Sooner or later you'll hook a good fish while making bait. That's why I use a quality rod and reel for my bait setup. I cut 6 hook sabikis in half, use a jig as a sinker, and have a dedicated rod so I can probe bait balls anytime. Having a rod with exposed sabiki hooks hasn't really been a problem. Those ahi rods are cute, but I found them to be too stiff (though much better than a PVC rod).
