Rods, Reels and Line

[Mumpy]

Alright, I wanna here what everyone has but a little more specific. I use threads like these to help me on my purchases. For example, I asked everyone their Top Water baits. Then I picked out the ones I didn’t have and went and purchased them. Now my Top Water box is complete.

My Son-in-Law just got started Bass Fishing and I must say, he’s off to a pretty good start. What I would like to do is get him started with the right Rod and Reel and Line set up for the specific type of technique he would fish.

With that said, I’d like to hear everyone’s set up in the following Categories:

So, here is the Format:
Rod Type / Length
Reel Type / Ratio
LB Test Line / Type

Categories:
Jigging
Crankbait

All posts are very much appreciated

[BigBassin144]

Are you looking for which specific rods we use (brand, model, and specs), or just the specs?

BB

[Mumpy]

The more specific you can get the easier it will be for me. If you don't want to go in much detail that's ok too though.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

With the big sales on Curados & Citicas right now. It would be a good mid price range on a good reel to start out on. Seems like a good buyers market for a lot of stuff right now with iCast around the corner. Personally on lines, I have been using Sufix mono and braid & P-Line CXX for a flouro by product. I really won't go in to a ton of detail about the stuff other than I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't use it or believe in it.

[BigBassin144]

You asked for specifics, so here ya go!


I mainly use 2 combos for jigs now:

Dobyns Champion Extreme DX784C ML (7'8" H F) paired with a Daiwa Fuego (6.3:1 GR & 28" IPT) spooled with 15lb Seaguar Fluorocarbon. This rod covers most of my jigging including casting football jigs & flipping jigs from 1/4oz to 3/4oz. Also for 1/2oz swimjigs.

Dobyns Champion Extreme DX703C (7' MH XF) paired with a Daiwa Sol (not ideal at 5.8:1 GR & 24" IPT, but the Sol throw the lighter lures great) spooled with 20lb Sufix 832 with 12lb Seaguar FC leader. While mainly my t-rig rod, this setup gets the go for jigs 1/4oz and smaller.

But I also use the following for certain applications and a backup jig rod.

Dobyns Champion 733C (7'3" MH F) paired with a Daiwa Viento (6.3:1 GR & 28" IPT) spooled with 12lb Seaguar FC. Not one of my regular jig rods, this is usually my go to for swimjigs up to about 3/8oz (mostly 1/4oz ones though).

G. Loomis MBR844C IMX (7' H F) paired with a Revo STX (7.1:1 & 31" IPT) spooled with 30lb Sufix Performance Braid (usually my plastic pitching/frog rod) will be used if I need to throw jigs on it. This used to be my main jig rod.

I have 2 crankbait combos that I use

A custom 7' M M crankbait rod built on a Rainshadow blank. This is a very soft rod, so I usually use it for shallow cranks 1/4oz or less in fairly open water. It is paired with an Abu Garcia Skeet Reese Revo (6.4:1 GR & 24" IPT) spooled with 12lb Sufix Siege.

My main crankbait rod right now is a Dobyns Champion 765CB Glass (7'6" MH F, although it's not a Fast action as you'd expect from a graphite rod) paired with a BPS Pro Qualifier in the 5.2:1 model.

I recently got a Daiwa Zillion 4.9:1 (22" IPT) that I now have a 7.1:1 gear set for. Haven't decided if this is going on my 765CB Glass cranking stick yet or if I'm putting the 7.1:1 gear set in it to use on another rod....

Like Bubba said, ICAST is right around the corner and there will be lots of new stuff out. That means you can either get good deals on stuff that's being changed or discontinued or wait and buy the new stuff. While I'm not a big fan of the Citica/Curado lines, I'd have to say the Curado would be a tough reel to beat at the prices they're being sold for now.

As far as brands go, everyone has their own favorites. It's tough to go by what others like without trying some things out for yourself. While suggestions do help, there no replacement for personal experience. Most people try a handful of different rods before finding one they really like (myself included).

BB

[keithdog]

For Jigs, I use 2 combos primarily.
For heavy cover jigging I use a pitching outfit consisting of a Garcia Revo STX 7.0:1 mounted on a 6'10" H/XF Shimano Crucial casting rod, spooled with 20 pound P-Line Flouroclear.
For more open water I use a Garcia Revo SX 6.4:1 mounted on a Cabelas XML 7'0" MH/F spooled with 15 pound Flouroclear.

