Willzx225

If I had to pick just one or two baits to cover most of my shallow to mid-depth cranking, that wouldn't break the bank, would be the bandit 200/300's and the DT series by Rapala.

Falcon is also made in the USA!

These rods are only available on Quantums website at this time. I guess it is sort of a trial run. They have 2 spinnerbait rods by KVD (6'10" and 7'4") and a few of the other prostaffers have developed technique specific rods as well (ie Rojas - Frog rod, Klein - Flipping stick, Hackney flipping stick, etc.) They are a little pricey but I have two of the 6'10" spinnerbait rods and they are the closest I have found to the Shimano 6'10" V-rod. I've been impressed so far with them. Looks like Quantum is trying to get back in the game. Time will tell though.

Shhhhhhh!!!!

I have a few of the KVD Cranking rods and like them. They load up nicely and, for a cranking rod, I don't believe they are overly heavy. They blank is a little larger in diameter but I think that is just indicative of a composite blank.

It used to be a Shimano V-Rod 6'10" MH rod (Very light tip = great for roll casting). But now it is the new Quantum Tour KVD Spinnerbait rod 6'10". It is very similiar to the V-Rod but has split foam grips and a nice tip to it. Great rod.

Another great bet this time of year on Kerr is a floating worm around the bushes and spinnerbaits around rip rap and flat points. Hold on!

The only times I get upset over loosing a lure are when it isn't being made anymore or when I break if off and it is in a big fish's mouth in a tournament ;D But I think that is more about the fish then the bait. Plus thats why I buy atleast 2 of each crankbait (minus LC's) that I like.

Ohh No particular reason :

Wow. And I thought that I was the one of the few to throw Nichols Pulsators. Amazing spinnerbait. I can't say enough about them. I have been using them pretty much exclusively for about 10 years and everytime I venture out to try a different brand I always am disappointed. I have not tried many of the War Eagles but they seem to be the same style but with a lighter gauge wire. 1/2oz # 64 (White/ Chart.) w/ glitter blades and Blue Shad (Both in double willow) are by far my best producers.

Thanks for the responses guys. I am looking into trying an Energy and Tour Edition but I am also getting a heck of a deal as well so the Tour Edition is within my price range.

Would The_Natural or anyone who has used this reel care to share about their experiences so far? I know its still early.

I have a Winch and think that 5.4 is perfect for deep cranking. It is low enough that you don't wear yourself out all day but yet fast enough to take up line quickly if a fish comes straight towards the boat after hook up.

x2 on the Zoom trick worm not floating. I still use them when I am covering alot of water but still want to use a floating worm. After I get dialed into the type of cover the fish are utilizing I usually switch to a Haw River floating worm. They sink much slower and are softer so they "dance" better. Most of my bites come just as it sinks out of sight. I lost one (wrapped me around a dock piling) sunday that was between 4 and 5lbs on a Lime/ white Haw River floating worm.

Quantum has their new line of rods out now and KVD has designed a 6'10" spinnerbait rod (similiar to the new crankbait rods w/ split foam grips and maroon colored). It is an awesome rod but is just outside of the range you suggested ($199) It has a great tip and plenty of backbone for roll casting. I highly recommend it.

Yeah that was a tough event. I fished on the boater side and it was a grind all day! Good job! If you are fishing all of them then you got great points.

I would go with the Tour KVD. I have a few of them and they are great rods. They will have a larger blank but that is due to the composite blend with glass. I think it is a better all around cranking rod. Now if I were to be using it for other techniques such as topwaters, spinnerbaits, etc I would go with the Carrot. The Carrot will be a better all purpose rod but if you are just using it for cranking I would go with the Tour KVD.

78 Most of the time since we have a bunch of spots around here in the 12-15" range. Ice- I used the 78DD a lot and caught a bunch of good fish on it. I think i was getting to a group of fish that was less pressured. I will be using them more next spring too.

I vote for the Owner Wide Gap Plus hook for most of my flipping and texas rigging presentations. I agree though with CATT in the fact that you have a higher percentage of bites to catches with the straight shank but I tend to get hung up a little more with the straight shank than the WGP.

Could the guy have been flipping heavy mats of grass with a 1 1/2oz weight? I know that they will spit the bait out if they all of a sudden feel the big weight when you drop your rod tip.

I couldn't have said it any better Sam! I met Mark at those same Bassmaster Universities in Richmond in the 90's. I was probably around 16 years old and I cornered poor Mark during lunch and asked him questions for the whole lunch break on how to make it to the Pro level. He answered everyone of them and at the end of lunch he gave me his home address and phone number to call him if he could do anything help me achieve my goal of one day fishing on the tour! He still knows me by first and last name to this day and I know this because my best friend ran into him at the Classic in Lousiana this year and he told him the exact same story I just typed! I am so happy for Mark. He was more than due and I hope his year continues to go well! I think that the only draw back to having a co angler would have been that he would have to split up the fish with the co. Other than that It would have been the same outcome. He still had a person in the boat with him every day (that I know of) and he could have told his co to bring very little tackle since it was fairly basic flipping and pitching stuff. But I could be wrong. We will never know though ;D

I use two completely different rods for frogs and buzzbaits. For buzzbaits I actually use a cranking rod with a decent amount of backbone. I use the 7' MH Team Diawa S Series (greenhandle) spinnerbait/crankbait rod. It works well for me because it has a good amount of backbone once the rod is loaded but it has a very slow taper which allows the fish to get the bait better and it helps eliminate the "duhuh" factor when you jerk to soon. JMHO

TW is the best I agree. Another thing that I have thought of is that most people don't have to pay sales tax as well. In NC it saves me 7.5% right off the top (Plus they are usually cheaper than BPS to begin with). Just a great deal anyway you look at it.

I just saw an advertisement for this bait in the back of BASSMASTERS that I got 2 days ago. Interesting.

Anybody have any experience with these rods? I am considering purchasing some but wanted to know if anybody could provide me some feedback? Mainly curious as to balance, sensitivity, durability, and how their tapers compare to Shimano Crucials. IE is a Medium really a medium or is it more towards a MH?