what makes your favorite rods so good???

[rob allen]

We have talked about our favorite rods for a few different presentations now but let me ask the question in a more generalized way..

SO what is your favorite rod(s) what do you use them for and what makes them so good for you?

I haven't used my bass gear very much the last few years and though I have plenty of it I wouldn't say any of it is ideal.. except for my new team daiwa flippin stick that I haven't used yet except in practice...

[WABronzback]

Well the ? of the year!! You are going to get so many ideas about what makes your favorite rod.I think it is the rod that performs the best at your favorite tecnique.For me it is my dropshot rod.It is a lomis DRS820S it has a soft tip that runs about half the length of th rod,but a good backbone.The soft tip is good for feeling and fighting those fisty smallies. :yay:

[bucketmouth]

For drop shotting: Backbone, balance and sensitivity.
For crank baiting: Flexibility to allow good hook set.
For carolina: Sensitivity
For Top Waters: Length for long cast and backbone.
For Flipping & pitching: Length to get under overhangs and docks and backbone.
For spinnerbaits: Length for long casts.


These are just the basics for some of the methods I use. It gets alot more involved when you talk to the pros. But the above basics combined with good lines work pretty well for me and the kind of fishing I do.

Specific rod types I do not mention, because I have learned that what fits the fisherman usually works the best. Find what fits for you.

Read some of the articles and features the pros write about specific uses and it'll come together for you. Good luck.

[sbasser]

It's clear that different folks have different ideas on what they like. Possibly this is based on what sort of fishing they have to do, in order to get results. For others, it may have to do with their physical size or abilities. I'm thinking that a petite 5' girl will not feel comfy with a 7'+ rod, but never having been there, I'm guessing. Any rod under 6' seems too short to me, but I'm taller than that, so I'm thinking that has something to do with it. I like a 6' trigger stick for spinnerbaits, for accurate casting to targets. I do have some longer rods that I would not hesitate to use for spinnerbaits, but that's not their normal use.

For me, one of the things I like doing most is skipping Gitzits under docks, willows, etc. Since the Senko was devised, they get the job, but the same trusty rod gets a workout. It's a 6' spinning rod with a good amount of power (H rated), but with a soft enough tip to cast light baits. I've only gotten one bite that I could not control. I got that one on a rare day when we had a LM (only) pattern going in the Fall on Lk. Washington. Got the fish out from under the dock, but when it saw the boat, it went right back, and kept going. I got my hook back with a small patch of meat on it, no lure. I think it was a BIG LM and was skin hooked in the gullet. When this happens, the fish usually keeps its mouth wide open, the hook comes flying right out, as the flesh tears. As this rod has easily handled 5 and 6 lb LM in the past, I can only speculate that this was quite possibly an 8. Losing the fish was not the rod's fault, it was entirely because the hook was not in a good place.

This particular technique/situation is one where the rod is really critical, and not easy to find. I can't think of many other rods that would be so difficult to replace. This one is around 15 years old and out of production about that long. The tip, power, weight and length are all correct for me, for that presentation. I would add, that when I first bought this rod, I was learning plastics, doing finesse Texas rigged worms. I didn't like this rod for that, tip was too soft. Eventually, I found it to be ideal for skipping Gitzits under docks. Moral of the story is don't give up on a rod that you don't like, just keep trying it for new uses. C&R, Steve