I'm heading up 61 to Grand Marais this coming Wednesday for my annual BWCA trip and wanted to take a poll regarding fishing rigs per person. The lady and I typically bring a total of three rigs. One serves as a backup in case something breaks. I'm wondering if anyone consistently brings two rigs per person to cut down on re-stringing presentations while out on the water. I'm a minimalist for much of my packing, yet I see value in carrying in an additional rod/reel. We like to fish and have tossed this idea around for a couple of years, but we always end up saying "it's not worth it."

I bring three as well for my wife and me. The 3rd is my jigging line usually. If something happens to one of the other two it can become a replacement. If my wife ever really got into fishing though I would take a 4th because I like having two rigs.

I bring a 7' trolling rod and a 6'6" jigging/casting rod for myself. Add a 6'6" 3rd rod if my wife goes. I use the same reels on all so I can cannibalize parts if needed.

For 2 people I think 3 rods makes the most sense. The 3rd can be used to rig up something different so you can make quick changes. It can also be used as a backup in case something happens to one of the other 2 rods.

I like the idea of the 3rd rod being something like a 6'6" medium action with Shimano Sedona 2500 on it. A good all around set up that can work for just about anything. Might not be the best at certain things but will give you the most options if you wind up being down to one rod.

If both people on the trip are big fisherman or you prefer much different styles of fishing and want rigs set up a lot differently then maybe it makes sense to bring 2 rods each. That way you can both have an extra set up with a different presentation.

For myself when I travel with my wife we bring 2 rods, one for me and one for her. She is a very casual fisherperson so if my rod breaks she'd gladdly let me use hers or if hers breaks she'd probably be happy that fishing is no longer interrupting her book.

I bring two dedicated spinning Walleye rigs and one Pike baitcaster rig.

Makes good sense to me. Less retying means more time with your line in the water.

Fishing is a major part of why we go. We always have two rods per person. That was we can have two rods rigged up. Frequently one is a crank and the other is a soft plastic - typically either a Zulu or a jig.

On our trips, we each bring two rod/reel setups - one for jigging and one for casting/trolling.

I go with 4. This allows us to have a dedicated stop bobber rod the entire trip.

My wife and I fish a lot, we usually have 3 full length rods between us two. We also have one or two collapsible rods BDB'd on the canoe thwart but they're really just there for emergency or have one rigged for slip bobber.

My brother and I take four spinning rods plus my fly rod. I like to have braid on one and mono on the other.

Two rods per person for sure, or at least for anyone serious about fishing. Depends what you're fishing for, but it makes sense to have one rod for trolling and one for jigging. If you are fishing for bass, then the trolling rod can be for reaction baits (lipless, spinners, squarebills, etc) and the jigging rod can be for finesse and Texas rigging (plastics of all kinds). This way you can quickly follow up. If trolling and you get a bite, then you pull in the fish while your buddy drops a jig, and then you can drop a jig as well. Granted, you will be past where the fish actually hit the trolling lure, but there's a chance a couple followed and you might get 'em with a jig. When bass fishing, you could also run two reaction baits or two finesse presentations in case it seems like they're slapping at one of your baits and might want something similar but not quite what you're throwing. I'll be bringing 3 rods on my trip next weekend. When going for lakers and walleye, I'll have a trolling setup and two different jigging setups (a lipless and a vertical jig). When going for bass, I'll have two reaction setups (spinner and lipless/squarebill/swimbait) and a finesse setup (possibly Texas rig and either Senko or ZToo).

Obviously you don't want to overburden yourself, but the time saved from retying is a big deal as others say.

6

4 for 2

May I ask you what kind of baits you use while laker fishing? I’ve only ever fished them trolling but would love trying to vertical jig for them. Am I right in thinking jigging raps and rippin raps or maybe heavier jigs with some larger tube baits? We don’t bring anything along to tell us depths so that’s why we normally troll around. I like to use a spoon behind a keeled weight so I don’t have to let out as much line. Any tips Would be great. I am heading in on the 4th. TIA

Spoons, Tail Dancers, and lipless cranks. You might find luck with glide baits (typically for bass) as well. You can vertically jig the lipless. There was an article in the BWCA Journal an issue or two ago about using lipless for lakers, and how they work for trolling or jigging or casting. Definitely have a few in your arsenal, in silverish colors.

We all bring 3 rigs.
I bring 2 spinning rigs, one for slip bobber and leeches, one for throwing along shore. I also have a dedicated bait caster with braided line. This is used for trolling lakers and walleye.

I bring at least three rods for myself so three for the two of you is a good idea.

We always have one or two extra.

We like to find campsites where we can throw out a slip bobber and bait from shore, while still casting out a lure with the other rod.

We usually use three rods for two people. However, is it harder to bring along two extra rods than one? I think I'm going to four.

This year, I believe 2 rods / person. Last couple of years, 3 rods per person. However, we basecamp and have the reels off with the rods tied in the canoes for travel days in and out. 3 / person seemed excessive at times, but I'm having a hard time leaving that 3rd one at home this year.....1 live bait rig, 1 soft plastic rig, 1 topwater / crankbait rig. I'll get by with 2, I suppose. With the focus on fishing, I'd have a really hard time with just 1 rig per person.