still full of unpacked boxes and mounts that haven't found a new wall yet.

48 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

And the first announcer would say, "Swamp Girl has taken on some water and might sink. Her canoe is that low in the water. Wait! Five five-pounders have actually swum into her canoe!"

So the real secret is that golden horseshoe you carry with you, huh?

 

31 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

if I can't make it work with 5 rods then I have made some bad choices.

Wellllll guess I make a lot of bad decisions. At least the consequences to these bad choices are less severe than the bad choices I made in my youth.

[Tennessee Boy]

7 minutes ago, JHoss said:

I'm glad I'm not a big worm guy then! My boat is already full enough without needing 4 rods just for that.

I don't need 4 rods just for that because I don't dedicate rods to one technique.  Technique specific rods are a popular trend that is baffling to me but to each his own.

[A-Jay]

23 minutes ago, JHoss said:

Do you start with 5-7 jerkbaits on the deck if you expect it to be a jerkbait bite based on season and conditions? Or start with fewer and bring more out once you know there's a jerkbait bite and want to dial it in?

For the jerkbait deal, different rigs & baits represent the ability to present baits of different sizes, shapes/profiles, colors/patterns, sounds and running depths, where I need to. 

I rarely ever chose to 'dial it in'.

I will almost always try a few different (usually proven ) baits in the same area.

IMO, every fish is it's own creature and has likes and dislikes - like people.

No pizza shop sells just peperoni pies. 

A-Jay

[Reel]

I'm insecure... I have two of everything.

[GReb]

This time of year I’ll have at least 2, maybe 3 squarebills on the deck plus a mid diver 

[MediumMouthBass]

7 hours ago, JHoss said:

I typically carry 16-18 in my 14' Jon boat

I only carry 2-4 in my kayak unless fishing for bass and crappie, then its 3-6.

In the Jon boat about 6 rods, but split for 2 people.

 

But i leave the other 30 rods on the two boats i hire to follow me around.

[J Francho]

The only rods that don't have much crossover are crankbait rigs, so I have a bunch of them. I also have a half dozen drop shot rods, but they can do other things. If I'm out on Erie or Ontario chasing smallies, they're all rigged for DS. No one wants to retie in big lake rollers. 

[king fisher]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

i usually have 2-3 in canoe/kayak/jon and 5-6 in the 18.5’ larger jon boat. Most of them have worms tied on 😂 

I was sure you have three different spinnerbaits tied on at all times.

[Catt]

Totally depends on the body of water & time of year. What I throw on Toledo Bend is different than what I throw in a marsh or on a bayou/river.

 

Minimum 5 setups regardless of the body water. 

 

Once dailed in I quite often have multiple setups with variations of the same baits. 

[king fisher]

I usually have four rods in my kayak.  Most of the time they will have different techniques on all of them.  Once in awhile I will have two top waters tied on, a popper and a walking bait.  Other times I may have two different crankbaits.  Those are rare occasions, and It depends if a square bill and a deep diving crankbait qualify as the same technique.  I dream of the day when I can have 20 rods all rigged and laid out on the deck of a fully equipped bass boat, but I also long for the days when I only had one rod and reel to fish with. 

[WRB]

When I had my boat carried duplicates sometimes 3 of the same rod/reel combo’s. 
Now with only 5 combo’s they all do multiple presentations.

Tom

[Spankey]

I have duplicates (or a very very close duplicates) with me but I don’t keep a dozen rods on my deck. The ones stored away are ready to throw. On my deck is a spinning MLXF 6 lb., M Fast 8 lb. setup. Casting 8 lb. Crankbait setup for lighter shallower baits and a casting 12 lb. Crankbait setup for heavier deeper diving baits. 
I don’t like having an excessive pile of setups around my feet. But that’s just me. Sure I could have more out but don’t see what I gain by that. 
Baits that I plan to use or more apt to be throwing I sort of have them laid out in a bin so that I’m not digging up baits all day. But that’s not possible all the time. 

[GreenPig]

Yes I'll carry multiple rods for the same technique. 

Twenty to 25 rods is easily done in a 1448 if fishing solo.

[LonnieP]

I always have at least 4 crankbait rods rigged up and several Texas rig/Jig rods with me on my boat.

[Columbia Craw]

Come to think of it, I’m almost always one combo short.

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, Columbia Craw said:

Come to think of it, I’m almost always one combo short.

Better than my one card short of a full deck.

 

Crankbait rods are dedicated.  Had a dedicated frog rod stolen, so I have to assign another rod for that duty.  Have a dedicated jig rod and 2 finesse rods.  Every other rod pulls multiple duties.  Fish 10 or 10-1/2 inch unweighted worms a lot.  However, I've yet to dedicate any rods just for worms.  They get fished on quite a few different rods.  Same for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, etc.  Always have at least one rod already set up for worms and one for spinnerbaits.  Never leave home without them.

 

When I fished in Florida with my B-I-L, I usually carried 4 or 5 rods on his 14-foot Gheenoe.  Each already set up for different techniques.  Now I fish strictly from shore.  I no longer carry as many as I used to in the car.  Two is usually enough.  If I'm feeling really chipper, I might load 4 or 5 in the car.

[GRiver]

My boat is small, 15/48 mod-V. I have rods that I can use with multiple baits.

I think back to when I was wading, one rod did it all. Just re-tied and fished, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

When I go on someone else’s boat, usually 2 rigs and I just make it work. I like to take a spare in case my reel decides to, spit the bit, so to speak.
Don’t get me wrong, I love tackle and gear as much as anyone here. If I maybe had a bigger boat, but I like a clean deck, one or two over the side, 2-3 in the rod rack.

