To Cover All Bases: How Many Rods Does A Smb Fisherman Need? 2024
jayo123456 reply :
Shallow/med crank
Deep crank
Light tube jig rod
1/2oz+ tube jig rod
Dropshot rod
Jerkbait rod
possibly jigging spoon rod?
That's all I can think of for SMB. anything else?
I know you can never be 100% complete as the search never ends, but given the rods listed, is pretty much every application for smallies covered!?
Chris W reply :
I catch more smallmouth on a spinnerbait, hair jig and senko than I do any other of those baits you have listed. Also a swimbait has been very productive this year for me.
tomustang reply :
Trying to find reasons to buy more rods? 
BRONZEBACK_ADDICT reply :
I second the spinnerbait rod...I also always have a grub rod on my deck and sometimes a fluke.
Dwight Hottle reply :
Just one. A jerk bait rod. It will also double as an all purpose rod if you feel the need to stray.
BRONZEBACK_ADDICT reply :
Absolutely...Can't believe I forgot the jerkbait rod!!!
jayo123456 reply :
On 8/21/2011 at 11:00 PM, Tom D. said:Trying to find reasons to buy more rods?
Lol yesir
jayo123456 reply :
On 8/21/2011 at 10:20 PM, Chris W said:I catch more smallmouth on a spinnerbait, hair jig and senko than I do any other of those baits you have listed. Also a swimbait has been very productive this year for me.
Really? Never caught a fish on any of those.
I'm guessin it depends on the lake you fish out of?
I fish mainly lake Erie, tried spinnerbaits n swimbaits, never caught a bite before.
Chris W reply :
On 8/22/2011 at 12:23 AM, jayo123456 said:Really? Never caught a fish on any of those.
I'm guessin it depends on the lake you fish out of?
I fish mainly lake Erie, tried spinnerbaits n swimbaits, never caught a bite before.
I went to Erie about 9 years ago and killed them on a 3/4oz hair jig, around the bass islands.
tomustang reply :
Recently been to Erie and stickbaits caught more than anything else we used
Dave T. reply :
On 8/21/2011 at 11:06 PM, Dwight Hottle said:Just one. A jerk bait rod. It will also double as an all purpose rod if you feel the need to stray.
I couldn't agree more!
jayo123456 reply :
On 8/21/2011 at 11:06 PM, Dwight Hottle said:Just one. A jerk bait rod. It will also double as an all purpose rod if you feel the need to stray.
i've never caught anything on these neither. I know your an Erie guy too...... what kind of depths are you fishing jerks with? any other information you can share?
got myself, from a recommendation, a few megabass visiosn and livex-Revenge, and some LC pointers. Not sure if I'm not fishing them right or what, I hear people say they kill it with these on Erie all the time, but I can't buy a bite for some reason.80%+ of my fish come off dropshots.
from the other recommendations:
I'll pick up a few stickbaits, and some hair jigs. Never even threw these even, ever before.
midnighthrasher reply :
You would need 3 rods
1- tube/rage craw rod
2- jerkbait rod
3- dropshot rod
Gavin reply :
I carry 4-5 on the river.
5' ML Casting rod for walk the dog lures.
5' M Casting rod for buzzbaits & cranks
6' ML Spinning rod for jerkbaits & flukes
6' M Spinning rod for bottom baits.
9' 7wt Fly Rod for poppers & streamers.
S Hovanec reply :
You can never have too many dropshot rods. I have 3 rigged up every time I'm out...and I'm building myself a 4th.
Bill Porter reply :
Here's what is on my deck at all times....
-Spinnerbait (Many to pick from)
-Senko (4 or 5 inch Gary Yamamoto / Case Plastics Jack's Worm)
-Crainkbait (Deep & Shallow - Love the KVD 1.5 & 2.5 Silent Series)
-Fluke (Case Plastics Sinkin Shad / ZOOM Super Fluke)
-Popper (Pop R / Gary Yamamoto Sugoi)
-Jig (Casting jig w/ Craws)
-Drop Shot (Gary Yamamoto Pro Senko / Roboworm)
Don't forget your JJ's Magic to dip your soft stuff!
Sometimes I have 2 of each, I prefer to grab and cast than to waste precious time on the water. Buy good equipment, remember in the fishing world you get what you pay for. Spending a little extra on your gear will save you grief and money in the long run. I'm not saying buy a $300 reel and $400 rod just don't skimp on the goods. Check out the Quantum Energy reels and Pfluger reels for some quality at a decent price. Also St. Croix has some rods in the $100 range that are very nice, I have a few Mojo Bass rods by St. Croix that are awesome.
flippin and pitchin reply :
Strange. I try to use rods that multi task too but,
Spinnerbait, spook, light carolina casting.
Glass crankin stick for traps and divers.
Jerkbait/topwater casting.
Tube,grub spinning.
Dropshot spinning
On special days I have a dedicated rod for the spook with braid. I do carry matched spinning rods, one for tubes and one with a hula grub so I can switch up quickly. Six sticks is plenty.
chromedog reply :
I love smallmouth fishing more than anything. Here is what I will have tied up for tomorrow morning when I go out with my brother:
DROPSHOT - ROBOWORMS
CRANKBAIT - 1.5 SQUAREBILLS - RED EYE SHAD 1/2 OZ
CAFFEINE SHAD - 5"
SENCO - 5"
KEITECH SWING IMPACTS - 4" ON A DARTER HEAD
SCROUNDER HEAD 3/8 OZ - FLUKE 4" OR LAKE FORK SHAD 4.5"
TUBE
JERKBAIT - LC POINTER, RAPALA XRAP, RIVER 2 SEA SUSPENDER 88
I will usually switch up till I find them and then stick with whatever is working.
