amazon baitcasting rod Fishing and Reel Combo - 6.9ft Telescopic Spincast Rod with Left Handed Reel Combos - Sea Saltwater Freshwater Ice Bass Fishing Tackle Set 1 gear ratio reel that provides winch Kilitn Fishing Rod and Reel

5.KastKing Zephyr Bait Finesse I added this one in even though it is kind of a specialty reel

Loomis GCX Crankbait Casting Rod (moderate) LEWS KVD COMPOSITE CRANKING ROD BEST DEEP DIVING CRANKBAIT ROD Its impossible to even start the conversation on deep cranking without first paying homage to the king of cranking, Kevin VanDam

Shallow flats are a natural stopping point

Basically, for me it comes down to preference of feel

And the scary thing is, as time goes on, its only going to get more crowded as wave after wave of new smallmouths enter the area and begin wedging between the others until theyre, well, stacked like smallmouths in fall