Swimbait rod for NH waters? 2025
BeardedBassGuy reply :
Hey everbody, this question is directed to new Hampshire swimbait fishermen. I'm getting into swimbaits and I'm looking for a swimbait specific rod, I keep going back and forth between dobyns fury 795 sb 1-5 oz and fury 806 sb 2-8 oz. I'm planning on using 6 inch line thru trout spro bbz 1 jr Huddleston 68. But not sure if the 8 inch Huddleston and and s waver 200 and other baits around 8 inch work good in NH. I know if I'm going to be using the lighter lures then the 795 would be good. But I'm looking for suggestions on the larger 8 inch baits also would work around these parts. If so then the 806 would be better. I mostly fish ponds and some lakes in the southern area of the state out of a Jon boat. I guess the question is, do 8 inch baits work in NH like they do in other states that have DD fish. What would you swimbait guys suggest, heavier rod and bigger baits or lighter rod and around 6 inch baits? Thanks in advance.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Get the 806 for those baits with the jig hook. I have the 795 that I use for treble hook baits, but it leaves a lot to be desired if you're trying to drive a jig hook into a big fish's mouth.
8" baits will certainly work where you are. They work here in KS, and we're certainly not known for our great bass fishing here (or much else for that matter).
NHBull reply :
I too am struggling with where to go on this since we DO NOT get DD bass in NH. My current swimbait rod is a Loomis rated to 2 ounces and think that’s where i am going to stay.
i don’t know one persons that has broken 10 lbs. A 7 is considered a monster. That said, for the baits you want to throw, you will need something rated to 5 ounces.
Bluebasser86 reply :
FWIW, the fish in my picture that choked that 8" Hudd was barely 4 pounds. It doesn't take a 10 pound fish to eat a big bait. Lots of guys up north fish 9" Slammers and Pat's Perch and catch plenty of big fish in the 5-7 pound range.
BeardedBassGuy reply :
Thanks for the quick responses gentleman. I'm still stuck between the two, I'm leaning toward the 795 but my concern is that it won't handle the heavier lures that good even though it's rated to 5oz.
BeardedBassGuy reply :
Also another consideration is the okuma guide select a series x heavy 2-10. But I believe the dobyns have a lifetime warranty that sounds great, and the okuma is a one year. My gut is telling me either the 806 or the okuma x heavy. But still unsure
J Francho reply :
I have the Okuma XH Guide Select. I also have a custom built St. Croix SCIV H. The Okuma is not far off, maybe a little heavier weight wise, but I really like it for my medium to large baits. 3-7 oz. is the sweet spot.
BeardedBassGuy reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 3:16 AM, J Francho said:I have the Okuma XH Guide Select. I also have a custom built St. Croix SCIV H. The Okuma is not far off, maybe a little heavier weight wise, but I really like it for my medium to large baits. 3-7 oz. is the sweet spot.
How does the okuma handle lighter baits around 2oz size like Huddleston 68?
J Francho reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 3:58 AM, BeardedBassGuy said:How does the okuma handle lighter baits around 2oz size like Huddleston 68?
That's what my 79HF is for. it's rated 1-4, but 1-2 is it's sweet spot. I don't think I even tried a 68 on the Okuma, so, it might work. Hopefully someone can chime in.
BeardedBassGuy reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 4:09 AM, J Francho said:That's what my 79HF is for. it's rated 1-4, but 1-2 is it's sweet spot. I don't think I even tried a 68 on the Okuma, so, it might work. Hopefully someone can chime in.
Do you think most people would suggest starting with a lighter rod and smaller baits and then moving up to a heavier rod and baits
NHBull reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 3:16 AM, J Francho said:I have the Okuma XH Guide Select. I also have a custom built St. Croix SCIV H. The Okuma is not far off, maybe a little heavier weight wise, but I really like it for my medium to large baits. 3-7 oz. is the sweet spot.
A timely post ......pulling the trigger on the Okuma tonight
MassYak85 reply :
On 3/16/2018 at 7:05 PM, NHBull said:I too am struggling with where to go on this since we DO NOT get DD bass in NH.
My current swimbait rod is a Loomis rated to 2 ounces and think that’s where i am going to stay.
i don’t know one persons that has broken 10 lbs. A 7 is considered a monster. That said,
for the baits you want to throw, you will need something rated to 5 ounces.
Aw, dream a little, state record is 10-7 
Pretty much the same case in MA though, our state record has almost no chance of being broken. Although I like to think the offshore structures of Wachusett might have a few surprises that have never even seen a lure.
