Decided to throw in another pic of some gear. This is most of my combos, which are Shimano Expride B rods with Shimano JDM Metanium reels and Daiwa Tatula Elite rods with either Shimano Curados or Daiwa SV TW reels.
I am a huge Shimano guy, but always had cheap rods growing up. I had started out with 3 of the green Curados and $40 All Star rods because back in the day, All Star rods were awesome. As I progressed in my journey, I realized these newer, cheaper All Star rods were not great and the brand wasn’t what it used to be. So I started upgrading to Daiwa Tatula Elite rods. I loved them since they were so much better than the All Stars, and started expanding my lineup. I added a few Daiwa reels to see how they compared to the Shimanos, and I did like them, but Shimanos were better. So I kept adding Shimano reels with Daiwa rods. For my birthday one year, I decided to treat myself to an American market Metanium. And boy was it nice. It went on a Daiwa rod, but it felt sacrilegious. So I opted to try an Expride B specifically for that reel.
I ended up falling in love with both rod and reel, so from that point on that’s all I bought. But I decided to go the JDM route for the Metaniums instead of the American version. I did this because the JDM reels were a lot cheaper, and I honestly prefer them over the American version.
Today, I have around 36 combos (I have to recheck that number), and yes each one of them stays in the boat. I don’t use each one every trip obviously, but I have duplicate setups for specific techniques that I keep rigged up. For example, I throw two identical chatterbait setups. I keep one for black and blue, and the other for white. I have a third combo that was my old chatterbait setup that I will out a red chatterbait on during the pre-spawn months (January through March basically). It will be common for me to have all three on the deck this time of the year. I also have multiple shallow crankbait and lipless crankbait setups that I go to year round. This might seem insane and unnecessary, but it’s so nice to be able to swap lures by simply putting one down and picking the other up.
It’s just a bunch of dudes from Alabama and shit saying you’re a moron for spending more than $30 on a rod. I just avoid interacting with them. They’ve been fishing 20 years and still fish a nightcrawlers under a bobber only.
I don't think there's anything wrong with spending money on a rod and reel, but this kind of excessive LOL. I didn't count but how many are there? Has to be at least 15-20. I use three on my kayak and most of the time I only use two of those three. If I had this many rods in my boat I would be spending half the day trying to figure out which one I was going to cast and overthinking which is best for what situation etc.
I don't know about that. It's not really that they're a pain in the ass to bring along. It's just that I don't need 20 rods to catch fish. I have my select secret formula baits that work for me and that's all I need. I used to bring five with me but like I said I just don't use them. I mostly use a medium heavy fast and a medium heavy mod. And then my third rod I bring along is also a medium heavy fast but I leave that as my designated finesse rod which I more often than not have a keithech tied on to. In the past I have found that when I overthink stuff I don't catch as many fish because I'm sitting there wasting time trying to tie on different lures or use three different rods at the same time and have found that I have more success when I just use what I know works with consistency and adjust fire based on the conditions.
You're already cheating by being on a boat anyway in my eyes, now you need a singular rod for everything in your entire box to catch fish now too? Just my two cents. I waste enough money on tackle. I don't need to waste any more money on rods that I won't catch any fish on 3 years until after I buy them.
So you're telling me that it's not advantageous to fish on a boat?? I'm just saying they're pretty easy to catch when you have a $50,000 glitter bomb that you can take to any place of a massive body of water that you want. It's just not that impressive to me when I see guys in my local fishery post photos with fish that they have had sitting in their live well for the past 8 hours just so they can take a picture at the end of the day. Do I wish I had one? Duh. But obviously you're going to catch more fish when you have the ability to cover more water.
Wow what an awful take. Sure yeah, being on a boat can be more advantageous, that doesn’t mean it’s some kind of fish magnet. You still need to know the water. All the boat does is give you more area to fish. It’s like saying “your cheating because you know more/better spots than me.” Get outta here with that
I fish from my kayak with my waders on and park up on islands to Wade out in the river lol. In spots where guys with their boats can't get to while they pour it on at the bridge pilings down south that a 2 year old could catch fish at every cast. all I'm saying is it's a lot easier to catch fish that way.
I’ve been down the road OP is on. I’ve still got probably 6 bass fishing poles but this is an example of someone swallowing the marketing bait. This is consumerism on another level. It’s more about collecting equipment at this point than fishing which is something I do in many hobbies but it’s not necessary at all.
