How many rod and reel combinations do you carry.

[Bill kizer]

I’m debating with my wife the need for another quality rod and I keep getting the look. As a minimum what should you carry?

Right now I have what I consider for me 4 quality outfits. They are rigged up for light drop shot, sinko’s (2 spinning rods) and 2 casting outfits for crank/reaction baits and jig’s .

I also have 2 of each OK setups for passengers or to set up for other applications.

My thoughts are to upgrade a bait caster for heavy drop shotting, right now I use one of my other baitcasters a Shimano Clarus in medium action.

Or for my next outlay of cash get another quality Jig rod.
Thanks for any input,
Bill

[Dewayne]

I normally carry about 12 setups and a couple spare reels.

2 crank setups
2 drop shot setups
1 frog rod
1 C-rig
2-3 jig rods
1 swim bait
1-2 flipping sticks
1 spinner bait
1 buzz bait

I probably have 20 complete setups, but a few are usually in dis-repair or are back-ups for rods that cannot be purchased anymore. Now, I do have a lot becuase of how far I often am from home for tournaments. For most people I thing 6-10 rods would be more than enough.

[Gator]

I currently carry 8, with more on the way. Crankbait, jig, senko, frog/swimbait, spinnerbait, buzzbait/topwater, flipping stick and dropshot (spinning). I can use rods for other baits but this is my standard setup.

I like having the flexibility to switch baits without needing to re-tie - can save some time under tournament conditiions.

[EGBASS]

As a boater, I typically have 7 to 9 rods rigged, 4 to 6 on the deck and the rest in the rod lockers, but could reason up to a dozen on board(especially if you throw swimbaits in addition to the normal fare).

My total collection is bigger than that and will continue to grow because of the rigging differences between Delta/Clear Lake trips and our deep clear reservoirs (Folsom, Oroville, Motherlode etc) and the differences in techniques and seasons.

My goal is to not have to redo my rod & reel combos completely when I change bodies of water or throw away fresh line(yes there are one or two combos that I use everywhere). I'm also trying re-organize all my tackle for the same reasons. Since I park the boat in the driveway I load and unload my tackle on every trip, so I'm trying to divide it up to simplify the process.

Just remember, there's 14 clubs in a playing set of golf clubs but people will pull in and out different wedges, fairway woods, drivers, and even putters based on course and weather conditions.

[Phil]

I CURRENTLY CARRY 9 MYSELF . 2 SPIN RODS AND 7 CASTING RODS.
1-----SPINNERBAIT , I ---SHORT SPINNERBAIT,1-----WORM ROD
1-----CRANKBAIT ROD, 1-----SWIMBAIT ROD, 1-----JIG ROD,
1-----FROG TOP WTER ROD. 1----SPIN ROD FOR DROP SHOT,
1----SPIN ROD FOR GRUBS

LOTS OF THESE RODS CAN DOUBLE UP TO FISH SOMETHING ELSE ALSO, BUT I MOUNTED A 7 ROD OSPREY HOLDER IN EACH SIDE SO I ONLY WANT NO MORE THAN 14 RODS IN THE BOAT. 7 PER SIDE.

PLUS THE WIFE HAS 3 OR 4 OF HER OWN IN THE BOAT ALSO

WE ALSO USUALLY HAVE A FENWICK OR BERKLEY OR 2 IN THE BOAT FOR DISPLAY TO SHOW ETC.........

JIGS

[bassindon69]

I used to take 8 rods. Now I just take 4 swimbait rods. Some times I take another rod but I need to stop taking it because to me it is like a give up rod LOL.

Don.

[Bill Cook]

17. Way too many, but what can I say .

[StockOption]

I'll typically have 8-10 rods on deck for me and the wife. Several more if anyone else joins us.

We've been moving away from drop shotting using spinning gear and are now (almost) exclusively using baitcast equipment for all techniques.

[aNNieNsaLTIE]

hello,

well we i first got started up about bass fishing i was on lake sonoma with 12 or 13 rods on the deck!! i sure did not want to miss any type of bite and i did not want to waste time retying.......

but now since i have been spending more time into the delta ...man i love the delta!!!!! i have been carying around 6-8 beleive it or not.

saLTIE-

[miklanderson]

I keep 8 on the deck for me and 4 or 5 for my significant other. I almost always have:

2 jigs
1 dropshot
1 senko
1 frog (or other topwater)
1 spinnerbait
2 t-rigged plastics

[Guest]

I think it all depends on if you are fun fishing or fishing tournaments.

For fun fishing I pull out 3 or 4 rods and set them up for what I think the bite is going to be..

If I stop to re-tie something its no big deal.

===========================================

Tournaments for me is a whole different story. The way I see it... what I lack in talent I try to make up for with time saving stuff both during a tournament and during pre-fish. Having a wide selection of rods (many are the exact same) I can have all types of baits rigged and ready to make a cast in a moment. I figure to compete against guys like Reese, Dobyns, Tuck, Howell, Mah.... on second thought to compete with anyone... I've gotta get a lot more fishing in than they do.

So I have 15 rods riggged and ready to go and another 3 to 5 reels lined up and in the rod locker (switching reels is faster than switching lines).

So after that thesis -

Here is my pre-fish and tournament setup

I have 15 rods in my rod locker.... and usually 2 to 10 on the deck... 2 when I am on a bite and 10 when I can't figure the little B@$^*ds out!

All rods are for a particular application -
2 Cranking Rods (Shallow water and Deep Water)
1 Spinnerbait setup
1 Swimbait Setup
1 Drop Shot setup
1 Senko Setup
1 Frog Setups
1 Jig Setup
1 Carolina Rig Setup

The final 6 Rods I setup for different applications depending on the season
For Instance: Summer
1 More Frog Rod
1 More Crank Bait Rod
1 Buzz Bait Rod
1 Pop'r rod
1 Spook Rod
1 Rip bait Rod

Winter

Darter Head
Tail Spin
Under spin
Additional Drop Shot
Additonal Small swimbait Rod


Another Option (Great tip)
I received what I consider a great tip from Mark Menendez (Not Mark Mendez... although he knows what he is doing too ). Mark told me that if you are on a solid pattern lets say a Crank bite with a Big Daddy Strike 3... Why not rig up 5 or 6 of them for an event. Maybe 2 or 3 different colors that are working and 3 of them with the goto colors. Here is is reasoning. Fish often work bait fish in schools, they kind of corral the bait fish into a cove to feed on them. Or they can be suspended in schools off of a point... whatever the reason they are often grouped up. So you catch one... There are more there... We've all caught fish and watched other fish attack that one and even try and steal the bait from the hooked fish while you fight it to the boat. Well, in a tournament... your partner nets the fish. Sure you can try and tell him where to throw and how you are working the bait, but it's never the same. So while your partner deals with fish #1 you can grab the second rod rigged up the same as the rod with the fish on it... and get another cast in immediately while your partner unhooks the fish and puts it in the livewell. Mark said he's had 3 fish in the bottom of the boat at the same time... Personally, I haven't had that problem - but, I have caught 2 like that a couple times.

[Colebass]

In all seriousness, if your fishing from the back, I think 4-6 is about right. Once you get to the actual tournament, you should be about that dialed in. During pre-fish or fun fish, more because you are experiencing and getting dialed in.

Good luck with the wife, that's one you won't win! Just do it and ask for forgiveness later!