How many rods/reels do you actually use

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chrisg_sdcf
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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by chrisg_sdcf » Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:46 am

MountainMan 83 wrote:
Mon Aug 05, 2019 11:54 pm
chrisg_sdcf wrote:
Mon Aug 05, 2019 5:23 pm
MountainMan 83 wrote:
Mon Aug 05, 2019 4:49 pm
chrisg_sdcf wrote:
Mon Aug 05, 2019 2:50 pm
MountainMan 83 wrote:
Mon Aug 05, 2019 5:40 am
I have about 8-9 baitcasting reels and 6-7 rods. I usually take turns and experiment with combos plus different spools throughout the year depending on technique I'm trying for.
I have a hard time doing that. If I have a rod/reel by itself I feel like I need to find a rod/reel so I can put it to use. I guess it would be nice to move things around and see what works best though.
Yeah, I definitely need to step up my rod game. I have mostly diawa, but would like to try out some megabass.
I have a few daiwa and just got into Megabass rods with a levante (which unfortunately that line had some issues they are working on) and an old destroyer evoluzion elseil. Haven't been willing to throw down the money for one if the expensive ones. I've been happy with my daiwas for the $100-$150 price range.
Yeah I've been happy with my OG tatula, zillion, and cronos rods for sure. Just got the itch to see how the next level feels, haha.
I've been happy with my og tatula, zillion, and tatula elite's (although I was originally disappointed with the appearance of the elites compared to the og and zillion rods which look very nice). My brother has a cronos and it looks very nice. I think I saw a black label model that I wanted on the website but if I buy any more I think I'll make the jump to a more expensive rod and see what that's all about. There are a lot of megabass rods that interest me. I'm thinking if I want to get crazy I could look into custom rods but I'd have to do a lot of research first and I always like to ask a lot of questions first. Hopefully I can hold off of buying anything else for a while so my wallet can heal.

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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by edwelch1 » Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:37 am

chrisg_sdcf wrote:
Mon Aug 05, 2019 3:04 pm
I was kind of the same way for a long time until I found some of these forums online and learned I need all these fancy setups lol. I used to find one setup I really liked and just fish that one for everything. I didn't make a lot of money back then (don't really now) so it was usually a combo costing $100 or less. Had a ton of fun. The combo I used the last 10 years was a MH Abu Garcia cardinal combo i got at Walmart for $50 caught a ton of fish. It's still sitting on my rod rack. Nothing fancy but it worked for me.

I think that will be the most difficult thing for me at this point. I can see myself easily finding one of my setups that works well all around for me that becomes my favorite and then I'll never use the others. I do like the idea of being able to have different lures ready to go if I want to change it up quickly. Also as dumb as it may sound it feels good fishing with gear I really like to look at even though it doesn't help catch fish but most of the stuff I have now is so much more sensitive/smooth than my old $50 combos and I'm not even using high end rods.
Yeah, up to this point in my life I've been a fairly one-dimensional angler, so having only one or two rigs has served me fairly well. Jigging with 1/8-3/8oz fireball jigs with live bait targeting walleyes made up like 99% of my fishing from being a kid up until the last handful of years. So, I could get away with just using a medium-light power rod, and I was perfectly happy using a St. Croix Premier Series; heck, I thought it was incredibly sensitive for the longest time until I got my GL2, haha.

If I lived elsewhere and was like a majority of the fishermen on here (i.e. having largemouth bass being the primary target), I would definitely see myself getting into having a lot of different combos set up for a plethora of different techniques, because bass fishing seems to have a much wider range to cover, for whatever reason. I guess walleye can be pretty much just as varied, I just don't care to do a lot of the heavier power techniques, because the lakes I fish most often don't produce trophy walleye all that often to begin with (slow growth low-nutrient reservoirs).

However, with my current situation, even though I have expanded the number of techniques that I use (more towards the ultralight end of the spectrum), pretty much all of the techniques I would want to use to go after walleye and panfish can still be covered with having just a light/ultralight rod and a medium/medium-light rod. As I said though, I really want to dip my toes into custom rod making, and I imagine that when I do that I'll end up getting more specific with tailoring rods to techniques. Also, I'd like to continue expanding the number of species that I target over time, and that will naturally come with an expanded lineup of gear as well.
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LgMouthGambler
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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by LgMouthGambler » Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:07 pm

Lets see....17 reels in rotation for use, 20 in the display case, and 12 rods. I love them all, and they have their strengths for certain techniques.
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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by KP Duty » Tue Nov 12, 2019 4:33 am

What I need and what I own are two different things. I fished club tournaments and local trails for almost a decade with 4 casting and 2 spinning, usually taking only one spinner. Bought my first loomis midway through this period in 2001...an 844 imx. Changed my fishing life. I had always been a tackle junky, but this rod put me in overdrive. I bought and sold for years, trying all the new rods that came out. Now I'm 41, and can afford to hang on to more rods. I have my tournament rods that perform well and have a warranty, and then I have my fancy outfits I take for sunday drives. Works for me.