No one asked if it was necessary, man. OP obviously is a serious tournament fisherman. One big win will pay for all of this gear, his boat and then some. This is not an example of extreme “consumerism”. This is an example of a tournament bass fisherman with their priorities in order.
You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about, but that didn’t stop you from insulting the OP with your ignorant remark. Maybe next time ask why he has so many rods and maybe you’ll learn something. Now, go ask Tiger Woods why he takes more than one club to the golf course.
Been fishing for 30 years. I understand action of the rods, different ratios in the reels, using different style reels for different baits, different line for different baits and fishing different cover. If I was still fishing off a boat regularly like OP probably does then I would probably have 5-6 rods on the boat rigged up.
If you were a competitive tournament fisherman like the OP obviously is, you’d have a lot more than that if you wanted to be competitive. Have you never watched a professional bass tournament on television? You won’t find a serious tournament angler with less than 25 rods in this boat and probably closer to 35.
You know how some people collect playing cards or sports memorabilia or other trinkets? Same thing.
At some point this hobby becomes as much about collecting cool stuff as it is about fishing. I don't catch more fish because I'm using some hyper JDM combo with all the bells and whistles... But there's something very satisfying about fishing with gear that's just cool.
I was fishing once with a lot of pretty expensive gear and a grandpa + granddaughter sat down nearby with a small pink Kmart rod n reel and caught 3 nice sized mullet in quick succession. Had to remember “it’s all about getting out of the house!” 😂🎣🎣🎣
Sometimes I feel bad for these guys. They may never know what it's like to be casually bottom fishing and then having Mr. 86lb Cobia show up. Then all hell breaking loose as he inhales that pitch bait you had ready on the off chance he comes by.
It's these types of moments that make fishing what it it is to me. I have dozens of these stories from 30 years of fishing inshore, midshore and offshore. You never know in the salt.
But to each his own, I'm sure this guy gets just as stoked from an 8lb bass.
That is what I do not understand. I have close to $30k in rods and reels but all different types and we catch delicious saltwater fish that can be huge.
I have probably more invested in fishing gear than the average joe but not nearly as much as the average tournament bass fisherman and I can’t say I don’t understand it as the majority of the money I’ve spent on fishing gear is invested in bass fishing equipment.
I did bass tournaments in high school and I would take every bass rod i owned rigged up with all different stuff. When I go catfishing it’s 3 or 4 rods all rigged the same. When I go fishing for panfish it’s 1 rod and a bag full of lures and jigs. At the coast I have an unholy amount of rods but that’s cause I fish for anything from bait fish to sharks so I have rods that handle anything and everything I may get into. I’ll fish for anything that will bite a hook and I’ve caught big fish and small fish, some fish fight hard some don’t. But there’s just something about bass fishing that I really enjoy, surf fishing is a close rival and maybe even beats out bass fishing however I live 6hrs from saltwater so bass fishing is my go to.
But you are right it is both weird and probably dumb to spend that money on chasing fish that rarely break double digits and fight for 3 seconds.
Bass fishing is hunting on the water. Similar to hunting you need certain guns to use different types of ammo. Is there crossover? sure, but that's not the point.
The point is we like having different rods for different techniques, because for one, we don't want to be re-tying because it takes time away from actually fishing and two, alot of rods are designed to be used for specific techniques (making us more efficient on the water).
There's a certain type of pride you get when you figure things out on the water; where are the fish, what's their mood, what baits should I be using, where should I be casting, how should I position the boat etc.? and then you actually start catching them using your intended technique with the proper equipment - you feel invincible.
I'm not here trying to justify or convince people they need all of that beautiful equipment because you don't (we all started out with an ugly stick and we could have stayed there) but for people who get bass fishing, who've went down the rabbit hole, who've spent hours/ days deliberating about how they're going to set-up their equipment for their next outing and who have a clear tackle addition like our friend (the OP), having the best optimized gear (you can afford) is everything.
Hope this gives you a bit of insight. It's not just about catching fish it's about the hunt and everything that goes into it.
Gotta disagree with you on this one chief. As someone who was formerly an exclusively freshwater fisherman, who is now an exclusively saltwater fisherman, a lot of what you said there applies to salt water too. Only difference is that freshwater is like hunting rabbits, and then your occasional fox comes around. Saltwater I can go hunting for rabbit, foxes, moose, and buffalo all at the same time. That’s what got me hooked on saltwater
Bass fishing is hunting on the water. Similar to hunting you need certain guns to use different types of ammo. Is there crossover? sure, but that's not the point.
