Help Looking At New Rods

Looking to get a few better rods. I have been bass fishing about a year and a half. Currently all I have is the BPS Exteme 6' 6" Medium Heavy. They work really well as an all around rod. But I am getting more in to spinnerbait fishing and cranking. What recommendations are out there for a better spinnerbait rod and a cranking rod. Do not want to look at any crazy expensive rods. Just needing a step up.

How much are you looking to spend?

I would say no more than about $150 - $175.

I started a thread a while back, "best crank rod for the money" seach for that thread and there is a lot of good info. I ended up going with a Dobyn's 805 and love it.

150-175 for 1 or 2?

150-175 per rod.

Looking for 2.

I have the BPS VIP card still active, and with the holidays coming up looking to spend some of that saved up cash.

I-Rod makes a great line in that price point with the Genesis II line.

www.irodfishing.com

At BPS man, I'd either look at the Ducketts (I've got one and they are pretty nice rods if you don't mind white) or the BPS Carbonlite. I bought a 7'6" heavy and matched it with a carbonlite reel a good while ago and I am completely impressed with it both weight and strength. Had I tried a high end BPS branded rod earlier I probably would have a boat full of them instead of what I have. Don't get me wrong I love my rods but for the price, I can't find a fault with the Carbonlite series.

The BPS Extreme is one step below those I believe. They make them in about 30 variations... Just looking for more than the 4 or 5 6'6" Medium/ Heavies I have.

Didn't know what the best specs on a good cranking rod or spinnerbait rod would be.

The ones I have, throwing smaller spinnerbaits is fine, anything closer to the 1/2 oz. feels like I am throwing way too much weight and the rod feels like I am pulling a small fish in with just the spinner on there..

For cranking, only thrown a few cranks. Still new to that whole thing, but not real happy with the way the rod feels cranking them in.

Pm Semt

Hey Brandon,
The rods that I use for crankbait fishing are the Veracity rods from Abu Garcia. I love these rods because they are very light weight and very sensitive. I can feel every little thing going on under the water from ticking the top of a grass line to rock piles. Also there are four different models with different actions for shallow cranking to deep cranking.

Thanks for that info wackE.

Still wondering what you guys would recommend on the rods as far as what specs to get for which type of fishing...

Like for 1/4 to 3/8 spinnerbaits what type of rod.. stiffness and action so forth.

On cranks, we don't have deep water here on my home lake. You have to try hard to find water over 15' in fishing areas. Mud bottom not a lot of structure except on the banks. So we usually fish the creek and river channels. fishing in 5'-10' of water. so what kind of action and so forth on that...

Brandon check out Denali rods. They have some awesome crank bait rods at your price range. The Jadewood is the entry level at $99.00. Next is the Kovert and the Rosewood. They are all great rods. I own the 7 foot medium Jadewood crankbait rod and love it so much I ordered the same rod in the Rosewoood series. Good luck on your search.

Send me a message with wat u want I could build u some custom rods for your price range

TFO tactical series.

I'm not specifically worried about brand or model.

More interested in what specs everyone recommends for each rod.

What action/stiffness would y'all recommended for a spinnerbait rod and what action/stiffness for a good shallow to medium cranking rod.

Need to know what kinda specs I need to be looking at. New to cranking and need a better spinnerbaits rod than what I have. So length/action/stiffness is what I'm mainly looking for.

As far as a crank bait rod, I would say a 7 foot medium action. Make sure it has a soft enough tip so you don't rip the bait out of the fishes mouth.

Picked up a Powell Inferno today at APT, and I gotta say it is one awesome stick. Can't beat the lifetime warranty with the no questions asked $30 over the counter exchange either.

This is what I use for spinnerbaits.

$159.99
Castaway Skeleton Spinnerbait Special

SKXSBM610: Exclusive Castaway Double-Exposed Reel Seat, Alconite Guides, Split Grip Handles, Multi-Modulus Blank Construction, Strong & Sensitive Length: 6'10" Power: Medium Action: Fast Guides: 10 Line Weight: 8-14 lbs Lure Weight: 3/8-3/4 oz


This is my small crankbait rod.

$159.99
Castaway Skeleton Cranking Rod

SKXCM7: Exclusive Castaway Double-Exposed Reel Seat, Alconite Guides, Split Grip Handles, Multi-Modulus Blank Construction, Strong & Sensitive Length: 7' Power: Medium Action: Moderate Line Weight: 8-14 lbs Lure Weight: 1/4-5/8 Handle: 10.5" C

Brandon, I think this is somewhat of a personal preference. I prefer a 7 foot or 6'10" medium action rod with a moderate bend for medium and square bill cranks. For deep cranks I like a medium heavy action rod with a moderate bend. For most spinnerbaits I like a medium heavy action rod with a fast tip. Hope this helps.

