Rods, doing the most with the least.

[Bushleague]

I used to have a half dozen or more rods just for myself, but now that my wife and two children are fishing I find that having this much gear kicking around is just too much unnecessary expense and clutter. I've been striving for that practical minimum ever since, I've heard others talk about purging and minimizing their gear and am curious to here what they use. This is what I've pared my gear down too and am pleased with the results, but I always like to hear new ideas.

I do all my fishing now with two medium action spinning rods, one is a 7' Ugly stick with a 4000 size reel spooled with 10 lb mono, and a spare spool with 15 lb mono. I use this rod for pike, trolling and bank fishing for walleye. The other rod is a 6' Fenwick with a 2000 size reel an 6lb mono. I use it for jigging and trout fishing. In the winter I spool up the 2000 reel with 10 lb test and put it on a Med/heavy ice rod, and I also have a med light ice fishing setup.

[RavYak]

I only own 16 rods, 13 reels, 5 fly rods and 7 fly reels lol.

That said a guy can effectively fish Alberta with 4 rods and that can easily be narrowed down to 2 or 3 if a guy only fishes for certain species.

Rod 1: 7' MH rod, I prefer mod fast baitcast with 30 lb braid, this rod is for pike and could also be used for lake trout.

Rod 2: 7' M(ML on some makes) fast spinning rod with 15 lb braid. This rod would be primarily for walleye but can be used for a a lighter pike rod, browns, bulls, bigger rainbows, goldeye that kind of stuff.

Rod 3: 5-6 wt fly rod. For trout of all species. The jack of all trades a 5 of 6 wt will do every technique a guy needs.

Rod 4: 8 ft Heavy mod fast rod with baitcaster and 50 lb braid for sturgeon.

For gear fishing here in AB rods 1 and 2 see probably 80% of my fishing. I could do without the other ones I have but I personally prefer to have the variety so I can grab L or ML for chucking small lures for goldeye and trout, trolling rod for use with a downrigger etc. For the regular joes you can get by with the two you will just notice that they aren't ideal in some situations.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by RavYak

I only own 16 rods, 13 reels, 5 fly rods and 7 fly reels lol.

That said a guy can effectively fish Alberta with 4 rods and that can easily be narrowed down to 2 or 3 if a guy only fishes for certain species.

Rod 1: 7' MH rod, I prefer mod fast baitcast with 30 lb braid, this rod is for pike and could also be used for lake trout.

Rod 2: 7' M(ML on some makes) fast spinning rod with 15 lb braid. This rod would be primarily for walleye but can be used for a a lighter pike rod, browns, bulls, bigger rainbows, goldeye that kind of stuff.

Rod 3: 5-6 wt fly rod. For trout of all species. The jack of all trades a 5 of 6 wt will do every technique a guy needs.

Rod 4: 8 ft Heavy mod fast rod with baitcaster and 50 lb braid for sturgeon.

For gear fishing here in AB rods 1 and 2 see probably 80% of my fishing. I could do without the other ones I have but I personally prefer to have the variety so I can grab L or ML for chucking small lures for goldeye and trout, trolling rod for use with a downrigger etc. For the regular joes you can get by with the two you will just notice that they aren't ideal in some situations.

Define "Regular Joe?"

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

Define "Regular Joe?"

Average fisherman.

I compete in tournaments and am constantly pushing myself to perfect different techniques, using more specialized rods allows me to do so and to maximize my fish catching ability. Completely unnecessary for the average person just wanting to catch their limit or have a fun day out on the water though.

[bobalong]

I have accumulated a few rods and reels over the years but when walleye fishing I only take 4 rods. I do a lot of rig fishing and changing presentations for rigs can be quite time consuming. I tie up a jig rod, a lindy rig rod, a bouncer rod and a slip bobber rod. When looking for fish it is quick and easy to change presentations when they are already tied up.
Most of the time I only use fly gear for trout, take 2 setups, one one with a floating line and one with an intermediate sink line.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by bobalong

I have accumulated a few rods and reels over the years but when walleye fishing I only take 4 rods. I do a lot of rig fishing and changing presentations for rigs can be quite time consuming. I tie up a jig rod, a lindy rig rod, a bouncer rod and a slip bobber rod. When looking for fish it is quick and easy to change presentations when they are already tied up.
Most of the time I only use fly gear for trout, take 2 setups, one one with a floating line and one with an intermediate sink line.

