872s - Finesse jigs, finesse swimbaits (heads with smaller wire hooks), tubes, and free rig. Sucker is a beast. Use it in the winter time throwing a 3/4 oz head with a light wire hook in 30-60 feet of water up to throwing 1/8th oz Ned’s in summer. Way underrated versatility
Great video. I only have experience with the Seth Feider Daiwa rod and I fished Lake Ontario with it; handled numerous 5+ smallies like A DREAM. Oddly enough, I don't like throwing a hair jig on it haha. It's not limber enough for less than 1/8 oz hair jigs. I had to add plastic to the smaller hair jigs to cast them further. It is PERFECT for grubs and spybaits.
WI angler here. I fish a lot of shallow rivers on foot or from a yak and my go-to smallie rod is a 6'6 MLF St. Croix Avid-X. It's light, sensitive, and has the backbone to land just about any bassfish I'm likely to come across. Out on the river I'm making lots of short, precise casts to laydowns and tight rocky spots. I'd love to see you guys bend some shorter, lighter powered rods. On that note, I also do a ton of ultralight fishing and I'd LOVE to see you do an UL series!
You should make yourself a north fork composite X-ray c602 703-1. Cut 8 inches off the butt and stick it in a exo carbon handle from them. 2.2 ounces when done and it’s magic for smallie river fishing. Stick a bates hundo on it and it just does stupid things on the river. Best small top water and jerkbait rod.
@@CatchReleaseRepeat I was also looking at the Avid Panfish and Legend Tournament, but decided on the Walleye in the end. Thought it would have more backbone than the Panfish in 6’9” MLXF, plus shorter and rated down to 1/16, and beat out the Tournament based on length alone. Eyeing that Panfish model in UL though!
Not sure if the new GLX lineup has the 892c, but I own 3 in the old GLX and it’s a fantastic deep water / big water finesse jig/worm rod for smallies. Not many long (mid 7 foot) casting rods of medium / medium light rod. The other long medium casting rod that comes to mind is the Dobyns 742c, which I also own and love for small mouth finesse fishing.
The ark reinforcer 6'10 ml is the absolute best spinning rod I will ever use. I have 4. It can easily do 90% of finesse techniques but is a perfect nose hooked dropshot rod.
GLX 863 DSR Loomis hit it outta the park.l I just wish they did a BETTER JOB with building them. The top guides are misaligned, if you look staright down the rod about 5 guides are slanted to the right. I have an NRX + 893 that the blank is crooked. The handyman in me would never allow a rod to leave the facility. I would consider these BLEMs! Great vid!
have alot of trigger-time with nrx+ 872s. also have the 822 dsr and 901s. 872s is a powerful rod, more than i'd like but it is versatile and i use it for snap jiggin and power drop shot; talkin about 1/2 oz in the deep DS and casting it. the other two are more specific like drop shot and spin bait. i've also lost alot of fish too as the rod is, IMO, too stiff. however, it is damn sensitive. would like to try a 852s and compare that to my 872s. i think that 852s maybe the right mix of action.
Best smallmouth rod for do it all is the NRX 872. If you are on a budget the Victory 7’3 is what you need. You can pretty much do anything with that action. I do think the new GLX are money though.
No, you don’t. You’re being told you need to but you really don’t. You literally can catch them on a 20 dollar Walmart rod with a 2 dollar inline spinnerbait or wacky rig. It’s disingenuous to suggest you need a completely different rod for a specific type of lure.
Love these videos but you should put some more flex in the rods so we can see where the power comes in on a hookset. 😂 i think the Steez AGS The One is one of THE smallmouth rods.
How about it doesn’t matter pretty much at all?? You can catch them on a 5’6 20 dollar Walmart rod or a 2,000 dollar rod. It really doesn’t matter literally at all. The lures and knowing where they are matters 1,000,000 times more than a silly rod choice.
872s - Finesse jigs, finesse swimbaits (heads with smaller wire hooks), tubes, and free rig. Sucker is a beast. Use it in the winter time throwing a 3/4 oz head with a light wire hook in 30-60 feet of water up to throwing 1/8th oz Ned’s in summer. Way underrated versatility
This was an absolutely awsome episode man
I still love my old school 6'6" med action Bill Dance IM6 with braided line. Only lost 1 smallmouth last year, and it was on an uglystick.
Huge fan of these - and really appreciate you including the weight.
Great video. I only have experience with the Seth Feider Daiwa rod and I fished Lake Ontario with it; handled numerous 5+ smallies like A DREAM. Oddly enough, I don't like throwing a hair jig on it haha. It's not limber enough for less than 1/8 oz hair jigs. I had to add plastic to the smaller hair jigs to cast them further. It is PERFECT for grubs and spybaits.
WI angler here. I fish a lot of shallow rivers on foot or from a yak and my go-to smallie rod is a 6'6 MLF St. Croix Avid-X. It's light, sensitive, and has the backbone to land just about any bassfish I'm likely to come across.
