I guess this is why I havnt had a problem, as for now im the backseater.

If you are a back seater the longer the rod the better, especially for them guys who like to front boat you. Thank goodness my buddies don't mind me catching fish.

I dont have that problem. My buddy always puts me on the fish.

Those new ones are graphite and are really nice.
Like my brother used to say "I'll beat you at pool with a
stick off the wall". and he did too.


Lots of folks think the more you pay the better you'll be
at something. It just don't work that way with everything.
I had a buddy that did that for years. Best of anything he
was into.
He recently got into Soduko. I told him he needed a $100 pen
and he would fly through them.

Get what you like and can afford. I buy more pricey gear because of the warranty it has and it feels so much better in my hand than cheaper gear. I'm sure there are great crappie fisherman that can tie a string to the finger and catch fish, but I like quality gear. Do you need expensive gear?.... No, but I can tell you, once you go with the good stuff, you won't go back. Everybody wants an edge, and good gear is just one of them. If you can afford pricey gear, get it, if not, don't get it. At the end it's up to you and what you like. I've been on both sides, and for me, my better quality rods feels better in your hand and detects bites way better than my lower end rods.

Get ya a dobyns DX701SF.....I bought a DX782 last year and only could fish with it for about a week before I left, but loved it and cant wait to get it back into use

You could spend way to much money and buy a dobyns or a stCROX, stCROCK I mean a stcroix but for the money you cant beat a proangler.

Disclaimer I am not here to rip off my fishing buddies on over priced gear!!!!

I am also not trying to rip anyone off, just offering MY opinion.....sorry if it is more expensive than yours

Go with a softer more flexible pole, it will be more forgiving and you'll miss fewer fish. Too stiff of a pole and you'll be ripping their lips off if you get a little excited when setting the hook. Quoting Chuck Rollins from http://bigcrappie.com/ as heard on the Saturday radio show from 5-7 AM on KRLD 1080AM http://www.texasfishingandoutdoors.com/

What does Chuck know?!!? He only boats like 10,000 fish a year. Amatuer...

The new ones are nicer I know Mack, just giving you a hard time is all bro. Cheap catches fish too. Right now my go to rod is one I bought for $7.88 so, I ain't saying cheap don't work.

There's nothing wrong with Pro Angler rods. I started out with 'em and still use them for certain applications but I LIKE fishing my Dobyns better.

1- your pocket book dictates your decision making
2- not all rods/brands are created equal
3- one brand may feel great to one angler and not the next
4- pricy isn't always the answer in everything, but usually for most as you get what you paid for
5- amazing how may people added up the cost of truck/boat/TM/electronics that could easily reached 70k plus, but they sweared on the cheapest rod/reel/line/lure
6- all gears minus rod/reel/line/lure can only get you from point A to point B and on fish.
7- keep in mind that the direct gears that connect between you and the crappies you love to fish are ROD/reel/line/lure

Disclaimer: not bias toward anyone using any brand at any cost; just being logical and helpful hints. After all, if you have 100k to budget for a vehicle and still rather purchase a YUGO, more power to ya. You'd have 90k left for another truck/boat/TM/electronics and 20k worth of beer. Hehehe. Just saying... Hehehe

I have never felt that you have to spend a fist full of cash for a decent crappie rig. Crappie are not drag burners. A 3 pounder is a dream for most crappie anglers. There is no need to fish for them with a $150 reel and a $150 rod. I also don't care for super cheap equipment because I hate purchasing the same thing twice. Give me $75 and I could get a killer setup for slabs.

Reggie