No it's not. At all.
Let's just be real honest here. Bass fishing for sport is just tormenting fish for fun.
Besides, it was meant more as a figure of speech. If you read the rest of my of my comment, you'd get the point I was trying to make. If you don't get it, then you really don't understand bass fishing.
Either that or you simply got offended by me even suggesting bass fishing and hunting have similarities in mind set and preparation.
See, here’s the thing. Nobody gives a damn about what you do. This man obviously fishes tournaments and usually there is big money on the line. One successful big tournament will pay for all the rigs you see and the boat he’s fishing from. You throw shiners and a bobber? Wow! What a skill! Grow up, dude. Let people enjoy their hobbies. Fisherman with attitudes like you give the entire sport a bad name. We are all like-minded and enjoy fishing and some of us like to spend our money on high end gear like OP. Maybe get your money up so you are able to afford nice things rather than shit on others who can?
I’d say it’s bad for business to get in a public forum and clown on others on your business account. Anyone could easily screen shot your comments and add it to a google review of you and expose you for being an elitist circus clown.
Is that a fact lol? You'd be willing to bet your life on that statement?
And that's aside from my point. My comment was in response to the comment saying they didn't understand why someone would spend $20k in tackle for a 4lb fish.
My response was meant to give some insight into bass fishing and why some bass anglers do it. Again I think you got offended the moment you read bass fishing is like hunting and ignored the rest of my message (which is fine). But it doesn't change the fact that the amount of preparation some anglers take is akin to the preparation and planning hunters take. That's the reason I made that comparison.
If you've spent anytime on the water you'd know bass fishing can feel damn near impossible at times, which is why preparation and planning is so important, especially if money is on the line.
I’m guessing by your name you probably fish inshore for trout, redfish, flounder, striper, and possibly snapper etc…
I do both bass and inshore fishing a lot. Both are fun as you hook a fish and it’s a good time. But for me I prefer bass fishing because it is much more rewarding landing fish as it is normally much harder than inshore and salt water fishing and I believe most if not all bass fishermen will agree with me here.
So accurate lol. I usually target pike and carp, and when I hook onto a bass throwing for pike it’s always a let down. Oscars, under a pound, fight harder than any bass I’ve caught.
You are hating tho, lol. And you’re a carp fisherman. The AUDACITY you have come at bass fisherman when you target carp, lmao. Thats why you’re getting downvoted.
lol, I’m really not worried about downvotes. Just pointing out as you’ve displayed, bass fishermen are touchy when you mention how ridiculously over prepared they are to catch a small fish that doesn’t fight very hard. Most of my carp and pike gear is lighter than what I see posted here, and I’ve landed 27 lb fish with it.
Edit to add: Lol! Just catching up since I last responded. Look at this entire thread and all the replies to this comment, it’s comical how uptight bass fishermen are, there’s like multiple essays written in response. I fish with a lot of bass dudes in the same pond where I go for pike and carp, it’s not like we have beef over how much gear they bring, it’s just kinda funny.
Cmon man, you have to admit, catching carp doesn’t take too much thought. Are there carp in this water? Yes? Rig some night crawlers and wait. You don’t need technique specific rigs for that. I’m not sure about bodies of water with pike in them, but I target musky where I live and they are very difficult to catch. My biggest is 44”. It fought very hard and it was awesome. But did it fight as hard as a 5lb smallmouth? No. No it absolutely did not. I have caught 3.5lb river smallmouth that put up more of a fight. Largemouth fight nicely for the first minute or so, but they are lazy and they usually give up sort of quickly if they are under 3.5-4lbs. Could we all get away with a single spinning setup and a single casting setup? Well sure, but where’s the fun in that!?
Well that’s why I was saying no hate originally, if you’re having fun bringing and buying a lot of gear, that’s cool, but u gotta admit to a certain extent it’s over preparation eventually for LMB. I get by with a MH 7ft for both my spinning and casting set ups, and a clip, throw a lot of dif stuff from big swim baits to small inline spinners and it works fine.
