09-20-09, 04:24 PM | #1 |
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Budget minded crankbait rods
I have been looking into buying one, maybe two new rods to use for crankbaits this next year. Much has been spoken in here about crankbait rods. However, no one has mentioned, to my memory, any Gander Mountain rods. I have a couple Gander Mountain rods and they have served me well. However, I havn't really looked at the Gander Mountain rods in several years. So I went on line to see what they have. Obviously, you can't really tell much about a rod without actually holding one in your hands. But based on what I could read, it looks like there are several to choose from that run under $100.00. I saw one line of their rods which are made of IM7 graphite blanks, and offer moderate action tips on medium power rods. And at only $59.00. For those needing a new crankbait rod who are on a tight budget, like me, it may be worth looking into.
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09-20-09, 04:35 PM | #2 |
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The Shimano Compre series has a few different crankbait rods. I would definately look at those as well.
You can get a rod like the BPS crankin' stick, but that is a glass rod, and not everyone may like glass rods (I personally don't). If you're really on a budget, Cabela's E Glass rods are like 25 bucks (I think they're on sale for 14.99 right now). they should work good for cranking. I've never even held a Gander Mtn rod, so I can't say anything about them. BB
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09-20-09, 11:40 PM | #3 | |
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09-22-09, 08:39 AM | #4 |
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Keith,
I have a BPS cranking stick and it's one of my favorite rods. I have a ML action for throwing small cranks. I've had it now for 3 years and it's been good to me!
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09-23-09, 07:11 PM | #5 |
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I just purchased a David Fritts 4.7 - 1 casting reel tonight for crankbaits as it is so often recommended by our esteemed Zooker. While I was at BPS, I noticed the BPS Crankin Sticks are on sale for $49.00. They seemed like a pretty decent rod for that low price. And a little lighter than the American Rodsmith David Frittz rods, the Quantum KVD crankin rods and a couple others I looked at. I'm tempted to buy one as I don't have a lot of cash to fork out on a rod right now. But I'm torn between a 7' Medium power and the 6 1/2' Medium power. Both have a tip action that although listed as fast, seems more in the moderate to moderate/fast catagory. I'll be casting small to medium crankbaits like the Bandit 100 series and Rapala DT6. Or maybe I should wait for a different rod altogether? The one salesman at BPS told me he has the same rod but has it in a 6 1/2 ML and loves it for his medium to small crankbaits, but I'm not sure if that would be too light a power for good hooksetting.
Last edited by keithdog; 09-23-09 at 09:55 PM. |
09-25-09, 10:12 AM | #6 |
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I have a 7' rod and like it over a smaller rod for cranking. I throw Bandit 100's and Dt6's on a ML action Cranking Stick. At some point I'm going to get a M action 7' rod for deeper diving cranks but I mostly throw small shallow runners and the ML does well for me. It's great for playing big fish on a small crankbait.
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09-26-09, 11:18 AM | #7 |
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I was all set to buy a BPS Crankin Stick, but I just happened to stop by Gander Mountain after work and found a Shimano Convergence casting rod that I think will work very well. Not a very expensive rod at $59.00 but looks and feels like it's made well. It's a 7 ft medium power with a medium fast action. I'll let you know how it works out with the BPS David Frittz reel thats going on it. Should cast a Bandit 100 a good long ways, at least I hope so.
Wow, what a setup is all I have to say. If your looking for a casting outfit for smaller cranks, this is quite an outfit! The David Frittz reel and the Shimano 7 foot M power MF action rod cast those small cranks and surface baits a country mile. Ok, maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea. If you want casting combo for small to midsize crankbaits without breaking the bank, this a a great choice. I bought the reel for $69.00 on sale at BPS and the rod cost $59.00 normal price. |
10-02-09, 09:27 AM | #8 |
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I'm a fan of the St. Croix Premier Glass rods. They're a good value.
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10-02-09, 09:46 AM | #9 |
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10-02-09, 10:43 AM | #10 |
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I am not a big fan of technique specific rods, I use one type of rod for all my bass fishing. I have used 2 rods that have a noticably slower hook set because one is fiberglass: Browning Silaflex ( around 35 bucks) and the Cabelas Fish Eagle II ( IM 6, very forgiving graphite, not brittle) they are on sale for 50 right now, in various actions and strengths. I have used both rods , and had wonderful experiences with them. If I was forced to make a choice i would go with the Silaflex, this was my first "Brand Name" rod, a few decades back.
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10-02-09, 10:44 AM | #11 |
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Last year I happened to be in wally world buying oil for my boat and there Berkley rods were on sale. I cleared out all there Berkley Cherry rods, I got 5 of them at 5 bucks a piece 7' med action. What the heck if I didn't like'em Id give them to a needy kid bank fishing.
I have used them as my cranking sticks and I have to say that even at there original price of 25 +/- bucks I think if I had to I would buy more they are a great cheap rod!! The Amp's, Lightning and Shock rods have been good to me also. But for Wormin,Froggin and finessin I stick to my Quantum Tour and Energy rods. |
10-02-09, 12:32 PM | #12 |
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Keith, you will be very satisifed with the Convergence rods... I have them and for the price you can not beat them, IMO. I will be buying more of these rods this fall and winter when they go on sale. The rods are great, and they do not break the bank either. The guides have held up extremely well and I love the biogrip reel seat. I have a 6'6" MH casting rod that is matched up with an '08 BPS Rick Clunn reel and it makes the perfect rod for plastics... There are a couple more of these combos in my future. Good luck with the new rod!!
