fishindad

This is the rod to use! You will love it, too.

Thanks for all the responses. I typically fish clear natural lakes in MI so would have more confidence with a fluoro leader. But I don't like knowing there's an extra knot that could fail especially when a big fish hits, albeit rare, lol. I will try fishing out the rest of this year with straight braid for jigging, which is mostly in grass. I just don't carry two of the same setup to compare straight braid vs straight fluoro to see if I am missing bites but it sounds like guys who fish straight braid don't seem to feel it's an issue. Will report back soon.

Am considering switching from straight fluorocarbon (12 and 17 lb test) on my two jig setups, MH and H Falcon Cara rods. I use 832 on my spinning gear and love the handling but am afraid the knot could be a potential weak link on big fish - and I use an Albright or double Uni knot. How many of you use straight braid direct to the jig or those who use brain + leader, do you experience any breakoffs (any more than straight fluoro? Thanks!

Only Skeet knows for sure but I seriously doubt he's having W&M paint Loomis NRX (as an example) rods yellow and passing them off to appear as if he fishes with his retail rods. Ike has a video where he flat out says he uses exactly what we can buy off the rack from Abu. Yes, the pros do use prototype tackle and lures BUT, I would doubt when money is on the line that they would trust anything that hasn't been thoroughly tested, meaning they've spent hundreds of practice hours with the rod/reel/lure, etc. and know the lure's characteristics inside and out. I have heard guys like Kota Kiriyama say they fish with Shimano rods and reels that aren't yet available to the (US) public but I think that's strictly with the Japanese companies. Think of it this way, it really doesn't matter what the top guys use or they'd all use NRX or Legend Extremes (as an example of top end rods) and Steez reels - why not use the best? Companies pay them to use their stuff and if they were "caught" using another company's gear you can bet we'd hear about it and it wouldn't sit well with said sponsor(s). KVD could win with Quantum, Fenwick, Loomis, whatever, it's that he has a great long-term working relationship with Quantum and has them make gear to his specs so why switch? If he switched he'd need to get used to the different feel, just like the golf club example, and it would affect his "game" for a time. But I wouldn't doubt if all tackle companies made "special" rods or lures for certain top pros that the public can't get for a season or two. I just think that it really doesn't make much difference. It's making the right presentation in the right location at the right time and it doesn't matter if it's a Strike King jig or a Jackall jig...my two pennies.

Agree with all the above. I have not fished any MB rods either but have to believe the XX dropshot rod is the bomb since it's built Aaron Martens' specs. IMO, I have one of if not the most versatile spinning rods; an SC Extreme 7'MLF. This rod can do just about anything up to 3/8th oz. I have used 7 lb. Sniper, 10 lb 832, and 6 lb. mono and all fish beautifully on this rod. That said, I see no reason for you to go higher than the Avid model since that's what you now use. The recent builds of the LTBs and Extremes (mine's the 2012 cork split grip model) are not to my taste either. There's definitely an *** Black in my future as well so hopefully there's a local dealer near you. But if it were me and I was limited to only one spinning rod for finesse fishing, I would get the Avid 7'MLF or have a custom built on the SCIV and Extreme blank, same rod. My good friend has the 6'8" MXF, 6'9" MLXF, 7'MLF, and 7'MF (all Avid line) and my vote is the MLF for all around finesse.

And you know this for a fact? The last "close to 10 lb SM" out of the Great Lakes (and I'll include LSC, St Clair River, and Detroit River) was caught by Randy VanDam in Erie on a jigging spoon. Close, but not a 10. But you have verified proof that there are 10 lbers swimming around. I live a hour from Erie's Western basin and Lake St. Clair and aforementioned rivers connecting Huron and Erie. With not only all the BASS and FLW tourneys held on those waters, as well as the best Erie anglers (Clapper, Balog, Dobson, Snyder, etc.) fishing Erie 1000's of hours a year, you have to believe someone would have brought a double digit smallie to the scales. But you state you know for a fact there are 10s. Whatever dude. As Kent alludes to, the lakes further South have a longer growing season and are more likely to produce 10 lbers, as evidenced by the record books - actual verified catches. Just because someone lands a state record doesn't mean they give up their spot! No one has ever done that. Just state what lake and what lure you caught it on and that's that. Don't recall anyone's recent record bass giving up GPS coordinates. It's possible there's spots on Lake Superior that no sane boater would try to get to in the Spring (when chances are greatest for any fish species - prespawn- to weigh the most) in rough Midwest weather. But trust me, there's no secret spots on Erie, as big as it is. Just spots most (not all) won't venture out to.