7 ft to 7 ft 3 in medium action or medium heavy will cover most of your 1/4 to 3/4 oz. crankbait and spinnerbait needs. This winter there will be some great deals on used rods as guys get new stuff for Christmas and gear up for the spring tourney season. You could likely get two rods of quality for the price range you stated if you troll the for sale/for swap boards.

No problem. I'd stick with a med to medhvy with moderate action for the cranks and medhvy fast action for the spinner bait. Stick with those and and you'll be good to go.

Look at Shimano crucials. Lifetime warrenty.

Powell

This is a question that is asked over and over again. Dobyns, Denali, Powell, iRod, Duckett, etc. all make fine rods. My personal opinion is that you go to Bass Pro Shops, Gander Mountain, and Cabelas and spend a lot of time checking out different rods. I will not buy a fishing rod without first putting it in my hand. There is no cast-in-stone specifications for fishing rods. One company's medium heavy, may feel like medium to you. It's got to feel good in your hands and feel like it is going to do what you want it to do.

Brandon look up Crankbass here in TFF he has some falcons for sale that will be like new he takes great care of his stuff.

Thanks for the input guys. Helps a lot.

I don't know if its important to you but Falcon and Castaway are American made rods. I am a fan of the Falcon Bucoo series myself.

GTS CB794-1
http://www.tforods.com/conventional-rods...ml#.UopA7Xm9LTo

The new megabass rods look awesome. I can't wait to get my hands on some.

Pretty fond of the Carbonlites...not a fan of the reels, but the rods have been great. I'm about to try a Abu Veritas...any opinions on those?

I am not partial to anything still at this point. I have a VIP card to bass pro so that 10%-20% percent helps. Had a few people interested that make custom rods too, which is cool. But, I am still trying to just figure out what specs I need to be kind of close to. I don't know what works best or what to look for.

I agree with Jeremy on this one. Denali has some sweet rods. They are durable and really sensitive.

Check out the BPS crankin stick, very nice crankbait rod at a good price. As for your spinnebait rod, a 7'good mh action Falcon lowrider is a great rod at $150. Just my humble opinion

Check out the G-Blanks. Click on the link in my sig Larry Mitchell is great and has any rod for any type of presentation.

You should definitely check out Denali fishing rods. The Jadewood and Kovert series are within your price range and are excellent rods!

Ill put my .02 in. I am switching out all my Falcons for Denalis. I have Rosewoods and Noirwoods because they don't have foam handles. They are great rods and the price isn't out of line either.

What you have really should be ok for spinnerbaits and square billes and medium divers.

As far as size and actions go, I've never used that brand though.

You might want to step up to nicer rods for a worm/jig rod, thats where you will really see an improvement IMO,

I normally care the less about what kind of rod my spinnerbaits and squarebills are on, in comparison to my worms and jigs.

Also type of cover i find makes a big difference too, are you working big flats, and areas that offer alot of open casting or are you trying to bang those squares and spinners up under tree limbs and docks??

A 7,3 is gonna work better in open water, but skipping up under stuff a 6'6" can't be beat imo.

But so much about rods is personal preference, everything feels different to everyone and the way you work the bait makes a difference too.

Unfortunaltely you usually have to collect alot of rods to get the one you really want.

I bought 4 rods over two years trying to get a "better" spinnerbait rod, and finally gave up. Unfortunalty it's about bit the dust(it's over a decade old) and I'm gonna have to go buy a bunch more i'm sure to try and get another good one(my sb rod is long discontinued0

Sometime, newer and more expensive isn't always "better" for your personal preference.

I'd go with a Duckett rod or a Dobyns Savvy rod. They're both really light and they're great rods all around.

Go to Gander Mountain and look at the 13 omen. Just ordered one from TW for $79.

+1 on the 13 omen i have 2 and by far the best rods in the boat

I use several Denali Rods. Froggin, crankin, finess. I love them. good price, durable, and sensitive. For the price you cant beat the Kovert line.

Some people rip the Veritas rods but I have had good luck with them. Not crazy about the eyes but not a bad rod for 100 bucks. I really like the winch series for cranking. I would upgrade if I could afford it but I can't just buy any rod I want like you guys.