Between sponsorships and decades of tournament fishing, Scott Martin has accumulated his fair share of rods, and he’s first to admit most anglers don’t have that luxury. One of the questions he hears most on Instagram and Facebook is which rod to buy when you’re working with a budget. So in this Backyard Life video, filmed just after backing the boat in from a morning on Lake Okeechobee and just before a pre-4th of July mow, Martin gives his answer: if he could only fish three rods for the rest of his career, these are the three he’d choose.
The All-Purpose Workhorse: A 7’3” Medium-Heavy
Martin’s first pick is the rod he fishes more than any other, a 7-foot-3 medium-heavy baitcaster. His current favorite is a Team Lew’s Signature Series model that he likes for how lightweight it is. He calls it a true all-purpose rod, and the range of techniques it covers backs that up: with this one setup he can throw a worm, walk a big spook, flip a medium-sized jig, work a frog through cover, or slow-roll a big spinnerbait, usually on 15- to 20-pound line. Glance across the deck of his boat on any given day and most of the rods laid out are 7’3″s in one action or another, from medium-heavy up through heavy and extra-heavy.
He pairs the rod with a Lew’s 8.3:1 reel, and the high gear ratio is a deliberate choice. When a fish bites at the end of a long cast, the fast reel lets him crank down quickly and drive the hook with the reel itself, picking up far more line per turn than the 6.1:1 and 5.3:1 reels that were standard years ago. Setting the hook on a long-distance worm bite with one of those slower reels, Martin says, made it genuinely difficult to keep fish pinned.
Martin’s Number One Bait: The Speed Worm
Pushing the question one step further to a single lure, and Martin lands on a weedless speed worm rigged with a 3/8-ounce weight, a 4/0 hook, and 20-pound line. He’s been catching bass on it steadily at Okeechobee, and its case for the top spot mirrors the 7’3″‘s: he can swim it, fish along the bottom, and catch fish on it in the heat of summer or the middle of winter. A weedless worm, in his words, is a super versatile, big-fish-catching bait.
The Big-Fish Tool: A 7’6″ Heavy Flipping Stick
Staying on the baitcaster side of things, Martin’s second must-have is a 7-foot-6 heavy-action flipping stick paired with a HyperMag high-speed reel. This is where the heavier work happens: big glide baits, Carolina rigs, larger jigs, and bulky craws flipped into grass and reeds. For line, he steps up to 17- to 20-pound test or goes straight to braid, which he’ll occasionally spool on the 7’3″ medium-heavy as well but keeps on the flipping stick most of the time.
The Finesse Finisher: A 7’2″ Medium Spinning Rod
His third and final pick is a 7-foot-2 medium-action spinning rod with a 200-size HyperMag reel, spooled with 10- to 15-pound braid and finished with a fluorocarbon leader. Martin points out that the braid is durable enough to last all year without being replaced, which makes the setup about as low maintenance as they come. He reaches for it on the presentations his baitcasters can’t handle, like weightless Senkos, wacky rigs, small minnow-style baits, and tiny topwaters. What he won’t do is overload it; big jigs and heavier weights stay on the casting rods where they belong.
A Fresh Cut Before the Fourth
With the rod talk wrapped, Martin turns his attention to the yard, which needs a fresh cut before the 4th of July. He’s been running an Exmark Lazer Z zero-turn mower for over a year now, and it’s held up in a way his previous mowers never did. Where past machines rusted out, chipped, and generally got beat up after a season or two, the Lazer Z’s heavy-duty steel construction and commercial-grade build have kept it looking like new. His model runs a 52-inch deck, which lets him cover his yard quickly. Add in the safety features, and it’s a machine he describes as simply a great ride.
For anyone in the market for a new mower or an upgrade, Martin recommends stopping by an Exmark dealer to see the full lineup, from zero-turns to push mowers, and to check out current deals. Dealers also handle service for existing Exmark owners, which is the best way to keep these machines running for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bass Fishing Rod Setups
Across his three must-have rods, Martin relies on artificial bait rather than live bait. On his all-purpose 7’3″ rod, that includes worms, walking baits like a spook, jigs, frogs, and spinnerbaits. His flipping stick handles glide baits, Carolina rigs, and heavier jigs and craws. On the spinning rod, it’s weightless presentations like Senkos, wacky rigs, minnow-style baits, and topwaters. If he could only pick one, his top choice is a weedless speed worm.
A 7’3″ medium-heavy baitcasting rod is Scott Martin’s pick for the single most versatile bass rod. It handles worms, walking baits, medium jigs, frogs, and big spinnerbaits, typically fished on 15- to 20-pound line. If you can only buy one rod, this is the one that covers the widest range of techniques.
Martin recommends a high-speed reel, and his go-to is an 8.3:1. When a bass bites at the end of a long cast, a fast reel picks up slack line quickly so you can drive the hook with the reel and keep it pinned. Slower gear ratios like 5.3:1 make it much harder to get a solid hookset from distance.
For a spinning rod setup, Martin spools his spinning reels with 10- to 15-pound braid and adds a fluorocarbon leader. The braid is durable enough to last a full year without being replaced, while the fluorocarbon leader provides low visibility near the bait. This setup is ideal for weightless presentations like Senkos, wacky rigs, and small minnow baits.
A flipping stick, typically a 7’6″ heavy-action rod, is built for heavy-cover and big-bait techniques. Martin uses his for flipping jigs and craws into grass and reeds, throwing glide baits, and dragging big Carolina rigs, usually on 17- to 20-pound line or braid.
