PBBrandon Posted February 7 Posted February 7 With the 2025 season right around the corner, or underway for us lucky southerners, what are your lineups going in? Mine is looking like, Spinning- 6’0” ULF St. Croix Premier/Shimano Nasci FB 1000, 4lb Invizx FC (creek fishing) 6’6” LF St. Croix Premier/Daiwa Tatula LT 2500, 6lb Sufix ProMix mono (creek fishing, small ned rigs) 6’10” MLXF St. Croix LTB/Daiwa Tatula MQ 2500, 20lb Sufix 832 braid/8lb Invizx leader (dropshot, Ned) 7’2” MLF Shimano PA B/Shimano Stradic FM 2500s, 20lb Power Pro SuperSlick braid/8lb Invizx leader (Ned, small swimbait) 7’0” MF Shimano Expride B/Shimano Stradic FM 2500s, 20lb Power Pro SuperSlick braid/8lb Invizx leader (shakeyhead, wacky) Casting- 7’0” MLR Daiwa Tatula/needs a reel (small jerks and cranks 6’8” MXF St. Croix LTB/Daiwa Alphas SV 7:1, 10lb Tatsu FC (jerkbaits) 7’4” MF Dobyns Champ HP/Daiwa Alphas SVs 7:1, 10lb Tatsu FC (weightless T-rigs, finesse jigs) 7’2” MHM St. Croix LTB/Daiwa Zillion SV 6:1, 12lb Invizx FC (cranks) 7’3” MHRF Shimano PA/Shimano Chronarch Ci4+ 7:1, 15lb Invizx FC (do it all rod) 7’3” HXF St. Croix LTB/Daiwa Zillion SV 8:1, 17lb Invizx FC (t-rig, jigs) 7’2” HM St. Croix LTB/Daiwa Zillion SV 7:1, 17lb Invizx FC (bladed jig/spinnerbait) 7’4” HF Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS/Daiwa Zillion SV 8:1, 50lb PowerPro braid (frogs) 7’5” HF Dobyns Xtasy/Daiwa Steez SV 8:1, 17lb Invizx (jig rod) 7’6” HF Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS/Daiwa Tatula SV 7:1, 50lb PowerPro braid (flipping stick) 7’2” H+F Daiwa BLX/need a reel (1/2-2oz swimbaits) 8’3” MHSB Dobyns Bucca Bullshad/Shimano Curado 200K 7:1, 20lb Trilene Big Game mono (1-4oz swimbaits, A-rigs) probably gonna get an Alphas for my Tatula rod and a Tatula 200 for my Dobyns Bucca rod and move the Curado to the BLX. Then I’ll be set on setups Whatcha got goin into the season? 3 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted February 7 Posted February 7 Spinning: Daiwa Aird X 7' ML + Daiwa Revros 2000 (6lb YZH) Lighter jerkbaits, crankbaits, topwaters. Daiwa Aird X 7' M + Daiwa Revros 2500 (6-8lb YZH) Wacky rig, weightless Texas rigs, tube jigs. Daiwa Aird X 7' M + Shimano Ultegra 2500 (8lb YZH) Jerkbaits, topwaters, lipless cranks, Mini Max Chatterbaits. Sixgill Fast Action Akylos 7'2" M + Shimano Sienna 2500 (10lb Power Pro braid) Ned rigs. Casting: Daiwa Aird X 7' M (or Abu Vigilante 7' M) + Daiwa Tatula SV TW 103 reel. 7.3:1 gear ratio (12lb YZH) Jerkbaits. Lews Team Custom Pro 7' M M/F + Shimano SLX MGL 70 reel, 7.2:1 gear ratio (30lb 832 Suffix braid) Lighter jerkbaits, crankbaits, paddle tail swimbaits, topwaters, lipless cranks. Lews Team Custom Pro 7' MH + Daiwa Zillion reel, 7.1:1 gear ratio (12lb YZH) Football jigs, Texas rigs, swim jigs. Lews TP1X 7' MH + Shimano SLX A reel, 7.2:1 gear ratio (12lb YZH) Football jigs, Texas rigs, swim jigs (alternate). Lews KVD GC5 7'2" MH + Daiwa Fuego CT reel. 6.3:1 gear ratio (65lb Power Pro braid) Spinnerbaits, heavy/deep swim jigs-chatterbaits-lipless cranks. Lews Team Custom Pro 7'3" MH + Lews BB1 Pro reel, 7.5:1 gear ratio (15lb YZH - 12lb YZH) Lipless cranks, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, paddle tail swimbaits. Daiwa Aird X 7'3" MH + Daiwa Tatula CT reel, 7.3:1 gear ratio (12lb YZH) Lipless cranks, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, paddle