THE BASS COLLEGE

im looking to get a swimbait rod or something that will work good to throw 6 inch hudds the reg are 2 oz and weedless are 1 oz , i dont like the rods that are huge and big around so i just wanted to see what ppl could give me for suggestions ? i have alot of rods now most only go up to a 1 1/2 oz and are 7 ft thats the heaviest rod i have atm besides a few musky and pike rods thanks

Here is what I would buy if I were getting it. One of these three. Now, If I had all the money I wanted to spend and i didn't care about price at all, then the choices would change just a bit, and if I was not concerned about the price and I also was not concerned about it being thick, then it would change a little again, but taking into consideration price, and thickness, this is what I would pick for you.

Each rod will take you directly to the price and specs on it when you click it.

Dobyns Mike Long SB Rod 7'9" Med Hvy 795

Duckett Micro Split Grip Cast Rod 7'6" Extra Hvy

Powell Swimbait Rod 7'11" Heavy 711

The Powell is for baits that are pretty heavy, and is the thickest of the three.

how about the G. Loomis Swimbait Rod 904 7'6" Medium  are they really big around? mabey i will just have to get over the size of the rod lol and what would be a good reel for throwing these hudds

Yes I love that rod, and if price does not matter I would get that.

I like the round reels for a swimbait rod but there are a lot of low profile that are OK

The Shimano Calais 200 series I like the best because they have the gears and the drag systems to handle the swimbaits that are big.  You can throw a big bait on a Curado, I do it all the time, but it will causesome small problems that will sooner or later lose a good fish.I really stay with round reels with large drags and high line capacities.

The Shimano 400, the Okuma 400 and Abu 6500 size or the Shimano 300 and Okuma 250 size are the best.The reason you don't want a smaller reel is because toward the end of a long cast, the spool has to spin faster and faster to let out line. 

click here Reels<<

The Calcutta is the reel I have on my Dobyns Mike long swimbait rod and I love it. I throw baits to 2oz on it all day no problem

He wants one to throw baits above 2 oz. One that is not as thick as a broomstick.

well thanks guys iv desided on the g loomis 7' 6" rod the heaviest hudd i have is 2oz there the 6 inch im going to use them alot this yr i still need to order a few more. i have one lake here its only 50 or 60 acers but has some pigs in it. its the same lake i caught my 8 and 7 pounders and have caught many 5 pounders pluse there are only a few pike in there so less baits lost to them

pluse on the video on T.W the guy said this rod is good for 5 inch hollow bellys i have a ton of them and soft sebiles the hudds are new to me, i hope they get me a few nice bass

for a reel what do you think about the revo toro's ? i have one on a musky rod i could use

You can use them for that. Any of those will work well, but later on just as you did on the G.Loomis, get just one reel to go with just that rod specifically for swimbaits that go up to 3 ozs. Get the whole things balanced with with the right reel, rod, and line and you will be ready to haul in the next personal best or even state record. When the water temperatures reach between 50 and 60 degrees, in the spring, you need to be throwing those baits all the time. You WILL NOT get many bites, but they will be big!!

I like the round reels for a swimbait rod but there are a lot of low profile that are OK

The Shimano Calais 200 series I like the best because they have the gears and the drag systems to handle the swimbaits that are big.  You can throw a big bait on a Curado, I do it all the time, but it will get some small problems that will sooner or later lose a big bass.I really like to stay with round reels with large drags and high line capacities.

The Shimano 400, the Okuma 400 and Abu 6500 size or the Shimano 300 and Okuma 250 size are the best.The reason you don't want a smaller reel is because toward the end of a long cast, the spool has to spin faster and faster to let out line

The calcutta is the way to go

i like the Curado's but they dont hold alot of line. for musky its ok cuz we use braid i want to use 20lb floro on this swimbait rod or the smallest 15lb.i do like the low profile but i really have not used the round wheels i bought one a yr ago and have never used it.its a Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3 it holds alot of line, its still in the box but i dont know im looking at all the reels that are listed on here

what problems will i have with the curado you said before?

saw this reel on swimbait nation

The Quantum is fine. Any round reel of a decent quality with high line capacity like that is fine, those are just my personal choices that I found work well and don't fail. The bass that you will catch in your state will not be big enough to cause a problem with gearing, but the round reels work better as far as casting the bigger baits for the reasons I stated. you will probably not have a problem with it, but I don't want to take even a small percentage chance as I am fishing for a state record and it is not getting away when I finally hook it. lol At least not because of the tackle!

ya thats true and the whole point of me buying this rod and all the hudds is to go after big bass so i dont want to lose one if i get the chance

Exactly.

one last ? you what line do you think i should use ? i have mostly pline floro on my other rods and have not lost or had a fish break me but i have not thow'n a 2 oz swimbait yet, i have used braid but lost fish and not caught half as many most of the water i fish is pritty clear. that and i lost a bass i know was over 6lbs on a tourny line must have got rubbed and broke 3 ft up from the bait when i had the bass next to the boat so i took all my braid and throw it away lol

The braid will snap on the cast at times, the mono is OK, the flouorcarbon is best. i have personally used every brand of Fluorocarbon line out there that is a known brand. In light lb tests, most were ok and some were bad. In the heavier pound tests above 12 lbs, all of them were bad except for Seaguar! Seaguar is a superior line hands down. It is all I will use now. I use INVIS X and ABRAZ X , but for the swimbaits I use a mono and I use SEAGUAR in 15 or 20 lb.

Are you throwing weedless hudds?  Or the top hooked 6" rof 5's & 12's ?  The toro reel will work fine on 6" hudds, or even the biggest baits out there.   I have an 8' Diawa Zillion for my 6" hudds, but use a 7'11" Okuma for the 8" & larger baits.. I prefer not to go below 20# line w/ any swimbait 6" or larger. I use mono or fc. it depends on the conditions & the application.