One combo please!?
By
Xavier Tiberghien (A former South African Protea angler,
TV show host, International Tournament Angler & Photo
journalist)
It’s the funniest question that demands some serious
attention. How often do you hear up new anglers, novice anglers
ask more experienced anglers, “What is your favourite
lure?, What’s the best lure to use?,What’s the
best rod and reel combo?”. The truth remains that like
all sports there are different strokes for different folks
and that includes conditions and circumstances before the array
of techniques and other choices available needed to make a
steadfast decision.
The
author with a 4.26kg caught on a Floating frog with a
7'2, 30lb braid, high speed reel. |
Before
you start to get all confused, decide upfront what scenario
you are going to be faced with or better yet what scenario
you anticipate putting yourself in. So let’s stick with
the basic rod, reel & line choice.
It is common knowledge that among the advanced fisherman that
lighter diameter lines will get more bites but also risk in
more lost fish depending on the structure you are faced with.
You have to match your tackle accordingly to your line class.
Your LINE choice
Start by deciding what line strength you are comfortable fishing.....I
know some experienced anglers who fish 12lb line in thick timber
and sometimes get away with it but that is like going to a
gunfight with a knife , then there are some anglers who go
with nothing less than 20-25lb and that is appropriate if you
don’t want to take chances and loose to many fish and
get the right bites if the water is stained enough. When the
water is gin clear even with the less visible Fluorocarbon
lines I don’t have the confidence to fish such heavy
lines yet some anglers have that confidence to pull it off....If
I had one choice to fish all day I’d go with 15lb Fluorocarbon
and that should suffice most applications.
What about braid? That is certainly an option if you understand
the dynamics and you are prepared to adjust....braid is thinner
, stronger , more abrasion resistant and durable yet it is
definitely challenging to the new angler who doesn’t
understand its mechanics from knots, lightness in the wind
and sensitivity. Sometimes with a leader this could carry you
many days of enjoyment but be prepared to take time to understand
it. It is worth the time spent and better hook sets at any
distance.
Regular monofilament has too much stretch and sometimes doesn’t
have the abrasion of fluorocarbon and when fishing plastic
worm techniques doesn’t register the bite as quick as
fluorocarbon, in reality it is old technology the VCR of the
fishing world...its obsolete for most applications....get to
HD / Blue Ray and start using Flurocarbon and Braid and watch
your hook ups increase.
The BIG GUN...THE ROD!
Choose wisely here....don’t go buying 10 different blanks
from various manufacturers....choose a brand you are comfortable
with and a length and try to duplicate it across 5-7 techniques.
So if you happen to bust up and you pick up another rod to
carry on fishing, you won’t have to readjust your balance
and feel and pretty much carry on where you left off.
My recommendation to most anglers that ask me to have One
ROD choice is choose a length you can cast accurately,
have as much feel of what is happening at the end of your line
and above all control a fish once hooked out of the heaviest
structure and a rod that can set the hook at a distance.
My choice is a 7’2” minimum Medium Heavy action
heavy modulus graphite ( IM7- IM9). With this rod and 15lb
line I can fish most techniques ( topwater’s such as
buzz baits, Swimming Frogs, smaller swimbaits, Texas Rigs,
Mojo Rigs, Wacky Rigs, Carolina Rigs, Weightless and Splitshot
Rigs, Spinnerbaits and shallow running crankbaits if I was
pushed{bearing in mind I wouldn’t play the fish so hard
to tear the hooks out of their mouths with a crankbait}. The
length and action are very critical....sometimes too short
a rod is better for close range accuracy but isn’t as
effective as a 7 footer on fish control in a fight( 6” can
make a world of difference to the experienced hand..if it means
a moment of extra slack in your line that may mean a lost fish,
that is not something I want when there is a chance it will
be the big fish that does that ).....shorter rods don’t
offer the distance in casting and lack the extra pounds of
force needed in a hook set and at 30 yards out you want all
the advantage you can get away with.
The WINCH!!!!!
The machine that holds all that line on your rod.....invest
wisely. The more bearings the smoother the reel, that is as
simple as I can put it. Choose either a bait caster or spinning
reel you are comfortable with. One big problem I see with many
new anglers is their ability to shop with such blasé and
buy the weirdest equipment and still have no idea how to use
it effectively. I notice too often and I will blame them for
this is the Retailers certainly do not invest in their clients
by teaching them the finer details of the equipment they buy....pay
attention retailers...too many customers are afraid to ask
or embarrassed to tell you they are unsure...help them by showing
them how to set up their reels. A happier satisfied customer
will come and spend more if you actually bother to invest a
little extra time in them?!?!?!
Just the other day I was assisting some anglers who have a
bunch of tackle and had no idea how to set up their rods and
reels and couldn’t understand the magnetic backlash
controller / dial on the opposite side of the reel . That is
designed to assist in slowing the spool down in a cast either
into the wind or with the wind.....10 is maximum control and
0 is totally loose in layman terms. Start on 8 or so and work
it down until you find a comfortable setting, pair this up
with setting the reel’s centrifugal brake with the weight
of the lure.
The heavier the lure the tighter the setting. Holding the rod
in front of you and the lure hanging a foot from the tip, disengage
the reel to freespool and make sure the lure doesn’t
pull off line....then you know it is tight, loosen the brake
a fraction until the weight of the lure pulls the line freely.
Once you have this set up adjusted....loosen it a little more
each cast and still feather the spool with your thumb as you
casting to get more distance....this will teach you to work
your tackle properly.
Reel speed is simple....the quickest you can afford....you
need to wind up the slack is my advice to beginners and keep
a tight line.....remember not to wind too quick and be patient....anything
from 6.1 to 1 to 7.1 to 1 is my choice....I want the reel to
be able to pick up between 24” to 31” on each turn..and
above all make sure your reel has a smooth drag!!!!!.....Set
this up at home by hooking the line to a solid object and rear
back a few times in some mock strikes and feel the rod load
up and only after some extra force the drag pulls a few feet
of line. You don’t want the drag running loose that you
don’t have an effective hook set....
So in conclusion: One Combo.....7’2” Medium Heavy
Action Rod, 7.1:1 ratio reel and 15lb Fluorocarbon......that’s
a simple rod choice I would stick with and use if given one
choice to go Bass fishing....It will get most lures I use into
the hardest ugliest areas bass live but will also help cover
deep water applications.....hope this helps you make a better
choice when purchasing your next combo.
BASS WISHES
Xavier Tiberghien
Founder / Producer
NFA Media
aka “Mad Dawg”
nfamedia@gmail.com
