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How many rod an reels does a bass tournament angler carry?

I was curious to know how many rod and reels a bass fisherman carries and what types of baits are generally on each? Can I get some detail on what baits are best in certain conditions and or weather patterns?

Public Comments

1. Several rods and reels. Have you ever watched the Bassmaster Classic? A lot of guys on there will have 6 or 7 rods laying out on the boat along with several inside the compartments of the boat as well. The same goes for the baits. For each rod they have a different setup for different conditions that come up or different patterns throughout the day. They'll have jigs, crankbaits, plastics, top waters, shallow running baits, deep running baits, spinnerbaits, etc etc etc. Far too many to list. Basically they have a setup for each and every condition that may arise. There's far too many conditions and patterns to really list but maybe I can give an example or 2 to help you out. A very simple and common scenario is morning fishing, mid day fishing, and late afternoon fishing. In the morning they will have setups with shallow running baits and top water baits (fish tend to feed heavily towards the top durring this time). For mid day (especially if it's hot) fish tend to move to deeper water. So they'll probably have 3 or 4 setups with deeper diving crankbaits, jigs, or some heavier spinnerbaits. Finally, for evening it's basically the same as morning more times than not (fish feed in shallower waters again). Something else is cloud cover. Say for example they start off in the late morning and the sun is shining. Flashy and light colored baits are good with the sun for the fact that the sun hits them and reflects light a lot better thus getting the attention of the fish. When the clouds move in a better bet would be a little darker color so they'll switch to another setup with maybe a pumpkinseed or crawfish colored bait. Those are just a couple of changing conditions out of several that will affect what they throw.
2. Too damn many. You only need 2.
3. 5 at a minimum but a lot will use upwards of 8 or 9. It's not too many when there's a tourney on the line that is paying big bucks if you get some nice bass in the boat. So many rods and reels is because you don't have to switch lures on one rod, just pick it up and cast it. It depends mainly on the conditions. I saw at the Bassmaster's classic that EVERY angler had a lipless crankbait tied on. Just because they were hitting them well. Also I saw jerkbaits, drop-shot worms, and a few different flippin' craws... I'd personally have, in a tournament, for all-around this : 1.) one 6' medium rod, 6.3:1 ratio b/c, with 1/4oz topwater poppers and hitting docks with small tubes. 2.) one 6'6 medium/heavy, 6.3:1 ratio b/c, with 1/2oz jig/4" trailer for all-around jig fishing. 3.) one 7'6 heavy rod, any ratio b/c, with 4" chigger craw and 1oz sinker for the "tuff stuff". 4.) one 7' medium rod, 6.3:1 ratio b/c, 6" plastic worm and 1/4oz bullet weight for wormin'. 5.) one 7' medium spinning rod, spinning reel, 4" plastic worm and 1/16oz bullet weight, finesse. 6.) another 7' medium rod, 5.1:1 ratio b/c, rapala dt-10. 7.) 6' medium/heavy rod, 6.3:1 ratio b/c, 1/2oz spinnerbait for tight corners spinnerbait casting. 8.) 6'6 medium rod, 6.3:1 ratio b/c, with a 3/8oz spinnerbait on. "back-up" or allaround rod/reel.
4. My dad and I take AT LEAST twelve rods and we aren't even pros or tournament fishermen! We pretty much have each rod rigged with everything. Anything from a tiny four-inch plastic to a nine-inch swimbait.