What Do The Pros Use? 2025

cddan reply :

Does anyone know what the pros use for their baitcasting reels of choice(and rods)? Do they use factory reels or supertuned? Also are there any links to this info like Bassmasters used to name what they used, reels, rods, line, lures, in their magazine. I really enjoyed the articles about the tournaments and what they used to win. I haven't found any links that address this information. Anyway I'm just curious who uses what and have they changed brands over the years. Do they ever discuss their preferences . Occassionally I catch some info just wondering which pros use what reel and rod. Any pros successfully using the Tatula yet?

deaknh03 reply :

The pro's will use whatever brand sponsors them, and provides free gear. They will often change when their contract is up. I would say if you google a pros name, you can find out what gear they use including reels, rods, and tackle.

Grantman83 reply :

The problem is when you watch the shows you will see guys using gear they aren't sponsored for like these that I have noticed.

1. Brent ehler using a steez flipping stick in MLF

2. Terry Scriggins using a steez flippin stick and gloomis Carolina rig rod.

3. Rick Clunn using a daiwa lexa last year in Texas

4. Bobby lane using a st croix rod in the last bass tournament of the year.

Furthermore, when guys switch, they retroactively praise the company like "I've been using so and so rods for years and they are great". Wait a minute, three years ago you weren't sponsored by the new company so how were you using their product AND your previous sponsors?

So tread carefully when reading gear from a pro

cddan reply :

You are right they do get sponsered gear but they have to win with it which can be a difficult thing up against hundreds of anglers. I know Edwin Evers uses a bps pq, I wonder if they are tuned or stock.They are a little on the heavy side. Inexspensive though. Not long ago many pros used mid range reels. Just curious what they do use and actually do well with.

bootytrain reply :

Aaron Martens doesn't have a reel sponsor but he uses JDM shimano, metaniums and Stella's.

cddan reply :

Thanks, I was wondering what he was using I can never get a good look watching the tournament coverage.

Smallmouth Hunter reply :

I see lots of pro's that are sponsored by Abu using gen 2 revo's. Especially when throwing big stuff like A-rigs. Cracks me up.

Jaheff reply :

There was a reel Mechanic who went to the Classic a few years ago that was asking the pro's questions about their reels and maintenance. According to him, the pro's didn't even know about what a supertune even was. They just fished em out of the box. I would of thought like motocross,they would have them set up from the factory the way they wanted them. Maybe questions Bass resource can ask this year at the Classic?

bootytrain reply :

Martens tunes his reels. Theres a couple of youtube vids where he talks about his equipment. Hes pretty detail oriented about his stuff.

Ima Bass Ninja reply :

I have often wondered if it was as simple as a company giving free gear. I would think it would be easier on the company and pro sponsored if company gave say $20000 for sponsorship and then pro bought 10000 worth of companies gear. It would be much easier to track inventory and accounting wise. And I would think that would put a limit on how much the pro uses. Obviously JVD can't order 1000 Metaniums and they be free. It would also help the contract for the company if the pro stayed with the same one. 2000 for Abu sponship per year. 1000 on reels the first year then second year pro stays with Abu and keeps all 2000 while using same gear from first year.

Glenn reply :

I've already asked many pros about this at several Classics. You can check out all my videos on the video section of this site.

In a nutshell - they don't get any "special" or "custom" gear from the manufactures (other than the concept gear they're asked to help develop). They get the same stuff you can buy off the shelf.

Jrob78 reply :

I'm sure some of the pros supertune their own gear or may even have it done but they are starting with bone stock stuff from the factory. Most have rod and or reel sponsors so that's what they use. I see a lot of guys with no reel sponsors using Curado E's and even old Bantams. There's a website that lists all the pros and who their sponsors are but evidently I'm not allowed to post it here.

ColdSVT reply :

I have a friend who toured and fished the classic on two occasions. He had a variety of sponsors but he said he used what ever he wanted. Shimano was his reel sponsor but he had some lews and abus on his deck alonwith a half dozen curados. Rods he had everhing from croix to loomis to abu and berkely.

The one sponsor he always stuck with all the time however was triton

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

I doubt the brand of gear ever played significantly into tourney wins. These guys can find fish and make them bite when no one else can. That's why they win.

Trey Harpel reply :

A lot of guys use what they get paid to use..

I work on a few ELITE guys and FLW guys reels as they wanted bearings and drags upgraded, but these guys were buying their reels and or got a discount on them, not sponsored by the company..

pbizzle reply :

On 1/8/2014 at 5:21 AM, cddan said:
Does anyone know what the pros use for their baitcasting reels of choice(and rods)?

