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@FishTank @CrankFate I went a bit crazy at Bass Pro and was hoping you could provide some advice. I picked up two St Croix Premiere rods: a 7' medium power fast action 1/4 - 5/8oz spinning reel, and a 7' medium-heavy fast action 3/8 - 1oz casting rod. My thought process was to use the spinning rod with my Pflueger reel and use that for weightless flukes and trick worms, possibly ned rigs, tubes, and maybe unweighted senkos. Then, I would use the casting rod with my Curado 71 MGL for weightless 10.5 and 12" worms, light jigs, weighted and unweighted senkos, etc. Considering picking up a 7' medium light for a Pflueger 20 reel I've got, and using that for ned and finesse baits. Any thoughts?

@roadwarrior I went a bit crazy at Bass Pro and was hoping you could provide some advice. I picked up two St Croix Premiere rods: a 7' medium power fast action 1/4 - 5/8oz spinning reel, and a 7' medium-heavy fast action 3/8 - 1oz casting rod. My thought process was to use the spinning rod with my Pflueger reel and use that for weightless flukes and trick worms, possibly ned rigs, tubes, and maybe unweighted senkos. Then, I would use the casting rod with my Curado 71 MGL for weightless 10.5 and 12" worms, light jigs, weighted and unweighted senkos, etc. Considering picking up a 7' medium light for a Pflueger 20 reel I've got, and using that for ned and finesse baits. Still need to get that 7' MH moderate for treble hooks, but I may have to out that off a bit and continue using an ugly stick for that. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

@Fishes in treesI'll admit: I'm a bit of a pansy with regards to catfish. Love eating em, but I've seen too many fin-gone-wrong videos to actively pursue them. I'm all for crappie, bream/sunfish, etc., though! Funny you should mention the quantum: I've got an older baitcaster with bait clicker. Pretty sure it's a Quantum. I've never used it, and it looks like it'll hold a mile of line. I think it's a 5.4:1, too. Asked here once, and the suggestion was to make that into a crankbait combo.

And a 7' MH fast or extra fast for weightless soft plastics and jigs, correct?

I may very well take you up on that! Thanks for the advice. Looks like I may have to see what the Pyramid has with regards to 7' medium heavy fast rods.

Sorry for the novice question, but does that mean something like an extra fast?

@roadwarrior hey, we're neighbors! Would a 7' MH moderate work for weightless plastics and 1/4 - 3/8oz jig/trailers?

Hey folks, I posted recently about gear for a trip, and got a lot of great responses. Due in part to that, I picked up a Curado 71 MGL for light lures, weightless plastics, etc. I planned to marry that to my Ugly Stik Elite medium. However, I got a fair amount of responses, most of which saying I should ditch that rod and get something better. Here's my current collection: 6'6 ML with spinning reel: mostly for finesse/Ned/small spinners, etc. 7' M Ugly Stik Elite spinning: poppers, some texas rig, small cranks, jerks. 7' MH Ugly Stik Elite spinning: one of my go-to units. Senko, 10" - 12" weightless worms, small chatterbaits. 7'6" Johhny Morris Heavy baitcaster. Got this for big paddle tails, 1/2 - 3/4oz chatterbaits and trailers, etc. 7.4:1 Lew's Tournament MP Speed Spool LFS. 7' M Ugly Stik Elite bait caster. Was my go-to bait caster, but I upgraded to the Johnny Morris, as I wanted more distance on my casts. Planned on putting the Curado 71 MGL on this for lighter lures, weightless soft plastics, etc. 7' MH Ugly Stik Elite bait caster. Planned on making this my frog rod. Still has the labels on it. Returnable. 8.5:1 Lew's Tournament MP Speed Spool LFS. I'm stuck with the first 5 rods. I think I can exchange/return the 7' MH Ugly Stik Elite and use those funds towards something different. If I can only get one rod right now (bait monkey had me get a ton of Nikko and Keitech plastics, as well as hooks, weights, jigs, etc.), what would you suggest? I can hold off on a frog rod, I think, as I've not had much luck with frogs, and I tend to fish more plastics, jigs, chatterbaits, whopper plopper, etc. I have a ton of jerks, rattle traps, cranks, etc., but can't really throw them, as most of my lakes are shallow or netted. Basically, I'm open to suggestions. Swapping reels to different rods, returning, getting a new one, etc. Ultimately, I'd like a baitcaster capable of weightless Texas rig Zoom trick worms (confidence bait), senkos, and lighter cranks, jerks, etc. Tight lines, and stay cool!

