The Basic Rig

[roadwarrior]

Regardless of your pricing point, this is my suggestion for

smallmouth rigs:

Spinning tackle: 7' MF (firm tip)/ 2500 series reel/ Yo-Zuri Hybrid or Hybrid Ultra Soft #6

Baitcasting (hardbaits): 6 1/2' MF (soft tip)/ low profile reel/ #12 Hybrid

8-)

[The Yankee Fist]

This post should get permanently stuck up top in bold letters.

It would be nice to leave the thread open so people could post their rigs that match or closely match this criteria, what they paid and how they perform.

Those really are the "baseline" and I bet one could combo some pretty nice rigs up for 150 or less each including the line.

[roadwarrior]

Well, the basic rigs are the same, regardless of price.

These are mine:

Spinning:

G. Loomis GLX PR844S/ Stella 2500FD (live bait)

St. Croix Legend Elite ES70MF/ Stella 2500FB (soft plastics)

St. Croix Avid AVS 66MLF/ Stella 1000FA (soft plastics)

Baitcasting:

Avid AVC66MF/ Core 100MG (hard jerkbaits, small crankbaits and topwater)

G. Loomis GLX PR844C/ STX (big hard baits)

St. Croix EC70MHF/ CTE200GT (3/4 oz Ledgebuster and big spoons)

Lamiglas SR705R/ CTE200GT (deep diving crankbaits)

G. Loomis GLX BCR854/ Curado 200E7 (jigs)

G. Loomis GLX MBR844C/ Calais (weighted soft plastics)

When I am smallmouth fishing on the Tennessee River,

I only carry two rigs 90% of the time: PR844S for live bait

and the AVS66MLF for grubs and tubes. The G. Loomis is

usually spooled up with YZ #6, the Avid with #4.

8-)

[The Yankee Fist]

That's what I meant...those actions/sizes are THE baseline and my point was that you can get something pretty nice for low dough as a starting price point but the baseline is always there regardless of the fiscal outlay.

Mine:

Kinda all around stuff for me because I'm always fishing from shore and hiking to and from the spots.

G. Loomis SMR 822S-SP GLX Great rod! Really, a great all around spinning rod. Handles just about anything and is a phenomenal river smallmouth rod IMHO, which is where the bulk of my time is spent.

Shimano Sustain 2500 FE Large waste of money. Will be replaced soon.

G. Loomis BCR 803 GLX Great rod, fishes both "bigger" and "smaller" than it's capacities may say. Very accurate casting even in windy conditions. WICKED sensitive. It river fishes 1/8 oz DT4's with ease...it's great in tough current and if you slow down when you get used to it's speed, you can run cranks and plastic jerks pretty well.

Quantum Iron Old horse.( Haven't decided on what new reel to put on there yet.) Hasn't stopped running in 15 years so it's good in my book.

Yo Zuri Hybrid US 6 and 12.

[Lucky Craft Man]

I find myself using one of four lures for smallmouth bass (I have used a lot more, but these four I always seem to return to).

Jerkbait: G Loomis Bronzeback SMR814C-CB & Abu Garcia Revo SC

Drop Shot: G Loomis DSR822S & Pflueger Supreme Spinning Reel

Tube: G Loomis IMX MBR843C & Daiwa Fuego

Senko: G Loomis GLX BSR852 & Pflueger Supreme Spinning Reel

[Flywatersmallie]

Mine.... I mainly fish from shore, wade or from a canoe, always in the river and it isnt very deep and boat access is limited so....

Spinning

6'6" MLF St Croix Legend Tournament "Split Shot" with a 1000 size Shimano Saros spooled with 2/10 Powerpro for the light plastics

6'6" MLF St Croix Avid with a 1000 Sized Symetre FJ spooled with 2/10 Powerpro. Old "feel" rod, usually gets used for spinners and small cranks now

6'3" MXF St Croix Legend Tournament "Shakin" with a 1500 size Daiwa Tierra spooled with 4/15 Powerpro for small worms, 3" Senkos and the like

6'8" MXF St Croix Avid with a 2500 size Shimano Stradic spooled with 4/15 Powerpro for tubes

Casting

7' MF St Croix Legend Tournament "Teaser" with a Revo STX spooled with 6/20 Powerpro for TX rigged plastics, craws, 4"+ senkos and so on also jerkbaits and small spinnerbaits. Doubled as a heavier crank rod till I just aquired a 6'6" Avid cranker which does not yet have a reel.

6'6" St Croix Avid MH with a Quantum Energy PT spooled with 8/30 Powerpro for the heavier stuff, jigs, bigger spinnerbaits and flipping into heavy cover

Notice a theme here?

When I wade I only carry one rod, usually the LTB "split shot". Canoe gets 2. Generally the teaser and one of the 6'6" ML spinning rods. Can cover MOST everything with just the 2.