Rod selection and setups 2024

PiedmontAngler reply :

Hi all, looking for some guidance on my current rod selection and setup. I never looked at the types of rods I was using before so am newer to all of this. I currently have 2 rods and plan on adding a 3rd. I fish on lakes and rivers in the Carolinas and mainly target bass. There is little to no cover in the areas I fish.

Mainly fished saltwater in Florida and fished freshwater as a kid. I am still learning what to use and where to use it but haven’t had any luck since moving to the Carolinas and starting freshwater fishing.

Setups:

Dobyns Fury 705CB with a Lews Mach I, 12# fluoro

used mainly with crank baits and heavier spinner baits

Dobyns Fury 734C with a Quantum S3 reel, 40# braid to 12# fluoro leader

used for everything else

I recently started using weightless senko, whacky rigs, shakey heads and flukes. It seems like they would do better on a lighter rod. I was thinking about adding a 3rd rod which would be a Dobyns Sierra 703C.

Would this rod work well for those baits? Not sure of the line choice yet. Do you think the other line choices are right?

My bad luck so far may be related to fishing from the shore and heat.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

LionHeart reply :

Honestly, that would be an excellent rod for those techniques. Nuff said.

IMO this is a tough time of year to catch bass unless you can go deep and have electronics.

If you are fishing from the bank, they can still be caught, but find somewhere with vegetation. I have been having more luck on the bank lately pulling them right out of the grass using Texas rigs.

Line? I use braid to mono leader for literally everything and have no complaints. Hope this helps dude.

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 8/28/2018 at 9:59 AM, LionHeart said:

Honestly, that would be an excellent rod for those techniques. Nuff said.

IMO this is a tough time of year to catch bass unless you can go deep and have electronics.

If you are fishing from the bank, they can still be caught, but find somewhere with vegetation. I have been having more luck on the bank lately pulling them right out of the grass using Texas rigs.

Line? I use braid to mono leader for literally everything and have no complaints. Hope this helps dude.

Thanks for the tips. There may be a lot of pressure in the spots I go to.

What # braid would you use on the 703? 30?

Do you use leaders too? I was thinking of something in the 8-10# range for a fluoro leader.

Angry John reply :

Seems like you could add a spinning setup to round out your collection. Trick worms are a favorite and are not easy to cast weightless on casting gear. Also give you a chance to fish crankbaits like a shadrap that is not easy to cast and finally give you a good dropshot, snakehead and wacky setup. The 703 spinning would do all of these things.

20 lb braid on a 20 or 2000 size real would be perfect.

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 8/28/2018 at 11:18 AM, Angry John said:

Seems like you could add a spinning setup to round out your collection. Trick worms are a favorite and are not easy to cast weightless on casting gear. Also give you a chance to fish crankbaits like a shadrap that is not easy to cast and finally give you a good dropshot, snakehead and wacky setup. The 703 spinning would do all of these things.

20 lb braid on a 20 or 2000 size real would be perfect.

Thanks for the feedback @Angry John. A spinning rod has been a consideration.

When you say 20 or 2000, would 25 or 2500 work? Also see a 200. Do you typically use leader with the braid?

LionHeart reply :

On 8/28/2018 at 10:11 AM, Appfisher said:

Thanks for the tips. There may be a lot of pressure in the spots I go to.

What # braid would you use on the 703? 30?

Do you use leaders too? I was thinking of something in the 8-10# range for a fluoro leader.

I think 30 lb braid would be a great choice.

I always prefer to use a leader. Somewhere between 6-10 feet but there isn't really a down side to going longer as far as I know. I'd probably go with 10 lb for the leader but you should be fine going up or down slightly in size if you wanted.

To second what John said, a spinning rig wouldn't be a bad idea either. Always good to have one. Personally I'd still go with the 3 power bait casting rig, but it would be purely preference. There are times when a spinning rig is almost unavoidable.