Yeah, I find that with a little thought I don't spend much time re-rigging with the two rods I have, the main reason they are both med actions. But yeah, if you fish slip bobbers a lot you pretty much need one rod dedicated to that.



I never realised that my "average-ness" depended on the amount of fishing rods I own. Seeing as the "average" person owns a bunch of junk they don't need, I tend to consider people who own very little remarkable.

[bobalong]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

Yeah, I find that with a little thought I don't spend much time re-rigging with the two rods I have, the main reason they are both med actions. But yeah, if you fish slip bobbers a lot you pretty much need one rod dedicated to that.



I never realised that my "average-ness" depended on the amount of fishing rods I own. Seeing as the "average" person owns a bunch of junk they don't need, I tend to consider people who own very little remarkable.

Actually you get to do the most remarkable fishing there is, you fish with your wife and kids.....doesn't get any better than that.

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

Yeah, I find that with a little thought I don't spend much time re-rigging with the two rods I have, the main reason they are both med actions. But yeah, if you fish slip bobbers a lot you pretty much need one rod dedicated to that.



I never realised that my "average-ness" depended on the amount of fishing rods I own. Seeing as the "average" person owns a bunch of junk they don't need, I tend to consider people who own very little remarkable.

Stop trying to read between lines...

Average fisherman has nothing to do with number of rods. It is what I consider an average fisherman here in AB. That being the guys that fish for pike and walleye 90% of the time and the odd time go for trout. Obviously not all guys fall into this category but I would say ~ 80% do which is why I consider them to be the average AB fisherman... You do fall into this category but it has nothing to do with the number of rods you use but rather the style of fishing you do...

All I was saying is that for this style of fishing(pike, walleye odd time trout) the 2 rods I recommended (MH and a M or ML) will work in almost every situation you will probably fish. If you decide to go for sturgeon, chuck 3-6+ oz lures for big pike, toss 1/16-1/8 oz lures for trout/perch or use a downrigger for lakers consistently then you will see a definitive advantage in having rods built and setup for those situations... I own 16 gear rods but I only use 7 of those here in AB and they all have purposes that the other rods I own can't fulfil effectively...

Now here is what I would recommend to improve your arsenal(assuming you started this thread to get ideas on doing so).

Upgrade the ugly stick to a 7' MH. You will find it handles larger spoons, rapalas, bottom/pickerel rigs better and also lets you fight the big pike and big walleye better. You can also downsize the reel to a 2500 or a 3000(3000 shimano is same as a 2500 just with a slightly higher capacity spool) and you will still have more then enough line and drag(4000 is overkill for pike/walleye and weighs ~30% more on most reels which makes the setup unbalanced and more tiring to cast all day).

I don't know the model of your other rod but being a Fenwick it is most likely on the right track. I would recommend a 6'6 or 7' but that is a personal preference of mine, the main difference is that it will improve your casting distance and if you get a good quality rod you will not lose sensitivity. I like the HMG's but all the Fenwicks are good, definitely stick with a sensitive graphite rod as that helps a lot in trout/walleye fishing when they are finicky. A 2500 series is a nice size for this as well.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Stop trying to read between lines...

Average fisherman has nothing to do with number of rods. It is what I consider an average fisherman here in AB. That being the guys that fish for pike and walleye 90% of the time and the odd time go for trout. Obviously not all guys fall into this category but I would say ~ 80% do which is why I consider them to be the average AB fisherman... You do fall into this category but it has nothing to do with the number of rods you use but rather the style of fishing you do...