tail swimbaits (alternate). Dobyns Fury 7'3" MH + Shimano SLX XT reel, 7.2:1 gear ratio (12lb YZH) Lighter football jigs, finesse jigs, Texas rigs. Lews David Fritts Perfect Cranking rod 7'6" MH Moderate + Lews LFS reel, 6.8:1 gear ratio (12lb YZH) Deep/heavy crankbaits/chatterbaits. Daiwa Aird X 7' H + Daiwa Tatula CT reel, 7.3:1 gear ratio (40lb Power Pro braid) Frogs, spinnerbaits, flipping/pitching/punching, chatterbaits/hybrid hunters in the grass. Lews KVD CC5 7'4" H Moderate Cranking rod + Lews BB1 Pro reel, 6.2:1 gear ratio (20lb Big Game) Up to 2 ounce swimbaits, 6" Daingerous/Magdrafts. And big top waters. Daiwa Beefstick Salmon/Striper/Steelhead 8' MH rod 1/4oz-4oz. Daiwa Tatula 150 reel, 7.3:1 gear ratio (20lb Big Game) Up to 4 oz swimbaits, 7" Daingerous/Magdrafts, and glide baits. Ugly Stik Tiger (or Berkley Big Game) rods + Abu Ambassadeur (30lb Big Game) 1-4oz/3-8oz swimbaits. 3 Quote
DaubsNU1 Posted February 7 Posted February 7 Don't laugh too hard! : ) I did add a few new rods to my arsenal in the last two years... The gray casting rods are pretty much only used when we head north to chase Pike. 4 Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted February 7 Super User Posted February 7 Don't hate me for getting a couple Kastking reels - just trying them out, and they were on sale. 3 Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted February 7 Super User Posted February 7 Undecided. I've picked up a few expensive (for me) used rods and reels over the past few years. I'd like to combine them and get some use out of them before passing away or getting too old to go fishing. Reels: Steez, Exsence DC, Zillion, Pixy, Bantam MGL, Helios Air, SuperDuty G, Alphas, SV103, Patriarch XT, TD-Z 105H plus some less costly, well liked reels such as TD Fuego, Primmus, etc. Rods: Zolo, Helium 3, Witch Doctor Shaman, Diablo Spec R, Expert Amistad and Headturner, Techna AV, Hammer Elite, Champion 704CB Glass, plus a couple handfuls of lesser price, but well liked rods such as OG Tatula and Smallmouth. 1 Quote
Super User DogBone_384 Posted February 7 Super User Posted February 7 I’d probably crash Glenn’s server if I listed all my rigs. In short I mix & match my rigs based on mood, like my wife & daughter wear shoes. Most of my rods are Kistler. I have a few new Douglas rods I’ll put in service when open water returns. I use Shimano, Diawa, 13, and Abu reels. 2 Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted February 7 Super User Posted February 7 12 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said: I’d probably crash Glenn’s server if I listed all my rigs. In short I mix & match my rigs based on mood, like my wife & daughter wear shoes. Most of my rods are Kistler. I have a few new Douglas rods I’ll put in service when open water returns. I use Shimano, Diawa, 13, and Abu reels. 🤣 We might be in the same boat. I use 10 brands of reels and 23 brands of rods plus 3 custom built rods I bought used. It's taken a few years to get to this point. 1 Quote
Super User DogBone_384 Posted February 7 Super User Posted February 7 35 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said: It's taken a few years to get to this point. 11 years for me, and I AIN’T stopping! 1 Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted February 7 Super User Posted February 7 58 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said: 11 years for me, and I AIN’T stopping! Almost 15 for me, and I am trying to stop. If I was as young as you, I'd probably still be looking. I did but 2 rods and reels within the last year. 1 Quote
