Spinning Setups for Bass

[MCTFisher9120]

Hey everybody, as always I'm thinking about rods and reels to get and well I have my heart set on a new jig rod I'm starting to think about spinning setups to add to my collection. A year ago I fished with nothing but spinning rods and I fished all the techniques that are better used on baitcast outfits. My questions are what size and action of rods are good for a few of the listed techniques. While it's personal preference I would still like to hear of some rod actions lengths and line weight's.

 

I have a 6'9ML Avid and I love it for wacky rigged senkos, it has 15lb braid on it and is great for that technique. While I love that rod I don't like it for twitching plastic jerk shads, or fishing 1/4 and 1/8oz tube jigs. Also another technique I want to explore is drop shot.

 

For a fluke/jerk shad type spinning rod what is recommended, I think a 7'M would be ideal for the tubes and a 7'ML would be a good finesse rod for deep water light line fishing.

 

Just something I wanted to explore into. Here is a pic of a smallie I caught while on a small tournament on Sturgeon this past weekend. A quick "show and tell" picture haha.

 

Thanks,

MTBF

Edited August 30, 2010 by MikeTheBassFisher

[EC1]

Nice fish dude!

I am using a 6' MH for senko's actually. Don't know if that's overkill, but I've been throwing that for 2 years now and didn't notice anything bad about it either. I used 20-30# braid with it.

Too bad I snapped it a week ago playing with it at home. It's so freaking hard to find a replacement 2 piece spinning in 6' MH

6'MH also works great as a skipping rod. On the opener, I was skipping like a pro, but I can't do it consistently anymore as if that skill magically disappeared.

 

Your 6'9ML should be great for dropshotting. And if senkos are great for you already, then keep at it with the same rod.

 

7'M should be great for anything that is general purpose. Tubes, flukes, and you can probably do some cranking with it if you really need.

 

How many setups do you have right now anyways?

[MCTFisher9120]

Nice fish dude!

I am using a 6' MH for senko's actually. Don't know if that's overkill, but I've been throwing that for 2 years now and didn't notice anything bad about it either. I used 20-30# braid with it.

Too bad I snapped it a week ago playing with it at home. It's so freaking hard to find a replacement 2 piece spinning in 6' MH

6'MH also works great as a skipping rod. On the opener, I was skipping like a pro, but I can't do it consistently anymore as if that skill magically disappeared.

 

Your 6'9ML should be great for dropshotting. And if senkos are great for you already, then keep at it with the same rod.

 

7'M should be great for anything that is general purpose. Tubes, flukes, and you can probably do some cranking with it if you really need.

 

How many setups do you have right now anyways?

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. Just the 3. Sold my stuff last fall and have got 3 setups so far.

 

St Croix Legend Tournament 7'H with the Curado 200E7 Frogrod (use this for frogs obviously but got by with some jig fishing also)

Rapala R-Type Rod/Reel 7'2MH (has 15lb fluoro on it and I use this setup for my spinnerbait fishing mostly.)

And the St Croix Avid with a Symetre 3000(wacky rig senkos and i also use it lot's for poppers)

 

I want to sell the rapala setup for cheap and get another avid/curado combo with a 7'MH rod. A replacement spinnerbait setup, but first I need that 7'6 LT Pitching rod for my jig fishing. that and a curado would be excellent.

 

So a 7'MH avid/curado,a 7'6 legend/curado, then I'll go for a spinning setup. Will be getting them over the fall/winter hopefully.

 

Maybe a 7'M spinning would be a good rod like you suggested, tubes and flukes would be a good fit for it

Edited August 31, 2010 by MikeTheBassFisher

[EC1]

I guess if replacing that rod and spending more money is big on your list, by all means go for it. But IMO, spinnerbaits are pretty hard to miss bites as it's not going to be a light bite at all. Replacing that combo practically only means that your combo will be lighter/more balanced.

 

You'll enjoy that 7'6 for practically everything, pitching and flipping. I just received a Dobyns 7'6H today and it feels pretty nice too!

 

It seems that your problem is not having enough setups to not need to retie every time you want to use a different technique.

 

What I'm hoping to have by the end of this year is to have:

6'6ML -Spinning- Dropshotting

7'M -Spinning- Shakeyheads/General Purpose (Light cranks, Variety of plastics)

6'MH-Spinning - Senkos/Plastics

7'MHCasting - Spinnerbaits/Cranks/Frogs/Lipless Cranks

7'6HCasting - Jig/Frogs/Punching

 

Then we'll both need like 15 setups and a huge bass boat so that you have a bunch of colours and sizes on different rods and never retie while fishing!

[MCTFisher9120]

Weird glitch happened with that post.

 

Here are the setups I want before bass opener next year

 

7'MH Baitcast -Spinnerbaits,Buzzbaits,Deep Cranks

 

7'M Baitcast -Lighter Cranks,Jerkbaits,Light t-riggs

 

7'M Spinning -Tubes,Jerk Shads

 

7'6MH Baitcast-Jigs

 

Then with my 7'H frog rod and 6'9ML Senko/Popper rod I'll be set...is it likely I'll get all those setups, probably not but I want to get at least 2 of them haha

[BillM]

I'm using a custom 1pc 7ft Rainshadow XST 423 10-17lb for senko's and jigging. No problems pulling the cows out of the slop with that thing. Tip is also soft enough to feel the smallies pick up the tubes..