I have the 795 and I think it would be great for everything you said other than an 8" hudd. I think at that point you are pushing it's upper limit and like others said the 795 is better suited for treble hook baits IMO (It's great for S-wavers and the 200 is not too big for northern waters). I throw my jig hook baits on another rod (which I cannot name here).
BeardedBassGuy reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 6:53 AM, MassYak85 said:Aw, dream a little, state record is 10-7
Pretty much the same case in MA though, our state record has almost no chance of being broken. Although I like to think the offshore structures of Wachusett might have a few surprises that have never even seen a lure.
I have the 795 and I think it would be great for everything you said other than an 8" hudd. I think at that point you are pushing it's upper limit and like others said the 795 is better suited for treble hook baits IMO (It's great for S-wavers and the 200 is not too big for northern waters). I throw my jig hook baits on another rod (which I cannot name here).
It can handle the s waver 200 good? Never fished one but they do look nice
NHBull reply :
@BeardedBassGuy, just an FYI
https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Okuma-Guide-Select-Swimbait-Cast-Rod/productDetail/Casting-Rods/prod99999037783/cat101028?ref=google&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1q3VBRCFARIsAPHJXrFd-es88NFKrlPmAPFoWVW4635o0AvEfnke4jK9zKeiG6eqj-Pcy_UaAu1HEALw_wcB
BeardedBassGuy reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 7:30 AM, NHBull said:@BeardedBassGuy, just an FYI
https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Okuma-Guide-Select-Swimbait-Cast-Rod/productDetail/Casting-Rods/prod99999037783/cat101028?ref=google&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1q3VBRCFARIsAPHJXrFd-es88NFKrlPmAPFoWVW4635o0AvEfnke4jK9zKeiG6eqj-Pcy_UaAu1HEALw_wcB
Hey thanks, less than other sites. I've never ordered from there, how is it, ever had any problems?
NHBull reply :
No first hand experience, but I may pick one up
MassYak85 reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 7:16 AM, BeardedBassGuy said:It can handle the s waver 200 good? Never fished one but they do look nice
Yea I actually had the HEAVY Okuma Guide Select for stuff like that and I just never liked how it felt. So I got the Fury 795 to replace it and love it. I didn't push it past the S-waver 200 so far but that didn't feel like it was testing the rod at all even at 3+ oz, I feel like the 1-5oz rating is probably pretty accurate, but again I wouldn't throw 5oz jig hook baits like hudds. But Hudd 68's for sure. The main workload of my 795 will be 9" slammers, smaller (8" and under) triple trouts, and mattlures. I have heard from others though that XH Okuma feels like a completely different rod though and is great for hudds so don't let me discourage you.
BeardedBassGuy reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 7:43 AM, MassYak85 said:Yea I actually had the HEAVY Okuma Guide Select for stuff like that and I just never liked how it felt. So I got the Fury 795 to replace it and love it. I didn't push it past the S-waver 200 so far but that didn't feel like it was testing the rod at all even at 3+ oz, I feel like the 1-5oz rating is probably pretty accurate, but again I wouldn't throw 5oz jig hook baits like hudds. But Hudd 68's for sure. The main workload of my 795 will be 9" slammers, smaller (8" and under) triple trouts, and mattlures. I have heard from others though that XH Okuma feels like a completely different rod though and is great for hudds so don't let me discourage you.
Well that's good to know. If the 795 can handle Huddleston 68 that sounds good to me. I'm not even sure how often I would throw the 8" hudd anyway. Seeing that there's other 8" bait options.
MassYak85 reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 7:53 AM, BeardedBassGuy said:Well that's good to know. If the 795 can handle Huddleston 68 that sounds good to me. I'm not even sure how often I would throw the 8" hudd anyway. Seeing that there's other 8" bait options.
If you aren't going to be throwing the heavy jig hook baits then I'd recommend going that route. If you eventually find you want to throw the bigger hudds and the like, you can always get another setup that is better suited to that type of stuff. If you can helo it don't do what I did and try to find a middle ground setup...that you eventually replace with two different setups anyways down the road. Fair warning on the 795, the handle is a tad shorter than most swimbait rods. I like that but you might not, especially because I fish from a kayak most of the time and I find it also helps when twitching baits to have a shorter handle.
