Rods and Reels

[USMCbassman]

I'm sure this horse has been beat repeatedly on here and I've done some searching, reading, researching and more researching.

Long of the short is I get extremely tired of switching lures all the time. I currently have two baitcaster set up:

7' Kistler M/H with a fast taper and Curado 200E7

7' BPS Tourny Special M/H with a fast taper and 7.1:1 ratio BPS reel

I'm comfortable with throwing just about anything on my curado, the BPS reel needs to be serviced (I believe the drag washer is shot and regardless what type of line I put on it it inevitibly birds nest every cast regardless of how much I adjust it). I love the rod and hate the reel.

I enjoy throwing my crankbaits so I need to slow it down and have been pondering a lower gear ratio Citica and I've been eyeballing Lew's baitcasters as well.

As well I have all the tackle needed to dropshot without the rod and reel so I know that is something I need to invest in as well. Rod and reel combo I haven't decided on.

Do you think that BPS tourny rod with a slower ratio reel (e.g. the Citica) will suffice for crankbaits? Or is there a different rod I should just go ahead and purchase? Eventually I'll upgrade the rod, for starters though?

Do you believe there is a spinning combo that is more versatile over others? I don't want to paint myself into a corner with only a couple of set ups. Eventually and as time and money allows I'll buy more and more towards bait specific combos (need/want a swimbait setup as well which I know will be pretty much a bait specific setup).

I believe 3 is a magic number right now as far as rod and reel setups; anyone recommend anything different? I have read numerous times that 5 ultimately seems to about the number of rods and reels to possess, but that seems to most tourny guys.

A lot of ramblin' there, hopefully you all can see where I'm going with this. Thanks

[bassboogieman]

For treble baits, other than deep (15' +) cranks I prefer a medium/moderate rod in 6'9" - 7'0" with a co-poly line. This is what I like, others do what works best for them. I find that a M/m rod casts the lures easily and with accuracy but more importantly are less likely to pull hooks from a fish's mouth should they surge or run when they see the boat.

Some will fish braid, and use a medium light power to compensate for the lack of stretch. That doesn't work for me. Using mono, you may be able to get by with a MH, as the line will stretch more that other lines.

If you are contemplating a new rod purchase, I would suggest a rod designed specifically for cranking - several companies make them, Kistler, Loomis, St. Croix, BPS, etc. - that fits your budget (and satisifies your monkey). If you need a reel also, then I would recommend one with a ratio in the neighborhood of 6.3:1 (good general purpose).

Line choice would be the last to consider. I am not a fan of braid for cranks, mono is ok, flurocarbon gives me fits with the memory and stiffness, so I use co-polymer (YoZuri Hybrid). I also like co-poly as it is stronger than mono of comparable diameter and more abraison resistant. The smaller the line diameter the deeper a crank will dive.

For me a rule of thumb (when cranking) is the less stretch in your line the softer the rod's action should be. Treble hooks are small, short shanked (compared to hooks used for most plastics) with narrow gaps and tend not to hold as well as a single hook. Something has to give a little to avoid pulling hooks and the more things work together - line, rod power, rod action, reel drag - the less likely to pull a hook.

[Jrob78]

I would say the 2 combos you have now are good all purpose set ups. They should be good for just about anything in a pinch. I would suggest having your BPS reel looked at by a professional, ProReel on this site has a great reputation, reasonable pricing and a lot of satisfied customers. I'm sure he could have your reel running better than it did brand new.

If you like to do a lot of cranking, that should probably be your next set up. Boogieman gave you some good advice already. Definitely go with a rod designed for cranking. You can choose graphite or glass, graphite is going to be faster, meaning the flex will be closer to the tip, whereas glass will basically flex the whole length of the rod. Glass also has a much slower recovery time and will be less sensitive. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I personally prefer glass for most of my cranking, a lot of guys hate glass, strictly personal preference.

If you throw a lot of deep cranks, you will probably want to go with a longer, (7'3"-8') MH-H power, moderate action rod. If you throw more shallow to mid cranks, something in the 7'-7'6" med power, moderate/moderate fast action should work fine. These days most rod companies offer cranking versions in both graphite and glass, priced to fit most budgets. Again, it really comes down to personal preference. A trip to Bass Pro or Cabelas is probably in order. Handle a few rods and find the one you like. Also remember TW ships for free on orders over $50, including rods.

If I were looking for a cranking rod, I would check out the St. Croix Mojo Glass rod, some of Powell's cranking rods in glass and graphite, Falcon has cranking rods in all their rod series', Shimano has cranking rods in all their rod series' and I believe St. Croix does as well. There is no shortage of good cranking rods out there.

As far as reels, I use Shimano Curado E5's and Revo Winch's for my cranking. If you fish a lot of deep cranks, you definitely will want something with a gear ratio in the 5's. This helps keep the deep divers from wearing you out after a day of fishing them. They create so much drag that the low gear ratios provides the torque you need. If you're throwing shallower cranks more, you can get away with something in the 6's. I like slower reels for all my cranking, it helps me slow down and not over fish the bait and it keeps the bait from over working me.

