Bass Gear Recommendations

I’m thinking about fishing some more tournaments next year, and after fishing a college flw tournament this spring I realized I need some more gear.
Basically I only have 3 bass rod/reel combos right now:
1) St.croix MHF 7′ casting w/revo stx 7:1 (30lb braid)
2) St.croix MF 6 1/2′ spinning w/sahara (10lb braid/8lb fluoro)
3) Gander MH E-glass crankbait rod 7′ w/revo S 6:2:1 (10lb mono)

What would you say my next few rod/reel combos I should get are in terms of need for serious bass fishing? I really like fishing frogs, so I would think a good frog rod/reel would be nice to get, but that might not necessarily be the most important next choice. Obviously I like st.croix, and I was thinking about trying one of the new abu verdict rods, but I’m open to any other brands too.

Also, anybody ever use the Revenge flipping jigs? I was looking for some good jigs to fish wood/heavy cover with, and these looked interesting.

Thanks for the help…

it would be ten times easier for me to explain it to you over the phone, sent you an IM.

shane

A couple more 7′ M/MH baitcasters, and a frog rod would be a good start, 7:1 GR reels on all of them. 60# Braid on the frog rod, 50# on a 7′, and 14-17# mono/flouro on the other.

I’ve got a Abu Garcia Vendetta 7′ M baitcaster and it’s very comparable to a St. Croix Avid 7′ MH at a great price.

Give a powell rod a try and you wont be disappointed. For frogs get the 735 frog rod or the 765 flippin stick, cant go wrong with either. I order them through tacklewarehouse.com just because the shipping is free. I’ve held the new abu garcia veritas rods and they seem like a great buy for the price as well. I run all quantum reels too and love them

hey red, take a look at the Team daiwa “S’ series 7-6 flippin rod. great multi purpose rod frogs jiggin and carolina rig. has a little softer tip for casting. load it up with 50# braid and you got a great versitle rod. telescopic too!

Your very next purchase should be some sort of 7’6″ flippin stick coupled with 50lb braid..while its not my favorite for chucking frogs, it’ll get the job done. Obviously this rod can be double duty as well when you get around some heavy cover and want to fish a jig.

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Your very next purchase should be some sort of 7’6″ flippin stick coupled with 50lb braid..while its not my favorite for chucking frogs, it’ll get the job done. Obviously this rod can be double duty as well when you get around some heavy cover and want to fish a jig.

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Thats what I was thinking basically. I don’t know a lot about the difference between a frog rod and a flipping stick, but I’ll have to see if I can find some general info. I like fishing the 30lb. braid on the 7′ mh croix, but maybe if I got a flipping stick set up with braid, then I would try something like a 17lb. fluoro line on that instead.

And I meant to say I was thinking of trying the Abu Veritas Rod “the white rod”, in my original post.

“Thats what I was thinking basically. I don’t know a lot about the difference between a frog rod and a flipping stick, but I’ll have to see if I can find some general info. I like fishing the 30lb. braid on the 7′ mh croix, but maybe if I got a flipping stick set up with braid, then I would try something like a 17lb. fluoro line on that instead.”

I’ll throw my opinion out here too. If money is no object a more sensitive rod is preferred for flippin to detect subtle bites. A froggin’ rod needs to also have a extra fast tip with a sturdy backbone, but doesn’t necessarily need to be as sensitive since most of your strikes are visual. You definitely can double up a rod for both applications, here is where I prefer two separate set-ups. 1)Being able to have a throw back ready. If your pitchin’ and see a fish boil in shallow slop, you can grab the froggin rod and throw it in there without having to re-tie. 2) I like at least 50lb for froggin (Braid only – never use mono) – A lot of people freak out about overkill and “its only a 4 pound fish”. But, in reality its the cover you are fishing and slob, sticks, milfoil, pads, reeds, bullrushes all nick up your line real bad – it’s all about getting the fish up and out of the cover you are fishing. That’s my 2 cents. Good luck with your purchase.

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I like at least 50lb for froggin (Braid only – never use mono) – A lot of people freak out about overkill and “its only a 4 pound fish”. But, in reality its the cover you are fishing and slob, sticks, milfoil, pads, reeds, bullrushes all nick up your line real bad – it’s all about getting the fish up and out of the cover you are fishing.

