Anyone Only Use One Rod And Reel For All? 2025

Diggy reply :

Any one combo fishermen out there..if so what are you using?

rod/reel/line

Im doing a clinical study for science :occasion5:

roadwarrior reply :

For enthusiasts, technique specific gear is fun

to collect. However, three rigs cover all the

basics:

#1 6 1/2' or 7' MH baitcaster for jigs, some

soft plastics and spinnerbaits

#2 6 1/2' or 7' MM baitcaster for treble hook

lures

#3 7' MF spinning rod for lighter lures and a

variety of techniques

If you are fishing with one rod, I would recommend the MF spinning rod

Goose52 reply :

I spent the early to mid-60s with only one rod and managed to catch fish. It was a 6 1/2ft solid glass spinning rod...

Like RW said above, if I could only have ONE combo, it would be a 6'8" to 7' medium fast (perhaps extra fast) spinning rod, with a Pflueger Supreme 30-size reel with two spools - one with 6lb YZ, the other with 20lb or 30lb braid.

SirSnookalot reply :

I do own more than 1 freshwater combo but when I'm out fishing I have only 1 with me. Sometimes a second rod may be in my car strictly for back up due to a chance malfunction. Supreme 35 with15# braid on a med 8/17 Calico Jack, handles any technique I do and any fish I may encounter in freshwater. If I choose to head over to the ocean after some bass fishing that very same outfit works well for snook and jacks off the beach.

clayton86 reply :

I used to then I discovered this web site and I now have more rods and gear then I know what to do with and my collection is puny compared to most but im working on it

0119 reply :

I've parred down my arsenal alot. Still have many. But I almost always bring only one outfit with me. Not everyone has a bassboat with a rod locker. I fish out of a yak a small jon boat or walking the shore. I don't find it worth the maintenance headache to carry another outfit in the yak. My buddy carries so many outfits in his jon boat that there isn't enough room for me to bring more than one. 25 years of police work tells me not to keep another outfit in the truck when I'm walking the bank.

jslacker reply :

I am just starting out, and have only 1. I use a spinning on top of an Ugly Stik.... From what I have read on here I need to get a new pole, but hell I love the ugly stik... Ignorance seems to be bliss, for now anyway.... Lol. I never stay with one type of line.... I'm still learning.

Sam reply :

I will take my BPS 7-foot Extreme spinning rod with a Shimano 2500 spinning reel and 8 pound flourocarbon line to keep in my car just in case the opportunity arises while I am on the road.

This set up can fish just about everything.

The main problem is that by cutting the line to change baits you will use up the line rapidly.

Marty reply :

Yes and no. I take either three or four combos with me, but they're just for quick lure changes. They're all spinning, 6'6" M (and one MH), fast action and 15# braid.

LgMouthGambler reply :

I have 1 combo I use more than others for around town canal fishing. My Curado 50E on a M Shimano Clarus rod and 12# YoZuri. Light enough to be good and whippy for small fish, strong enough to handle big bass and snakeheads.

JaxBasser reply :

Before I really had money to buy more equipment I had one combo I used for everything and it was a BPS PQ on a 7' Medium/fast rod and 12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid. It worked ok for most of what I fished with.

Now that I have $ to buy more stuff I have 4 combos that I will use, I usually only carry 3 of them on a trip though since I don't have a boat.

SirSnookalot reply :

Quote
The main problem is that by cutting the line to change baits you will use up the line rapidly.

Even back in the days before I used braid, leaders were always used. Ones own option to use swivels or tie line to leader, for me the use of leaders uses up very little mainline. Duolocks are used in freshwater which aids in leader conservation and quick change, big pluses if I'm traveling with only 1 rod.

Hyrule Bass reply :

On 6/5/2012 at 4:37 AM, jslacker said:

I am just starting out, and have only 1. I use a spinning on top of an Ugly Stik.... From what I have read on here I need to get a new pole, but hell I love the ugly stik... Ignorance seems to be bliss, for now anyway.... Lol. I never stay with one type of line.... I'm still learning.

you dont need to get a new pole. your ugly stik will do it all and wont break on a hook set. now im not discouraging you if you want to buy something different. just saying ugly stiks arent as bad as people here seem to think. some people here seem to think they can tell major difference in 0.000000000001 fraction of sensitivity, and that you need a $500+ combo just to catch fish...