 

Some rods can pull double duty without issue.

[singingdog]

IMHO, technique specific rods are a marketing tool. A good M power, well balanced 6-7' spinning rod will fish all weightless platics and light jigs very well......if the angler has the skills. In fact, I believe that many anglers miss more than a few finesse bites because they switch rods too often and don't develop the "feel" for one rod/line set-up.

[Roy]

IMHO, technique specific rods are a marketing tool. A good M power, well balanced 6-7' spinning rod will fish all weightless platics and light jigs very well......if the angler has the skills. In fact, I believe that many anglers miss more than a few finesse bites because they switch rods too often and don't develop the "feel" for one rod/line set-up.

 

That makes a lot of sense and I tend to agree with that. A word of warning to other members though, for those of you who like to collect tackle and enjoy buying fishing toys, do NOT let your significant others read this post.

[Lunker777]

I have a 7' medium I bought for my tube rod... HATE IT .... to light and hard to detect bites.... I use a 6'10 MH ... I now have 2 and I they are now what I will use for all spinning techniques.... except I will keep the 7'medium for light crank baits and drop shot.... but even for drop shot, its a little to "whippy"

 

I agree with the "technique specific" rod marketing somewhat.... I do like specific weights of rod for specific techniques.... but I also like those rods for a range of fishing styles... I dont own a specific tube rod/drop shot rod/wacky rig rod/forg rod/ etc.etc. ... I won a few rods that cover the entire spectrum ! Also... I agree with the " I believe that many anglers miss more than a few finesse bites because they switch rods too often and don't develop the "feel" for one rod/line set-up."

[uglyfish]

for tubes 7' medium power rod with a fast or xtra fast tip.

 

jerkbaits, both hard and soft jerkbaits... 6'4" medium power xtra fast tip. shorter rod helps get the rite action on the bait, longer rod gets in the way, end up hitting it off the water or side of the boat while working the bait.

 

dropshotting is my specialty. i catch more fish in a day with a dropshot then all other techniques combined in a year lol.

6'10" medium power fast or xtra fast tip. 6 or 8lb straight flouro. u'll get way more fish with straight flouro then with braid and flouro leader.

 

if u prefer braid, that fast tip will help slow the hook set down and will help u get more fish.

[Guest Johnny Bass]

I dont know about specific rods being a marketting tool. I think for different situations, it calls for different reels and rods.

 

If your crankbaiting, depending on the size of the crank you can go with a MH,M, or light but make sure it has a medium fast to medium tip. You dont want to be ripping them out of the mouths of fish.If the water is cold, go with a low gear ratio. If its warm you can pick up the speed.

 

For jigging(tubes, worms,jig and pigs), i prefer a rod with a fast to a very fast tip. And a high gear ratio of at least 6:3(7.1 and up preferably)to pick up slack line in a hurry.

 

When fishing for walleyes, I'd like a MH 7foot rod with a medium fast to a fast tip, since they have soft mouths and you can pull the hook out of its mouth. And I'd want a rod with the highest sensitivity rating(quality graphite) because they are known to bite light.

 

I perfer 7 foot one piece rods in general. Considerng going up a few inches(7"6) for trolling or flippin and pitchin to get the added distance and suttle entry.

 

Therefore I believe that there is a right application for every fish being targetted and under what conditions.

[ecmilley]

mike rod's that are 6'8 to 7'2 in MH are your best all round bass fishing rods, the only technique that's difficult with a longer rod is skipping under docks and such.

In saying that mh rods can vary by manufacture, my favorite combo is a stradic 2500 with a 15 lb braid 10 lb seagar leaders I think it's a 6'8 mh crucial skips, wackys, jigs 3/16 oz no problems and light as well, but also have compre's with symetreys, carrot stix ect all work very well just have to get used to them

[kickingfrog]

Infisherman did an article back in the late winter/early spring on a number of smallmouth tactic specific combos:

 

http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/matching-rods-reels-small-mouth-tactics

[jedimaster]

Here is what I use for bass fishing

7'6" heavy fast for flipping pitching and frogs

6' mh fast for skipping whacky

7' m fast for whacky

7' m xf for drop shot

7' mh xf for spinner baits

6'6" mh fast for tubes

7'mh fast for swim baits

7' m moderate glass rod for crank baits

6'3" mh fast for jerk baits

7' m fast for top water

I am missing one I think..... Hmmmm .... Can't remember the last one

[jedimaster]

The reels are a mix of stradic symmetre curado and quantum high and low speed mostly high speed accept for the frog and crankbait setup. Rods are a mix of stcroix and shaman compre, vrod, clarus and cumara,

 

The defacto all around rod is a 6'6" mh fast action spinning rod. This will do you pretty well for all techniques. However once you start to specialize that rod will quickly disappear.

Edited September 1, 2010 by jedimaster