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 8/28/2018 at 9:12 PM, LionHeart said:

I think 30 lb braid would be a great choice.

I always prefer to use a leader. Somewhere between 6-10 feet but there isn't really a down side to going longer as far as I know. I'd probably go with 10 lb for the leader but you should be fine going up or down slightly in size if you wanted.

To second what John said, a spinning rig wouldn't be a bad idea either. Always good to have one. Personally I'd still go with the 3 power bait casting rig, but it would be purely preference. There are times when a spinning rig is almost unavoidable.

Thanks again for the great feedback. A spinning rig does seem practical but I find bait casters more fun.

Angry John reply :

On 8/28/2018 at 9:02 PM, Appfisher said:

Thanks for the feedback @Angry John. A spinning rod has been a consideration.

When you say 20 or 2000, would 25 or 2500 work? Also see a 200. Do you typically use leader with the braid?

I do use almost all braid to leader on my spinning setups. 15 gives me a lot of wind knots and 30 seems to kill my casting distance. For the record I do use 832 so your line choice may vary. I like 2000 sized daiwa's because they have enough drag enough line capacity and are a lot lighter than the same model 2500. Some of the new lt models have shed a lot of weight so that would be a good choice. If you can find the model you like in a high gear that may also be a good choice if moving baits are not in the plan. Shallow spools 2506 or pe specials also reduce line capacity that is not needed for bass fishing. My preferred spinning setups for plastics is a 610mlxf.

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 8/29/2018 at 5:48 AM, Angry John said:

I do use almost all braid to leader on my spinning setups. 15 gives me a lot of wind knots and 30 seems to kill my casting distance. For the record I do use 832 so your line choice may vary. I like 2000 sized daiwa's because they have enough drag enough line capacity and are a lot lighter than the same model 2500. Some of the new lt models have shed a lot of weight so that would be a good choice. If you can find the model you like in a high gear that may also be a good choice if moving baits are not in the plan. Shallow spools 2506 or pe specials also reduce line capacity that is not needed for bass fishing. My preferred spinning setups for plastics is a 610mlxf.

Thanks for all of the suggestions @Angry John. I think I am going to try a spinning setup for these baits.

GateToWire reply :

"Dobyns Fury 705CB with a Lews Mach I, 12# fluoro

used mainly with crank baits and heavier spinner baits

Dobyns Fury 734C with a Quantum S3 reel, 40# braid to 12# fluoro leader

used for everything else"

I have both of these and should fit your needs well. The only change would be to potentially change to a mono leader. Depending on how hard you set the hook you may be better off with a little stretch in your leader.

The 734C is very versatile and is also good for chatterbaits and spinnerbaits

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 8/31/2018 at 8:53 AM, GateToWire said:

"Dobyns Fury 705CB with a Lews Mach I, 12# fluoro

used mainly with crank baits and heavier spinner baits

Dobyns Fury 734C with a Quantum S3 reel, 40# braid to 12# fluoro leader

used for everything else"

I have both of these and should fit your needs well. The only change would be to potentially change to a mono leader. Depending on how hard you set the hook you may be better off with a little stretch in your leader.

The 734C is very versatile and is also good for chatterbaits and spinnerbaits

Thanks for the tips. The 734 feels like a great all around rod while the 705 handles crank baits great.

Can’t say I know how I set the hook yet since I haven’t had good luck. I do well fly fishing though and I wouldn’t say the hook sets are to hard.

Boomstick reply :

The 703C would be a nice addition, I'm actually in the same boat as you with my MH/F and MH/MF rods now, but what I would add first is a ML/XF or M/F (depending on the make) spinning rod for finesse techniques, which can be highly effective as well.

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 9/1/2018 at 10:55 PM, Boomstick said:

The 703C would be a nice addition, I'm actually in the same boat as you with my MH/F and MH/MF rods now, but what I would add first is a ML/XF or M/F (depending on the make) spinning rod for finesse techniques, which can be highly effective as well.

