bass rods and reels

Question
Hi Marc. Could you recommend the best bass fishing rod and reel for largemouth bass? With your permission, your recommendation may be part of an article that will be sold to Trails.com. I appreciate your help.
Thanks!

Answer
Hi Jerry,

I'm not sure where you are going with the article.  Is it which is the best brand?  What is the best length and action?  If I had to have one rod along, what would it be?

Bass fishing can vary so much depending on the region, lakes, rivers, and presentation.  If you look at the deck of a bass pro, you will see anywhere from 6 to 12 rods along.  Each one is tailored for a specific presentation.  You wouldn't use the same rig to flip jigs into heavy cover that you would drop-shotting out in open water.  A Bass fishermans arsenal varies from a light action rod with 6 pound test mono to a heavy flippin' rod with 30 pound or heavier braid.

I am guessing for Trails.com you may be looking for a back-packing rod that may work from shore in a variety of conditions.  If I were in that situation, I would probably go to a 7 foot medium action spinning rod.  A rod like this would handle some plastic worms and 3" grubs on a jig head.  It would also handle most top water baits along with some lighter spinner baits.  It is also light enough to cast some 4" minnow baits like a #11 Rapala, a staple for bass fisherman.  

I would go with spinning over baitcasting because it casts lighter baits easier and will give you more range from shore.  

I like St. Croix rods.  They have a great selection of lengths and actions.  They are not the cheapest rod on the market, but they are not the most expensive either.  They are a happy medium on the market right now.  They are affordable, but have the actions and sensitivity of much more expensive rods.  They also have a travel series that will fit into backpacks.  The new multi piece rods are made so well these days that you don't even know that you are using a three or four piece rod.  Pack rods from 20+ years ago were awful.

As for reels, here is my opinion of the best spinning reel manufactures right now.  1. Daiwa, 2. Shimano, and 3. Okuma.  You will not go wrong with any of these brands if you buy a reel in the $50 range.  Get up in the $100 range and you will have a reel that will last 12-15 years of hard fishing.  I just did an article on my blog (www.thelureofthefish.blogspot.com) about the Daiwa Tournament SS series.  They haven't changed this reel since it came out in 1987 and it's because it is that good!  I feel that for $89.99 (Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops) this could be the toughest no-nonsense reel out there.  I have 6 of them and some are from 1987 and they are going strong.  A Daiwa Tournament SS 1300 size would be perfect for a medium spinning rod for bass.  

I hope this helps and please write back if you would like to narrow me down further.

Marc

Hi Jerry,

Glad I could help and feel free to contact me again.  Thanks.

Marc