I haven't handled one of the new Citicas but the old ones are great reels. I'm sure that would be a fine choice. Another really good cranking reel is the BPS Pro Qualifier, they come in several gear ratios and are under $100. They are really solid reels with more features than the Citica. I know a lot of people are really liking the Lew's reels too but I haven't fished one of their cranking models but I'm sure it would be a good choice too.

As far as spinning tackle, I feel as though I can do most anything with casting equipment that I can do with spinning equipment. I do own 1 good spinning set up that I rarely use. I just don't enjoy using spinning gear, so I'm probably not the best person to give advice on them. I will say though, there is a spinning reel for sale in the classifieds that I've had a hard time not pulling the trigger on just because it's such a good deal. I think this reel retails for $250 and is Abu's top of the line spinning reel. I can't believe no one has snatched it up yet.
http://www.bassfishin.com/bassfishin...ad.php?t=32571

[bassboogieman]

I just don't enjoy using spinning gear

HA, Joe! That's probably because it shines for light presentations, which we need up NORTH for our finicky bass. You're in Texas, where bass are born at two pounds and won't even look at a McNugget, they want a whole leg at least and don't have picky table manners.

[Jrob78]

Hahahahaha, yeah around here finesse is a 1/2oz shaky head with a 10" Power Worm or drop shotting a 8" Huddleston

[USMCbassman]

Thanks guys...appreciate the info. My Kistler rod is a frog/jig/carolina specific rod.

I've been eyeballing the lamiglas excel rod and the powell series of rods. I've looked at a myriad of rods and just need to settle on one I guess and what I'm willing to pay. Zombie rod makes some nice, iRod, Phenix, etc. I love to fish just not sure I'm ready to pay 300 bucks for a rod.

I believe I'll go with another baitcaster set up and then go after a spinning combo following that.

[Jrob78]

The Lamiglas Excel is a really good rod for the money, as are the Powell's, I have both. The really nice thing about the Lami is you can get it with micro guides. If you haven't tried micro guides yet, I highly recommend them. The vast majority of my rods (mostly custom builds) have them and I feel like there is a significant advantage to using micros.

There are so many good rods in the sub $200 category now, it would be really hard for me to choose. Lamiglas, Falcon, Powell, Dobyn's, Shimano, Phenix and St. Croix are all companies I would consider buying a rod from.

[USMCbassman]

I've been trying to figure out what all this micro guide rage is about. I don't even think you can buy a Kistler anymore with regular guides and I noticed most major manufacturers offer at least one rod with micro guides.

May have to give one a try...

[kennethdaysale]

Lighter-more sensitive-smoother casting-less tangles-eye candy........
It's just an natural improvement and refinement. Similar I guess to something like zero anti reverse on modern reels. Do you even remember when reel handles would back up 2 inches on a hookset? Would you want to go back to that?

[lilmule]

Actually im old fashioned dont own a single micro and dont want any,if in the north line freeze and down here veggies will clog them up,those pads I fish also collect some free floating algae,would indeed clog up a micro as have normal size clog a few times.
Up to a few years ago still used a plueger rocket for catfishing,finally got where it didnt want to engage when I flipped the switch or lock.
So one persons eye candy is someones elses eyesore.
On my custom outfits I have them built one size over size in guides and with a spiral wrap.Other than works for me havnt a clue.

[bassinbob]

I bought the Carrot Stix Gold from Gander MT. when they were on sale for $99. It's a 7ft med. mod with micro guides. A lot of people have had bad luck with the carrots but mine hasn't any issues. I can cast a lipless crank about 15 to 20 ft farther than with a non micro guide rod. The rod loads up better IMO than my Gloomis crank rod. Very light and great to fish with. I've used it in the grass and pick more off the lure then the rod. No problems with the guides gunking up so far. I don't fish when it's cold enough to freeze the guides so that's not an issue for me. I just bought a Quantum Response micro guide rod from Gander on sale for $49 I haven't tried it out yet but I am going to use it for a few different methods to find what I like best. It is a 7ft mh. I use a Citica 200E on the Carrot. Some of the Wall Marts around here have the 200E's for $80. I agree with Jrob.

[USMCbassman]

Originally Posted by bassinbob

Some of the Wall Marts around here have the 200E's for $80.

WOW....seriously?!?!? I wish...I've been scouring CL's, eBay, google shopping, etc trying to find an E5 for a decent price. I've noticed most places jacked the prices up after the G series models came out. My local tackle shop only has e7's in

I think I've decided on a Lew's tourny pro though...If I find a curado for the right price though I'll pick it up if I haven't bought the other by then.

[bassboogieman]

Micro's are fine for anything where you would not tie on a leader. Micro guides do knot handle nots well, or maybe it's the other way around......................

[bassinbob]

Come to think of it I saw some Citica's at Gander cheap too. Good luck with the Lews'. Seems a lot of people love them. Some people claim Wall Mart sells the Citicas and Curados that aren't built the same as the ones you would buy from say Bass Pro Shops. I bought some of the older Curados when Wall mart was getting rid of them and they haven't let me down in over 5 years.