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Thank you for your replies! Of the three brands mentioned in my original are there any options for deep cranking? Would like to stay in the same price range. Would a H option be the way to go? And then have it do double duty for other applications? Joe

Want to upgrade my cranking rods to 7', one each for M and MH. I've looked at three brands: St. Croix-210.00 AVC70MM 8-14#, 1/4-5/8 oz. AVCMHM 10-20#, 3/8-1 oz. Shimano Curado Crank-150.00-160.00 CDCC72M 8-15#, 5/16-1/2 oz. CDCC74MH 10-20#, 1/4-3/4 oz. GLoomis E6X Crank-190.00 843C CBR 8-14#, 1/4-5/8 oz. 845C CBR 10-25#, 3/8-1 oz. Price range of all three is what I would be willing to pay or would ask for as a gift (Hey Santa!). The St. Croix's and Shimano's have a Mod taper, while the Loomis's are MF. Don't know if this would make a difference? Any ideas on doubling up applications with these rods? Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated! Joe

Thanks everyone. Looks like I'm going to stay with the full cork with a cork fore grip. Cleaning them can be a pain, but I've done it with baby wipes in the past. They don't come out pristine, but it cleans them up pretty good! Joe

Casting. Tom, Above is my original post. Will be using these until I can step up to a 7'. Looking at the St. Croix Avid Crankbait series to put on a wish list to replace the above rods. One would be the MH Mod, the other the M Mod. Another consideration would being able to use the rods for underspins, chatter baits, and swim baits on weighted hooks. Nothing really big, 3-5" trailers and paddle tails. Joe

Thank you. It looks like I can use it for the purpose I asked about in my OP knowing that casting distance is an issue. At least until I can get a longer rod! Looking at something in the newer St. Croix rods.

When you say too short are you talking casting distance?

What are the pros and cons of these types of rod handles?

I have 2 of these from the early 2000s. Both are 6’ 6”. One is a Mod action rated for 1/4-3/4 oz. lures. The other is a ML Moderate action rated for 1/8-1/2 oz. lures. Was going to set up the Mod rod as an all purpose crank rod, even up to deep divers, using 10-12# copoly line. The ML Mod rod would be set up as an all purpose rip bait rod using 10# copoly. Would these setups get the job done? Thanks....Joe

Trees-I have something similar to yours right now, except I use larger Sterilite type boxes and then use file folder dividers to separate items. As an example: I have a container for jig heads. The dividers are used for football, dart, round ball, etc. Then I sort the different styles by weight front to back between each divider. Reading your post got me to thinking the bin idea is not the way to go and to stick with what I have so far. Oh, I like the “pop a top” idea for those times when over thinking takes over! Sam-You got me to thinking about security. When my garage door is open all the world can see my rods up on pegboards and the shelving with bins of fishing stuff on them. Gotta do something about that!

Any of you out there use something like this to store extra terminal tackle in your garage? Stuff like: Weights, jig heads, hooks, swivels, etc.

A bobber top works really well.

Ashamed. Fished two club tourneys. Seven spots, only one weighed, 13 oz. Jeez!

Thanks for the tips, been marking on bill and body. Weight and depth where I can find them. One other question if I may? Since I have limited space I can’t carry but 2-3 for each depth range. My question has to do with Shad patterns. Can a Threadfin color work equally well imitating a Gizzard Shad? One a greenish back, the other more of a black back.

Here are some of the cranks I was referring to earlier. Any ideas on brand? Joe

Was there a month ago for a club tourney. The fall transition had not started, so this may not help. Fishing was tough then, all fish were under 2#. We caught fish on D/S, shaky, and football heads. As far as color: green pumpkin, Xmas tree, and GYCB #221 & 194 worked. Fish were relating to wood, but this has probably changed. It will not be as hot now. Don’t know if this will help! Good Luck!

Not able to post a pic until I can resize, but I did go through several manufacturers on TW. I believe most of them are Bombers if the eye patterns are manufacture specific and remain the same over the years.

Okay, will do. Will baits 10-15 years old be considered collectibles?

Have several old crankbaits that have no brand on them. Is there a way to determine who the manufacturer was? This would help me to find weight and diving depth for these baits. Joe

First fish on chatter bait and underspin. Also, first fish on a wacky senko. Had always fished them weightless on Trig.

My suspicions have been confirmed. Didn’t think it would make any difference. Thanks.

Not me! I eat my vegetables, not smoke them!

Can you post a picture of it? Sounds interesting! I bought a spinnerbait box from BPS, it was a Plano, but I returned it. It just didn’t work as advertised.

I’ve looked at a couple videos on this subject that say the knot on the spool and the connection knot between backing and main line should be on opposite sides. Is this really that important? I can’t see two small knots being on the same side of the spool causing any problems. Of course I could be wrong and that’s why I’m asking! Joe

Thanks for the responses! I go up there 2-3 times a year to fish and have success always, so I shouldn't complain! You could put a banana on a hook and it'll get bit! But you do get kinda tired of catching only 1-2 pound bass. It is an entirely mud bottom pond and that is why I was asking myself where they would spawn? There are no stumps or anything else hard enough to support a nest. I once talked to a guy in our club about this and he suggested putting large pavers in shallow areas and in any creek arms that may be in the pond. I passed this on to the owner. I am convinced that the crappie have a very large influence on the problem. He did agree on this and spent time catching and removing them. He would get numerous 5 gallon buckets of them! You could put a piece of white yarn on a hook and catch them all day! His wife loves to catch crappie, so suggesting that they be whittled out of the pond went over like a fart in church! The pond gets to about 25-30 feet in the middle. I've tried fishing out there with C-Rigs and T-Rigs and got zip. Best fishing is in the pads, cattails, and along the outer edges of them. Introducing carp is an intriguing idea. I've seen them in Clear Lake in northern California rolling and tearing up any vegetation in their wake. I'll have to ask him if he wants to try that. We've spoken about the lack of bluegill in the pond. he's tried introducing them, but it never took. I think the amount of crappie has a lot to do with that idea. One last point. The owner is convinced that otters are a big problem. He thinks that they get the big fish and eat the crawdads. I personally don't know if they're otters or muskrats since I haven't ever seen them, but he says he has. Joe

I have a friend who tried to manage lily pads and cattails on his 5 acre pond. It basically has a mud bottom and the cattails will extend 10-20 feet from shore all around the pond. Then the pads another 10-20 feet outside the cattails. It is really a pain in the ass to fish. He tried the blue stuff with no luck. He finally used his dozer and chains to rip out some of the cattails. A lot of work to say the least and they grew back in a heartbeat! It was fine for a while, but not for too long. The bass population remained good. All are healthy, but are predominately in the 1-2 pound range. Which leads to other questions. They may be off topic here, but I’ll put them forward anyway. Like I said, the pond has a mud bottom. Which begs the question of where do they spawn? The predominant forage in the pond is crappie. There are tons of them. I’ve never seen a blue gill and he’s tried to plant them with no success. I’m sure there are crawdads in the pond, but again I’ve never seen one. He’s planted those also. Are the crappie messing with the pond ecosystem? If so, how? Are the bass overpopulated leading to the smaller, but healthy fish? Any ideas? Joe