Which ever gives them the most money.

Raul reply :

On 1/9/2014 at 1:36 AM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:
I doubt the brand of gear ever played significantly into tourney wins. These guys can find fish and make them bite when no one else can. That's why they win.

Exactly.

Besides, for them it´s easy, a reel burns out in a couple of tourneys, here Mr Van Dam, have some more Quantums. I have a strong admiration for KVD and his ability to catch fish in a tea cup, but as much as I admire him no way I´m going to purchase a Quantum even though he uses them.

Trey Harpel reply :

On 1/9/2014 at 3:17 AM, Raul said:

Exactly.

Besides, for them it´s easy, a reel burns out in a couple of tourneys, here Mr Van Dam, have some more Quantums. I have a strong admiration for KVD and his ability to catch fish in a tea cup, but as much as I admire him no way I´m going to purchase a Quantum even though he uses them.

thats because hes using quantum...LOL if he was using the big 3 he wouldnt have that issue..

The reels Ive worked on that level were beat up sure, but nothing was wrong with them, but they were shimanos and Daiwas..

Raul reply :

On 1/9/2014 at 3:30 AM, Trey Harpel said:
thats because hes using quantum...LOL .

That´s just too funny !

cddan reply :

On 1/8/2014 at 12:35 PM, bootytrain said:
Martens tunes his reels. Theres a couple of youtube vids where he talks about his equipment. Hes pretty detail oriented about his stuff.

Thanks, I watched several of them after I read what you wrote, good stuff.

rippin-lips reply :

Look at Ike for example fishing the Veritas rods. He flat out catches fish but we know there are a lot better rods out there. He gets paid to fish the Veritas so that's what he does.

cddan reply :

On 1/9/2014 at 3:48 AM, Raul said:
That´s just too funny !

Reminds me of the first local tournament I fished( of three).I bought a Zebco(Quantum)spincast reel at a yard sale and took it to the tournament. I was fooling with it in the boat during take off and my partner said 'Put that down your embarassing me' I replied joking 'I'm gonna win this thing with it'. I never used it but interestingly enough we stumbled on some giant smallmouth. The wind kicked up and made the lake impossible to fish and we wound up winning the tournament and lunker pool. We were'nt members of the fishing club, they were not happy. The lure we used to win as it turned out was one of the member's company and he never used them that day.(I used a mitchell spinning reel they don't make anymore lol)

Jrob78 reply :

On 1/9/2014 at 4:15 AM, rippin-lips said:
Look at Ike for example fishing the Veritas rods. He flat out catches fish but we know there are a lot better rods out there. He gets paid to fish the Veritas so that's what he does.

Yep, Ike went from fishing some of the highest end gear you can buy to budget friendly Abu Garcia stuff. I don't think his performance has suffered at all.

Brian Needham reply :

I once heard (youtube) kevin short talk about how he sent one of his lews in for cleaning and they said "heres a new one" he said no just clean my old one there isnt anything wrong with it.

Volboy reply :

I've fished with a few in pro ams, PAA's, etc., and they use their sponsors gear most of the time. But, you'd be surprised that when it comes to baits, they use whatever they think will catch em. Then of course, on the weigh in stage they say they caught em good on the " my new signature series hog snatcher, 3.5 xs+....". A lot of the reel companies have really cut back on pro deals, but most of the have a rod deal and use them. Where you'll see them mix it up is usually with reels and baits.

Jrob78 reply :

Baits are definitely a different story. They are going to use whatever they think they need to use to win. I'd say most use sponsors products the majority of the time but not 100% of the time. For example, Edwin Evers won on the Alabama River this year with Bomber crankbaits even though he was sponsored by Megabass and not Pradco anymore. In his interviews he said he caught a lot of his fish on a "medium diving crankbait," he didn't lie about what he was using but he didn't tell the whole story either.

John G reply :

I don't have have any of the channels right now that carry the fishing shows but when I did, I noticed a few guys using Loomis rods with the tag still wrapped around the handle.

For example, the young guy that won a tournament at Okeechobee, his dad was murdered at the convience store that he owned near Lake Okeechobee, he was using a Loomis flippin stick with the tag still wrapped around the handle. Whenever I see a used Loomis on ebay that still has the tag on the handle, I always wonder if it was used in a tournament and they are selling to recoup some money.

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