Your thoughts on purchasing a new rod

I’m in the market to buy a new crappie rod. The two that I have are probably 25 years old (an 11’ Uncle Buck’s and an 8’ Pflueger fly rod). I’ve recently upgraded the electronics on my boat and want to spend time fishing for crappie on brush piles and standing timber with my new Livescope. I’m not looking for a rod to spider rig with. I know that there are better rods available on the market today, but I’ve been out of the fishing game so long that I don’t know where to start.

I’ll be attaching a small spinning reel to the pole. Any advice that you can offer would be appreciated very much. Rod length, brand / model, preference for a rod that has the reel mounted at the butt of the rod vs. a foot or so away from the butt, etc.

Thanks,

Keith

Welcome to the forum.

Plenty of great rods and rod makers to pick from that is for sure.

Like anything in Fishing it is a personal choice what you decide to use and you won't go wrong with any of them.

I use rods from www.AccCrappieStix.com. I have all of his lengths.
My two most fished with size wise are the 10 Foot and the 8 Foot.
Lately when I go I have been using the 12 Foot.

He has brand new 12 Footers that should be coming in any day now.

I Love his rods and that is what you will see me using and I fish exclusively for Crappie.
Andy the maker of the ACC Rods is a former Full Time Crappie Guide.
If you order online you will usually have the rods in a week or less delivered.

Pro Angler is another good choice.
G-Rods are also spoken of Very highly.

Those are probably the 3 most talked about Crappie Rod Makers on the TFF.

You can't go wrong with any of them.

As far as Rear or Mid Mount for the reel again that is a personal choice.
I use bait caster reels 99% of the time and spinning reels in the Spring for Cork fishing.
I personally prefer the Mid Mount.

Good Luck!

Welcome again to the forum and Crappie Fishing.
Feel Free to give me a call anytime 214-264-3232 Glen Schmidt.

I'll be happy to help in anyway I can.

Glen hit all the bases...my wife and I use Crappie Maxx rods from BPS/Cabelas. using Livescope I think 10-12 foot is best, thats usually
the distance away from the fish most set up at.

I use either G-Rods or G-Loomis
A quality rod will really make a difference

G Rods.

The aforementioned Rods are all EXCELLENT choices with the G & the G Lomis being the Front Runners in my opinion but there are TWO less spoken of rods that can be included on this list! The Bonehead & Thump City Rods are Great bang for your buck weapons also!, especially the Thump City Rods when they`re available . It comes down to personal choice They all will catch fish but Buy what you can afford.& buy for the conditions you will be fishing also.My point being, a 10-12ft rod would not be practical fishing under a bridge with a low ceiling regardless what brand you choose

I must be the only angler hear that was disappointed in my G rod purchase. I fish it along side 4 Pro-anglers,
I can't tell that I catch any more fish on it than the others. For 3x the money , A fellow should be able to feel a difference.
Maybe the fault lies with me I have also tried St Croix , same result,

Good luck

Mo

No sir you are not the only one disappointed! I also felt the bite of buyers remorse initially when I compared mine to my PA,ACC,BH ,etc. In fact it wasn`t until I began to use a certain type of braided line with the G Rod that I actually began to experience it`s superior sensitivity & the reason for all the hype.Go figure

The only rods i know that are butt mounted are fly rods but not sure they’re built for regular spin cast reel . Never hurt to try tho . But not sure also if they can handle a jerk when you get a bite , tip might break too easily . Also for 10-11’ are made for large salmon fishing , not sure they would be sensitive to a crappie bite .

ACC Crappie Stik 11' rear seat

I

I have ACC Crappie Stik in 5, 7-6, 8, 10' and just bought an 11".. Amazing sensitivity and backbone in every Rod!

I fish out of a Kayak. The 7'6" Split Grip is becoming my go too

i like the 8ft lew's walley marshall signature series or pro series, my 8ft pa and bh usually stay home. for a 10 footer, i do like my pa a little better than my wm signature

7'6" split grip ACC is far and away the best rod I own.

Pro Angler or Thump City. A Huckabee would be good if you have the budget for it.

"They all will catch fish but Buy what you can afford.& buy for the conditions you will be fishing ",...what Fishbonz says.
Remember 90% of the crappie ya catch is under two pounds..!

I just ordered a 10 ft mid seat ACC Crappie Stix. If it works out great, I may by a 8 ft one too. Havent used them myself but guy I follow on youtube loves them. I like the price on them. $60.

You guys are awesome! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and recommendations. This helps a lot.

I really like the bass pro microlite 7.5’ Ultralight action. I catch a lot of crappie but I also catch walleye, striper, sandies, smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass, and some catfish on mine. Caught a bunch of striper this spring on it fishing ultra clear water with 4 lb line and it handled like a dream.

It also depends on if you like to fight the fish like I do or if you like to pull them out of the water with no fight. I got a BnM sam heaton and love it. It is super noodly but still has good backbone. Pro angler is also good but a bit stiff for me. Micro lites are also good. Seems like a lot of the hype nowdays is the long stiff rods and just lifting the fish out with no fight. Don't get that other than tournament fishing.

I have St Croix, Wally Marshal, ACC, Gloomis and G-rods. By far the most sensitive are the G-rods. I have two now and the wife has one. Nothing wrong with the other rods and one doesn't catch more fish than the other, but the G rods are just awesome.

Thanks for everyone’s input. I just placed an order for two rods, a 10’-6” G-Rod rear handle mount and an 11’ ACC crappie rod. Can’t wait to try them out.

Picked up a St. Croix awhile back and after using it I didn't really like it much. Then I tried it for dock shooting.....that's a jig flinging rascal. Has become one of my favorites now.

Plus one for the pro anglers. best rod I ever used and tough as a boot.

ProAnglers are at the top of my list as well. I have several lengths and all perform well. And I don't have to dip into a savings account to buy 3 or 4.

G-Rod if you wanna be able to feel them lick it

I wish 10% of the crappie I caught were over 2 pounds