Bronzefly

Since you indicate an interest in rods other than the BCR Jig & Worm series, i'll only briefly list a few of my favorites there - BCR 855 GLX, BCR 893 GLX, BCR 803 GLX I've had the opportunity to feel most of the new topwater and jerkbait series, but not to fish them just yet. I do have the TWFR 935C - it's a completely different animal from the old frog rod - which was terrible. I've used it to toss smaller hard swimbaits and have been impressed with it - it's going to be an outstanding hollow body frog rod. I'm a huge fan of the MBR GLX rods. I use them most often for moving baits and couldn't be happier with their performance. I feel like they can cover a very wide range of techniques extremely well, are very light and sensitive, and offer all the benefits of a GLX rod. The MBR 782 GLX is a great jerkbait, smaller crankbait, smaller spinnerbait/buzzbait rod - but is also a sweet 1/4 oz jig rod if necessary. The MBR 783 GLX has been mentioned, but between it and the MBR 843 GLX, they are among the best "all purpose" bass rods I've ever used. The MBR 842 GLX is another outstanding rod in the lineup. I toss everything from bandits to silver buddies on this rod - topwaters to shakey heads. The CBR 845 is an amazing mid-depth crankbait rod - things like the DT-10 or Deep Little N feel absolutely in the zone with this rod. I could go on about more of their rods as I've had the pleasure of fishing with the vast majority of the bass rods they offer. I hope this helps.

Without question I'd go with either a Shimano Crucial or a Powell Max rod. Which one would depend on the weight range and length you need.

Everyone has their own preferences, of course, but I'll explain mine. I've used a few finesse dropshot rods - the DSR 820 GLX is phenomonal and the Crucial CRSDX68M is fantastic as well for less money. These rods share the most important attribute of a good finesse drop shot rod in my opinion - the ability to easily twitch or jiggle the bait with little effort while not lifting the weight off the bottom. Finesse drop shotting is a vertical technique where I like to maintain constant bottom contact most often - these rods offer a blank that facilitates this process. With rods like this, a shakey head just doesn't feel right in my hands. For me, a good shakey head rod has a stiffer tip than a DS rod - but still relatively soft - partly due to the fact that when working the bait down a sloping bank, across a flat, on a rock pile, etc... it has been my experience that it more easily frees briefly snagged lures from crevices, branches, or the like. Further, a good shakey head rod tends to have more backbone than a finesse drop shot rod since the technique is more often fished around cover whereas finesse drop shotting is generally an open water technique. There are a few other differences as well, but I thought I'd highlight what I see as a couple that are pretty important. I hope this helps out.

The "natural" cork knobs were discontinued. When you can find them from a private seller, they have been bringing from $60 to $80 per pair. There are some new compressed cork knobs being made, but they just aren't the same.

I've found that a really good dropshot rod doesn't make a really good shakey head rod. The Crucial DS rod is a fantastic rod for that technique, but I found the tip too soft for even 1/8oz. shakey heads. It just didn't feel right to me. If you shakey head more often than you DS, I'd look for a rod that excels at that technique but will work for the DS from time to time. The Shimano Crucial 7' Medium is a fine shakey head rod that "could" be used as a DS rod from time to time. The Powell 683 MEF would also fall into that category. Good luck on your search!

A Pixy Rod of course! ;D Really though, if you don't want to spend a lot on a rare collectible rod, the BCR 802 GLX is an awesome match for the pixy. The MBR 842 GLX is another to consider as it is definitely more versatile than the BCR 802 GLX.

If I remember correctly, the earlier models had two holes in the frame and the later models came with three. No performance differences that I ever noticed though.

It will be outstanding for those techniques. I've used mine on the BCR 802/852 GLX and the BCR 803/853 GLX for those techniques and have been very happy with its performance. It's a GREAT reel!

Those are NOT G Loomis rods FYI... they might be nice though, I haven't seen one in person.

I'm excited about the new lineup - I'll definitely get my hands on one as soon as possible - and it has nothing to do with status, snobbery, or elitism. I fish for the sheer enjoyment of it. I use nice gear because I enjoy using it. I share my first hand experiences with my tackle in order to help guys make more informed decisions in their tackle purchases. It seems that this approach is more helpful to the forum than negative commentary having nothing to do with the original subject. By the way, Shimano has owned Loomis for about 13 years now. The BCR GLX rods, which are among the best out there, were produced well after the purchase occurred.