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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by jvelth74 » Tue Nov 12, 2019 7:23 am

2 BFS rods, 2 light jigging rods (mainly for Perch), 5 seatrout rods (usually I have 2 of them with me when fishing seatrout and 2 of them is for spinning, those has been in very little use), 1 rod for common use, 2 rods are for pike. So 2+2+3+1+2=7 rods are which I use.

Reels which I use are ct Alphas, sv tw Zillion, tatula ct Type-r, Tatula 200HD, Ambassadeur 5500 cs mag elite and 13 Fishing Concept A3. So 7 reels in use and something ~7 change spools to those.

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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by BigG » Thu Nov 14, 2019 12:14 pm

I have found that no matter how many I have, I just need one more.

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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by Polkfish1 » Thu Nov 14, 2019 3:09 pm

So I counted. 27 rods and 18 reels. Similar to others’ sentiments, many more than I need. Some are kept for sentimental reasons like an old ugly stick my wife bought me when we were dating and barely scraping enough money for rent as grad students. Can’t bring myself to get rid of it. Others are retired oldies but goodies that could use a guide or two that I simply don’t get around to fixing. Some are enthusiast level and go out on the above mentioned ‘Sunday drive’. Most target game fish, but I also have some light duty panfish rods and I also have dedicated catfish rods. I chased steelhead during some years in Michigan and a really long time ago fished for brook, brown, and rainbow in small creaks in Co, but that gear is long gone as I now am immersed in FL strain bass. I’m a fisherman, but have also become a tackle junkie. Now in my mid forties I have a bit of spare change I can throw at it and it brings me enjoyment. I also like tinkering with it on the weekends and switching up combos. Right now I have 5 combos rigged and ready. That’s usually the max unless something unusual is pre-planned like a special trip. Later in life the gear has shifted from generally more affordable to more exuberant, but it’s across the board really. Part of my hobby is getting better at techniques I’m less or not experienced with and the other part is finding/trying new gear. The main part of course is chasing the fish.

chrisg_sdcf
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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by chrisg_sdcf » Thu Nov 14, 2019 4:15 pm

Well I've only gotten worse since starting this post. I'm up to 14 casting rods and 14 baitcast reels plus a spinning setup. Im gonna have to narrow them down sometime soon. I keep saying that but it doesn't happen. The most I've taken out and used on a trip is 4. I don't think I'd ever take more unless I was by myself. With two people 8-10rods is the most I can fit in my rod locker and have out on decks.

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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by bronzebacks » Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:03 pm

The tackle addiction is real. When i found TT and BBC it turned me on to stuff i really didnt need to see. It makes me feel better seeing people that have twice as much gear as i do :lol: The past 2 years i started spring with a totaly different line up than i end the year with.I have tried and owned many rods. I started out with rods around 100$ and 200$ reels. I kept upgrading over time and going up in price range now i have top end stuff but i never paid full price and did a lot of selling and trading to get where i am now. I had aeound 15 baitcast set up and it was too much. I had rods for individual techniques.

I learned i like to have versatile rods and carry less gear. I bring 3 to 5 rods now and find it more enjoyable . Now i have 9 mid to high end casting rigs and 3 spinning for bass and i am happy where im at now even tho i still get the itch to buy something i think i need. Now thats a new cranking rod even tho the one i use is completely fine. I brought so many rods on a whim of thinking it was a action or power i would think it should be and completely different when it arrived. I try not to do that anymore unless i can feel and see before i commit to buy. Its had to get your hands on high end rods around where i live the stores dont sell high end gear.

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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by poisonokie » Fri Nov 15, 2019 3:46 pm

Regardless of the number you actually use (personally, I've taken 14 combos with me for a day trip and used every single one of them), unless you are fishing to catch food or win money, you'll never stop wanting to try new tackle. In other words, if you fish purely for the enjoyment of it, then the refinement of the tackle you're using probably plays as much of a factor as the surprise of feeling the fish hit the bait and the challenge of actually landing it. Try as we might, as recreational anglers we shall never truly be satisfied with our tackle despite how much of a fun factor it has.