Now that confirms it's BS. What bass fisherman wouldn't want their name in the record books. Supposedly wants to "keep it a secret" yet guy's friend posts it on Facebook. The numbers are reversed, it's not 11-7, it may be believable at 7-11 but would even doubt that given the way things are falling out.

X2

A bit confused by your words. Do you want a well-rounded spinning rod or a dropshot-specfic spin rod? I have 2 older Crucial 6'8" MXF dropshot rods that have no equal in their price range, IMO. Have boated countless big smallies out of the Great Lakes on the rods. I also have a St Croix Extreme 7'MLF that is the best all around spinning rod for smallies, including dropshotting, again IMO. Have an *** but not an *** so can't give an opinion on that one but would guess it's as good as the others you listed. Maybe if you specify LM or SM, depths usually fished, cover or open water, etc. along with if it's for more than just dropshotting then you may get a better answer than I gave..

Also agree however, when fishing on Lake St. Clair, or other similar bodies of water and for similar fish (smallmouth) which tend to roam in packs, covering as much water as possible helps. And when water is super clear and fish tend to be spooked easily. That said, no reason to cast longer than one can set hooks. For me, fishing grubs for smallies in open water, mucho-long casts make a difference. A 7 1/2' spinning rod and superline or 6 lb. mono is the ticket for this type of fishing. I imagine some shallow, saltwater scenarios could be the same?

Sweeeet!! I've got two of the cork split grip Crucial dropshot rods that are the BOMB, but on their last legs - broken hook keeper, chipped blanks, damaged cork, etc. - from all the wear and tear landing many nice smallies. If this is true, I'll buy 5 of these new Crucials. Cannot wait!

Thanks, I would think I would feel the difference between the LT and Extreme, nothing against the Tournament rods, just that I always felt my tube rod was more tip heavy than it should be. The LT blank is/was sweet, very responsive and smooth-feeling, and powerful. No doubt the Extreme will blow me away. I am a bit nervous whether I'll like the new grips since I'm used to tennessee handles (old school). Most likely will pop for it, once Harry calls me back. Thanks for the replies.

This is for anyone who's sent a broken rod back to St. Croix and used their gold upgrade policy. I broke (yes, my fault) my LTBS70MF "tube" rod and shipped it back for a replacement. I would be happy with them simply replacing the rod with their (now) newer version, the LTBS71MF "plastics" rod but am not sure if it would be worth the cost to upgrade to the Legend Elite or Legend Extreme. If I understand their warranty policy, it would cost me an extra $130 (price difference between LT and LX) to upgrade to the Extreme version? For those who have fished both, is the Legend Extreme worth the extra coin (half the cost of a new LT)? I realize the blanks are different but the guides and handle are essentially the same. The LE is a bit less so I could go that route but figured the Extreme would be noticeably better - or do the LE and LX blanks fish identical? Am hoping there's some hard core St Croix folks out there who have fished most of these higher end rods. Thanks.

What is your favorite braid? Sufix 832, it rocks! Your favorite fluorocarbon? Sunline Super FC Sniper Your favorite monofilament? Damyl Tectan, love it for spinning reels Your favorite copolymer? Maxima Ultragreen