NHBull reply :
@BeardedBassGuy,
here is another
http://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1066_1794_1795&products_id=7800
BeardedBassGuy reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 8:35 AM, NHBull said:@BeardedBassGuy,
here is another
http://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1066_1794_1795&products_id=7800
That one is a little out of my price range looking to stay around 100-150 range. But thanks for the suggestions.
BeardedBassGuy reply :
What gear ratio do you guys suggest?
MassYak85 reply :
On 3/18/2018 at 7:59 AM, BeardedBassGuy said:What gear ratio do you guys suggest?
I think it depends what you plan on doing. If you want to fish stuff like bullshads a higher gear ratio can be good for burning it. But I'd say generally swimbaits are a slower game than other techniques (think crawling a hudd or that slow lazy meander of a glide bait) so 5 or 6 speed gear ratios are widely used a lot. That being said most reels guys use for swimbait fishing are a little bigger, and thus have larger diameter spools. So the IPT of a 6 speed on a 300 size swimbait reel might be the same as an 8 speed on a conventional reel. Really all it comes down to is how slow can you turn the reel without driving yourself insane. If that doesn't bother you I don't really think gear ratio is critical. If it does then look at a slower ratio reel.
J Francho reply :
On 3/17/2018 at 4:30 AM, BeardedBassGuy said:Do you think most people would suggest starting with a lighter rod and smaller baits and then moving up to a heavier rod and baits
That's what I did. I don't know if there is a right or wrong. The choice had more to do with my hesitation to throw truly big baits.
BeardedBassGuy reply :
On 3/19/2018 at 2:36 AM, MassYak85 said:I think it depends what you plan on doing. If you want to fish stuff like bullshads a higher gear ratio can be good for burning it. But I'd say generally swimbaits are a slower game than other techniques (think crawling a hudd or that slow lazy meander of a glide bait) so 5 or 6 speed gear ratios are widely used a lot. That being said most reels guys use for swimbait fishing are a little bigger, and thus have larger diameter spools. So the IPT of a 6 speed on a 300 size swimbait reel might be the same as an 8 speed on a conventional reel. Really all it comes down to is how slow can you turn the reel without driving yourself insane. If that doesn't bother you I don't really think gear ratio is critical. If it does then look at a slower ratio reel.
Yeah I'm thinking about going with a 6:1 ratio somewhere in that area. There is a possibility (depending how much sleep I get the night before) that I may go insane lol.
On 3/19/2018 at 8:37 PM, J Francho said:That's what I did. I don't know if there is a right or wrong. The choice had more to do with my hesitation to throw truly big baits.
That's more what I'm thinking. I already have some smaller swimbaits under 2oz that I would like to still use on a new rod rather than having to buy only swimbaits over 2oz.
MassYak85 reply :
On 3/19/2018 at 11:51 PM, BeardedBassGuy said:Yeah I'm thinking about going with a 6:1 ratio somewhere in that area. There is a possibility (depending how much sleep I get the night before) that I may go insane lol.
That's more what I'm thinking. I already have some smaller swimbaits under 2oz that I would like to still use on a new rod rather than having to buy only swimbaits over 2oz.
Whatever you do I would recommend getting a rod that will do a certain thing well. If that certain thing is 1-3oz smaller treble lures like swaver 186, 7" slammers and stuff, then get it. You can always add to your arsenal. Where I think guys regret later on is they try to start out with a "jack of all trades" rod, and then when they realize they do want to throw the bigger baits they realize they really need to upgrade anyways, and their "jack of all trades" rod turns into 3 separate combos and ultimately gets sold or forgotten about. I'm still pretty new to swimbait fishing myself but if I could do it all over again I would have bought the 795 and then maybe gotten the 806 or 867 at a later point.
BeardedBassGuy reply :
On 3/20/2018 at 5:57 AM, MassYak85 said:Whatever you do I would recommend getting a rod that will do a certain thing well. If that certain thing is 1-3oz smaller treble lures like swaver 186, 7" slammers and stuff, then get it. You can always add to your arsenal. Where I think guys regret later on is they try to start out with a "jack of all trades" rod, and then when they realize they do want to throw the bigger baits they realize they really need to upgrade anyways, and their "jack of all trades" rod turns into 3 separate combos and ultimately gets sold or forgotten about. I'm still pretty new to swimbait fishing myself but if I could do it all over again I would have bought the 795 and then maybe gotten the 806 or 867 at a later point.
I think that's the direction I'm headingbut not gonna rush iy. Where I'm from we still have probably another month or so of ice. I appreciate all the wisdom, thanks for taking the time for all the responses!
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