I have 3 outfits for crankbaits.
For shallow water crankin, I use a BPS Pro Qualifier 6.4:1 spooled with 15 pound Flouroclear mounted on a 6'6" MH/MOD StCroix Premier Crankbait specific rod. I also often use this for small to medium size topwater baits.
For mid depth crankin I use a BPS Rick Clunn 5.4:1 casting reel spooled with 12 pound Flouroclear mounted on a Shimano 7'0" M/MOD Covergence rod.
For my large deep crankin I use a BPS Pro Qualifier 5.2:1 spooled with 12 pound Flouroclear mounted on a StCroix 7'0" MH/MOD Premier crankbait specific rod.

[oglejust]

i use an abu garcia silver max baitcaster with 14lb mono line, 6 1/2 foot silver max rod, i use this rod for everything except really light lures.

[Imgoodatwhatido]

my flipping rod is a 7'2" Mag heavy, custom made by me, with a bass pro carbonlite 6.4:1 on it spooled with 50 Lb power pro braid. If Im casting a jig I use a Bass pro carbonlite rod and reel combo. The rod is 7'6" long, heavy, extra fast tip.

my small crankbait rod is a 7' medium, moderate action, custom made by me with a abu garcia 3600 promax reel with 8 lb yo zuri hybrid on it.

my big crankin rod is a 7' MH moderate, also one i made with a bass pro Xcrank reel spooled with 12 lb Silver Thread co-polymer. I throw a Manns 30+ crank all summer long with this setup.

BTW all these rods are micro guide rods, i no longer own a rod with conventional guides

[Jrob78]

I have 3 rods that I use for jigging but a new one is in the works. The first rod I use is a 7'6" HF custom, built on a Castaway BB1 blank. The rod has micro guides. I use 2 reels on this rod. One is a Daiwa Viento with 50lb Sufix Performance Braid. The other is a Daiwa Zillion with 15lb P-Line CXX. I use this rod for most jigs and most of my heavy cover soft plastic fishing.

My other jig rod is a 7'3" MF custom with micro guides, built on a Lamiglas Excel blank. I have a Daiwa Fuego on this rod. I use 12lb P-line CX on the reel. I use this rod for finesse jigs, it doesn't really have the power to be a good jig rod. It does ok with the lighter jigs with small trailers and thinner skirts.

My last jig rod is a 7' MHF custom with micro guides, built on a MHX blank. I use this rod for swim jigs. The reel is a Pflueger Patriarch XT with 12lb P-Line CX. All my jig reels are in the 6.3.1 gear ratio range.

I plan to build a new jig rod soon that will be my primary jig rod. It will most likely be a HF or XHF rod between 7' and 7'3" I feel like this is a technique where sensitivity is very important and you should get the best rod you can afford.

I have 2 crankbait rods that I use most of the time. The first one is 7' Med Mod composite rod, built on a Lamiglas blank. The butt of the rod is graphite and the top 2/3rds is glass. I use this rod for shallow to med diving baits and small lipless baits. This rod has a Curado 200E5 with 12lb P-line Voltage. This reel also has Boca Orange Seal bearings, I like to be able to make long casts with crankbaits and the bearings help.

My deep cranking rod is a 7'6" MHM fiberglass rod with micro guides, built on a Lamiglas blank. This is one of my favorite rods to fish. It casts a mile and has a great action, it's fun to catch fish on this rod. The reel is a Abu Garcia Winch with 12lb CXX line. I really prefer glass rods for most cranking, the exception would be square bills in cover and traps around grass. I also try to keep my line at 12lbs or less. Heavier line will effect how deep your crankbait can dive.

[Mumpy]

Guys, this is great! Thank you for the replies, Now to pick a couple of combos out of what was listed...

[Old Hooker]

My flipping/pitching outfit is a 7' MH/F Bass Pro Shops Extreme rod with the extendable butt. Added a XPS balancing weight system to it too. Reel is a Revo S 6.4:1 with 30 lb Power Pro braid.

Cranking setup is a 7' M/F BPS Crankin' Stick. Reel is a BPS Pro Qualifier 5.2:1 with 12 lb P-Line CX Premium line.