This has been a great question and topic for debate these days. Having bought more than my share of rods over the past 40+ years, these are two things I feel are absolutely true: 1. A rod specifically designed for a certain technique (dropshot, flippin, shakyhead, etc) will perform better than a "general purpose" rod, i.e. 6'6" MH, 7' ML spin. 2. This is definitely a 'marketing ploy' to sell more rods and get consumers to spend more money. Is it fun buying new gear? Of course!! But does having 15 rods on deck and 20 in the locker make one a better more efficient angler? Possibly better but no way more efficient. And let's be honest, searching for that one rod to throw a Pop-R vs. a fluke makes no sense. Nor does untangling rods or stepping on them. In my non-expert opinion, having 20 different rod and reel combos rigged and ready each with a different lure only leads to confusion - do I throw the squarebill, the spinnerbait, the swimbait, or the wacky worm, etc here? By not making a commitment to an area and presentation, this only leads to inefficiency. I myself have decided this season to reduce the number of combos I carry in the boat down to no more than 8, with only 4 on deck. Two for searching (hard baits) and two for triggering (soft plastics). I predict I will catch at least as many if not more fish than ever. For example, in cover I'll throw a spinnerbait and fluke, and Senko and jig and pig. In open water I'll throw a jerkbait and crankbait, and grub and tube. These baits probably account for the majority of bass everywhere. That said, this is only an example and, where I fish, there are local hot baits and presentations which will alter what I use but you get my drift. Thus I have two dropshot rods, one of which I will always have on deck because I fish smallies on the Great Lakes. So to Roadwarrior's post, I say build the base of 3-4 rods and then get duplicates of these with varying line tests (or type; fluoro, braid). We often make fishing too complex and cloud our decision-making with things that aren't important. As much as I would love to try every new rod and reel that comes on the market, I know it won't catch me more bass and I just need to resist the temptation...

Like the rest of you I have used almost all brands and actions and as much as I agree that Rick Clunn operates in another space and time continuum, I tend to believe he was/is onto something with the "one rod" theory. I honestly believe I would be a more efficient fisherman if I used say 5 identical GLX MBR843's (insert any MH power rod) with Chronarchs lined with 10, 12, 14, and 17 lb test line, I could cover 99% of my bass presentations very effectively. But I don't flip and pitch heavy cover. The addition to those would be 3 identical 7 foot ML/M power spinning rods/reels with 6, 8, and 10 lb test and then 100% of my fishing is covered. As it stands now I have Lew's, Daiwa, and Shimano reels and Falcon, Shimano, Loomis, Fenwick, and St. Croix rods. Each combo serves one or two specific purposes but each combo also feels very different in hand. IMO, it is admittedly way more fun to mix and match and try out new rod/reel combos.

All great points made. Way back in the day (when I started fishing) there were no JDM baitcasters available that could handle 1/8th oz lures. A Fenwick Lunkerstik and Ambassadeur 5000 were the top-of-the-line for bass fishermen. There were no ML power casting rods, or superlines like Fireline or Power Pro that spinning reels could spool up with and muscle fish out of heavy cover. Nowadays the lines (no pun intended) are more blurred and people use spinning gear in situations they used to use casting gear and vice-versa, all due to the significant changes and improvements in tackle (line, reels, rods). In my experience the biggest drawback to baitcasting gear for finesse fishing is on windy days like we have on the Great Lakes. It is very tough to cast small, light lures into/across the wind using a baitcaster (at least for my rookie thumb). My 'general' rule is 1/4 oz and 10 lb. test and below, spinning; anything heavier I use baitcasting gear. I prefer to use casting equipment whenever possible even though I feel it is more efficient to actually fight the fish using a spinning rod - unless one uses a spiral-wrapped rod. All that said, if I had to only choose spinning gear vs casting gear, I would choose spinning because of the waters I fish - clear water, not much cover, mainly smallmouth, and the advent of superlines. So don't worry about what others use, if it works for you then keep on doing it.

pbizzle, you get my vote for best smallie picture! We all have those memories of our "first bass" and your photo is a keeper. There are so many good-looking freshwater fish - pumpkinseeds, northern pike, black crappie, even bowfin look cool! Don't want to stir the pot but, I have to vote for steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) as best looking freshwater fish. Though my first choice is to chase smallmouth, if I lived as close to the Western MI rivers as I do Lake St. Clair and Erie, I'd probably fish steelhead during fall/winter/spring. Caught this about 25 years ago in WA state and something about that shiny chrome gets me. As far as fight though, pound-for-pound smallmouth win easily!