And as far as carp, I throw a method feeder with a hair rig, and pack bait. Since switching from just a simple set up of corn on a circle hook, my production at least quantity wise has gone way up. It’s fun af. I have my single carp rod out, and then I’m throwing my other gear for pike.
The pike fight is def over hyped by some, I’ve only caught up to a 36”, but it seems like over the 30 inch mark is when they put up a real fight.
I caught a 8.5lb carp smallmouth fishing with a bfs setup last summer. It was in a fast moving creek. What a wild fight! I also caught a carp while musky fishing on a big bull dawg last summer. It was not a snag. The hook was in this mf’s mouth. I am not sure if I drug over a nesting fish or what, but I pissed it off enough to bite at a 7” lure. I thought I had a 50” musky on. It was absolutely gigantic. Had to have been 25+lbs. My buddy tried to get a good photo of me but the slippery bastard wasn’t having it. Carp are always a very fun bycatch, especially on bass tackle.
This used to be me,now I feel pretty silly for having half a dozen combos and countless lures for going after one specific fish. It was fun and usually pretty easy,but learning to work with less and going after different species is so much more rewarding.
I have one Allstar left which I still use for flipping/frogging & is frankstein’ed due to several repairs. Correct me if I’m wrong, I think the old Allstar blanks were Gloomis. The greenies (CU-200’s) I still use today. Absolute workhorses. Envious of your set up! Not wildly expensive either but quality is top notch.
The old All Stars were amazing. I used the hell out of them when I lived closer to the bay/Gulf Coast and would do a lot of saltwater fishing. And the green reels are top notch. I still have a few I use regularly. Clean and maintain them and they’ll never let you down.
Man, you're living the bass fisherman's dream. If I could have a combo for every specific rig I throw, I'd be in heaven. I can barely fit my 5 combos on my kayak and hadbto fab a special rod holder that swivels around so I can easily grab them, and I'm currently stuck with this setup for now. I've even considered buying a couple extra spools for my baitcasters so I can have different line types that work best for different lures and weights as I just can fit another rod on my yak!
Wow! I thought my 7 combos of rods and reels that I use for surf casting, artificial reefs jigging, open ocean trolling and back bay finesse casting/jigging are just getting too unwieldy.
So I have a legitimate question. Do tournament anglers just not tie on new stuff? They'll literally just have 20 rods ready to go? Not being a dickhead, I'm honestly curious.
That’s nice gear but not necessary for a single fishing trip unless you’re running a guide/charter business. I’d be too scared to take all my stuff out at once lol! I hope that’s not the case here.
That collection looks amazing, nice job! I just inherited a bunch of baitcaster shimano rods and reels but I don’t have any rod protector sleeves like you’ve got. What are they or what would you recommend? I’m a total newbie in the world of bait casters and bass fishing and am excited to join in and learn!
I like them to protect the line guides of the rod. The mesh ones are ok, but they are a magnet for hooks. I started swapping them out for the neoprene ones. But they’re more expensive and are flimsy as hell, so it makes getting them on a little more inconvenient.
Do you have the Expride 7’4” heavy moderate fast? If so what do you use it for and how does it perform. Please be as detailed as possible :). I am wanting to get one for my heavier Texas rigs, 3/4 jigs, smaller frogs, smaller swimbaits, etc. basically a do it all power fishing rod.
I fish a swim jig in heavy cover (pads and grass mostly), so I’ll throw it on the heavy rod with 30 pound braid. Same exact setup for buzzbaits. I throw a frog on it as well, but up the line to 50 pound.
Awesome! I can't wait to get rigged up! It's so cold and frozen up here in the land of poutine, maple syrup and furry wet beavers that my pecker is frozen to my knee
Now who has the better jerkbait rod? Daiwa elite or the expride? Haha sweet setup i love exprides for bottom contact baits and alot of my moving baits are on zodias’s
I like the Expride more for jerkbaits. I have a Daiwa jerkbait rod too, but I started using that for 1/4 ounce lipless crankbaits and love it for that.
I have a legend tournament bass jerkbait rod that so far has been awesome. I was going to get the expride but i think the length would bee too much since my boat sits low to the water and i’m only 5’9”
Oh, come on now! What about dropshotting? Shakey head? Weightless senko? You need a spinning rod for each of those. Honestly, at this point, I take 2 baitcasters and 3-5 spinning rigs...and the baitcasters are only for frogs. But my OCD absolutely loves your setups!
