Fish Fast

I agree about the GREAT MARKETING MACHINE theory. You can't watch a hunting or fishing show nowadays without them plugging their products. KVD swearing by fluoro line, etc. What I wonder is....and this is a little off topic, but with a product like line, you wonder how many of them try and use different products when they are sponsoring someone else. For example, an angler that agrees to plug say, cxx, but cant stand it, so they spool up some other manufacturer's line and just tell the cameras that it is cxx?!? This will be my first year fishing with real fluoro (viscous elite pro)...so the verdict is still out. My buddies tell me I will hate it!

Thanks..that helps a lot as I am sure I want at least an 80#er for the current I am going to be in. I just read a similar thread after searching a 2nd time and have heard that they have had issues with water leaking in. Hopefully in the next year or 2 when I buy mine those issues will be resolved

Whats the best/most comfortable butt seat/hydraulic seat system out there. I currently have swiveleze seats. None of them are hydraulic. They have the "larger" footprint and pole. I would like to add an adjustable butt seat to the front. What do you all recommend?

Has anyone used both? Did you like one better than the other? I am looking for comparisons on an 80 pounder with I-pilot and built in transducer. Which would you get and why. My boat is a Crestliner 1850 fishhawk 2006. I currently have a motorguide wireless digital 55 pounder. Just need some more torque to keep my jigs vertical when walley fishing on the Detroit river. I would be open to sugguestions for Motorguides too...just need something at 24v and at least 70 pounds.

Make sure you handle the veritas rods before you buy one. I was surprised at how stiff the tip of the 70-5 MMF Veritas rods were. With that being said, I think it will make a good rod for traps. I plan on getting 1 for the same and also using it for some other applications. For $100, I figured it was worth a try. I just wish they made them in a 7'3" or 7'6" length in that particular power/action!

I would check the St. Croix Premier rods out (or the triumph series for that matter). Another rod that I just picked up and handled that really impressed me was the Abu Garcia Veritas. Very light, very sensitive, and supposedly very durable. For $99.95, they will be hard to beat! Tight Lines, and let us know what you get!

For $4500 I think I would rather.....upgrade my trolling motor..batteries..charger..and buy a Kicker motor for walleye fishing...maybe even have money left over for another fishfinder or side scan!

Thats the plan Jacobk...just have to find the aforementioned rods in stores. Hardly anyone around has Dobyns. The St. Croix rods I have tried dont have the the same power ratings that people have been recommending to me, which makes it hard to judge. You hate to spend $200 on something that you "think" you will like and then have it turn out not to be what you thought. Oh well, will take my time. I am in no rush.

I agree! I will do that!

Decisions....decisions! I am not opposed to a great VALUE...meaning, i dont have to spend top dollar to be happy. It just seems like, in fishing, as with a lot of other hobbies, you get what you pay for. I need to go somewhere that I can get my hands on a dobyns or powell and see what they are all about. I am constantly reading about their quality and customer service. The really hard part is, you don't know until you buy it..take it out and use it..whether you will like it (for example comparing a glass to a graphite cranking rod you almost need to try a few different lures...catch a decent fish to get the whole idea on whether its goint to work or not). To be continued. I will keep researching. Going to try and get down to bass pro shops this weekend. Will check their inventory before I go though. Thanks a lot you guys, I appreciate everyones input, ideas, and critiques!

I appreciate everyone's input. I know everyone likes a different feel and uses their cranking rods in different settings and applications. My Kistler is a 7 foot composite and is not a Mg. When I am tossing 3/4 oz wigglewarts or DT 16s it does feel a little outgunned. Most of the time though, I am throwing 1/2 oz traps or 1/2 oz cranks with it, that run in the top 6-10 feet of the water column. I did check out the St. Croix cranking rods today. They had a 7 foot MHXF, and a 7 foot MHF (the aforementioned were avids) ....and a 6'6" MHM Premeir. Of course they did not have the one I wanted to try (Avid 7 ft MHM). I also looked at the skeet reese rods (I believe these were glass). The premier was a beefier blank than anything I own and I imagine it would work better for the deeper diving lures and ripping lipless cranks than anything I currently own. Was not sure about the quality of the Reese rods (wright and mcgill?...haven't seen a lot of feedback on these?). Unfortunately they did not have any Powells or Dobyns...no top end shimano either. I think a trip down to bass pro shops is going to be in order to get a hold of a little better selection. Either way, I will continue to put the time in searching. I have at least a month before the bass fishing takes off. On a side note, most of the bass I catch throughout the summer are not that big. We are talking...on average...2 pounders...maybe 12-16 inchers. An occasional 3 or 4 pounder. That is one reason I am hesitant to get a GIANT glass rod..those big 8 footers I see seem a little overkill for what I will be doing. In the spring however, fishing the saginaw bay (lake Huron), and the St. Clair river, the small mouth fishing is PHENOMINAL! 3-7 pounders are common out there. Most of the time we are fishing rockpiles, stony points, anything with a hard bottom. That is another reason I am leaning towards something graphite. I want to be able to feel the bottom. Keep the feedback coming and I will try and check out some of the rods you guys have mentioned! I will also check the classifieds.

Thanks WanderLust. A local tackle shop carries St. Croix...I will have to check that out. Anyone else have any suggestions to add to my list of rods to try?

So would you choose the Avid over the Powell?

I am looking to pick up a new cranking rod to pair with my Johnny Morris pro qualifier 4.7 to 1 baitcasting reel. My current cranking rod is a Kistler composite rod. It is 7 feet in length and I like it but it is a bit whippy at the tip. I will continue to use that rod but probably save it for my smaller and shallower cranks. I am looking for something a bit beefier...something with a little more backbone that I can expanding my cranking arsenal with a bit. I don't do a TON of deep cranking...at least yet anyway...but I would probably use this second cranking rod for ripping lipless cranks above grass (ala KVD) and for 12-20 ft. ddcb's. Most commonly 12-16 footer. Prefer 7 to 7.5-ish feet in length...around $150-$180 in pricepoint. I am intrigued by the Duckett micro magic rods. If anyone has any input on these, feel free to let me know. I am a big fan of St. Croix as they are made in the USA and have had great luck dealing with them. I have also read a lot of great things about Dobyn's but it seems they are a little out of my pricepoint goal. Let me know what you guys like...I am open for sugguestions!

80# sounds like a safer choice. Trying to keep jigs vertical on the detroit river when walleye fishing...where the current is really moving..is my biggest challenge. I am just worried the profile of my boat provides more drag than that of a bass boat. I would hate to go 65-70# and have it be too underpowered. Thanks for your input, wasn't trying to hi-jack your thread. The problem with this whole situation is not lack of selection but cost!!!! If I would have known then what I know now, I would have negotiated all of these upgrades b4 I purchased the boat. Now I am looking at over $1000 for trolling motor, batteries, and new charger system. Not to mention I got cheap electronics and had to upgrade. Oh well, you live and you learn! Good Luck!