Out on the river I'm making lots of short, precise casts to laydowns and tight rocky spots. I'd love to see you guys bend some shorter, lighter powered rods.
On that note, I also do a ton of ultralight fishing and I'd LOVE to see you do an UL series!
You should make yourself a north fork composite X-ray c602 703-1. Cut 8 inches off the butt and stick it in a exo carbon handle from them. 2.2 ounces when done and it’s magic for smallie river fishing. Stick a bates hundo on it and it just does stupid things on the river. Best small top water and jerkbait rod.
I picked up the St Croix Avid walleye for walking rivers for smallmouth in 6’3” MLXF. Can’t argues with any of the Avid series.
@@foundingfather5100 Agreed. I have a few Avid Panfish rods and I love them. I'll have to check out the walleye line sometime.
@@CatchReleaseRepeat I was also looking at the Avid Panfish and Legend Tournament, but decided on the Walleye in the end. Thought it would have more backbone than the Panfish in 6’9” MLXF, plus shorter and rated down to 1/16, and beat out the Tournament based on length alone. Eyeing that Panfish model in UL though!
Megabass whipsnake my favorite all around small mouth rod
NRX+ 901S and Flyssa have to be included in the best smallmouth rod conversation!
Owning both agree 100% throwing in the NRX+ 902s and 842s as well
@@phippy6227what do you use the 842 for?
Awesome info as always and thanks for sharing!!!
Not sure if the new GLX lineup has the 892c, but I own 3 in the old GLX and it’s a fantastic deep water / big water finesse jig/worm rod for smallies. Not many long (mid 7 foot) casting rods of medium / medium light rod. The other long medium casting rod that comes to mind is the Dobyns 742c, which I also own and love for small mouth finesse fishing.
St Croix Legend Elite is my go to. I've got a 6'3 medium for wading the river. I throw a lot of neds on it. ML would also be great
Makes me wonder if my 7'2 GLX jwr would work as well for smallmouth
The ark reinforcer 6'10 ml is the absolute best spinning rod I will ever use. I have 4. It can easily do 90% of finesse techniques but is a perfect nose hooked dropshot rod.
Staple casting is the 873 CRR football jigs and Carolina rigs from 3/8-5/8oz
Man for smallmouth you will have to talk about Steez ags the one!!! Staple!
GLX 863 DSR Loomis hit it outta the park.l I just wish they did a BETTER JOB with building them. The top guides are misaligned, if you look staright down the rod about 5 guides are slanted to the right. I have an NRX + 893 that the blank is crooked. The handyman in me would never allow a rod to leave the facility. I would consider these BLEMs!
Great vid!
When I'm fishing for big SMB I use a GLX 843 MBR, Dark Sleepers, finesse jigs, football jigs, chatterbaits, swim jigs, stupid tubes in deep water,
have alot of trigger-time with nrx+ 872s. also have the 822 dsr and 901s. 872s is a powerful rod, more than i'd like but it is versatile and i use it for snap jiggin and power drop shot; talkin about 1/2 oz in the deep DS and casting it. the other two are more specific like drop shot and spin bait. i've also lost alot of fish too as the rod is, IMO, too stiff. however, it is damn sensitive. would like to try a 852s and compare that to my 872s. i think that 852s maybe the right mix of action.
Best smallmouth rod for do it all is the NRX 872. If you are on a budget the Victory 7’3 is what you need. You can pretty much do anything with that action. I do think the new GLX are money though.
You need a small top water jerkbait rod more than a tube cracking rod. Then throw in a extra fast soft jerkbait rod that doubles as a finesse jig rod.
No, you don’t. You’re being told you need to but you really don’t. You literally can catch them on a 20 dollar Walmart rod with a 2 dollar inline spinnerbait or wacky rig. It’s disingenuous to suggest you need a completely different rod for a specific type of lure.
A couple bougie rods: P5 Windbuster and Steez The One 7’6 m/ml
Megabass Destroyer P5 Flyssa and g loomis glx 891s!!! Best of the best-
Have you done frog rods yet?
We're planning to! 🐸
Love these videos but you should put some more flex in the rods so we can see where the power comes in on a hookset. 😂 i think the Steez AGS The One is one of THE smallmouth rods.
Please review GLX 841s at least weight load test TY
872 s, second place is 852s
Gloomis Nrx + 852s
I troll and catch more smallmouth in our deep clear lakes on a Lamiglas Kokanee rod. Otherwise I'd prefer to get a 6'6" ugly stik or Fenwick Eagle
Links??????
Omnia fishing app
What is a Smallmouth rod? Can I use it for largemouth?
How about it doesn’t matter pretty much at all?? You can catch them on a 5’6 20 dollar Walmart rod or a 2,000 dollar rod. It really doesn’t matter literally at all. The lures and knowing where they are matters 1,000,000 times more than a silly rod choice.
Totally agree , although I have Poison Ultima
Once you go high end you can’t go back.
Yes you can catch them but you'll catch more with higher quality rods
Not true at all 🤣
Keep telling yourself that