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Yup, 50# braid for sure. I usually use 60#, tried 50# and will go back to 60# next spool up. Won’t bury itself as easilly which is nice, especially after a missed strike so you don’t get the unintended short cast…

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Give a powell rod a try and you wont be disappointed. For frogs get the 735 frog rod or the 765 flippin stick, cant go wrong with either. I order them through tacklewarehouse.com just because the shipping is free. I’ve held the new abu garcia veritas rods and they seem like a great buy for the price as well. I run all quantum reels too and love them

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Was thinking about taking your advice and trying a powell rod, but do you happen to know if anybody even carries them around here? According to their website, their are no dealers in MN or WI. I order from tackle warehouse too because of their awesome college fishing discount, but I would like to get one in my hands first.

I dont belive anybody carries them around here…YET, but i hear they are slowly working their way over to the midwest so i wouldnt be surprised that somebody will carry them shortly. If you can get them at a discount I wouldnt even think twice about it the 704 CEF would be a great rod that can do a lot of things…spinnerbaits, swimjigs, texas rigs. You can always send it back if you dont like the feel of it but im guessing that wont be an issue

i have the 735 frog rod and love it. not sure if you can use both your college discount and the holiday discounts but they usually have 15% off during major holidays. If you dont like it you will be able to sell it for about what you paid. also tw has free shipping on them

Ended up taking a chance and ordering two products that I have never had my hands on. Just couldn’t wait until spring and wanted to get myself a nice Christmas present.
Went with a quantum accurist pt 7:0:1 reel, and a Powell 765 Flipping rod. Couldn’t really find any negative reviews about either of those products and some older IDO posts showed people like the accurist reels, even though they are relatively cheap.

So what rod/reel combo is next?….. Its a long winter, might have to order another.

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What would you say my next few rod/reel combos I should get are in terms of need for serious bass fishing? I really like fishing frogs, so I would think a good frog rod/reel would be nice to get

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I hope you like the Powell! The 765 is a work horse in my boat. I have one for throwing frogs and the other for flipping.

As far as throwing frogs go, the Powell 735 is great rod for throwing frogs in less thick cover. I like throwing the Spro Popping frogs on this rod. Does an excellent job of walking the bait as well. I use the Powell 765 for throwing regular Spros in the thick stuff. It has a soft tip and a very beefy backbone for getting them out of the junk. You can throw a frog 50-60 yards no problem although there is really no need for throwing them that far.

The Powell 765 is also a great flipping rod. It has just enough give on those short flips/pitches that you don’t rip the bait out of their mouth. It definitely has no problems getting big fish out of cover. That’s for sure!

I will probably be ordering a 766 in the near future over break to see how that compares with the 765 for frogs. I will let you know what I think! PM me about the Powell line if you have any questions!

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Ended up taking a chance and ordering two products that I have never had my hands on. Just couldn’t wait until spring and wanted to get myself a nice Christmas present.
Went with a quantum accurist pt 7:0:1 reel, and a Powell 765 Flipping rod. Couldn’t really find any negative reviews about either of those products and some older IDO posts showed people like the accurist reels, even though they are relatively cheap.

So what rod/reel combo is next?….. Its a long winter, might have to order another.

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If I were you id go with back with a quantum/powell setup, go with the casting 704C or 705C they are both gonna be able to do a lot of things. Idk if cabelas still has it but they had the catalysts on sale for 70 bucks for a while, and those retail for 140, cant go wrong

The rod/reel combo came in the mail the other day. Just messing around with the reel, it seems like something is wrong with it. Just pressing the thumb bar and turning the handle a few times, sometimes it feels like it does not engage correctly and you get a slight grinding feeling when you are turning the handle. Tried it with the flipping switch too and it seemed to do the same thing sometimes.
Anybody have this happen with a brand new reel ever?
Not too impressed with my first quantum so far….

never had a problem with a brand new reel. check the drag and make sure its tightened. also check over the reel to make sure all the screws are tight. Throw some line on it quick and see how it works, you no like, you send back for refund. Had a blast yesterday cruising the net for deals. check out cabelas bargain cave. those mag touch rods are just $69. always wondered about them.
I myself am looking to get one of the new Lews reels. maybe 2. good luck!

