Fishing is a sport where you have to make a lot of decisions. So the simpler you can keep things, the better. Take the matter of choosing rods. I like CastAways in the Skeleton line, and I prefer those that can cover more than one technique or lure type.
For instance, my favorite – the 6-foot, 10-inch Spinnerbait model – is not only good for spinnerbaiting, but also for throwing a small square-bill crankbait, a jerkbait, a swimbait or a Baby Brush Hog equally well. Though I’ll take maybe 20 or 25 rods with me when I go on the tournament trail, I’ll only have about a dozen or so baitcasting and spinning models with me in the boat, and some of them are just backups.
Beside the 6-10, I’ll have a 7-6 CastAway Flipping rod for the heavier jigs, frogs and Carolina rigs; a CastAway 7-foot medium-action Crankin’ rod for smaller crankbaits up to about the size of a Norman Little Deep N; and a 7-6 CastAway Launcher for bigger crankbaits like the Norman DD22. Either one of those cranking rods will work with topwaters. Finally, I’m going to have a 7-foot medium-heavy Skeleton Microwave Drop Shot spinning rod. It’s also the rod I prefer for fishing jighead worms.
A fisherman has to be versatile to be successful, and his equipment should be versatile too. Something else: I cover all my rods with Rod Robe sleeve protectors when I’m not using them. That way, I don’t have to worry so much about the guides getting messed up or the blank broken. A quality rod represents quite an investment, and a rod cover that costs less than $10 is cheap insurance.
— National Guard pro Jonathan Newton of Rogersville, Ark.