Iowa Basser

I fish a lot of jerk baits and I like a 6'-6" rod instead of a 7'-0" rod... when snapping the rod in a downward motion, a longer rod can sometimes be a hindrance. I'm a spinning reel/rod guy and I like a medium or even a medium/light rod with 10# braid. This set-up works well for poppers too; though in clear water I might use a mono-filament leader if I think line visibility is an issue. (An argument could be made for a heavier braid if you're throwing the around lay-downs or heavier cover.) Spooks are heavier and can be thrown easier with a bait-caster, but I still use a spinning rod. I use the same rod for frogs and spooks: a 7'-0" medium/heavy with 30# braid. I use a longer rod for spooks and frogs because I keep the rod-tip high when retrieving the lure to keep the line out of the water. This allows me to twitch the bait to get the side-to-side action (I probably could use a lighter braid for spooks if I didn't also use this rod for frogs.) I avoid fluorocarbon mainly because I found it to be a hassle on a spinning reel. Also fluorocarbon sinks, which makes it a poor choice for top-water lures. Edit: A spinning reel allows you to have the rod in your dominant hand, an advantage that fishnkamp noted above.

Thanks, Bass Pro carries a Falcon-BuCoo-SR-Spinning-Rod with a moderate taper, but it is a Med-Lt action and I was looking for a medium or medium/heavy action (depending on the rod.) The Falcon website lists a moderate/fast taper with a Medium action as their "cranker spin." I wish there was someplace local I could look at one and actually hold it. (Both rods are one piece, 7 foot rods. Ideally I was looking for a 2 piece, but it's not a deal breaker.) Definitely worth looking into. Thanks again.

I fish wish spinning gear and I've primarily been a plastics guy. Recently I've gotten more into crank baits and it seems impossible to find a decent crank bait spinning rod. I'm looking for something more forgiving than the typical IM6 (or stiffer) graphite rods. To make my search even more difficult, I end up transporting the rod around in my car so I would like a 2-piece. I've always hated the ugly-sticks, but I may have to give them another try - it's the only non-graphite spinning rods I seem to find. This would be a rod for large mouth, throwing mostly crank baits and occasionally spinner baits or swim jigs. I'm thinking a 7'-0" medium to medium heavy rod that really loads up nicely to toss a lure a long way. My price range is probably $60 to $80... with the absolute top being $120. Help!

PE? Hey oe from Ames! You sent me a map of of Okoboji a couple years ago, but I never made it up there. It was still much appreciated. Thank You. (It's been awhile since I've been on the forums, but I've got a tournament coming up and have had a busy summer and haven't done much fishing at all since the early June, this is the best I can do until next weekend when I'll get back on the water.)

I second the Diawa Silvercast reccomendation... that's what I grew up using until I turned about 14. If you want to spend a little more money, the Diawa Goldcast would be my first choice. The grandmother of one of my friends used a Goldcast forever to troll for northern pike! It's been a lot of years since I turned 14, so I'm not sure how well any spincast performs over time with braid? I would think the braid will eventually wear a groove in the little pin that wraps the line around the spool.

I cover the knot between the backing and the main line with a small piece of tape and continue spooling the main line right over the top of it. When I get down far enough that I can see the backing on long casts, the most common problem I have is the main line catching on the knot between the two lines. That stops the lure from going that last 10 or 15 feet. The small piece of tape keeps the knot from sticking up and catching. My theory is that the tape would peel off if I ever caught a fish big enough to take that much line, but it's never been an issue yet. (There are some musky where I fish, though I haven't caught a big one yet.) I use a piece of tape smaller than my pinky fingernail (smaller is better.) Blue painter's tape works well. I have used electrical tape, or even a piece of that tape that comes on some new spools of line. Editted: I use enough line that this isn't typically an issue, but after re-tying and losing line it does happen... That little piece of tape gets me through until I replace the main line.