Nine Miler

What happens if the rod breaks at the second guide? What are you going to do with the reel if that happens? -Just something to think about. I don't know much about rod building, but why couldn't you have a new reel seat put on?

I got my flyer yesterday.

As long as the tail is chartreuse, I don't care. That said, the darker colors seem to be best, gotta have that bright tail though.

Aren't these already sold?

St. Croix also has the Triumph line which goes for 60-70 bucks. They are a good rod for the money. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_103647____SearchResults

Nice, sensitive, verrry affordable rod= St. Croix Triumph.

Power does not always correlate to sensitivity. You may find MH rods that are just as "sensitive" as ML rods it depends on the rod.

For a wide range of cranks, I think a medium power, 7 ft. rod with a medium to fast tip is a good all around choice. A rod like that will let you fish topwater baits, even spinnerbaits, etc. It is up to you whether you choose fiberglass or graphite, or a composite rod (which has some of both). I like graphite, but in my opinion you don't really need the sensitivity for cranking. If you already have several other outfits that you have specialized use for, I would get a highly specialized cranking rod and reel. If not, I think there are many great choices in the $100 range that can serve double or triple duty with a 6:1 reel.

Huh, thanks for the correction. Maybe the stuff I have been using isn't really fluoro. :-[ grimlin is right. I was doing some reading on this stretch issue and the best info I found on particular brands was at tt's Fluoro Showdown II- Stretch Tests.

Hey guys, thanks a bunch. I appreciate your insight.

I try to keep my plastics in their original bags, unless they are not resealable. I sort them into 1 gal. Ziploc freezer bags (the ones with the zipper closures). If the original bags are not resealable, I just move them into smaller ziplocs, before they go into the freezer bags. The freezer bags go into a small soft duffel, with other random stuff that doesn't fit into hard Plano boxes.

Mono floats, fluoro sinks. I use mono on topwater baits and/or shallow/mid depth cranks and jerkbaits. Also the mono will stretch a bit which I find useful to delay the hook set. This gives me a better chance to keep the hook in the fish when I may be a little anxious with a topwater hook-set. The fluoro will not stretch, so it is better for situations where you are setting the hook based on feel instead of sight, IMO.

What is up with Tennessee handles? :-? Just curious, how do you attach the reel? Has anyone fished them? Advantages, disadvantages? Thanks.

I have a few Sahara 2500/6'6" MHF Bionic Blade outfits, and I think they are great for the price. I fish senkos on them, but they will handle light jigs and spinnerbaits. I bought them as combos at BPS for about $80 a piece on sale. It was almost like buying the reels and getting the rods free. The rods turned out to be better than I thought they would be.

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. Falcon, we should definitely chat. I would love to fish your hot spots. I don't get up your way too much; I usually stay down here around nine mile or head way up north to fish in the river and channels. I hear those canals in your area are good for LMB, but I never really fish them. 90-95% of my LMB fishing is on Lake Orion or Lakeville. I have some friends that live out that way, they are fun to fish, and its no problem to trailer the boat. I have nice spot down my way that has a really good jerkbait bite for SMB from the middle-end of May through June, so thats usually where I have been in the spring. I don't really go there on the weekends because of traffic and the size of my boat, so the canals may be the ticket. Again, thanks guys; I look forward to participating here.

Hello BR, I have been reading the articles and browsing around this site for a while now, and decided I should sign up. Most of my fishing is for SM out of the Saint Clair Shores area, but I like to fish LM in some of the other lakes for a change of pace, or when the weather is really rough on LSC. Those of you who fish out there know how it can get... Anyway, I am glad to be a part of this great website. Thanks for having me. -Nine