K_Mac reply :

Jslacker you can catch fish with your Ugly Stik. What many of us find over time is a little more money money buys a lighter, more sensitive rod that is more fun to fish with and will allow you to feel fish that you will not with your current set-up. Red Earth says the difference is nominal at best. For most of the rest of us the difference in a $30 rod and a $100 is huge. I have several combos in the $200 range. For me that is that is a reasonable compromise of cost and quality. I don't have any $500 combos only because I do not have the dissposable income. Not they would not make me better, they are just more enjoyable to use if you have the cash. Fish with what you can afford and enjoy the process. Good luck.

On topic, I agree with Goose52 that a good med spinning combo with 2 spools could work for nearly any bass fishing. It would not make me happy though...

jslacker reply :

Thanks for the encouraging words fellas! Like I said I am just getting started in serious fishing, and still have a lot to pick up. I'm sure I will pick up a baitcaster sooner than later. I saw a 100 dollar combo that seems to be a good starter for a guy like me at my Walmart, it is an Abu black max on a Abu rod I believe it was 6'6. I also saw just a pole for 200 dollars and was like I just cant justify spending that much on a pole at that this time. Hell thats a used gun!

I have only ever owned 2 kinds of poles, my freshwater Ugly and a heavy saltwater set up so I have been forced to only use one pole for all applications, well I also have a very cheap 30 dollar combo for the carp that I dont care what happens to. Also have only really used nightcrawlers until recently so until I can get another pole I have just been re-rigging if I wanted to switch it up on baits.

jj'sbassinforfun reply :

I started with a medium action spinning rod and it was all I fished until I got bit by the monkey. These days there are at least 6 rods in the boat! Stay away from the monkey if you can!!

K_Mac reply :

On 6/6/2012 at 4:23 AM, jslacker said:

...I just cant justify spending that much on a pole at that this time. Hell thats a used gun!...

That is funny! I like my guns too, but how many hours will you have that used gun in your hand actually using it? I have a good friend that used to give me grief for the tackle and gear I have. He has two inexpensive spinning rigs that he feels are adequate for all fishing. He also has two large gun safes full of a variety guns, some of which are strictly collector pieces. When I asked him why he needed so many guns, he smiled and has never said another word about my fishing gear. I have several guns to meet my needs and shoot them all from time to time, but I use my bass fishing combos on a regular basis.I will take the $200 rod over a $200 used gun every time-unless it is needed for zombie defense or some other urgent need.

SirSnookalot reply :

A novice fisherman may be better off using just one rod with no quick change snap( master those knots in windy conditions). Learn a technique at a time and don't be so fast to change lures. It's apparent that many people try to emulate the pros they see on TV with a huge arsenal of equipment, the amateur may be doing them self a disservice. The seasoned fisherman probably only needs 1 outfit, but human nature makes us come up with a plethora of reasons to justify the expense.

tholmes reply :

I usually carry two rigs (strictly a shore/dock fisherman) but I can get by with one. A 7' MH Berkely Lightning rod and an Ambassadeur 5600 CL Rocket spooled with 12# Trilene Big Game. Certainly not top end gear, but it's rugged, dependable and I manage to catch enough bass to keep me going back,

Tom

hatrix reply :

If I am walking around the bank I bring just 1 rod and its a Lew's TP Speed Spool and a 6'8" MH/XF Crucial and a empty plastics bag full of baits in my back pocket. It's a hassle to carry more then 1 unless I go out on the boat then I bring 3 or 4 combos with me usually.

new2BC4bass reply :

On 6/5/2012 at 12:17 AM, Goose52 said:

I spent the early to mid-60s with only one rod and managed to catch fish. It was a 6 1/2ft solid glass spinning rod...

That is all I used in my youth...one fiberglass rod for everything from nightwalkers to Rapalas. Didn't know there was any other way to fish. Except I started fishing in 1953 with a cane pole before graduating to a Mitchell 300 the next year.

