12 hours ago, OldManLure said:

I have over 20 setups. Various colored rods and reels.    I don’t choose the 5  I’m taking out based on power and action, but rather color.  I don’t want my setups clashing with my kayak color and clothing ensemble.

It's all about the optics!!!

 

I've been trying to get down to maybe six set ups, from about 40, for a while now. I've made some high school angler's and some, I don't know the right word to use so I'll just say disadvantaged, folks just getting started extremely happy! I've been going through my Plano's and getting rid of lures and soft plastics I no longer use too.

I bring 2 spinning combos with me in the car but I only take 1 out when I fish. I like to cover ground quickly and a bunch of combos complicates that

I’ve been in a 12 step program for 10 years.  I can’t seem to get past the part where you have to admit you have a problem.

I have 6 castings days 2 spinning. With a 7th casting on the way(very excited about this one). Walking the banks I usually bring anywhere from 1-3 rods. A spinnerbait setup almost always works, some type of plastics setup that always works. The third if I so chose is whatever tickles my fancy that day. Jig, Swimbait, crank of some kind maybe. It’s nice to have options and not re tie to much. 

I only take the rods I'm going to use that day.  Always a worm and spoon and some kind of moving bait.  When I'm fishing rivers in my kayak I bring one rod, light worm spinning with 6 lb line, hooks and a couple packs of worms.

Give me a $20 spinning reel on a $15 rod and some 6 pound line and I’m all set. All the other stuff is in the novelty category

I like to say most trips I could have left all but 2 rods at home. But I never know which 2, though I might strongly suspect. Right now I would expect the blade bait and jig to be my best bets.

I’ve gotten so I take 4 rigs with me on a local trip. If I’m staying 3 or 4 days I take everything. 

3 BC's (includes dedicated frog rod) and 2 spinning.  Covers everything I need

I launched my kayak the other day with only 5 and my wife said,  "Oh my, what is wrong?"

On 1/7/2022 at 6:56 PM, Team9nine said:

Very wise to have figured this out while you only have 6 outfits and not 16…or 26 ?

Dang I am a slow learner?

20 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Give me a $20 spinning reel on a $15 rod and some 6 pound line and I’m all set. All the other stuff is in the novelty category

That was pretty much my budget for fishing  rigs prior to 2019. I still have several Walmart “specials” in spinning setups that I bought well over 10 years ago that are still humming right along. I used to ask myself why anyone in their right mind would ever pay the money they do for fishing($50+) for a setup…..then I spent $175 on a baitcaster and immediately found out the answer to that question. As with anything else in life you get what you pay for and the difference is night and day between what I was used to  paying versus what I spent that day at bass pro on the baitcasting combo.

39 minutes ago, NavyVet1204 said:

That was pretty much my budget for fishing  rigs prior to 2019. I still have several Walmart “specials” in spinning setups that I bought well over 10 years ago that are still humming right along. I used to ask myself why anyone in their right mind would ever pay the money they do for fishing($50+) for a setup…..then I spent $175 on a baitcaster and immediately found out the answer to that question. As with anything else in life you get what you pay for and the difference is night and day between what I was used to  paying versus what I spent that day at bass pro on the baitcasting combo.

Im no longer allowed to have nice things. 

I think I have 8 or 9 rods total, I'd eventually like a few more, mostly really high end stuff for my go to techniques (mainly a jig rod, finesse rod, and a jerkbait rod) but unless I was going to try to tackle professional fishing/big money tournaments I don't see much need in have 30 or whatever rods, I have all the time in the world to tie a new lure on, and I refuse to count the seconds or stress over that kind of stuff, but I also don't have my bread and cheese riding on the outcomes of my fishing choices/success either, so I understand where those guys would want almost any advantage they can get, and want to be as efficient as possible. 

Non boat fishing.  I take 1 rod with the Mitchell 300 loaded with 6# Braided. AND the 2nd spool filled with 60# braided line.  A large Rapala  green shad floater.   In a double freezer bag. ALL barbs crushed down with S S small forceps to work on a pike safely.

 

L I G   ?

