Rods & Reels

If you don't already, start thinking about rods and reels as a matched set, two pieces of the same machine. They must be designed to work together. If you go out to buy a rod, take the reel along, or vice versa. Make sure they fit tightly, work well together, and are balanced rather than tip- or butt-heavy. An open-faced spinning outfit is a must for the smallmouth fisherman. The reel need not be large, as smallies seldom make long runs. Capacity for 190 yards of six pound-test is plenty. Match your spinning reel to a light- to medium-action spinning rod between five and seven feet long. This rod should be quite firm in the butt section with a rather fast taper to a softer tip section. The rod should be soft enough to throw light lures and absorb shock to your light line. It should also be powerful enough to facilitate setting a hook into the bony jaw of a big smallie and to play the fish with an appropriate degree of control. This outfit will cover most of your presentations involving jigs, live bait, and perhaps small crank baits.

Larger lures can be presented with heavier spinning equipment although baitcasting equipment is a more logical choice. Casting or level wind reels are no longer the backlashing nightmares of years gone by. Antibacklash features and new lightweight designs make these reels ideal for presenting spinner baits and large crank baits. High-speed ratios make the faster retrieves, sometimes needed with these lures, less of an ordeal. Ten- or 12-pound-test line is usually adequate to handle both the terminal tackle and smallmouths from all but the heaviest of cover. Pair the reel with a light-action baitcasting rod.

With a spinning rod and a baitcasting rod you'll be able to cover just about every smallmouth situation imaginable. If you decide to expand your collection as your angling becomes more sophisticated, chances are you'll purchase specialized variations on these two models.

River fishermen prefer longer rods. These specialized river rods allow more line to be held out of the water for a more natural drift or other presentation. An extreme example of rod length for river smallmouths is the application of steelhead float rigs. In the unit on rainbow trout, John Kerr describes the classic long-rod method of float fishing spawn for river rainbows. The same rig tipped with a crawler or leech works beautifully for smallmouths in high-current situations. With smallmouths and float rods, it's seldom of benefit to go lighter than six-pound-test line. Make sure that you sharpen that tiny hook often and well -- it's sometimes difficult to set hooks with a long, soft rod.

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