Bass Fishing Hacks
Simple Hacks and Tips to Help You Catch More Bass
What is the best size rod for bass fishing?
Most bass fishing rods are between 6 feet 6 inches and 8 feet in length. That is about all of the size range that you have to worry about when choosing the correct rod for your bass fishing needs. There are bass rods that are a few inches smaller and a few inches bigger but that 18 inch range will cover all of the bass fishing techniques and scenarios that you will have out on the water.
I am a Bass Fishing Charter Guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been catching bass in the lakes, ponds and canals all over Florida for more than 40 years. In the article below, I will teach you how to choose the best rod and reel combos for all of your bass fishing needs.
Let’s get started.
Watch the video below to learn how to choose the correct rod and reel combo for bass fishing.
What is the best size rod for kayak bass fishing?
As a general rule, fishing out of a kayak is a little bit harder than fishing out of a bass boat or from the land. Many kayak bass fishermen have no problems casting 8 foot rods from a sitting position. It just takes a lot of practice to master bass fishing with a longer rod from a seated fishing stance.
I am a kayak bass fisherman and my rods are all about 7 feet long. (Give or take a couple of inches up or down) Sometimes when you are fishing in tight cover and have to cast under branches or fallen trees, then a smaller rod is a lot easier to use. I have a 6 foot six inch rod that I like to use when I am under leaning trees or bushes hunting for big bass.
The side arm cast is probably the easiest one to use when you are bass fishing from your kayak. If you can master the side arm casting style, then you can use a baitcasting rod as large as 8 feet long from your bass fishing kayak. If you can’t seem to master the baitcasting rod out of a kayak, then you might have to use spinning rod and reel combos.
Spinning rod and reel combos are much easier to use than a baitcasting rod is. They will work just fine for most kayak bass fishing scenarios. If you like fishing in the thick cover of floating weed mats, submerged brush, lily pads or any other hardcore structure, then you will need to master the baitcasting rod and reel. The spinning reels just don’t perform very well in those scenarios.
You will need a fast action, heavy power rod and a fast reel that has a 7 to 1 gear ratio or higher to effectively fish the super thick stuff. You need the stiff rod to get leverage on the bass and the fast gear ratio to get them out of the weeds quickly so they can’t swim back in and get you all wrapped up.
What is the best size rod for bass fishing with crankbaits?
A crankbait rod is usually around 7 feet long and has a medium power and medium action performance rating. Some rods only give you the power rating. If that is the case then you will want to find a 7 foot rod with a medium power rating. That rod will most likely have a medium to medium/slow action characteristics anyways.
When you go to super stores like Walmart, they usually don’t tell you the action rating. They will usually come with medium, medium/heavy and heavy power ratings. Those are the power ratings that you will want to stick with for bass fishing.
There are lower power ratings like micro light, ultra light, light and medium/light. All of those types of rods are for pan fish. If you want to get on some bluegills, crappie, sunfish or something like that, then those really limp rods are the way to go. A big bass will snap those rods in half.
If you like to fish deep diving crankbaits, then you will probably need a medium/heavy power rating for your crankbait rod. It really depends upon the size of your crankbaits that you are tossing and the depth of the waters where you are fishing.
When you are using big crankbaits in deep water, then a medium/heavy rod is the best choice for you. If you are using smaller crankbaits in shallow water, then a medium power rod rating will work just fine for those fishing applications.
Watch the video below and catch more bass from shore.
What is the best size rod for bass fishing with spinnerbaits?
The best size of a rod for spinnerbaits is about 7 feet long. You might like one a few inches shorter or longer but you can’t go wrong with a 7 foot rod when you are bass fishing with spinnerbaits. You will probably want a medium/heavy rod made out of fiberglass and a 6 or 7 to 1 gear ratio for your reel. You can get a 7 to 1 and just reel more slowly or get yourself a 6 to 1 gear ratio and reel it normally.
Spinnerbaits are great baits for those cloudy and windy days. You can fish them in open water or fish them in cover because they are pretty much weed less. If you are fishing spinnerbaits in cover then you might want to shorten your rod length. A shorter rod is a more accurate rod for precision casting. A 6 foot 6 inch rod is a great choice for pitching spinnerbaits into cover.
What is the best size rod for bass fishing with a Texas rig or a Carolina rig?
A Carolina rig is notoriously hard to cast because of the leader length. The leader lengths are usually somewhere between 18 inches and 36 inches in length. The longer the leader length, the harder it will be to cast out.
A longer rod can handle a longer leader more effectively. So if your go to fishing technique is fishing with a Carolina rig, then you might want to step up to an 8 foot rod length or longer. There are some bass pros that like a 4 foot leader and will use rods longer than 8 feet 6 inches. It really depends upon the length of your leaders.
Texas rigs are a different story. You can use a normal 7 foot rod length for a Texas rig for most fishing scenarios. BUT because a Texas rig is often used in thick cover fishing scenarios, you may need a medium/heavy rod and a fast gear ratio baitcasting reel.
There is a reason that a Texas rig is the most popular way to fish soft plastics. You can fish a Texas rig in many different scenarios. You can fish sandy, rocky or just about any other type of bottom with a Texas rig.
If you like using larger soft plastics like 10 inch worms on heavy creature baits then you might need a heavy action rod to effectively fish those large baits. You will need a rod with a lot of backbone because when you are fishing with large plastics. The hook has to not only travel through all of the plastic material but also into the bass’ mouth.
What is the best size rod for flipping for bass?
The best size of a rod for flipping for bass is 7 feet 6 inches long. You need a rod long enough to create the pendulum effect to flip your bait into heavy cover in shallow water scenarios. You will probably need your flipping rod to be made out of graphite with a very stiff backbone to get those big bass out of the thick cover.
A good flipping rod is tough enough to set that hook and yank those bass out of the brush and dense vegetation effectively.
What is the best size rod for using a drop shot rig?
The best bass fishing rod for drop shot worm fishing is a medium power 7 feet long fiberglass one. A spinning rod and reel combo is probably your best bet for maximizing your bass catching probabilities. Finesse bass fishing techniques are often best presented with a medium action spinning rod of some kind.
Drop shot rigs are a great way to catch those finicky bass that are down deep. This is a great fishing technique that is becoming very popular all over the United States because it is so effective for catching bass.
What is the best size rod for fishing with a frog?
Frog fishing is one of those heavy cover fishing techniques. When there is no other effective way to get at those bass that are lurking in super thick vegetation like weed mats and lily pads a frog is the go to lure for me.
You absolutely have to have a heavy power and fast action rod to pull those bass out of the thickest vegetation. You can expect to pull the bass out and about 10 pounds of weeds with it. I prefer to use spinning rod and reel combos for most of my bass fishing scenarios except for frog fishing.
The only baitcasting rod and reel combo that I own is specifically for frog fishing in heavy cover. That rod and reel combo is a 7 feet 2 inch heavy power, fast action rod. This rod is coupled with a 7:1 gear ratio reel.
What is the best size rod for fishing with buzzbaits?
The best size of a fishing rod for fishing with a buzzbait is a lightweight graphite 7 foot medium action rod. Buzzbaits are a great reaction bait for those bass that you don’t want to give a good look at your lure.
You need to be able to get a nice long cast to cover a lot of water with your lure and you need to be able to keep constant tension on the fish as you reel it in. A medium action rod will keep pressure on the bass even if it swims right toward you as you try and land it.
Do you like how to bass fishing articles like this one? If you answered yes, then get on our email list because we will send you one new article every week. Sign up now and you will receive your FREE online bass fishing course too.