Ryan
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10-05-09, 06:56 AM | #13 |
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Your right on Ryan. I've had the rod out a couple times and couldn't be happier. I'm suprised at how sensitive the rod is. I did take the 4.7:1 Frittz reel off of it and am buying a Rick Clunn 5.4:1 to use for smaller cranks instead. I'll use the Frittz reel for my larger cranks. There was a little more backlash issues for me with the Frittz and small cranks than I would like. But with midsize to larger cranks, the Frittz performed amazingly well.
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10-05-09, 05:11 PM | #14 |
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Keith, that is a good choice for a reel... I use the same on for crankbait fishing. If you like the 08 models of the clunns (ITB Brakes), check ebay, some people have been selling them pretty cheap lately. I picked one up last week for $46 shipped! A 5.2:1 sold a couple days ago for like $30... just something to look at.
Ryan
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10-05-09, 09:46 PM | #15 | |
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Quote:
Hope that helps. |
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10-09-09, 10:03 PM | #16 |
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I love the Mojo Crank rod by St. Croix.
I paid 89.00. Lots of rod for the money. |
10-12-09, 11:28 AM | #17 |
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BPS cranking sticks are actually a very good rod for the money. I have used a 7'6'' M model for quite a few years and it has performed flawlessly with everything from 1/2 oz to 3/4 oz deep divers. I wanted another cranking rod for the smaller baits around 1/4 oz and found an American Rodsmiths 7' ML Team series rod to work perfectly. It has just the right amount of tip to throw lightweight baits a long ways, but has more then enough backbone for handling big largemouths or smallmouths.
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12-13-09, 10:25 PM | #18 |
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Crankbait rods don't have to be graphite, I prefer a non-graphite rod (or graphite composite) for crankbaiting. Shakespeare Ugly Stik would be the cheapest choice that you could get away with. I bet the Berkley Lightning Rod Shocks would do the job.
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12-14-09, 06:55 PM | #19 |
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I have 2 of the crankin sticks 1 medium,1 medium heavy and I have nothing but good things to say about them.
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12-21-09, 04:18 PM | #20 |
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You can fish with a variety of rods and still catch fish with crankbaits, but My advise is instead of buying two cheaper rods, start building good equipment now....when you learn new techniques you should focus on them for a while anyway...so sticking to a tactic for a year..or whatever is a good idea anyway.
For me...There is only one small/medium crankbait rod..the dibyn's 704cb glass. ...yeah ok technically there are others but check out tackle tours review on them. |
12-22-09, 05:20 AM | #21 |
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Not to bash your recommendation acm4, but a guy looking for a value rod probably doesn't really need advice on a 230 dollar rod. Cherry stick on the low end, W and M tessera s-glass 7ft one the higher end
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12-22-09, 09:13 AM | #22 | ||
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Anyways, I got to hold one of the new Tessera rods (ok, so I held all of them that BPS had, that's not the point, lol). For the price, I was pretty impressed by the graphite ones, but a bit dissapointed in the glass cranking sticks. Personally, I didn't notice much difference in the S-glass and any other glass stick. Both were bulky, and too heavy for me. (Maybe it's because I'm used to my graphite custom crankbait rod, which is really light). BB
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12-22-09, 10:44 AM | #23 |
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BPS Crankin'Stick
I've been using the BPS Crankin' Stick for the past few years and am very pleased. I've got 6', 61/2', and 7' models in both Medium and Medium Heavy actions.
If you need accuracy, go with the 6 1/2' Med action. For long casts, the 7' Med will serve you well. |
12-23-09, 02:51 PM | #24 |
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There's no doubt that sometimes Big Box tackle store rods are discounted down to giveaway prices. These rods often look very good, other times they are assembled from pretty crumby looking components. At $20.00 or so, these are basically disposable items, so warranties aren't an issue.
It's often said that we get what we pay for. With that in mind, I am a big fan of Shimano rods and reels. This is because of their outstanding warranties. There might be a bargain available for under $100.00. The hybrid TC4 blank used for the Shimano Crankbait model Compre, seems to be the same as the one used for the considerably more expensive Crucial rods. If that's so, then you are getting basically the same rod of about a $50.00 savings. I have a Crucial crankbait rod and I love it. As for the Shimano Convergence. These rods might be alright. However, I suggest that you try your reel on it before you buy. I had one about 5 years ago and the back of the reel seat was too small/tight. The seat was a copy of the famous Fuji model, but none of the reels I had would fit down into it properly. The front of the reels mount was fine, but only the back corners of the reel's foot would catch in the back of the seat. In fact a reel popped out of the seat when I hit a snag while trolling one day. I probably should have returned it to Shimano, but in the end I simple traded it away. Garry2r's |
12-24-09, 05:40 PM | #25 |
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I think we had a thread floating around about Gander mountain rods. I have 1 and my Dad has 2 and we are all very pleased with their value, weight, and really everything. For a $50 rod, they are pretty darn good.
My advice is always as suggested earlier in this thread, get in the store, feel the rod in your hand and go with what you like. Its hard to buy rods from catalogs and get just what you want unless you are already so well acquainted with various blanks that you need no advice. |
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