Preferred Rod/Reel Choice

[Dew_Man]

Hey guys,

Recently I have started really getting to bass fishing and I am wondering your favorite setups for each lure type.

Right now I have a st criox tourny legend (6'8" extra fast) with a revo sx(7:1) as a gift. What would this combo be best suited for? I am guessing jerkbait/topwater??

What do you suggest for action and speed for the following combos?

-jigging/pitching

-crankbait

-spinnerbait

-plastic

Also, which brands do you find to have to best warranty policy? For example, last fall a dogfish took my lures and the top 2 inches of the rod snapped. I brought the rod and receipt in and they exchanged rods no questions asked. Is that type of policy only with St. croix or is it common?

Any info will be appreciated?

-Dew

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I think a 7' MH fast action baitcasting rod with a reel in the 6-7 gear ratio range is the most versatile bass rod one can have. If you want to really start breaking it down you need to consider the lure weight and cover you will be fishing.

jig/pitching rod. I like the one I stated above. but if you're going to be punching thicker cover or using heavy jigs you'll want to beef it up to a H action rod. A reel higher than 6:1 is preferred.

crankbaits. Shallow or deep? If you going deep youll likely want a reel less than 6:1 gear ratio and a rod with a moderate action as opposed to a fast one. When Im throwing deep cranks I use a 7' H crankbait rod but others may not like the heavy power, I do, its all preference. Ill use this rod for shallow cranks but if Im throwing smaller cranks or I want to burn them I switch to a m or mh rod and faster reel.

spinnerbait, I use my all purpose 7' MH fast action rod here. 6:1+ gear ratio.

Plastics. This is too vague. Is it finesse? You'd probably want a medium maybe even medium-light spin rod with an extra fast tip. Want to punch heavy cover with big weights? Then reach for a rod similar to the jig rod mentioned earlier. For everyday weedline or moderate cover, plastics fishing (think texas rigs) I use a 7' mh fast action baitcaster. 6:1+ gear ratio.

As for over the counter warranty, dont expect them unless you have a store brand (gander, cabelas) and a receipt. Shimano might still offer it on some of their models but Im not sure. Pretty much any manufacturer expects you to send them back to the factory with a check for shipping and processing.

[Todd S.]

if were talking about bait casting the majority of my rods I could pretty much split into two categories:

7' MH fast action with 7.1 gears or

7' M moderate action with 6.4 and 5.1 gears.

MH fast for most presentations that are with a single hook, medium power moderate action for baits that have trebles.

Within those two categories I can cover a ton of techniques, but I do use several different types, stretching characteristics, and strengths of line for various presentations.

[Search Function]

I have 3 of the 6'8" medium XF St. Croix rods, 2 Avids and Legend Xtreme. I use the Avid's for topwater, jerkbaits, chatter jigs, and dipper style swimbaits on 1/4 and up swimbait jig heads (so the hook is exposed), unweighted Zoom Super Flukes, Senko's, tubes, light spinnerbaits, light cranks and square bill cranks. I use the Xtreme for mainly light Texas rigs and River2Sea Yabbies. As you can see it's a versatile rod.

As far a jigging/pitching I use mostly either a 6'6" Avid MH Fast or a 7'6" LTB Pitching MH Moderate

I use a 7' Avid H Fast for Texas rigs and some pitching

For spinnerbaits/buzzbaits I use either a 6'10" Shimano Crucial or 7'3" Croix LTB MH Carolina Rig rod. I also like the LTB rod for Horny Toads, Frogs, and dipper style swimbaits on jig heads or on weighted screw-in weedless swimbait hooks when in thick cover. I throw swim jigs on both of these rods a well.

I don't fish crankbaits very often anymore, but I liked Bass Pro's Crankin' Sticks when I did. I got a Croix Mojo 7'4" Crankster last Fall that I used mostly for chatter jigs with some success. I plan to use that rod for traps and heavy topwaters as well. The Mojo is kind of heavy, but really launches a lure and I do a lot of shore fishing.