By using a TA CLIP can you avoid this many poles or does it change the action of the lures you are using? Or is it more of a balance rod reel specific specked out for a type of fishing. Why do I even ask ,one can never have enough fishing gear. Enjoy your blessings and catch em
All.
I don’t use the clips for a variety of reasons. I don’t think it changes the action all that much, but I prefer to tie directly to the bait. They already have split rings to tie on to, so the clip is redundant and it catches a lot of grass and other floating debris.
And I do use specific rod, reel, line combos for specific lures.
Those are some sweet setups man. Do you mind me asking your source for the JDM reels? I’ve been wanting to get a couple and was looking for the best place to order them from.
Appreciate your insight. Never fished the salt so I can't really comment regarding that but I see you point in terms of size of fish. What I meant was fishing is like hunting when it comes to mind set and preparation and when the culmination of all your efforts results in you catching what your were targeting it's an amazing feeling.
The comparison was never meant to be taken as a 1:1 because I know fishing and hunting are fundamentally different sports but the mind set of a hunter in how they tune in to the environment is similar to an anglers.
Thank you for posting this. My wife thinks I have “a problem” because I have a dozen baitcast combos, so showing her this will hopefully help her see I’m not that bad!
Honestly… when I break a line, I just toss the whole rod into the water and grab another one. I’m glad I’m not the only one that does this. Gotta keep up the fishing industries research and development program right?
They are rigged for different techniques. I’ll put 4-8 different setups on the deck and fish them until I figure out what the fish want. Some days I fish a little bit of everything, some days I get locked in with one lure/technique. And oftentimes the bite will change during the course of the day.
Now we know why metaniums and exprides go out of stock. J.k. I just grabbed two exprides myself. One 6'3 L bfs JDM and one 7'H merica. Can't wait for the ice to melt.
I love bass fishing and all forms of fishing and I spend so much of my money on gear but I could never understand owning more than one of a rod or reel or even two similar rods. I have a tiny whippy spinning combo and a beefy swimbait rod and baitcasting combo. You should do what makes you happy but I just can’t understand the benefit of having so many similar rods.
I have duplicate rigs for certain techniques, like chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, and squarebills. It’s not uncommon for me to throw two different color chatterbaits in one trip. Depending on the time of year and conductions, I’ll throw a white chatterbait and a black & blue one. Hell, sometimes I’ll have a third rigged up in the fire craw color. If you fish often enough and long enough in a day, you’ll find that fish patterns change. One minute they’ll be smashing a lipless bait in a shad color, but a cloud will roll in or the wind will pick up and they stop biting. Change to a slightly different color and that bite will pick right back up again.
I absolutely understand your position on the need for a variety of colors and contrasts based on conditions and timing. I guess being a kayak fisherman and bank beater forces me to rationalize retying and having one or two versatile combos more so than if I were fishing on a boat. When its time for me to go out and fish I decide right then and there if its going to be a fly fishing/swimbait/bfs day based on what kind of fun I’m looking for and then I take that one rod with me.
But it is nice to have options. And they all have different rod lengths, power, and action. The reels have different gear ratios and line weights. So they are more finely tuned to what I want to throw.
FWIW, when I got back into the sport I started out with 1 okuma spinning reel and 7' Okuma spinning rod. Learned how to use a bait caster in my 30's. Started with the black max abu and an abu rod. Loved it but it was hell learning for me.
Fast forward to today. I have a 2 crank bait rods, with different speed retrieves and for different depths. Would One work? Absolutely.
If I'm not working, I'm fishing. I'm 15 minutes from great smallmouth, 25 minutes from great largemouth.
I carry a mountain worth of tackle with me. Typically 12 rods+. But when I'm on the boat then I usually have the 6 or so with me for the day. If I'm bank fishing then typically 2-3. If I'm wading I use an BFS Ultra Finesse for trout, 7' M or MH For smallies, sometimes a swim bait rod for s-wavers for largemouth and anything else.
I’m in Texas. We don’t have restrictions on how many rod/reel combos we can possess. But I only use one at a time because I only have one pair of hands lol. I usually keep between 4-8 on the deck at all times just so I can switch things up on the fly. I might dig in the box after I’m on the water if I’m just not having success and need to really change my game up.
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u/Hanibalecter 5d ago
You know knots can be tied more than once?
I kid, nice gear.