Super User DogBone_384 Posted February 7 Super User Posted February 7 1 hour ago, new2BC4bass said: and I am trying to stop. Yeah, I tell my wife the same thing. I’’ve slowed down quite a bit, but trying new stuff is part of the game I guess. Also, in the 30 years we’ve been together, boss-lady’s never pulled me drunk from a bar. Quote
Eric 26 Posted February 7 Posted February 7 @MN Fisher I know you haven’t used the Kastking reels yet but I sure hope you share what you think about them when you do. I have a few Piscifun spinning reels along with 1 casting reel I like along with a Kastking Royal Legend 2 casting reel that although is a cheaper reel it’s still useable. 1 Quote
ABU is overpriced Posted February 7 Posted February 7 For 2025 i want to get a Googan rod AND reel to exprience what its like to taste the bottom of the barrel. Want to do it, but its hard to give em $150. 1 1 Quote
MRQturbo Posted February 8 Posted February 8 My 2025 aresnal is almost complete... Upgraded a few more combos over the winter so still deciding what reels I'll pair with what rod....but it's at 2 spinning and 16 baitcasting currently.. Quote
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted February 8 Global Moderator Posted February 8 11 hours ago, MN Fisher said: Don't hate me for getting a couple Kastking reels - just trying them out, and they were on sale. No hate here. I’ve tried them and I’ve been impressed. The rods, not so much. 1 Quote
softwateronly Posted February 8 Posted February 8 Here's everything I'll use this year, I usually leave 5-6 combos at my in-laws and travel 3-4 combos to/from the city. Short a reel for a Phenix ML that might get added or sell the rod, and possibly add a roro spool to the MC 7'8M/RF combo tbd. I also have a broken Dobyns Champ, and 2 other champions that are pulled out of rotation for a possible trade in/up or sell. I keep a few spinning rigs not listed for friends/family that visit. Abu Kurodai XKRC-79LT/BF 21 Zlng/Roro PE#1/ 10lb floro Abu Kurodai XKRC-73MLS/BF 21 Zlng/Roro PE#1/ 10lb floro Major Craft BP5B782M 21 Zlng PE#1.5/ 14lb floro Phenix FTX171ML Major Craft DYC692M 22 AL 800s PE1.5 / 14lb floro Major Craft D360610M 20 AL air PE#1/ 10lb floro Shimano EX610M 22 AL 800s PE1.5 / 10lb floro Diawa STAGS170MMH 22 AL 800s PE1.5 / 10lb floro Shimano PA611M+ 20 met 7 30lb/14lb floro Phenix FTX177MH cur71 7 30lb/14lb floro Major Craft DYC692MH cur71 7 PE 3/14lb floro Major Craft D36066MH 20 met 7 30lb/14lb floro Shimano EX176MH cur dc 6 30lb/14lb floro Shimano PA172H 20 met 7 30lb/16lb floro Diawa STAGS721H 18 ban 8 50lb/16lb floro Dobyns DRX755H 20 met 7 30lb/16lb floro Loomis CNQ904H 20 met 7 30lb/16lb floro Shimano EX177H cur dc 7 30lb/14lb floro Major Craft TCX792MH cur dc 7 30lb/15lb mono Shimano EX173XH 18 ban 7 65Mlb/20lb mono Shimano PA176XH 22 ban 7 30Mlb/25lb floro Shimano EX176XH 18 ban 7 PE 3/25lb floro MegaBass P5 TB XH 21 ZlnHD 7 65Mlb/25lb floro Major Craft DYC702X tat200 7 65lb/30lb floro Dobyns FR795SWBT cur301HG 65lb/30lb floro MegaBass Destroyer Onager tat300HSL 65lb/30lb floro Zlng = Diawa Zillion AL = Diawa Alphas met = Shimano Metanium ban = Shimano Bantam cur = Shimano Curado tat = Diawa Tatula roro = Roro x27 spool Quote