What types of baits would you fish on on of those? I see differing opinions when it comes to finesse. It seems like some people consider finesse as weightless plastics then others think that it’s downsizing lures.

I admit it that I am still not familiar with all styles of bait but have been happily adding new ones every day.

Boomstick reply :

On 9/2/2018 at 10:10 AM, Appfisher said:

What types of baits would you fish on on of those? I see differing opinions when it comes to finesse. It seems like some people consider finesse as weightless plastics then others think that it’s downsizing lures.

I admit it that I am still not familiar with all styles of bait but have been happily adding new ones every day.

I use a St Croix Avid X, 6'9" ML/XF to fish a ned rig and a drop shot with 10-15lb braid and a 6lb leader -- perfect for those hot sunny days where they aren't chasing, and the light line offers the best presentation for such situations. You can also try a shaky head, but a rod with slightly more backbone is ideal for that although the ML/XF will do if it has to.

I have had great luck personally is the Roboworm Alive Shad in 4" or the straight tail worm on a size 1 Owner mosquito hook. They're typically cheap enough too unless you buy them from Bass Pro or Cabela's, who have for whatever reason jacked up the price.

smithy97 reply :

I'm with you Appfisher, baitcasters are more fun! A 703 is a great choice for this techniques, no question! I use a Loomis E6x 853 C, which is a 7'1'' mh/xfast and its fantastic. For line I use a high vis 30lb braid to a 12lb copoly leader, but either fluro or mono would work fine as well. Love the high vis for those techniques, I believe you would as well!

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 9/3/2018 at 12:05 PM, Boomstick said:

I use a St Croix Avid X, 6'9" ML/XF to fish a ned rig and a drop shot with 10-15lb braid and a 6lb leader -- perfect for those hot sunny days where they aren't chasing, and the light line offers the best presentation for such situations. You can also try a shaky head, but a rod with slightly more backbone is ideal for that although the ML/XF will do if it has to.

I have had great luck personally is the Roboworm Alive Shad in 4" or the straight tail worm on a size 1 Owner mosquito hook. They're typically cheap enough too unless you buy them from Bass Pro or Cabela's, who have for whatever reason jacked up the price.

Now I think I need a finesse rod in addition to the 703 I was already looking at. I have been looking into finesse fishing over the weekend, specifically the Ned rig and it looks like fun. I think a ML/XF spinning setup will be my first addition before the 703. After trying to cast some bread to a carp with a bait caster, I think a spinning setup would work a lot better for lighter presentations.

On 9/4/2018 at 8:27 AM, smithy97 said:

I'm with you Appfisher, baitcasters are more fun! A 703 is a great choice for this techniques, no question! I use a Loomis E6x 853 C, which is a 7'1'' mh/xfast and its fantastic. For line I use a high vis 30lb braid to a 12lb copoly leader, but either fluro or mono would work fine as well. Love the high vis for those techniques, I believe you would as well!

I setup my wife's spinning reel on a rod over the weekend to test if I would like casting plastics on it and found that I didn't like it very much. It seems like a spinning setup would be great for finesse as mentioned above but I would enjoy a bait caster more for anything heavier.

Beyond that, I actually caught some bass on a topwater frog over the weekend and decided that I need a flipping rod too. I was using my 705CB for frogging and it seemed to work well. Too many rods!!! It would be great to have 4 at most. More than 4 would work if I owned a proper boat but I am bank fishing for the time being then a kayak in the near future. Don't really want to go above 4 even when I have the yak.

Maybe I continue using the 705CB for frogs because I don't have a lot of cover around here.

Boomstick reply :

On 9/4/2018 at 10:41 PM, Appfisher said:

Now I think I need a finesse rod in addition to the 703 I was already looking at. I have been looking into finesse fishing over the weekend, specifically the Ned rig and it looks like fun. I think a ML/XF spinning setup will be my first addition before the 703. After trying to cast some bread to a carp with a bait caster, I think a spinning setup would work a lot better for lighter presentations.