All I was saying is that for this style of fishing(pike, walleye odd time trout) the 2 rods I recommended (MH and a M or ML) will work in almost every situation you will probably fish. If you decide to go for sturgeon, chuck 3-6+ oz lures for big pike, toss 1/16-1/8 oz lures for trout/perch or use a downrigger for lakers consistently then you will see a definitive advantage in having rods built and setup for those situations... I own 16 gear rods but I only use 7 of those here in AB and they all have purposes that the other rods I own can't fulfil effectively...

Now here is what I would recommend to improve your arsenal(assuming you started this thread to get ideas on doing so).

Upgrade the ugly stick to a 7' MH. You will find it handles larger spoons, rapalas, bottom/pickerel rigs better and also lets you fight the big pike and big walleye better. You can also downsize the reel to a 2500 or a 3000(3000 shimano is same as a 2500 just with a slightly higher capacity spool) and you will still have more then enough line and drag(4000 is overkill for pike/walleye and weighs ~30% more on most reels which makes the setup unbalanced and more tiring to cast all day).

I don't know the model of your other rod but being a Fenwick it is most likely on the right track. I would recommend a 6'6 or 7' but that is a personal preference of mine, the main difference is that it will improve your casting distance and if you get a good quality rod you will not lose sensitivity. I like the HMG's but all the Fenwicks are good, definitely stick with a sensitive graphite rod as that helps a lot in trout/walleye fishing when they are finicky. A 2500 series is a nice size for this as well.

You came off a bit condescending so I felt compelled to give you the gears. And yes, I am completely average. I live in Slave Lake so 99% of the considerable fishing I do involves walleye to at least some degree. I've owned several med heavy rods over the years and while I liked them for the reasons you stated, I've come to feel that two medium rods is a little more versatile when I've got both rods in play. I also like a shorter rod for jigging, and that is why the Fenwick is only 6', because I've never been a fan of braid I like big reels because I find heavy mono to be more manageable on the bigger diameter spools. My particular big reel is a Daiwa BG 15, and it is far more than 30% heavyer than the average 2500 reel, but its pretty much indestructible and I love that thing, I'll never replace it.

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

I live in Slave Lake so 99% of the considerable fishing I do involves walleye to at least some degree. I've owned several med heavy rods over the years and while I liked them for the reasons you stated, I've come to feel that two medium rods is a little more versatile when I've got both rods in play. I also like a shorter rod for jigging, and that is why the Fenwick is only 6', because I've never been a fan of braid I like big reels because I find heavy mono to be more manageable on the bigger diameter spools. My particular big reel is a Daiwa BG 15, and it is far more than 30% heavyer than the average 2500 reel, but its pretty much indestructible and I love that thing, I'll never replace it.

Yeah if you are mostly fishing slave for walleye then your choice of 2 mediums makes sense. Your reel choice doesn't make sense to me but hey that is fishing and everyone has their own preferences lol.

[TROLLER]

When I cleaned out the boat last fall I to my surprise had 12 rod combo's in storage plus a few down stairs.

Is this too many? Some say yes but I do like to change up,so it is OK for me

Easy to grab another rod with a different hook already attached then start tying one on especially when your eye site is not what it used to be and you are bobbing up and down in the waves.

I sold a few at a garage sale last yr and have regretting it since. Had no choice but to replace the one and still need to find a replacement for the other. Now we could talk about ice rods but that is for another day.

As to the question how much is enough, my answer is whatever floats your boat.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Yeah if you are mostly fishing slave for walleye then your choice of 2 mediums makes sense. Your reel choice doesn't make sense to me but hey that is fishing and everyone has their own preferences lol.

One summer I went through a bunch of gear and I just got tired of replacing stuff. I got the Daiwa and the Ugly Stick, and that pretty much solved things. Its been 7 years now, other rigs have come and gone, but that one just keeps on fishing.

When I went down to the Keys a couple years back I noticed that most of the party boats were running the same rigs for spinning rods, apparently if longevity is your goal its a winner.