Right Rod/Reel for the Job

A big part of being successful in tournament fishing or any kind of fishing is maximizing your efficiency and that comes down to having the right rod and reel for the job. Having the right set up for whatever technique you are fishing will allow you to have a better presentation and allow you to focus on catching fish rather than working against your tackle.

If you are just getting started in bass fishing make sure that you invest in the best equipment that you can afford from the start. It will save you a lot of headaches and money down the road when you need to upgrade or replace cheaper equipment that breaks down. I have been fishing with AiRRUS rods for a while now and if you are looking for a dependable rod with a ton of high performance features you need to check out the rods they have to offer. AiRRUS rods have never let me down.

If I had to pic one rod and reel set up to cover a majority of the techniques I fish it would have to be a 7 foot medium heavy rod with a fast action and a high speed baitcast reel with a 6.4:1 ratio. The rod is perfect for throwing spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, plastics, and buzzbaits. The length and action give you power to make long casts and take up line quickly on the hook set. A 6.4:1 reel gives you a balance of power and speed to keep you in control of the fish as well as to bring your bait in quickly to make another cast.

There will be times when you need to throw some smaller offerings at the bass like shakeyheads, smaller crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. In these situations I like to use a 7 foot medium action rod with a fast action. The length and action of the rod will give you the ability to cast these baits a long ways with added feel and sensitivity. Everything seems to work better if you use lighter line with these techniques and having a softer actioned rod will keep you from breaking off fish on the hookset as well as when you get them closer to the boat.

If you can afford to branch out your arsenal a little, be sure to get a couple of 6 and a half foot rods in medium and medium heavy action. Shorter rods will help you if you are fishing in tight areas or around docks where casting accuracy is everything. Shorter rods are great when you are making short roll casts to standing timber with a spinnerbait. If you find yourself doing a lot of crankbait fishing you might want to try some slower speed reels like a 5.4:1 because you will get more power out of these reels which helps out a lot when throwing large crankbaits like DD22's. For flipping and pitching I really like to have a high speed 7.1.1 ratio reel because I can make more flips in a days time because I can get the bait in faster to make another flip. If you ever get a chance to fish for river bass a high speed reel is a necessity. Those river bass are so mean and fast that you will lose a lot of fish if you do not have it to catch up to them.