4 replies to this topic

[Et525i]

Hi guys and gals. I've been fishing for a long time and I'm really starting to get serious about it. I've been reading on here a lot and have gained an enorumous amount of insight into bass fishing thank you all.

I know everybody has their favorite brands and such but I was hoping some of you could give a breakdown as to what size/type(action) rods would be appropriate for different types of baits and or techniques? Ie spinnerbaits,cranks,worms stuff like that. Gear ratios for reels would be appreciated as well. Thanks for the help.

[Fishes in trees]

What technique do you want to start with & how much money is allocated to this project? This is a real open ended question with no real starting point. If money isn't an issue, just bust out your master card and go to the BPS or Cabelas or Tackle Warehouse or any number of tackle E-tailers and start ordering. As far as reels go, you can't go wrong with Calcuttas or Calais or Chronarchs. For rods and all the rest of the stuff, you're on your own. No doubt since the ice is broken, other opinions will surface.

[RobbyZ5001]

These setups will highly vary on what you prefer. Do you prefer spinning or casting?

Spinnerbait- 7' MH Fast - You want something a little heavier that will cast far and have the power to pull fish out of veg.
Trebel Hook Lures (Crankbaits, topwaters, etc.)- 6'6 or 7' M Fast- Good all around for throwing various trebel hooked lures.
Worms or Jigs- MH Fast/Extra Fast- You want something that you can have the backbone with to drive the hook.
Frog- 7'+ Extra Fast- You want a long heavy rod to pull fish out of slop. You also want a fast tip to work hollow bodies. If the tip is sloppy you wont get the proper action.
Dropshot/Lightweight Applications- 6'6-7' spinning or light casting rod- med fast

This is somewhat vague, but should give you somewhat of an idea. I have a few different cranking rods for shallow/medium and deep cranks. When you get further into it you will specialize and realize what your looking for. This in my opinion is a decent very generalized list.


Gear ratio of the reel I use anywhere from a 5.4:1 to a 7:1. Crankbaiting I use a 5.4:1, but I could go a little faster and slow my retrieve. Any technique you want to take line up quickly you want a fast ratio (Jigs/Worms/Frogs/Punching/Buzzbait, etc).

I can try to go into more detail if you provide with exact baits, price range, so on and so forth.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

To get started 3 setups will cover you:

6'6"-7' MH/F casting - Jigs, plastics, spinnerbaits etc 1/2oz>
6'6"-7' MH/Mod casting - crankbaits and other trebelhook lures
6'6"-7" Med/F spinning - finesse jigs, weightless platics etc <1/2

These can be supplemented with an endless number of technique specific setups. For example:

6'8" ML/XF spinning - finesse dropshot
6' M/F upclose spinnerbait casting and spooks ( and other walk the dog baits)
7'6" Hvy or XH/mod fast Flipping Stick
7'6" Hvy/F soft tip - Frog rod
6'4" Med/XF popping rod - jerkbaits

[roadwarrior]

To get started 3 setups will cover you:

6'6"-7' MH/F casting - Jigs, plastics, spinnerbaits etc 1/2oz>
6'6"-7' MH/Mod casting - crankbaits and other trebelhook lures
6'6"-7" Med/F spinning - finesse jigs, weightless platics etc <1/2

These can be supplemented with an endless number of technique specific setups. For example:

6'8" ML/XF spinning - finesse dropshot
6' M/F upclose spinnerbait casting and spooks ( and other walk the dog baits)
7'6" Hvy or XH/mod fast Flipping Stick
7'6" Hvy/F soft tip - Frog rod
6'4" Med/XF popping rod - jerkbaits

X2