@FishTank and @CrankFate So, I'm stuck with this 7' medium Ugly Stik Elite. Don't get me wrong, it has served me well, but was way too light for heavier baits, which I started throwing. However, I also have a 7' MH Ugly Stik Elite with the sticker still on it. It presently has an 8:1 Lew's on it, and I planned on using it for frogs. Given it's not used, I can most likely return to Bass Pro for credit. In that case, I will still have the 7' medium Ugly Stik Elite, and the Curado 70 MGL 7.4:1 and the Lews 8:1. I also have two other not-so-great casting reels, one of which is a Quantum 5:1. So, given the assessment a different rod would suit me better, what should I replace the MH Ugly Stik Elite with, and what reel should I put on it? Any additional advice is appreciated!

Good to hear! I read good things about both the SLX and Curado MGLs. Figured I'd appease the bait monkey and go with the Curado. As can be expected, other folks have now got me considering a better rod for it. Maybe I'll throw my old Quantum reel on it and use it for cranks!

Thanks for the advice, FishTank. I've got a Curado MGL in the wind to me. Baitmonkey has me spending more lately than intended, so I may have to put the better rod on the back burner. At this point, I've got a 7'6 Johnny Lewis rod (not sure the model, but is was about $180) and Lew's reel. That will cover basically everything from 3/8oz chatterbaits, jigs, etc, up to about 2oz. Then, I've got another Lews on a rod for frogs. Then, this Curado MGL, as stated, should cover my lighter lures, weightless plastics, etc. Not exactly finesse, but hopefully covers the light end of the spectrum.

Thoughts on the Curado MGL? Ordered one of those, as I'm aiming for a reel for weightless plastics, or small jigs.

Aww man, now I wish I'd held off! Pulled the trigger on a Curado 70 MGL to make that a weightless Texas rig and light tackle setup. Presently have no bait caster for lighter stuff, and weightless Texas rig trick worms are one of my confidence baits. Looks like I'll have a rod purchase in my future. Are the Johnny Morris combos good? Picked up a Johnny Morris rod a few weeks ago and like it. I've been a bit gunshy of combos and private label reels, even though I know the reels are made by Lew's, Diawa, or someone else reputable.

Sounds like going back to the fishing of my childhood. I've got plenty of em, but I hadn't thought of bringing floating Rapalas. I think I've got a Mepps Comet or something similar, too.

Excellent advice. Based on what I can find, I'll be north of the designated trout areas, but there's a tackle shop nearby, so I'll call em. I'm taking a fly rod for practice, but don't know how lucky I'll be. Hoping to smash some smallmouth and crappie.

Well, I managed to find some pics of the creek the house is on. Saw a nice stringer of trout, too. Bait monkey got his hooks real deep in me today, boys. Picked up a bunch of Nikko soft plastics, some neko rig weights, some extra grubs, 2.5" and 3" swimmers, as well as some more spinners. I'll probably snag some more things like Mepp's and Rooster Tails locally. And since I moved my main Lew's baitcaster reel to a heavy rod, leaving an empty medium rod, I also picked up a Curado 70 MGL for light work like T-rig trick worms, flukes, etc. So I'll have 3 spinning setups and 3 casting, ranging from finesse to heavy duty. I know I won't use all this gear on this stream, but there is a sizeable lake nearby, and I'm taking a kayak. Thanks for all the advice, folks, as well as enabling another addiction!

I'll look into it, thanks!

I shoulda known better than to ask fellow bait junkies

What size ball head and how long on the grubs? May already have em, but need to be sure!