I use Daiwa BG 2000 with the Avid X 6'9" ML/XF. Some of the ML/XF rods that run on the light side don't work well, and the M/F rods that run heavy don't work well. That rod is perfect because it runs on the heavier side, so it has the sensitivity to feel the slightest nibble and the strength to pull in the larger fish, and the BG 2000 I would say is on par with reels costing twice as much with the exception of being a little heavier, and the heavier reel balances the Avid X perfectly. If you live in say California where you might get fish larger than 5lbs, you may prefer a M/F, but for the northeast, the ML/XF Avid X is perfect.

I would personally go with a similar spinning setup before a M/F baitcaster (and I did the same thing myself). I generally fish heavier soft plastics weighted on my MH/F casting rod and once I get a M/F or M/XF I will use that for weighless heavier soft plastics.

Also if I am shore fishing, I will usually use a Ned rig, it's both quicker to rig up and easier to work in shallower water. But when I fish from a boat and have access to deeper water, I will usually rig up a drop shot.

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 9/4/2018 at 11:10 PM, Boomstick said:

I use Daiwa BG 2000 with the Avid X 6'9" ML/XF. Some of the ML/XF rods that run on the light side don't work well, and the M/F rods that run heavy don't work well. That rod is perfect because it runs on the heavier side, so it has the sensitivity to feel the slightest nibble and the strength to pull in the larger fish, and the BG 2000 I would say is on par with reels costing twice as much with the exception of being a little heavier, and the heavier reel balances the Avid X perfectly. If you live in say California where you might get fish larger than 5lbs, you may prefer a M/F, but for the northeast, the ML/XF Avid X is perfect.

I would personally go with a similar spinning setup before a M/F baitcaster (and I did the same thing myself). I generally fish heavier soft plastics weighted on my MH/F casting rod and once I get a M/F or M/XF I will use that for weighless heavier soft plastics.

Also if I am shore fishing, I will usually use a Ned rig, it's both quicker to rig up and easier to work in shallower water. But when I fish from a boat and have access to deeper water, I will usually rig up a drop shot.

Do you think any Quantum or Daiwa rods will suit finesse setups? I get a discount on both of those brands so it would be nice to get one of those. They both have some ML/XF spinning rods. Daiwa has one they call a finesse that is MH/F which seems strange.

Angry John reply :

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiwa_Tatula_Spinning_Rods/descpage-DTSR.html

610xf

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiwa_Tatula_Elite_Spinning_Rods/descpage-DTESX.html

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 9/4/2018 at 11:57 PM, Angry John said:

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiwa_Tatula_Spinning_Rods/descpage-DTSR.html

610xf

Thanks for the link @Angry John. So it doesn't have to be a ML rod? I realize different manufacturers powers may feel different. I was just looking at the Abu Garcia Ike finesse rods and none of them have an XF action.

Boomstick reply :

On 9/5/2018 at 12:00 AM, Appfisher said:

Thanks for the link @Angry John. So it doesn't have to be a ML rod? I realize different manufacturers powers may feel different. I was just looking at the Abu Garcia Ike finesse rods and none of them have an XF action.

Daiwa's tend to run heavy as well. They did have a finesse model but I decided to pass on that because there have been way too many people saying they broke the tip off trying to land a 2lb bass on the particular model. I believe that is the M/XF model, which isn't quite as stout as the M/F models. I also considered the Brent Ehrler Tatula Elite dropshot model, but I figure where I fish, the St. Croix is more appropriate and also fits the budget much better. I couldn't find it for any less than retail too, but if you get a decent discount it would probably be worth it. My casting rods are Daiwa Tatula's and they're great especially for what I paid for them and even if I paid full retail, I would say they're still very competitive.

Treble Hooker reply :

I usually run with 4-5 rod setup. 2 spinning and 3 baitcasters.