On a side note, I think it's important to posit that we are living in a golden age of tackle. That this may very well be the time on which we'll blissfully look back in the not so distant future and wax nostalgic about the good old days when there was all this innovation and all these options to choose from to create a setup to look and perform in any way one could possibly imagine. With economic and ecological forces on the horizon, potentially poised to rear their ugly heads, we may see an end to the excess of tackle greatness to which we've become accustomed. So I say wring what enjoyment you can out of this stuff while it lasts, but curate your collection responsibly because you never know what the future may bring.
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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by noc10 » Sat Nov 16, 2019 7:55 pm

If I just fished for bass I guess I would be good with 4 or 5 combos. But I probably fish less for LMB than other things all in all.
Typically I rotate as follows:

3 Finesse combos for fishing the white bass and Crappie to the shore with 1/8 oz baits during the shad spawns,
4 Crappie rigs for spider rigging down south in early spring
2 long and light combos for fishing for Crappies with bobbers and minnows during Crappie spawn
2 Big beefy rigs for Catfish
2 big trolling setups with line counter reels for trolling Stripers and Walleye
2 short (5'6"-6') MH x-Fast combos for vertical jigging 1 oz jigs for Striped bass and walleye
2 lightweight X-fast set ups for round head jigging Walleye in the shallows at spring

(I have a few more things like steel head set ups which I mean to use, but haven't been able to yet)

and then the 5 or 6 typical MH,M, and H bait cast rigs
and a couple of spinning rigs MH and M

Of course I don't carry them all everywhere. I will usually take 4 to 8 rods on the boat depending on what we are fishing for and how and which boat we are going to be using.
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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by Obz » Tue Dec 24, 2019 2:21 am

I have 7 high end Baitcast combos, 2 spinning combos, and 3 guest baitcast combos for bass fishing. So 12, they all get a good amount of use.

Baitcasters:
1. XH Punch/swimbait- ill also use it as a frog throwback
2. XH frog/deep jig
3. H bottom contact open water
4. H bottom contact close quarters
5. MH topwater/spinnerbait
6. MH jerkbait/squarebill
7. LMH tubes/weightless plastic
I can often leave 1 or 7 behind depending on the lake. If I don't know the lake I bring them all.

Spinning rods:
1. MH topwater/spinnerbait/trig
2. M weightless plastic
I use them for camping, walleye, as guest rods for ppl who don't use baitcasters.

Guest baitcasters:
1. XH frog rod
2. MH topwater/spinnerbait
3. MH bottom contact
These were my baitcasters of old that still work well. Most friends that can use baitcasters only have 1 or 2 and def not a dedicated frog rod so it's nice to have some stuff that is more suited for the bite.

When I started I just wanted 1 high end bottom contact rod.. It snowballed a bit but it is nice to have that perfect rod for each technique. You may argue there is no such thing but my Diablo 68xti f5.5 for vision 110's and 7MH legend elite for topwater and spinnerbaits are so close. I have a feeling that steez racing design jigga stick is my search for 1 bottom contact rod, 71Compile-x power curve with nrx sensitivity, could it be?

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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by DavidSA » Tue Dec 24, 2019 10:41 am

When I fished Kentucky Lake quite a bit I had roughly 15 rigs in the boat (13 baitcasters and 2 spinning). because of the range of patterns from deep cranks to topwaters, this was not totally crazy. On a typical trip, I'd fish maybe 10 and settle on 2 to 3 rods once I found something that was working.

More recently I fish Okeechobee Florida most of the time and 8 rigs is plenty. Typically end up fishing 2 or 3 rods again once I find something working.

I have to say that fishing with 8 rigs in the boat I like better then 15. Just less clutter.

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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by Johnny A » Tue Dec 24, 2019 11:48 am

1 Topwater for One’s Bug - Steez 105 LTD 8 w/103 SLP spool - Flatside Special (still may change)
1 Topwater for others - Zillion 1516 9.1:1 - Flatside Special (still may change)

1 Cranks - Zillion 1516 6.3:1 - Evergreen USA Combat Stick 7’ MH

1 Pitchin’ - Steez 105 LTD 8 - Evergreen USA Combat Stick 7’3” H

1 Spinning for finesse worms - 2019 Certate 2500 - Megabass 7’4”
1 Spinning for worms/grubs - REVO MGX 30 - 7’ Evergreen USA Combat Stick
1 Spinning for finesse jigs - REVO MGX 30 - 7’4” Evergreen USA Combat Stick

Almost a total turnover of tackle between NJ and SC

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BRONZEBACK32
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Re: How many rods/reels do you actually use

Post by BRONZEBACK32 » Tue Dec 24, 2019 6:13 pm

I have 16 combos, 6 are ice fishing combos.

It all depends on what reservoir/lake/river that I'm fishing.

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