Today I could have taken one rod. Still caught 1 bass and 5 crappie on the blade bait though.

I have been upgrading all of my rods and reels the last few months. Finally settled on Dobyns Sierra series (but have a Kaden on the way) and Daiwa reels. Been giving away some of my older gear to a friends son who is really getting into fishing. I’m told he slept with the first rod I gave him next to his bed he was so happy. Haha. Definitely figuring out how I like to fish and what works where I fish, so I plan on cleaning out some of the excess plastics and lures this year. I definitely fell into the trap of trying everything last year. Want to focus my efforts more on what works rather than bringing the kitchen sink. Kept a log last year so plan on using that to narrow down my options going forward. 

In my opinion, less can be more. I find myself being much more focused to make a certain combination work. I've dropped down from 6 to 3 for kayak fishing, one spinning and one bait caster. The other combo is more for a backup. Same goes with lures. I only take 2 Plano 3600's which hold all my needs. From what I'm seeing, when I have less to work with I tend to make the best of what I got, which often times surprises me. I'm actually catching much more quality fish, these days.   

On 1/7/2022 at 6:35 PM, king fisher said:

It might be better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

There's been times I rigged up 5 rods only to use two. Then there's times where I planned to do the same two presentations and they weren't biting and I wish I brought at least another two.

I'm going the other way. I'm adding two new combos. Going from 6 to 8 rigs. 6 casting 2 spinning. People around here think I'm crazy. They ask me, " How many rods do you need?" My response, "Well, 8 I guess."

Can I retie on the water? Of course.

Am I pressed for time? No.

Am I fishing tournaments? No. 

 

He is a scenario everyone should relate to. You have been fishing for a few hours. As you are doing your thing, over near the reeds across the cove you are in you spy a couple of fish bust the surface . This happened to me last year. I had a buzz bait tied on, I paddled over and caught two nice fish on 3 casts. 

 

That was awesome. Now that was the only top water activity I saw all day. If I didn't have that buzz bait tied on would I have tied on a top water bait for 2 splashes? No. Which means I would not have caught those two fish. Will I be fishing 8 combos each time out? No. Like other have said better to have and not need then need and not have.

Ive been reevaluating bass fishing this winter and I'm in the same boat. I have 8 dedicated bass rods, sometimes I keep one rigged for catfish and drop it to 7. But 3-4 are the primary catchers and the othera are situational. I hate it because one of my nicest setups is my frog rod and reel so I use it for big jigs and umbrella rigs as well. But I'm thinking I'm going to cut down to 4 that I take and the others will sit until I get the right conditions. I get tired if taking all of them walking the bank!

1 minute ago, Luke Barnes said:

Ive been reevaluating bass fishing this winter and I'm in the same boat. I have 8 dedicated bass rods, sometimes I keep one rigged for catfish and drop it to 7. But 3-4 are the primary catchers and the othera are situational. I hate it because one of my nicest setups is my frog rod and reel so I use it for big jigs and umbrella rigs as well. But I'm thinking I'm going to cut down to 4 that I take and the others will sit until I get the right conditions. I get tired if taking all of them walking the bank!

I'm actually going DOWN. Last year it was 12 rigs in the canoe, this coming year it's only 11 in the boat.

8 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I'm actually going DOWN. Last year it was 12 rigs in the canoe, this coming year it's only 11 in the boat.

If I had a boat I would take every last thing with me. But being on the bank in getting tired of taking it all and using 2 rods. But I always, ALWAYS, say I wish I had such and such with me or maybe they were biting this and I brought that. Its all mental with me haha

Just now, Luke Barnes said:

If I had a boat I would take every last thing with me. But being on the bank in getting tired of taking it all and using 2 rods. But I always, ALWAYS, say I wish I had such and such with me or maybe they were biting this and I brought that. Its all mental with me haha

Bank fishing...I have three rigs dedicated...and none is a boat rig - ya, I got 14 rigs total.

9 rods seems to be the sweet spot for me. Basiclly 7 dedicated rods + 2 versatile rods (1 bc and 1 spinning). I used to bring more but found it to be more of a hassle than it was worth.