Arv

What is your price range? You'll get a lot of suggestions from all sorts of price points unless we get a range you are looking at.

Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth, Shimano Crucial, Powell Max, Duckett Magic

12# copoly, 16# fc or 50# braid for me.

I think the Carbonlites are a solid rod. A lot of the specs depend on the weights of the lures you will be throwing and how heavy the cover will be fishing. For crankbaits and other treble hook lures I like a M/M or MH/M rod. My rod is 6'9 MH/M which I use primarily for squarebills and lipless cranks. I have a 6:1 reel on it so I can burn the cranks while still slowing down when I need to. Anything 6'6 - 7' should be fine. For jigs, flipping and pitching I would look for something at the very least 7' MH/F. Depending on where and in what you are throwing your lure you may want a heavy power rod. If you didn't know, BPS sells a PQ/Carbonlite combo that is a pretty solid deal. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Pro-Qualifier-Reel/CarbonLite-Trigger-Rod-Baitcast-Combos/product/12041705055310/

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1014283_578429528868482_2112094744_n.jpg

I would recommend a texas rig, jig and a spinnerbait. All should be able to be fished well on the same rod if you are going to get a new set up. Something 7'ish, MH/F will let you cover a lot of applications. You can speed up or slow down depending on the mood of the fish.

+2

x2

I like the Mojo, but like Mr. Swim Jig mentioned, it is a bit tip heavy. I like the Veritas as well, I just don't like the trigger on the grip. My favorite rod in the 100 dollar range is the Shimano Compre. I haven't messed around with an *** but I'm sure you will hear a lot of good things about it.

I would check out the Tournament Speed Spool as well. Its my only Lews reel but its one of my favorite

Snap, my mistake. Well, for anyone else reading, thats still a good deal.

Don't know what all your BPS will have in stock, but if you can find a St. Croix Avid in the specs you are looking for, I would go for that. Should run you about 190. I'm a big fan of the BPS Pro Qualifiers, so if you got one of those, you'd be right around 300.

thehooligan actually has a that elite tech smallmouth rod for sale at 80 bucks. Thats a smokin deal.

Powell Diesel spinning rod should do well. It'll run you about 60-70 bucks. If you're fishing ponds a M/F rod should be perfect.

Definitely agree. If I'm out on the yak and I don't bring the cranking rod I don't have a problem tying a lipless crank on a M/F rod.

I do a lot of research to determine what quality and reliable gear is by reading reputable reviews and asking questions on here. Then I look for sales and deals on the flea market.

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't recommending the Shimano for the cranking purposes. I appologize if it sounds like I did. My intentions were to make the suggestion that, if he can throw treble hooks on his other set up then to get another combo for different applications. I would not recommend using an XF tip for treble hooks. I personally wouldn't use a F tip either. Just not my preference. I prefer a moderate tip when using trebles.

I run about 2-3ft of leader

x4 Really starting to like braid + fluoro the more that I use it

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/119365-the-big-gear-sell-off-shimano-chronarchs-curados-crucials/ I'd snag the 7'2 MH/XF rod for your jigs. You can also use it for spinnerbaits, swim jigs, texas rigging and a lot of other things. Especially if you can toss treble hook presentations on your blackmax combo I would just get a set up that can do more than just cranks, top water, etc. They definitely require different rods. Also, if you are right handed, go ahead and snag either the G6 or G7. If you don't decide to get one of those I would check out the Powell Endurance online at the fish ranger. I paired one of mine with a BPS PQ and I really like the combo. I'd recommend the 723c but the 703 and 704 are great rods as well

I would definitely get the CB rod for cranking. I have the 695cb and it does a great job with lipless cranks and squarebills. I don't really go beyond mid range divers just by personal preference. Both my Endurances balance GREAT with every reel I've put on them so they feel close to weightless when I'm fishing them.

x3

Thanks. I feel like I definitely moved on from one piece of cover to the next too quickly.

Went out yesterday in the yak to a local lake. The water was like chocolate milk and was up way high compared to normal. I was only able to catch one fish. I was throwing just about everything I had, mostly targeting cover like stumps, rocks and lay downs. I used dark colors or very vibrant colors and lures that gave off a lot of vibration and sound. Nothing. I was reading that I should make multiple casts to the target, something I was not doing a good job of. From yall's experience, is this accurate? Any other advice? Thanks in advance.

I would also suggest investing more money into fewer quality set ups. Building an arsenal takes time, unless you just have money coming out of your ears. Quality gear will last you a longer time, perform better and be much more enjoyable to fish. If you start out with 3, maybe 4 rods, you should be off to more than a solid start. If we are just talking about rods, I would look in the 150 - 200 dollar range as that will be, in my opinion, the best bang for your buck. Most of my rods fall into this category and they perform up there with my more expensive rods. Rods I would take into consideration at this price point would be the Powell Endurance or Powell Max, St. Croix Avid, Phenix Recon or Phenix M1, Duckett Magic or the Shimano Crucial. You can also find great deals in the flea market on quality gear. If you get 3 different rods you should be able to have a general purpose rod. Usually a 7' MH/F will cover most applications. Spinnerbaits, jigs, texas rigs etc. can be covered on this rod. A finesse rod, usually 6'6 - 7' M/F for lighter presentations, weightless worms, shakey heads, etc. And a moderate action rod, either M/M or MH/M, 6'6 - 7' for treble hook presentations, crankbaits, spooks, hard jerkbaits, etc.