Buckeye Angler: Organizing fishing combos for specific uses

I'm often asked just why fishermen like me and you appropriate so much tackle, especially when "one will do."

The first thing to realize is that the person espousing such a viewpoint is either a novice fisherman or has confined and limited himself for some reason to only fishing for one particular specie under one specific method. If you're anything like me, you enjoy fishing for a variety of species under a variety of conditions, both seasonal and geographical.

Imagine a golfer who carried with him only a putter. That's OK with me so long as all you ever wished to visit is one particular miniature golf course. I enjoy the totality of what has long been my favorite hobby a whole lot more than that.

Here then, is an overview of my particular arsenal and my utilizational goals for each outfit. Let me note up front that my one combo not pictured is out at our boat storage and is the ultimate Ohio specialty outfit ― my steelhead combo. This is special gear, both for the unique behaviors of pursuing this specie, and the somewhat unique seasonal aspect of the pursuit.

The rod is a sentimental favorite gifted to me at our booth at the Cleveland Outdoors Show by a terminally ill fan of our TV program, when we were on PBS in the early years. He had heard me mention that my very first rod as a youngster was a Garcia Conolon, a premier tool in its day.

This man presented me with a pristine 7-foot, 6-inch medium-light spinning version that I now cherish. I matched it with a quality medium-sized reel loaded with 6-pound clear mono and the rod's parabolic action makes it ideal for flinging those smallish trout bites and the reel is big enough to hold a sufficient amount of line for a specie that is renowned for making long runs.

The arsenal of outfits pictured is as follows:

• Ultra-Light spinning reel, 4-pound mono and a 4-6 one-piece graphite rod ― my super-sensitive choice for vertical jigging deeper waters for panfish like crappie, perch, and bluegill.

• Ultra-Light reel, 4-pound mono and a 6-6 two-piece fiberglass rod ― my live bait bobber throwing outfit, whether conventional or slip bobber.

• UL reel and a 6-6 two-piece fiberglass rod ― my go-to system for mini lures like twister-tails, 1/32-ounce spinners and tiny crankbaits for panfish of all kinds.

• 1000 series spinning reel, 6-pound mono and a 5-6 two-piece composite rod ― my favorite rod for walking streams and ponds. Light enough for small fish, ideal for Ned rigs and stout enough for trout and most stream bass.

• Two medium-light spinning reels filled with 8-pound mono and a 6-6 one-piece graphite rod ― this much-used smallmouth rod doubles as the occasional walleye jigger. Note the graphite rods are almost all one-piece. Why buy a more expensive graphite rod essentially for sensitivity and break them in half for misled portability?

• 3000 series spinning reel, spooled with 10-pound fluorescent mono and a 6-6 medium spinning reel ― used primarily for casting bass lures perhaps a little light to effectively cast on the level winds. A bright, visible line indicates how often it works for soft plastics.

• Medium action, a 7-0 carbon rod, casting reel filled with 12-pound mono ― for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits.

• Medium/heavy casting with 12-pound fluorescent mono and a 6-0 graphite rod ― ideal for pitching soft plastics under extended shoreline cover and docks for bass. A pistol-grip handle really helps.

• Medium/heavy casting with 10-pound clear mono and a 6-0 graphite rod ― as above, only primarily for horizontal baits.

• Medium/heavy casting with a 6-6 graphite one-piece with a fluorescent blue line ― for soft plastics and jigs.

• Medium/heavy casting reel with 10-pound clear mono, a 7-0 fiberglass rod ― an ideal combo for horizontal presentations like spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Fiberglass is far superior for such applications than graphite; its parabolic flexibility provides longer range casts and greater break strength ― and economy.

• Medium/heavy low-speed casting reel with 12-pound clear mono, same rod as above ― low-speed reel helps inhibit reeling crankbaits too fast. A very bad habit for many, including yours truly.

• Casting reel loaded with 30-pound braid, a 7-0 heavy action glass rod ― primarily a buzzbait and froggin' rod. Plenty of strength for whatever might occur. Also doubles as a primary pike and musky outfit.

• Two large Levelwind reels, spooled with ultra-clear green mono, a 7-6 fiberglass trolling rod ― big water trolling outfits, mostly in holders. Walleye are usually the primary targets.

Jack Kiser is the long-time outdoors columnist for the Record-Courier and Ohio Angler, Ohio Valley outdoors, and "Midwest Outdoors" magazines, as well as host for "Buckeye Angler" on PBS and Fox Sports. You may reach him at the Buckeye Angler Facebook site or the new buckeyeangler.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Buckeye Angler explains why he owns so many rods and reels