Is there an argument for a more specific and robust setup for fishing certain types of locations?

As ever this is merely me thinking aloud here, and first off we have to be honest and admit that however much we love our bass, 99% of the rods and reels and mainlines we use can land far bigger and more powerful fish. But I would argue that there is always going to be a big difference hooking a big fish over completely clean ground compared to hooking a smaller fish right in amongst the rough stuff. It might well depend a bit on what these particular fish actually are, and it’s also not as if bass are dirty fighters as such, but I will always come back to a lovely 20lb 8-strand braid not exactly doing great when rubbed up tight against a load of barnacles or sharp rock edges………………..

On the other hand I would also argue that most of the setups we might fish with which might be based around that 20lb braid, usually some sort of mono or fluoro leader, and the sort of lure rods we might press into action are going to deal with so much of our bass fishing with lures. But what if you fish a lot of very rocky and snaggy ground in bouncier conditions especially, where sea and fish and angles can combine to break nice mainlines against structure, and distance or a more subtle approach tends not to be an issue. What if the chances are fairly good of hooking a decent bass around all these snags are pretty good, and - shock horror I might add because most UK anglers refuse to put a decent bend in their rod when hooked up to a fish - it might be of benefit to actually wind that drag up and literally hook and hold a better fish instead of generously letting it run away like a badly trained dog?

Let’s forget about the actual cost of this experiment here, because most of us can base our bass fishing around one or two setups, and with there being so much good gear out there for less and less money, I would suggest that a lot of anglers can do this if needs be. Where a lot of anglers ply their lure fishing trade does also lend itself to the one setup anyway. But what if you live in a part of the UK or Ireland or indeed somewhere in Europe where there is a lot of different ground and types of bass marks? The more I think about it, the more I wonder if one very specific setup for fishing closer quarters in and around really rough ground might not be worth it……………

And I’m not talking about very different rods and reels, more so a spinning reel loaded up with say 40lb braid which let’s face still isn’t very thick when compared to equivalent monos, and then say a 30lb or 40lb leader on the end. Any tight braid can break against a sharp rock, but I’d fancy my chances of staying connected with a heavier braid over one of those lovely, uber-thin 8-strands which I can’t get enough of. I wouldn’t really want a particularly long rod for this kind of closer quarters fishing, hook and hold style of lure fishing, but I’d be going for that more powerful “next step up” 40g plus rating because I don’t need the ultimate in finesse and I’d rather have a bit more grunt to literally hit and hold my fish. I could take that brilliant DAM Effzett Intenze Spin 9' 14-42g lure rod, match it with a Penn Spinfisher VI 3500 spinning reel, load it up with 39lb/0.24mm Sufix 832 (the toughest braid I know of), and finish it off with a 30lb or 40lb Varivas Hard Top fluorocarbon leader. I know all these products and I reckon that would be a rather nice setup for a bit of a hit and hold approach.

If I think about where I tend to go fishing then I can visualise a few specific spots where this more direct and specific approach could be of benefit. It’s not as if I am losing loads of fish I might add, and as I said at the top this is merely me thinking aloud, but with how much I fish and how much I might fish these kinds of marks either at night or in bouncier conditions during the day when I wouldn’t worry at all about using a 30lb or 40lb leader, I wonder if a bit of a “hit and hold” setup is worth a go? For sure I love fishing with as much finesse and feel as possible, but now add wind and waves and rocks and reefs into the mix, and the bass don’t really care how I do things. Worth a thought, or is this once again the product of my waking up early all the time with my bouncing braid syndrome? 

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