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The rod/reel combo came in the mail the other day. Just messing around with the reel, it seems like something is wrong with it. Just pressing the thumb bar and turning the handle a few times, sometimes it feels like it does not engage correctly and you get a slight grinding feeling when you are turning the handle. Tried it with the flipping switch too and it seemed to do the same thing sometimes.
Anybody have this happen with a brand new reel ever?
Not too impressed with my first quantum so far….

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I havnt had this problem with any of my quantums yet

Just a couple points of info, for what its worth…

Dean Marshall handles Quantum reels and his service is TOPS…bar none… hopefully tackle warehouse will do as well for you.

I’ve fished both Powell and Dobyns rods. Gary Dobyns designed the Powell rods and then went on his own three years ago. They are both good rods, but the hardware, finish, and actions of the new Dobyns rods have brought them up a notch, IMHO…
They are both the same price range…check reports on Tackle Tour for more info…
I have a like new Powell 732 Dropshot spin rod for sale way under Tackle warehouse or Ebay prices.

Thanks for the info Tom. Do you have any idea on the reel? I see you run a few of those reels yourself.

Tackle Warehouse sent me another reel and I sent the other one back. The new one they sent me does the same thing though!! I just don’t get it. I am almost wondering if it just needs to be used a bit, and maybe there is too much grease on something inside, causing it to stick. I have never picked up a brand new reel and had it not work properly though, so I doubt that is it.

If you press the thumb bar and then turn the handle slowly to engage the reel and then continue to turn the handle slowly it will grind, but then if you turn the handle quick you will hear it click, and it will become smooth when you turn the handle. It’s almost like something is just sticking, and it takes that jolt of turning the handle fast for everything to pop into the right place. “Grind” may be a strong word, but you can definitely feel resistance and really tell the difference when it smooths out after it clicks.

Hmmmmm…try this
The suggested setting for the spool tension knob (with respect to the weight of the selected lure) is achieved by holding the rod at a 45° angle, and with the tension knob tighted, slowly back off the tension until your lure starts to drop. You want the spool to stop spinning as soon as the lure hits the ground.

To determine how much cast braking is best, begin with the maximum amount of braking dialed up, then reduce from there until you are able to reach the distances you need without backlash.
If you do this and there is still a “stiff” feeling, or grinding, send that one back too… I too have had no problems with my Quantum Baitcasters…I have 2 Energy Ti6s and 2 EC600s that are 20 years old!

send it back, buy a Shimano Cruxis. Same price, 10x the reel. I owned an accurist and it was not for me.

I use 7 ft. MH rods for frog fishing. I think longer rods do indeed have more power but the accuracy and action I get out of the fenwick I’m currently using is unparalleled by a longer rod. I would never fish anything less than 65 lb test for frogging. I break fish off sometimes even with the 65. With the 50 I was losing way too many 10 dollar frogs. Thats even with frequent knot checks.

I emailed tackle warehouse, and they told me that it is necessary to turn the handle quickly on all baitcasters for the gears to engage correctly. So, I went and tried turning the handles slowly on my revo’s and my shimano, and they engaged perfectly even when turning the handle slowly, so the guy obviously doesn’t know what he is talking about. Also, when the flipping switch is on, the gears should be engaged as soon as you let your thumb off the thumbar.
I think I will be sending this one back to because I don’t think I should have to take a brand new reel apart.

I actually have a cruxis, and it doesn’t cast all that great and I had issues with the line guide getting stuck on the worm shaft during retrive, so I quit using it.
I just took it apart though, to try to get an idea what might be going on with the quantum. My best guess is that the clutch plate is not sliding smoothly and getting pulled back all the way by the clutch spring. So the springs in the two quantums I got were too weak maybe?

I am in Chicago at the Sports show… Your Quantum is not working correctly. I just talked to the Reps… They were Pro Bass fishermen and spent some time with me discussing the finer points of the reels and how to “tune” them in.
You should send your back until you get one that is satisfactory. I don’t mash mine to get it to engage properly…
The Tournament model is incredible, but out of my price range. I picked up another Accurist 100HPT for $89…they let me pull it out of the box and check it over good…
Putting that on my new St. Croix LTBC Big Cranker rod…