Hey folks, Got a trip to the North GA mountains in a few weeks, and the house we're staying at is right on a stream/creek. I plan to spend a large portion of my vacation making use of that water access. The bait monkey has been demanding this past year, so I have boxes of darn near every type of plastic, from flukes, paddle tails, swim baits, trick worms, 10" worms, 12" worms, frogs, craws, ned rig stuff, etc. Just picked up several packs of Dinger/Senko yesterday. I also have a ton of chatterbaits, jerkbaits, cranks, jigs, etc. In short, I am a mini Bass Pro. My question is, given I've never tried to fish moving water before: anything in particular I should purchase before I go? I imagine the waters will have species I am used to: small mouth, large mouth, crappie, bream/sunfish, possibly trout. I need to keep my spending in check, but I also wanna nail some fish while on this stream! I am not certain of the stream size, unfortunately. Tight lines!

Hey folks, In a previous post, I asked whether my 7' Medium Ugly Stik Elite was too light to throw 1/2oz or 3/4oz chatterbait and trailer. In short, yes, it was too light. Upgraded to a 7'6" Johnny Morris Heavy, and moved my Lew's reel over to it. That new rod will handle most of the larger jigs, chatterbait, etc, but now I'm considering repurposing my Ugly Stik. I'm considering adding a new baitcaster and am eyeing a Shimano DC, either the Curado or SLX. I'm thinking the Ugly Stik will be for lighter jigs, small chatterbaits, and a lot of weightless soft plastics: Texas, wacky, etc. Given I'm considering making this a light-to-medium duty rod, are the Curado or SLX a good choice? I've never run a DC reel, but the purported benefits seem appealing, especially with lighter lures. Tight lines!

Good point. I do have a kayak, and am hoping to use it some this year. However, I'm aiming to get better at casting before I do so, so I spend more time fishing, less time detangling braid.

Sage advice, Bankc. In the event I am able to locate a rod you're describing, what other baits can I throw on it? The bait monkey has caused me to be fully stocked on cranks, jerks, a myriad of soft plastics, etc. Also, at that point, I know the gear monkey will say, "you have a spare rod, now buy another reel!" In that case, what would you recommend throwing with a medium, 7' casting rod?

Hello, The bait monkey is on my back again, and I thought I'd try to reason with it before spending money. I've had some success with Chatterbaits recently, and the lake where they've worked is about 30' of shallow before an almost instant 40' drop in depth. It used to be a quarry, and goes all the way to 100-150' deep. However, I've had trouble getting my Chatterbait out to the ledge; doesn't seem like the lure is dropping quickly enough for me to actually be going over the ledge into the 40' depth. I've been throwing 3/8oz and 1/2oz Chatterbait with a baby bass fluke. Not sure what the whole rig weighs. My rod is an Ugly Stik Elite, medium power, 7'. Rated up to 1/2oz. Reel is a Lew's Tournament MP Speed Spool LFS. I don't feel like I'm getting the casting distance I should. Given the size of this lake, and the fact a lot of folks say they can peg 50 yrds with a baitcaster, one of three things is happening: I am overestimating the distance I need to cast, or my rod can't chuck these heavier baits like I need / poor technique, or my reel is improperly setup / poor technique. What I'm wondering is, is a medium power rod, rated up to 1/2oz, capable of throwing a 1/2" chatterbait and trailer? Would a medium heavy be better? If so, I can swap to an Ugly Stik Elite, medium heavy, 7', I already own, but I'll need a different rod for my frog setup. Given heavier lures cast further, I also picked up some 3/4oz chatterbaits to hopefully increase distance. In short, since I bank fish, I want to be able to bomb these lures way out, so I can get to the deeper sections of water. Would you recommend going with a longer, heavier power rod for jigs and Chatterbait, and using the 7' medium for weightless T-rig worms, or something else? Is a 7' medium heavy rod ok for frogs? I'm trying to avoid too much in the way of gear, as I have 5 setups already: three spinning (ultra light/finesse, medium, medium heavy) and two baitcasters ( 7' medium and medium heavy). Thanks for the advice, and tight lines to all!

I should be more like him. Very first bass I caught was on a weightless Zoom trick worm, Texas rigged. It's what I've caught the majority of my bass on. Whopper plopper closing in on second place. Now if I could just figure how to throw a 10-12" worm with the same effectiveness of the trick worm, I'd be set. My favorite spot has big fish; at night, it sounds like someone is throwing bowling balls into the water when they come up to eat. Just can't get em interested in what I throw. Most likely, I just need to get out there at dawn or dusk. Until I can manage that, the drinks have my name on em.