newapti5 Posted Saturday at 08:38 PM Posted Saturday at 08:38 PM I got a couple of new rods in the winter, like one Legend Xtreme and a new Tatula rod. Reel wise, I am going backwards: a T3 SV, a first gen Steez, and a Z2020 are 10+ years old, a CV-Z 105 is 20 years old. I also got a couple of Shimano Cores I want to try out. They are all cleaned, re-greased, repaired/upgraded, ready to go. Quote
Jaybert Posted Saturday at 10:15 PM Posted Saturday at 10:15 PM Spinning Loomis IMX pro SJR782 / stradic ci4 3000 Daiwa Kage 6’10 “the Ned” light action, stradic FL1000 casting Loomis GCX MBR 782C / JDM metanium 20 6 gear Loomis IMX pro MBR 783C / Curado 150 mgl 7 gear Loomis GL3 MBR 784C / Calcutta 200GTB Loomis IMX pro CR722 / Curado BFS reel. (Good length rod for the kayak and just a plain fun extra combo) This is the main arsenal, try to have as few versatile setups as I can. Have some older compre rods and 90’s-2000’s stradic reels that still get some use too. Hi vis Braid to fluoro leader on spinning, casting I’m still playing with line choices have not found the perfect mix of braid/mono/fluoro yet. It would be nice to add more combos to have braid / mono available for different techniques, but that goes against my having as efficient and few combos as possible. Still fine tuning that. id like to add a high end Loomis spinning rod at some point in GLX or NRX for finesse, neds, dropshot, tiny jigs etc. but not sure what model yet, maybe I should start a thread to ask favorite finesse Loomis rod ! Quote
dk2429 Posted Sunday at 07:18 AM Posted Sunday at 07:18 AM Lews Mach 1 MH/F 6’10/Concept A 6.6 Falcon Bucoo 7’ Mansfield/OG Concept TX 7.3 (2) Falcon Bucoo 7’ Trapcaster/Concept KP 6.6 and Shimano SLX XT 8.2 Falcon Lowrider 7’ Dragger/Concept C 7.3 Dobyns Sierra 735/Concept A 8.1 Falcon Cara 7’4 Heavy Cover Jig/Tatula Elite 8.1 Falcon Lowrider 7’6 Cranker II/Lews BB1 Pro 6.2 I plan to add some more. Dobyns DX743 and Falcon Cara Amistad are next on the list. I started exploring the $200+ bass rods a few months ago, and unfortunately I see no sign of slowing down. 😬 Really wanna try a Kistler Helium (I live about an hour from them). I just haven’t heard the best things about their customer service. A rod is worthless to me if the manufacturer isn’t going to back it up when something goes wrong. I know that Falcon and Dobyns will. Quote
Brian11719 Posted Sunday at 03:29 PM Posted Sunday at 03:29 PM Glad to see I'm not the only one with a spreadsheet Models Poison Adrena PAD267MLA Legend Xtreme XFS610MLXF Poison Adrena PAD2611MHA Sierra SA704SF Victory VTC73MHF Victory VTC74HF Kaden KD6104CB Kaden KD735CB Sierra 766FLIP Quote
Super User king fisher Posted Sunday at 05:06 PM Super User Posted Sunday at 05:06 PM My line up is small, but I get by. 7' medium heavy Diawa Ardito casting rod, with a Zillion SV reel.- T rigs and jigs 7.6 ' medium heavy Diawa Ardito casting rod with a Tatula 150 reel.- crank baits, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits. 7' medium Diawas Ardito casting rod with a Tatula CT. reel.- Top water, jerk baits, smaller crankbaits, underspins, and many lures I should use a spinning rod for. 7.6' Heavy Tatula casting rod with a Coastal 150 reel.- Punching, pitching, C Rig, A Rig, Deep diving crankbaits. Quote
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