Reel Rod Suggestions

Im new to crappie fishing? What are some good rods and reels for the money?

I just picked this up at Bass Pro and really like it.

http://m.basspro.com/Pflueger-Trion-GX7-Spinning-Rod-and-Reel-Combos/product/100904/101596

Caught a nice fish today on it at RR.

Get a pro angler rod. Best rod for the money. Can get 8, 10, or 12'. Most people use 8', i use 10' with a bass pro xps rod balancer. Reel really doesn't matter. I like baitcasts, i fish straight down, and found some good ones on clearance.

What do you think is the best of the three ive been hearing some really good things about these rods?

3js I find it ironic that i actually already have that reel and didn't know it would be good for crappie!

Thanks for the input

welcome to the forum!

welcome to the forum!

The stainless steel alloy used for the guides is a very good thing. The lengths still have me puzzled. Of the freshwater fish like lmb, hybrids, catfish, sandbass and brim why is it that crappie require such a long rod? My guess is it's a matter of preference and the long rod lets you work over more of a larger area of structure without having to reposition, a definite plus. The "backbone" requirement is also a bit difficult to understand. The crappie I catch are usually about a pound and a half and a big one would be four pounds (haven't caught one of those). With a papermouth the hookset isn't bone jarring and neither is the fight. So since we aren't fighting tuna or salmon I don't get the strong backbone requirement. A rod that doesn't break especially at the tip is very important and I understand the pro anglers have a good reputation for durability.

As for reels, I dusted off a 20 year old zebco 33 which still performed admirably and I'll have to clean some crappie first thing in the morning after using it. I prefer a spinning reel. I suggest staying away from most of the less expensive reels because they tend to fall apart quickly after minimal use. There are exceptions because the cheap tiny deadpbolt I've been using hasn't failed yet and I've used it over the last year more than most of my other reels combined. A smooth drag is still important to me but crappie aren't particularly demanding when it comes to taking drag. Most crappie fishermen I've met consider the reel similar to flyfishermen in that its just a place to hold the line. Some really good crappie fishermen don't even reel the line in, they just pull up on the long rod and drop the fish in the boat and return the jig back to the same depth they were fishing (another plus for using a long rod).

Welcome to crappie fishing and the TFF! Enjoy your time on the water and I hope you catch a few and soon.

I have tried many rod/reel combos. I got some good advice from this forum about many setups. I finally settled on the 8' Crappiemaxx from BPS for my longer rods with the Abu Garcia Cardinal stx10 spinning rod. I sometimes don't fish the long rods especially if I am not in my truck. If I am going to use a short rod I have a couple of 5'6 pistol grip Falcon rods with two old faithful Zebco 33's. They catch plenty of fish and never let me down. I use the Suffix seige 6 or 8lb line in the moss green. I experimented with braid a little and probably still will in the future. I wish you the best of luck.

You can use a stick if you want. For me it's more about the line. It's good to use 2-6lb test IMO. I use 6 because there are so many sandies and LMB at the places I normally fish and had to many breaks at first. I know some people that use 10lb but I prefer more sensitivity. I use spinners and bait casters. All my reels are Plueger, Abu, or Daiwa. Falcon, Abu, and ugly's are the rods I use. I just use 6'6" up to 7"6" rods. No reason for these brands it's just what I tried and liked so I stuck with it. It's what works for me and the way I fish. I like the ability to use my rods for multiple species so that's why I never stuck with the 9 footers I've had. It's also really fun to use cane poles for crappie!

You can use whatever stick if you like