Nashua Nev reply :
I have 3 all the same rods
simply for convenience of being able to change to different bait quickly and easily
1 with top water jitterbug or popr
1 with spinner or buzz or crank or different color top water bait
1 with rubber lizard or worm
bobbyc reply :
"how many rods do you need?" ....you sound like my wife, so i will give you the answer i always give her.. "just one more." 
vtbassin reply :
On 10/8/2011 at 8:40 PM, bobbyc said:"how many rods do you need?" ....you sound like my wife, so i will give you the answer i always give her.. "just one more."
Just one more!
G_money reply :
Apparently way too many...As I can't quit collecting expensive custom North Fork Composites and Loomis GLX factory rods.
I think one could easily get by with about 1/4 of the rods I have in my arsenal...but where's the fun in that. When you love your gear it just makes fishing that much more enjoyable. I love watching a quality rod load up on a fish....ahhh it's just a wonderful feeling.
J Francho reply :
On 8/21/2011 at 11:06 PM, Dwight Hottle said:Just one. A jerk bait rod. It will also double as an all purpose rod if you feel the need to stray.
Similar....I have three though, but they're all drop shot rods, LOL.
roadwarrior reply :
One for live bait PR844S/ Stella 2500FE
Another for topwater PR844C/ Core 100
Jerkbaits AVC66MF/ Scorpion 1000
Small, shallow crankbaits AVC70MM/ 50MG
Soft plastics, especially single tail grub AVS66MLF/ Stella 1000FA
Small swimbaits (Shadalicious & Hollowbelly) MBR842C/ Core 50
Spinnerbaits LE70MHF/ Calais
Deep Crankbaits (DD22, DT16) Lamiglas SR705R/ CTE200GT
And a spare...ES70MF/ Stella 2500FD
OPENLAKE reply :
I'm thinking there is no absolute correct answer except maybe "just one more". I like three crankbait rods minimum with different colors and maybe different crankbait actions. Then the regular spinnerbair, jerkbait, spinning (grub), Jig, fluke. That's eight, but I usually have several more. 
l3rd reply :
On 8/21/2011 at 9:59 AM, jayo123456 said:Shallow/med crank
Deep crank
Light tube jig rod
1/2oz+ tube jig rod
Dropshot rod
Jerkbait rod
possibly jigging spoon rod?
That's all I can think of for SMB. anything else?
I know you can never be 100% complete as the search never ends, but given the rods listed, is pretty much every application for smallies covered!?
This is my baitcasting array, many set-ups can have multipal purposes. I am limited to 6'6" rods due to my rod locker size, so your options may be more varied, but this is where I am at currently:
Shimano Castic
flipping reel
6:2:1 gears
8 – 10 - 14 test
Pinnacle
flipping rod
fast - heavy
14 - 30 test
1/2 - 3 oz lures
65 Braid
flipping baits, flipping jigs, top water
Revo S
top water in weeds
6:4:1 gears
12 test
CarbonLite
top water
fast - medium heavy
10 – 20 test
3/8 – 1 oz lures
50 Braid
frogs/flipping jigs
DaiwaProcaster 100
cranks on bottom
6:3:1 gears
12 – 14 test
St Croix
dragging cranks
fast medium heavy
10 - 20test
3/8 - 1 oz lures
20 Braid
dragging cranks (walleye fishing)
Daiwa Viento
larger lures
6:3:1 gears
12 – 14 test
Shimano
larger lures
medium fast medium heavy
10 - 20test
3/8 - 1 oz lures
20 Fluorocarbon
swim-baits, lipless cranks, Med/Deep diving cranks, football jigs, plastic stick baits, Vib-E, large spinner baits
Daiwa Viento
medium baits
6:3:1 gears
12 – 14 test
St.Croix
medium baits
fast medium
10 – 17 test
1/4 - 3/4 oz lures
12 Fluorocarbon
shaky head, jerk baits, wacky worms, football jigs, drop shot, small cranks and smaller spinners
CarbonLite
smaller baits
6:4:1 gears
6 – 12 test
CarbonLite
smaller baits
fast medium light
6 – 14 test
1/16 – 1/2 oz lures
8 Fluorocarbon
shaky head, plastic jerk baits, wacky worms, drop shots, small cranks and spinners
neil R reply :
Good medium action spinning rod covers tubes, grubs and dropshot. Crank rod for cranks and jerkbaits. And a medium heavy baitcaster for 1/2 to 3/4 football heads, and C rigs. With these 3 rods, your smallie ready.
Bass Junkie reply :
7' Medium action casting rod, 7' ML spinning rod. Bases are covered.
steverowbotham reply :
I never leave on a smallie trip without a
dropshot
jerkbait
spinnerbait
spook
tube
I also throw senkos, grubs and crankbaits but not near as often as the five above.
Nick reply :
How many can you deal with in the boat or canoe? Fewer to me is more enjoyable cause I hate a crowded deck. Depends on if you are fishing big flat water, below a dam, or clear, small stream. Size of your vessel is important to consider as well as your bank account. Time of the year can have an influence too. I have fished with lots of anglers who have shiny new stuff tht don't know the first thing about using it. So it's worthless for them to even own it.
After many years of packing in to remote lakes, I learned to enjoy limiting myself to a shoebox sized tackle box and ttwo rods. One medium light spinning rod with 6 or 8 lb, and one baitcaster with 10-12 lb. medium weight rod. Caught everything from 30 lb. lakers, giant Pike, waleye, and smallmouth. This is obviousdly not ALL the combos needed for all situations, but it was what fit the bill for me, and that's all you need to figure out: what fits your needs?
related Smallmouth Bass Fishing topic
previous topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.