I had an injury at work back in 2014, and the pain and its disabilities always stayed with me, and they affect my performance on the water significantly. Since then, I've leaned towards high-end tackle, and the main reason for that was the weight of my combo. On a normal bass-fishing day, I cast more than 500 times, walk and carry that combo around, and after 8 hours, one-ounce lighter tackle counts. So having that in mind I decided to create a new topic for us and other anglers to use as a source on Rods and reels' weight, Any of us can share the combos and rod or reel weight for others to help them choose their combo that planing to buy. Ill use my digital scale with accuracy of +-1gr and I prefer to use gr for more precise results. I start it with My latest BFS combo:

 

Rod: Dobyns 650 BFS (99gr)

Reel: Shinami Curado BFS (177gr) Spooled

Total Combo Weight: (276gr)

 

 

Aldebaran MGL with a full load of 12lb fluoro+line clip 145.6 grams. I suspect the BFS is right there but I don't want to pull it off its rod.

I suspect the Alde MGL/Expride 610M or Alde BFS/Dobyns SUF701 are my lightest combos by a mile.

Price,high end, isn't a great indicator for lightness I've given many examples as proof.

Here's 2

Quantum Smoke rod 7'  M/F 1/4-3/4 97g $130

Okuma Helios rod 7' M/F 1/4-5/8 93.5g $150

These are a couple of the lightest "bass" rods for their given length power action at any price. Edge rods has a light rod but haven't used

I only have a small digital scale for jigs and lures so I can't weigh this but the lightest set up I have is a Shimano Aldebaran and a Kistler Hunt's BFS. Anytime I get worn out and my hands or shoulders hurts, I pick up this combo. It casts effortlessly. 

I'm an old, small weak old man and build my rods to be the lightest I can and buy my reels for light weight.  The combos I use for worming weigh less than 10 oz including the worm.

14 hours ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

Price,high end, isn't a great indicator for lightness I've given many examples as proof.

Here's 2

Quantum Smoke rod 7'  M/F 1/4-3/4 97g $130

Okuma Helios rod 7' M/F 1/4-5/8 93.5g $150

These are a couple of the lightest "bass" rods for their given length power action at any price. Edge rods has a light rod but haven't used

Have both.  Helios 3.4 oz.  Haven't weighed the Smoke.  Have more than one 5.8 oz. reel, but there are lighter ones available.  A quick search shows that there are at least 5 baitcasting reels weighing less than 5 oz.

• Flight Feather FF01 (4.4 oz): 

  Another contender for the lightest title, featuring a magnesium alloy body, carbon fiber handle, and ultra-light spool for casting tiny baits. 

   

• Abu Garcia Zenon MG-LTX (4.5 oz): 

  A premium, compact reel with an X-Mag alloy frame, C6 carbon sideplates, and a hybrid ceramic bearing system for top-tier performance. 

   

• Shimano Aldebaran MGL 50 (4.8 oz): 

  The lightest in Shimano's lineup, boasting a Hagane body and Magnumlite spool for enhanced casting distance and lightness. 

   

• Lews Custom Lite (4.9 oz): 

  Lew's lightest ever, built for comfort and lightness in a baitcaster. 

• KastKing Kestrel Elite BFS (4.4 oz): 

  Often cited as the absolute lightest, this magnesium-framed reel is designed for casting micro-lures (as light as 1/32 oz or smaller) with precision. 

   

My lightest setup is a Daiwa Rebellion 6"8 ML-F spinning rod at 3.3oz and a Daiwa Tatula LT 2000 (last generation) at 6.1oz with line. Total weight at 9.4oz. Balances perfectly and the most sensitive combo that I have. Each piece bought separately on sale, think it was around $350 Canadian.

 

Every other combo is between 10.4 - 11.5 ozs. From my experience,  the combo has to be balanced too, it's not just overall weight. 

Due to some health issues, I also had to downsize my gear to stay on the water.  Along with lighter weight, I also moved to modern fiberglass since I found it's less effort to load the rod.

 

Spinning:

Graywolf 544 E-Glass Rod - 80 grams

Shimano Vanford 500 Reel - 145 grams

 

Fly:

Cabela's CGR CG 622-3 2wt E-Glass Rod - 50 grams

Orvis Battenkill I Reel - 100 grams

I don't pay TOO much attention to weight, but I do check out what things weigh. I'm typically just more concerned with how they feel in the hand and how balanced they are.

 

I think my lightest casting setup is a Phenix 606l Ultra MBX I picked up a couple years ago for VERY cheap in basically mint condition. I currently have an older Daiwa Alphas SV105L on it throwing light little Mooch Minnow and Paddletail swim bait rigs. Strange little rod in that is called a Light/Fast rod, but has a lure rating of 1/4-1/2oz and a line rating of 6-12. Feels more like a ML to me. The whole rig weighs a bit under 10oz. I think the rod weighed 3.1 and the loaded reel weighed right around 6 - 6.5oz.

 

The rest of my rigs tend to run in that 10-12oz range for the most part.

 

My lightest spinning rig is I believe a Falcon Expert 6'9" ML with a pre-MQ Tatula LT. Nice light setup for various things.

 

I understand the need for lighter weights at times, especially as my age grows, but balance and feel are still my driving focus. I often move things around looking for that just right setup I like.

My lightest baitcasting set-up is pretty old.  It's a Shimano Cumulus seven foot rod paired with a Core 50 reel.  Right at 10 onces.  More than that, it's pretty well balanced.