It all depends on your budget... I love the Loomis BCR 855 GLX for those applications but it's somewhat pricey... I have a new mossyback version in the swap sell forums that is also a fine rod for those techniques. The Cumara CUCX72MH would also be a nice rod, as would a 7'H Crucial rod as a less expensive option.

Fortunately, I've never lost any rods/reels in the lake, but I did lose my first phone yesterday on Guntersville >

There are a couple of crankbait specific spinning rods in the Shimano Crucial lineup. The CRS-C68M is an awesome Bandit 200 type spinning rod. It's great for jerkbaits and smaller treble topwaters as well. They also make a longer version, the CRS-C74M.

Even though the Calais weighs more, it is a dreamy moving bait reel that is silky smooth and casts great. I have both of these reels, and I use the Core for bottom contact baits and the Calais for moving baits. I'd rather have the higher IPT for topwaters and jerkbaits, and the lower for the cranks. For your purposes, it would be very hard to vote against the Calais.

That reel is far more than a custom painted Daiwa Pixy - it is a true work of art both inside and out - minus those ugly reel grips ;D

Regarding this particular rod, YES in my opinion. The BCR 803 GLX is an incredible rod and perfect for bottom contact baits in the 1/4 to 3/8oz range. If you look around, you can find one in excellent condition for less than $300 and it still carries the limited lifetime warranty and expeditor service through Loomis.

I would definitely go with a 7'MH - A Shimano Crucial would be a great bet in your price range as would a Powell. Either of these are outstanding rods in that price range.

The CUCX72MH is awfully powerful for 1/4 to 3/8 oz presentations unless you're fishing some very heavy cover. The rod definitely "feels" more like a heavy action than a MH. If you're interested in a Cumara and want to stay at the 7'2" length, consider the standard MH (non-extra fast version). The 843 IMX Loomis is a phenomonal "all purpose" rod. You can do everything from buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, topwaters, jigs, worms, etc - all very well. There are other technique specific rods in the Loomis lineup that would work great for your 1/4 to 3/8 oz jigs - namely the BCR 803 8-)

I've used them both and would go with the Curado. The Revo is a nice reel, but I like the Curado better overall.

The original Cumara series offers rods more suited to fishing a Senko. Depending on your preferences for length and power, several of them work well with Senkos. The Reaction Series are designed with moving bait applications in mind - crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, etc.

The debate over "need" versus "want" is a common theme when selecting tackle. A less expensive crankbait rod will do the job, but will it do it as well as a more expensive rod? To each their own, but I want the most sensitive crankbait rod I can get. I love cranking and have a few dedicated combos for specific situations. I like the feel I get with a quality crankbait rod - I believe they help me detect the bottom composition, cover, and of course strikes better than some less expensive rods I've used in the past.

Same here - its much more comfortable for me this way.

As much as I LOVE that rod, it's a Medium action, only made in GLX, and would get eaten alive on Guntersville in the slop ;D Ranger10 - I think you'd enjoy using an MBR 844 IMX. Paired up with the right reel and line, you can still toss your lighter plastics - buzzfrogs perhaps? If you wanted to go longer, the Shimano Cumara CUCX711MH (extra fast version) is also a great rod for traps in the grass, buzzfrogs, etc. around the grass as well. Good luck!

I've fished the Crucial and Cumara crankbait rods you've mentioned. The most significant difference for me is that the Cumara is offered in a 711MH version - which I like quite a bit more than the M version for larger deep diving cranks. The 711M in both Cumara and Crucial can handle some larger deep cranks, no doubt, but just not as well as the MH Cumara.

We don't really "need" to use new high modulus graphite rods, magnesium framed reels, and flourocarbon line either do we? ;D These are all things to help enhance the fishing experience in my opinion - not unlike upgrading spool bearings! Personally, I like changing out stock spool bearings to help maximize the performance of my reels. I am convinced that a high quality spool bearing absolutely improves the performance of my casting reels. The Shimano Curado E uses 2 3x10x4 spool bearings BTW! 8-)