 

[Swamp Girl]

15 hours ago, king fisher said:

I dream of the day when I can have 20 rods all rigged and laid out on the deck of a fully equipped bass boat, but I also long for the days when I only had one rod and reel to fish with. 

 

I too can be wistful about the simple, ol' days and I too can dream about fishing from a bass boat, not so much for the 20 rods, but for the comfort and stability. 

[fishballer06]

In all seriousness. When I'm on a cranking bite, its common for me to have a squarebill, DT6, DT10, and rattle trap rod all tied up. If a texas rig or jig bite is the ticket, it's common for me to have a 3/16oz and a 3/8oz version rigged up. 

[JHoss]

20 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I don't need 4 rods just for that because I don't dedicate rods to one technique.  Technique specific rods are a popular trend that is baffling to me but to each his own.

I'm guessing that you don't fish many tournaments? If I'm just fun fishing, I'm far less concerned about having my system (rod, reel, line) matched to the bait I'm throwing than if I'm in a tournament. Just like I'm not as diligent about retying when I'm fun fishing or practicing. But when it's tournament time, I want to stack every odd in my favor and going technique specific may help increase my landing percentage by a few points, which could make or break an event.

 

20 hours ago, A-Jay said:

For the jerkbait deal, different rigs & baits represent the ability to present baits of different sizes, shapes/profiles, colors/patterns, sounds and running depths, where I need to. 

I rarely ever chose to 'dial it in'.

I will almost always try a few different (usually proven ) baits in the same area.

IMO, every fish is it's own creature and has likes and dislikes - like people.

No pizza shop sells just peperoni pies. 

 

Have you ever heard Zaldain talk about "bracketing" jerk baits and color to dial in what the fish want throughout the day? If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like you do the opposite and keep rotating a variety of baits throughout the day even if the fish are showing a propensity to a certain bait or color? Do you use FFS?

 

15 hours ago, GreenPig said:

Yes I'll carry multiple rods for the same technique. 

Twenty to 25 rods is easily done in a 1448 if fishing solo.

20-25 gets real tight in my Weldbilt 1448. I tend to have to pile them up on the floor like in your second picture and then they get in the way of the tiller, block access to my rear hatches, and get all tangled up. I've found 16-18 to be the number I can comfortably fit in the boat and still access as needed. I'd be curious if your setup is laid out better or you just deal with the chaos a little better than me. 

 

1 hour ago, fishballer06 said:

In all seriousness. When I'm on a cranking bite, its common for me to have a squarebill, DT6, DT10, and rattle trap rod all tied up. If a texas rig or jig bite is the ticket, it's common for me to have a 3/16oz and a 3/8oz version rigged up. 

I don't have a ton of confidence in cranks so I tend to have one rod with a quick clip for <10ft and another deep cranking stick with a quick clip for >10ft. But if I got on a bite like that in practice, I reckon I'd find a couple other rods to rig cranks on.

 

 

Seems like folks who have a ton of confidence in a certain technique tend to duplicate that technique... shocker! Makes sense that with confidence and experience comes a mastery of the intricacies of a technique and the need for more variety within that technique to untap the full potential on a given day. I expected there to be a correlation between tournament fishing and carrying multiples of one technique, but it seems like there's plenty of folks on both sides who do or don't carry multiples, which is interesting to me. 

[OkobojiEagle]

Hmmm, I've thought about this for a few days.

 

7 rods, 6 reels and 5 different strengths/diameters of line.  Most days I fish 3 or less combinations. I never duplicate baits as is being asked.

 

An 8' 3" light action, 2 piece spinning rod dedicated to small hand tied hair jigs.  It remains tucked away in the bottom of a storage compartment and I re-purpose a spinning reel from a different combo when I want to fish "hair".

 

7' 6" ml spinning used for swimming various hook exposed plastics.

7' med spinning used for dragging various hook protected plastics.

6' 6" med spinning used for suspending jerkbaits and plastic top water baits.

6' 10" med casting  used for various crankbaits

7' mh casting used for spinnerbaits

 

Jack of all trades... 6' 6" mh (light tipped) spinning replacing either casting combos when too windy and replacing spinning combos when fishing baits deeper and/or heavier than normal.

 

oe

[Tennessee Boy]

1 hour ago, JHoss said:

I'm guessing that you don't fish many tournaments?

I fished tournaments in the 90s.  In those days technique specific rods were not a thing.  
 

If I’m on a worm bite I almost always want multiple Texas rigs with different weights that I can switch between.  Sometimes I’ll have three different weights with the same bait.  If the goal is the perfect setup for a presentation then I would need three slightly different setups for each T-rig because they all have different weights.  I would need 50 rods for all of the different options with all the different baits if the goal is to have the perfect rod and reel for a 6 inch Zoom lizard with a 1/4 oz weight.   So I don’t have a Texas rig rod in my boat but I might have 6 or 8 rods that I can fish a Texas rig on.  I chose flexibility in my presentations over perfectly matched equipment.  I’m far more concerned about dialing in the bite than increasing my landing percentage by a few points as you stated.   That’s just me.   

[A-Jay]

3 hours ago, JHoss said:

Have you ever heard Zaldain talk about "bracketing" jerk baits and color to dial in what the fish want throughout the day? If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like you do the opposite and keep rotating a variety of baits throughout the day even if the fish are showing a propensity to a certain bait or color? Do you use FFS?

My rig is not equipped with FFS.

Probably never will be.

I am not familiar with how Mr Zaldain fishes jerkbait, but I'm not interested in it either.

Beauty of the sport is we all get to fish the way we want.

If folks want to copy other folks, that's great.

I don't do that and I catch a few on jerkbaits sometimes.

A-Jay