As far as warranties go, that is why so many of my rods are St. Croixs. I have gotten most of the rods I use today off of Flee Bay in the past 5 Years. Their Gold Star Service covers my Avids, LTBs, and Xtreme for $75 plus shipping the rod to them. Anytime I've dealt with them for warranty issues they have been great.

[Dew_Man]

What do you all feel is a good slow speed reel for cranking? Is 6:1 slow enough to get good presentation? I tend to burn lures when not catching fish so I might get something slower to prevent that.

What are your thoughts on Shimano? My friend had one and is was ruined in about a year and half.

[RuddyDuck]

I think most people go with a 5:1 for crankin, especially Deep Divers.

I think Shimanos are still decent, but I only have one. Maybe the G-Series reels are not most peoples favorite from what I read. I think they could use some improvement in the $100 range models. Seems like Lew's and others have better models in that range.

Curious, what model did he have that went bad?

[M1dwestF1sh]

I'd highly recommend trying lews. I had revo sx and stx's and once I got one Lew's I switched over completely. I'd say if its in your budget (sounds like you want to get a few combos) try a less and shimano and compare. I have the bb1 in 5:1 gear ratio for deep cranks and just a 6:4 for shallow cranks. I'm the same with, I tend to burn lures back.

[Dew_Man]

My friend had a curado go bad.

Curious, why Lew's? I currently have a revo sx and its my first bait caster so I do not have much experience and its hard for me to notice the difference between models.

I mostly do shallow cranking, but am trying to get into deeper stuff as well.

[CCGinMN]

I switched to mostly Lews and love them. They seem to last longer and are better tuned right out of the box. Additionally, the guy that does reel repair over at Wayzata Bait & Tackle claims they are built a little bit better (he told me he owns 22 of them). He is currently repairing a few of my Revos. If you in the market for a $100 - $150 reel, I'd go with a Lews. Contradicting that, I just picked up two Tatula's because the T wing design intrigues me. I have a Curado from four years ago that is an awesome reel. I have a second one from three years ago where they changed their design and I think it's junk.

My understanding is that if you want a really high-end reel, go with a Shimano or Diawa. These are still made in Japan while the mid range like a Curado is made in Korea or China. If you want a mid range reel, go with a Abu or Lews. My .02 cents...

[M1dwestF1sh]

I love my revos all I've had to do was replace the drag washers but for the price of lews ($100-$200) they are easy to get dialed in and very smooth and durable. They cast very well too. It seems once anybody trys Lew's they jump on the bandwagon

[Todd S.]

I am super pleased with my Lews reels, I have 14 of them, and only use them. Performance, price, and ergonomics IMO can't be beat. I have some that are higher end and some that are middle priced, the more you pay the better they perform, but I like the fact that they all feel exactly the same in my palm, that's prolly and OCD thing on my end

[rascal23]

Which Lews and why?

rascal

[Dew_Man]

Anyone have a tatula? I am down to either a tatula or a BB1

[M1dwestF1sh]

I have anything from their basic speed spool($100) up to their tourny pro($200) and a couple bb1s. I like them all! They all feel the same in your hand except for the bb1s. I still love my bb1. Have one for deep cranking which takes a bit to get used to the reverse on the reel and a 7:1 that I use for spinnerbaits.

[mainbutter]

Bass fishing is not rocket science. You CAN get very specialized, but these fish are not hard to catch once you find where they are.

The question to ask yourself is are you going to pull up 15lbs of plant material with your 2.5lb fish? If so, go heavier.

If not, a medium power 7-7.5ft rod, medium to fast action (I prefer NOT to have a super duper fast action rod) with either a spinning or baitcasting reel will do it all. I tend to go with spinning rods for lighter applications, which I consider all of bass fishing in MN to be.. unless, again, I'm tossing jigs in slop and bringing up weeds.