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 9/5/2018 at 12:14 AM, Boomstick said:

Daiwa's tend to run heavy as well. They did have a finesse model but I decided to pass on that because there have been way too many people saying they broke the tip off trying to land a 2lb bass on the particular model. I believe that is the M/XF model, which isn't quite as stout as the M/F models. I also considered the Brent Ehrler Tatula Elite dropshot model, but I figure where I fish, the St. Croix is more appropriate and also fits the budget much better. I couldn't find it for any less than retail too, but if you get a decent discount it would probably be worth it. My casting rods are Daiwa Tatula's and they're great especially for what I paid for them and even if I paid full retail, I would say they're still very competitive.

Have you tried the Mojo line? Do you think the jump to the Avid X is worth it? It appears they both use the same blanks. I see a lot of people mention that leader knots can get hung on the micro guides. Are they that much smaller than typical bait casting rods? I run braid to FC leader on a bait caster and have no issues with it hanging up.

The Avid X does look interesting though. I am going between just getting that 1 rod or getting a cheaper finesse rod and the 703 I originally planned to get since the price will be similar. Just not sure if 2 cheaper rods would be better than 1 expensive rod.

Possible less expensive finesse options include:

Major Craft Nanoace 6'6" ML / XF

Lews TP-1 Speed Stick 6'7" ML / F

Dobyns Fury 702SF ML / F (works well according to Dobyns)

St. Croix Mojo 6'10" ML / XF

On 9/5/2018 at 6:06 AM, Treble Hooker said:

I usually run with 4-5 rod setup. 2 spinning and 3 baitcasters.

Do you typically fish from land or a boat? Although I am trying to keep it at 4, I can definitely see the need for a 5th :).

Boomstick reply :

On 9/5/2018 at 9:10 PM, Appfisher said:

Have you tried the Mojo line? Do you think the jump to the Avid X is worth it? It appears they both use the same blanks. I see a lot of people mention that leader knots can get hung on the micro guides. Are they that much smaller than typical bait casting rods? I run braid to FC leader on a bait caster and have no issues with it hanging up.

The Avid X does look interesting though. I am going between just getting that 1 rod or getting a cheaper finesse rod and the 703 I originally planned to get since the price will be similar. Just not sure if 2 cheaper rods would be better than 1 expensive rod.

Possible less expensive finesse options include:

Major Craft Nanoace 6'6" ML / XF

Lews TP-1 Speed Stick 6'7" ML / F

Dobyns Fury 702SF ML / F (works well according to Dobyns)

St. Croix Mojo 6'10" ML / XF

Do you typically fish from land or a boat? Although I am trying to keep it at 4, I can definitely see the need for a 5th :).

The mojo line has the same blanks -- if you're looking to save some money, go for it. My son has the Mojo Bass spinnerbait rod and it's a solid rod. I got the Avid X since it's for those hot days when they aren't chasing so anything that increases sensitivity helps. I've never got a knot hung on the microguides either, I think that's only an issue if you line that is too thick.

I would rent a lot more canoes/rowboats if I wasn't wiped out from chemo, so this year has been more land but usually a bit of both.

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 9/6/2018 at 1:55 AM, Boomstick said:

The mojo line has the same blanks -- if you're looking to save some money, go for it. My son has the Mojo Bass spinnerbait rod and it's a solid rod. I got the Avid X since it's for those hot days when they aren't chasing so anything that increases sensitivity helps. I've never got a knot hung on the microguides either, I think that's only an issue if you line that is too thick.

I would rent a lot more canoes/rowboats if I wasn't wiped out from chemo, so this year has been more land but usually a bit of both.

Thanks for the additional feedback. Sorry to hear about the chemo. I had a friend go through chemo recently and he is back to his old shenanigans again.

I am going with the Avid X, initially picked it up last night with 15% off at TW. Still had the chance to swap it because they don't get them back in stock for a couple of days. I will just buy the nicer rod now and add the 703 at a later point.

I see that Dobyns has a refurb Sierra 703 for $120 so I can hopefully add one down the road.

