Best of All Worlds Gear: Rods/Reels/Line etc [questions]

[AaroNautilus]

Good evening all, and thanks for reading my post.

I am curious what some of you think would be the "over all" rod/reel/line combo. I am what some would call a "variety fisherman", but I do not really focus on catching one particular fish. I could leave the house saying "I wanna go after some cats", but in reality I like having a rod on the bottom, one with a float, and one with a lure. And if there is kind of a "best of" set up that covers these 3 things that would be awesome.

I currently use an light or ultra light bass rod, and a grey shakespeare (maybe a medium), and an Ugly Stik catfish rod. The first two are rods my dad had since I was a kid, and the Ugly Stik is my girlfriends rod, so I do not have access to it at all times.

Part of the reason I am asking for this is because we USED TO have another light bass rod, but I caught an 18 in bass and snapped half way down. So, I would prefer it if I don't break any more rods.

If there's kind of a cheaper option, I would prefer that, but I understand with what I am asking it might be more expensive.

Just for an example of what I like to fish for:

White bass
Pikes
Walleyes
Panfish
Bass
Carp
Catfish

So yeah, it is kind of all over the place. Any ideas where to start for covering for just about everything?

Thanks again!

Aaron

[crm3006]

Falcon, Ugly Stick, All Star and Lew's Speed Stix all come in several weights, lengths and actions. Since you did not specify which type of reel you will be using, your question is somewhat ambiguous. However, you won't break any of the aforementioned rods halfway down on an 18 inch bass.

[jhjimbo]

Good evening all, and thanks for reading my post.

I am curious what some of you think would be the "over all" rod/reel/line combo. I am what some would call a "variety fisherman", but I do not really focus on catching one particular fish. I could leave the house saying "I wanna go after some cats", but in reality I like having a rod on the bottom, one with a float, and one with a lure. And if there is kind of a "best of" set up that covers these 3 things that would be awesome.

I currently use an light or ultra light bass rod, and a grey shakespeare (maybe a medium), and an Ugly Stik catfish rod. The first two are rods my dad had since I was a kid, and the Ugly Stik is my girlfriends rod, so I do not have access to it at all times.

Part of the reason I am asking for this is because we USED TO have another light bass rod, but I caught an 18 in bass and snapped half way down. So, I would prefer it if I don't break any more rods.

If there's kind of a cheaper option, I would prefer that, but I understand with what I am asking it might be more expensive.

Just for an example of what I like to fish for:

White bass
Pikes
Walleyes
Panfish
Bass
Carp
Catfish

So yeah, it is kind of all over the place. Any ideas where to start for covering for just about everything?

Thanks again!

Aaron

Can not go wrong with a Ugly Stick. I use a heavy weight for Walleye in Lake Erie. They run from 4lb up to 15lb. A little expensive but will last a lifetime plus has great sensitivity. You may find one at flea market, garage sale, etc.

I don't fish much for other species.

[Solitario Lupo]

Any medium spinning rod should work. Ugly sticks are nice. Fit the reel with the right size to the rod. You say it snapped on a 18 in bass. How tight was the drag cause that’s the most important thing fighting fish. On a medium rod I’ve caught fish over 10lbs no problem.

[AaroNautilus]

Any medium spinning rod should work. Ugly sticks are nice. Fit the reel with the right size to the rod. You say it snapped on a 18 in bass. How tight was the drag cause that’s the most important thing fighting fish. On a medium rod I’ve caught fish over 10lbs no problem.

I should have clarified. The pond that I was fishing at had tall grass around the edge of it. So, after fighting the fish to shore, I was attempting to lift the bass high enough to not get it snagged in the grass. I no more than lifted the bass out of the water, SNAP.

[AaroNautilus]

Can not go wrong with a Ugly Stick. I use a heavy weight for Walleye in Lake Erie. They run from 4lb up to 15lb. A little expensive but will last a lifetime plus has great sensitivity. You may find one at flea market, garage sale, etc.

I don't fish much for other species.

Like I said in the post, the girlfriend has an Ugly Stick river rod (thats what she calls it, I don't actually know what it is) and so far it seems reliable. I will have to look into them and see what I can find for what I want.

[AaroNautilus]

Falcon, Ugly Stick, All Star and Lew's Speed Stix all come in several weights, lengths and actions. Since you did not specify which type of reel you will be using, your question is somewhat ambiguous. However, you won't break any of the aforementioned rods halfway down on an 18 inch bass.

I am much more used to a spinning reel, but haven't ever used a baitcaster or whatever else is available. The reason I didn't specify is because there are videos on places like youtube that have people using baitcaster rods/reels to catfish and other things than using a lure.

I mentioned it in another reply, but I should have been more descriptive when talking about the rod that I broke. The pond we were fishing has grass all along the outer rim. I brought the fish close to shore, attempted to lift the fish over the grass, and the rod broke. So it may have been a handling error, but I just don't feel like the rod had enough back bone to "boat flip" a fish on shore.

[Solitario Lupo]

Fishing rods aren’t made to handle the weight of a fish out of the water they are made to handle the fishes weight in the water. You’ll break a lot more rods trying to do that best if you grab the line and pull them out or get yourself a big net.
Ugly sticks are made from Shakespeare’s and are a decent company.

[Solitario Lupo]

Caught using a medium action spinning ugly stick.

[AaroNautilus]

Caught using a medium action spinning ugly stick.

What. Is. That? IS that some sort of Salmon? I have never seen such a fish. It looks awesome though

[AaroNautilus]

Fishing rods aren’t made to handle the weight of a fish out of the water they are made to handle the fishes weight in the water. You’ll break a lot more rods trying to do that best if you grab the line and pull them out or get yourself a big net.
Ugly sticks are made from Shakespeare’s and are a decent company.

I've looked into Ugly Stiks, and they aren't terribly expensive. I was trying to find a "one size fits all" rod and have 2 or 3 of those if need be. The odd thing is, the sort of rod I am looking for comes ONLY in a 9 ft rod (the GX2 is designed for 4-20 lb line, which covers just about everything). I am not knowledgable in what it means when a rod is designed for x lb test, so maybe the heavier rods would work.

[dewman]

I only anymore(except fly fishing) use a medium or medium/light action 6' or 6-1/2' spinning rod/reel combo. Have 2 spools for each that I can quick change between 6lb or 12lb. Now I do have longer heavy action rods with 20lb for catfish and 5-1/2' to 6-1/2' ultralights with 4lb as well for crickets and trout powerbait but seldom pick them up anymore. I have Shimano, Lewis, Quantum, Garcia, and Pflueger reels. Like them all.

[Solitario Lupo]

What. Is. That? IS that some sort of Salmon? I have never seen such a fish. It looks awesome though

It’s a inland salmon.

[Solitario Lupo]

I've looked into Ugly Stiks, and they aren't terribly expensive. I was trying to find a "one size fits all" rod and have 2 or 3 of those if need be. The odd thing is, the sort of rod I am looking for comes ONLY in a 9 ft rod (the GX2 is designed for 4-20 lb line, which covers just about everything). I am not knowledgable in what it means when a rod is designed for x lb test, so maybe the heavier rods would work.

The longer the rod is the better it will help fight the fish.

[AaroNautilus]

The longer the rod is the better it will help fight the fish.

Gonna look mad silly fishing for bluegills with a 9 ft rod though. But I might have to pick one up and give it a try.