On 6/5/2012 at 2:07 AM, clayton86 said:

I used to then I discovered this web site and I now have more rods and gear then I know what to do with and my collection is puny compared to most but im working on it

Sale sites here, on TT and this one have nearly been the death of me. If looks could kill, I'd already be dead. Still keep lookin', tho.

On 6/6/2012 at 10:02 AM, K_Mac said:

That is funny! I like my guns too, but how many hours will you have that used gun in your hand actually using it? I have a good friend that used to give me grief for the tackle and gear I have. He has two inexpensive spinning rigs that he feels are adequate for all fishing. He also has two large gun safes full of a variety guns, some of which are strictly collector pieces. When I asked him why he needed so many guns, he smiled and has never said another word about my fishing gear. I have several guns to meet my needs and shoot them all from time to time, but I use my bass fishing combos on a regular basis.I will take the $200 rod over a $200 used gun every time-unless it is needed for zombie defense or some other urgent need.

You need to start shooting airguns. Doesn't take long to invest some $$$. Can shoot in your basement. Come on over and I'll let you shoot a few ranging from an 80's Olympic rifle to a high powered springer hunting rifle. No PCPs tho. Can't afford them.

On 6/6/2012 at 2:37 PM, SirSnookalot said:

A novice fisherman may be better off using just one rod with no quick change snap( master those knots in windy conditions). Learn a technique at a time and don't be so fast to change lures. It's apparent that many people try to emulate the pros they see on TV with a huge arsenal of equipment, the amateur may be doing them self a disservice. The seasoned fisherman probably only needs 1 outfit, but human nature makes us come up with a plethora of reasons to justify the expense.

I'm not a novice nor am I trying to emulate the pros, but have purchased way too much gear the past 3 years for the amount of time I actually get on the water. I would be better off with just 2 rods for awhile. May have to start limiting myself to that many each outing just so I can get a good feel for each rod. Problem is I think I have to have one of every rod and reel made. Well, almost every one is a slight exaggeration, but not too far off.

jslacker, there was a time I wished I could afford an Ugly Stick.

Kyle Mahaffey reply :

I have 2 combos. I have a abu garcia 61/2 m/m pole with 8# and a shakespear 61/2 m/m pole with 6# test. The garcia is for soft plastics and the other is for all the other lures. Not the best but it gets the job done with me.

Capt.Bob reply :

I guess, if I had to but I never have, it would be like only having one gun! I guess you could just never thought about it. It don't even sound like something I want to try. what a depressing thought.

0119 reply :

Theres an old saying Skeeter Skelton used to say. Beware the man with but one gun, for he will know how to use it.

Pennyfingers reply :

I always have three rigs with me (in the truck).

2 BC rigs

Abu MH 7' with Abu ambassador, 17-25lb mono or fluoro

Daiwa M action ( carrot stick knockoff) with a quantum burner 7:1 12-15#

And 1 cheap shimano spinner with 10lb braid.

I shore or tube fish only for now and will regularly carry two if I'm hiking a lake or all three in the tube. I spend a lot of Time studying different articles, pros and techniques and there are definatley times for different setups and lines. If you wanted one all around rod,6'8"- 7' 6" MH would be the one and maybe invest and spend time swapping differen reels for the application, though you'd prob get tired of it and add new sticks. The spinning rod with the braided works ok for all around in a pinch. Durable and heavy enough line for cover and snag, easy to throw anywhere and a 2 piece... If you run the braided keep various types and sizes of mono and braid in diff tests for leaders and your set... That's me, good luck.

tomustang reply :

On 6/4/2012 at 10:52 PM, Diggy said:

Any one combo fishermen out there..if so what are you using?

rod/reel/line

Im doing a clinical study for science

Read the sig...

Before the avid I used the step down Premier. I conditioned myself to be very resilient with what I had in my hands for multiple techniques that guys on here would look at you funny for not using a specific setup, it's really up to you to work any rod to make it perform with many baits/techniques.

Dr. Watson reply :

Before I really got into bass fishing I used a Zebco 33 (from 1989) and a 6' pistol grip Shakespeare rod for everything. I still have this setup as a momento, but now have technique specific gear that I use just about every day.

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