Angry John reply :

My son fishes the mxf avid x spinning rod and its very powerful. I dont see which model you chose but i have yet to get a chance to fish the mlxf. I love that speed for weightless plastic but others prefer a fast. My current 610mlxf fenwick elite bass is a great rod and i cant seem to boot it out of the rotation to get a different one.

Treble Hooker reply :

On 9/5/2018 at 9:10 PM, Appfisher said:

Have you tried the Mojo line? Do you think the jump to the Avid X is worth it? It appears they both use the same blanks. I see a lot of people mention that leader knots can get hung on the micro guides. Are they that much smaller than typical bait casting rods? I run braid to FC leader on a bait caster and have no issues with it hanging up.

The Avid X does look interesting though. I am going between just getting that 1 rod or getting a cheaper finesse rod and the 703 I originally planned to get since the price will be similar. Just not sure if 2 cheaper rods would be better than 1 expensive rod.

Possible less expensive finesse options include:

Major Craft Nanoace 6'6" ML / XF

Lews TP-1 Speed Stick 6'7" ML / F

Dobyns Fury 702SF ML / F (works well according to Dobyns)

St. Croix Mojo 6'10" ML / XF

Do you typically fish from land or a boat? Although I am trying to keep it at 4, I can definitely see the need for a 5th :).

I have a small Sporstman boat I got last year. I usually only take 4 due to space but lately been taking the 5th setup mostly for swimbaits.....

Boomstick reply :

On 9/6/2018 at 3:10 AM, Appfisher said:

Thanks for the additional feedback. Sorry to hear about the chemo. I had a friend go through chemo recently and he is back to his old shenanigans again.

I am going with the Avid X, initially picked it up last night with 15% off at TW. Still had the chance to swap it because they don't get them back in stock for a couple of days. I will just buy the nicer rod now and add the 703 at a later point.

I see that Dobyns has a refurb Sierra 703 for $120 so I can hopefully add one down the road.

You'll love that rod. If I didn't mention already, should you need a reel I paired a Daiwa BG 2000 with it and it balances out nicely and won't break the bank. I didn't even get to use it this year as much as I hoped (because of being tired from chemo), but I did catch this season's largest smallie on it.

I may pick up a 703 or something similar at some point myself, but it adds much less to my arsenal than the Avid X spinning rod did so that will be for next year when my bank account has a chance to recover a little bit.

PiedmontAngler reply :

On 9/6/2018 at 6:43 AM, Angry John said:

My son fishes the mxf avid x spinning rod and its very powerful. I dont see which model you chose but i have yet to get a chance to fish the mlxf. I love that speed for weightless plastic but others prefer a fast. My current 610mlxf fenwick elite bass is a great rod and i cant seem to boot it out of the rotation to get a different one.

I went with the MLXF, we'll see how it is.

On 9/6/2018 at 8:38 PM, Boomstick said:

You'll love that rod. If I didn't mention already, should you need a reel I paired a Daiwa BG 2000 with it and it balances out nicely and won't break the bank. I didn't even get to use it this year as much as I hoped (because of being tired from chemo), but I did catch this season's largest smallie on it.

I may pick up a 703 or something similar at some point myself, but it adds much less to my arsenal than the Avid X spinning rod did so that will be for next year when my bank account has a chance to recover a little bit.

I ordered a Pflueger President in size 25 for the time being. It does seem a bit lighter than the BG 2000 but I do have a Quantum Smoke S3 I can throw on it.

Boomstick reply :

On 9/7/2018 at 1:11 AM, Appfisher said:

I went with the MLXF, we'll see how it is.

I ordered a Pflueger President in size 25 for the time being. It does seem a bit lighter than the BG 2000 but I do have a Quantum Smoke S3 I can throw on it.

The President is a solid reel for the price, I have a size 30 or 35 one, but the BG is definitely a nice step up. Both have solid reputations for holding up for years as well.

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