RichF

This is what sucks about tournament bass fishing (most skilled = not the best tourney fisherman)! It's like talking your way into a job your not qualified for. The best spokesmen are the ones getting the recognition, not necessarily the most skilled. (With the exception of KVD of course)

This sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

I completely agree. Pretty soon anglers won't even have to put their line in the water. There will be some sort of new device that just sucks the bass into your boat! Lets bring back the skill!

I love this post! I hate senkos!

Does anyone else find it pretty lame to see sooo many professional tournaments occur during the spawn. I fish tournaments in northern New York (season is closed during the spawn) in the summer when bass fishing, I believe, is toughest. I've caught plenty of fish during the spawn (obviously I never kept anything) and do not find it the least bit challenging. I'd like to see more pro tournaments happen well after the spawn when it takes a bit more skill to catch them. Am I alone in my thoughts?

I have the LTBS68MXF and I use it primarily for tubes. It's good for shakey heads too. I wouldn't use it for drop shot tho, It has a little too much power for my taste. I love it though. The most sensitive rod I've ever fished.

Got the p-17s last year. Took about 7 weeks. They are ok but oakley makes superior sunglasses.

For me in the northern ny, crank fishing is fantastic early in the season and late in the season. I hardly use them in the summer, I fish primarily jigs during this time. Rapala dt6s work best for me early season. I work them around shorline structure or gravel flats with some sparse weed growth. Ill catch alot on lipless baits too, early. I'll usually works these bait with a fairly steady to slow retrieve. Once september rolls around ill start burning dt10s around grass ledges and anywhere there are rocks mixed in with weeds. This is also a great time for lipless baits. I throw them pretty much in the same areas and also on top of submerged weed beds. Cranks are great cuz you can cover so much water with them. A lot of times too, fish with hit when your bait deflects off of structure. Good luck!

Great post! I'm literally laughing right now!

I think you guys are right. Must be defective. I posted the same question on the tackletour forum and the owner of powell responded in a just a few minutes. He said he would be happy to replace it for me. Fantastic customer service! It's awesome cuz I really didnt want to have to buy different rod..the 702 felt so at home with the revo.

I threaded the line thru the guides, brought the the end of the line down to the reel and i pulled the line to make the rod bend. I didn't stress the rod to the point where it should've broke. It must have been a defective rod. I do that to all my new rods and this is the first time that's ever happened.

I just got my first powell rod in the mail today from ***. My first impression...awesome, I can't believe a glass rod could be so light. I put on my revo premier so I could test its flex. Hardly put any tension on it and it snapped a foot from the tip! Has anyone had this happen to their powell?! I've heard so many good things.

That sounds like a great setup to me!

I second that!

Brother, you just have to hold one to appreciate it. I have owned all sorts of Kistlers, Diawas, Shimanos, All Stars, etc...and I'm slowly replacing them all with GBlanks rods. Not only are they lightweight and sensitive, but you can customize them however you want. You choose the handle, guides, spiral wrap, whatever and they don't cost any more (usually less) than comparible rods from other rod makers. Check 'em out. www.imaginationbassin.com These rods sound nice but I can't seem to find any building options on the website. Do you have to call or something in order to get lists of materials like blanks, handle types, and guides, etc?

That is correct. I emailed powell with that very question and they confirmed it for me. I just sent in 2 broken shimano crucials. I was told that if the breakage was my fault, they would not be replaced. Of course breakage was my fault. Hope the warranty people at shimano overlook it. You're right, I just read somewhere it was down to a 3 year but the majority of sites say lifetime, and if you break it and it is your fault I guess it is $40 and a new rod. Is this correct?

I use the palomar knot for everything! Braid, mono, and flourocarbon. It's never failed for me.

You def got the crank setup right. Most of my reels are 7:1. I really like to have fast reels for flipping and pitching, jigs, buzzbaits and frogs. I use my 6.3:1 reels for lipless cranks, square billed cranks, and topwater baits. I've used both speeds for spinnerbaits and think they both work fine. I like to cover water and fish fairly fast so the quick reels fit my style better.

I think flourocarbon is great stuff. I've caught A TON of bass on flouro and have never broken off a fish on the hookset. Do any of u guys use the palomar knot? It's the only knot i use. I used vanish transition the last 2 years and my only complaint is the lack of abrasion resistance. I just bought a ton of triple fish flouro cuz it was on crazy clearance and it seems fine. I've used seaguar carbon pro and again, no major complaints.

Does anyone have any experience with Falcon rods replacement plan for broken rods?

I def think the new "budget" rods companies are coming out with are great for the sport. It's even better to see big names like skeet and ike using these rods. Bass fishing is starting to become out of reach for a lot of anglers out there, especially those who wanna fish tournaments. Its bad enough the way the economy is but trying to break out into this sport seems almost impossible to the every day joe. I'm speaking from my own experience of course. I want nothing more to fish the professional trail but the way the sport is heading...$$$$$ Not looking good for most of us.

Awesome info! Thanks for the input!

I have the LTB shakin and finesse spinning rods and they are fantastic! The blank is thin and the graphite is ultra rich. I use these rods for shakey heads, tubes, and occasionally drop shots. The sensitivity is outstanding!

Yeah and Im not sure if I like the huge diameter of the rod blank. I've been using a light graphite rod for my crankin. It works ok but I feel like there is just not enough give with graphite and I tend to lose nearly 1 in 4 fish (especially smallies). Havent actually used a graphite rod specifially designed for crank fishing tho.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me more about powell crankin rods. Where are they made? Glass vs graphite crank sticks? Thanks for the help guys.