Not much going on as far as catching fish right now, But I have been wanting to write this for a while. I fish real often and for a variety of fish and in a variety of places so I have different rods, reels, and tackle for each. I'll start with my most used and basic rod and reel. When I am bass fishing or fishing for trout, small carp, saugeye, hybrid stripers, and such I use a 5'10 medium action Shakespeare Uglystik. The reel I use is a spin cast Shimano Sahara 2500FD spooled with 10 pound test line. In my opinion the Uglystik is the best and most durable rod there is. It also has a real flexible and sensitive tip that makes it easier to feel if the smallest hit that a fish delivers. With this rod and reel I enjoy throwing out crankbaits, spinner baits, soft plastics, topwaters, and spoons. It is just a great set up for most anything you will catch in a river, pond or lake. I really enjoy catching rainbow trout, bluegill, green sunfish, crappie and other small species, but catching them on a nightcrawler or another natural bait just isn't as satisfying as catching them on artificial bait. So when I am targeting these species I use a 4'6 ulta light Shakespeare Microcast. The reel I use on this rod is a spin cast Tiny Dead Bolt DUL20 spooled with 4 pound test line. On tackle this light you want to use a lure or jig that weighs 1/32 to 1/8 of an ounce. I usually throw out a Bitsy Minnow crankbait. Either tennessee shad or baby bass in color. I also throw out tube baits in a variety of color, jigs, or a cajun beetle spin. Ultra light tackle really test your skills as a fisherman because even though your lure is small, it is not uncommon for any size bass or other species to bite also. When I am targeting big catfish or carp I use a little heavier tackle. My choice of rod and reel in this case is 7'0 medium heavy action Shakespeare Catfish Uglystik. It is a real pretty white pole with a spin cast Penn 550SSG spooled with 25 or 30 pound test line. When fishing for catfish my bait of choice is live perch or shad. However, I will use cut shad or punch bait also. If I am targeting big carp I will use my homemade carp bait. When fishing the coastal waters I target redfish, black drum, speckled trout, gafftop, and gar. On occasion I will targer shark also. I use a 6'6 medium heavy action Shakespeare Uglystik. I have a maroon bait cast Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reel spooled with 20 pound test line. I prefer to fish live finger mullet, perch, or croaker, but will also fish with DOA shrimp, cut mullet or ladyfish, and crab.
So this is what I use for all my fishing. I am looking to get a 4'6 ultra light Uglystik though and keep my same ultra light reel.
