Most versatile rod/reel setup?

I'm curious, is there a commonly agreed upon rod/reel setup that can "do it all" (or close to it)?

I know the pro's and most all of you guys here have multiple rod/reel combos for nearly every type of situation and/or species. I've learned a lot from this board and right now I have 5 setups (listed below). The one thing I don't have is a boat. So I fish from the bank. I used to load up my car every time with all 5 rods but quickly grew tired of that. So now I only take 2, maybe 3, with me. Just wondered if I could simplify things at all... :confused:

-5' Ultra Light Ugly Stik rod with cheap Shimano spinning reel (2lb mono) -- for bluegill, panfish
-5'6" Light Ugly Stik rod with cheap Shimano spinning reel (4lb mono) -- kind of an extra bluegill/panfish setup
-6' Field & Stream "Tec-Spec" (medium/fast) rod with Pflueger President spinning reel (6lb mono) - bass
-6'6" Shimano Sellus 2-piece rod (med/fast) with Shimano Sedona spinning reel (10lb mono) - bass
-6'8" Shimano Clarus (med/fast) with Shimano Caenan baitcaster (30lb PowerPro super slick braid) - bass

Here is my take, for what it is worth :)


-5' Ultra Light Ugly Stik rod with cheap Shimano spinning reel (2lb mono) -- for bluegill, panfish
[B]
Leave it home........Personally, I think this is too tied to a specific application. Now if you're TARGETING panfish, then maybe, but if you might occasionally want to fish for them, I'd make do with one of your other setups. [/B]


-5'6" Light Ugly Stik rod with cheap Shimano spinning reel (4lb mono) -- kind of an extra bluegill/panfish setup
[B]
Leave this one at home too. I'm not too keen on the ugly stick. They are heavy and not as sensitive as the other rods you have. Again, if bobber fishing, or only targeting gills/panfish, maybe take this one and the one above.
[/B]
-6' Field & Stream "Tec-Spec" (medium/fast) rod with Pflueger President spinning reel (6lb mono) - bass
[B]
I've never used this combo, but the FS rod is pretty good. I checked them out for a buddy at Dicks this past year when he was purchasing gear for Canada. The Pflueger reel is pretty good. I'd probably load it up with 8lb and use this as a primary rod/reel for bass. It will handle most all applications...
[/B]
-6'6" Shimano Sellus 2-piece rod (med/fast) with Shimano Sedona spinning reel (10lb mono) - bass
[B]
The two piece probably is a better blank than the above tec spec, but since it is two piece, I suspect the sensitivity is not as good as the tec spec. I'd use this one when you are tight for space, and maybe for applications where sensitivity is not too important. Maybe spinnerbaits, rattle traps, and maybe top water.
[/B]
-6'8" Shimano Clarus (med/fast) with Shimano Caenan baitcaster (30lb PowerPro super slick braid) - bass
[B]
Nice combo. tie a 10 lb floro leader with a uni knot, and use this for jigging, worming, shakey head, blade baits. If you're comfortable with this, It would be in my top two combos. Being that you bank fish most the time, using a bait caster may be tough in some situation such as wind, and overhanging trees, etc, etc. Be prepared to switch this out with the to other bass rods.

[/B]


Now to answer your question a little differently.

I have 7 bait casters and 3 spinning rods.

5 bait casters are the same model reel, and the other 2 are upgrades to the same model reel. All the rods are the same brand, but different weights. 4 of the rods are medium/ fast and 7'2 in length. Those 4 are all used interchangeably for traps, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and some crankbaits. I also have a 6-8 medium /fast that I used exclusively for top water. The last two baitcasters are med heavy and are used for jigging and worming. Every reel in my bait caster lineup has 10, 12, or 15lb floro, with the exception of the topwater rod, which has 15lb co-polymer / mono.

My final casting rod is a dedicated crankbait rod......


the 3 spinning rods are the same make /model . Two 6'5 and one 7'4. All the Reels are the Same reel in a 2000 size.I use those for finess applications like shakey head, or small cranks. I also use those for most of my cold water fishing. They are all spooled with 6lb floro, and I have 8lb floro on all the extra spools.


I hope this helps.

Later,

Geo

Hey thanks a lot Geo.

I'll probably stick to the F&S spinning combo and my baitcaster setup from now on.

I will also try tying a leader to the braid on my baitcaster. I've never done this. Is the reasoning behind it that the fluoro is invisible where the braid is not?

Thanks again.:cool:

[QUOTE=fishin-fool;523485]Hey thanks a lot Geo.

I'll probably stick to the F&S spinning combo and my baitcaster setup from now on.

I will also try tying a leader to the braid on my baitcaster. I've never done this. Is the reasoning behind it that the fluoro is invisible where the braid is not?

Thanks again.:cool:[/QUOTE]

Yes........look up double-uni knot on the net for attaching the two. That or Blood knot. Use a heavy enough floro so you don't cut into the floro with the knot you tie.

The floro will also sink and the braid will not. Sometimes I tie as much as 10-15 yards of leader, depending on the application.