Virtuoso, Apologies in advance but you've really opened yourself up to a reality check with that rant. This whole "lifetime warranty" thing has been beat to death over many years on many websites. Your "friend" broke the rod on a hookset? In the past 40+ years (I'm 55) I've broken rods in car windows, door jambs, on a boat cleat, grabbing it too far up the blank, stepping on them, in a rod locker, you name it. I have never broken a rod on a hookset. I've used St. Croix LE and LT, Loomis IMX and GLX, Falcon, Shimano, Lamiglas, Fenwick Techna AV, just about every rod manufacturer out there. I've never had a bad experience speaking to St. Croix's or Falcon's or Loomis' CS people (all US companies) and I've spoken to many as noted. I'm admittedly old school and it is so sad how entitled and arrogant people are nowadays. They expect a "free" replacement for abusing (yes, abusing) their product. Go talk to a Cabela's CS person and ask how many people return used goods and expect full refunds because "they didn't like the item". Do you expect auto makers to replace your front bumper should you accidentally ding it in a parking garage? Do you expect them to reimburse you for the fuel it takes to get to the repair shop? You state that you "own many Croixs" There must be a reason. You love their rods but hate on their customer service. Based on your post I'll assume this was your first time speaking to St. Croix's CS people? Something doesn't make sense.

Thanks for the links, Snook. Very nice rods. And I have considered the Loomis PR series, which have the right action but as noted, I feel their rods took a turn and have never recovered after they switched their MBR and SJR rods over from the Weibe reel seats (yes, I'm that old). Those GLX and IMX rods were the bomb, for bass fishing at least. I'm slowly realizing the trend towards XF action rods is not the best at least for smallmouths, which go airborne. I've switched to Sufix 832 for all my moving baits (except cranks) and I still lose a few fish (usually the bigger ones) because they don't always stay buttoned up with my F and XF rods, which are 7 foot and under. And fishing Lake St Clair and Erie where longer casts are often needed, I think a longer rod, within reason, will help put more fish in the boat for me. My Falcons do seem to be much better at 'fighting' fish. So it was when I happened to watch a saltwater TV show that I got the idea to try one of these rods, specifically the 7'6" rod with a more parabolic action. I am betting/hoping it will work beautifully for the smallies. PS, I lived in Miami back in the 80's and loved fishing saltwater. I miss it! Lived and fished out West but that was a whole different style, of course. Makes freshwater bass fishing seem 'wimpy' but it's all relative given the tackle. I've avoided muskie fishing for fear I'll get addicted and end up broke, lol.

Thanks for all the replies. I am not trying to start any 'war' salt vs. freshwater, in fact, just the opposite. I had never thought about using a saltwater-designed/application rod for freshwater (in this case bass) but am aware an angler can cross over both ways, lol. I have Falcon, Loomis, St. Croix, etc. bass rods and yes, they are great quality. But to say their technology is superior to saltwater rods is elitist and a blanket statement. The real technology in bass rods came from Gary Loomis and his fly rods. Now it's Japanese rod companies with their bling. Ever see some of the saltwater rods from Japan? All that said, all I wanted was to see if any one had used the Falcon Lowrider salt rods for freshwater applications. I am going to try both the L and M action rods for big water smallies. Will post my experiences soon - though maybe quite a while before I get serious time on the water here in Michigan,,,

Thanks guys. I understand that the blanks might be exactly the same, meaning Falcon's (or St. Croix, etc) Lowrider bass rods vs. saltwater rods but, after reading a bit about them being 'designed' with input from CA Richardson, a salt guy, I assume they are designed for the purpose stated. Long casts to extra wary fish on the flats in water much clearer than even Great Lakes zeeb-infested waters. I know there are other 7'6" rods that Falcon and other manufacturers make but I just wanted to know if you saltwater fishermen who fish flats for bonefish, permit, etc. have ever used this particular rod and can compare it to say your freshwater bass-designed rods of similar length and action? I will probably contact Mr. Richardson via email and ask his advice before pulling the trigger. Just wanted to see if any of you fresh/saltwater fishermen can state if their is indeed a difference in rods/blanks designed for saltwater. It was a post in the smallmouth forum that got me thinking regarding using inshore rods for smallies on the GL... If you've ever fished the Great Lakes (Erie and St Clair) you would know that covering water/long casts is/are a huge asset. BTW, the other reason is there really aren't many other rods over 7 foot that aren't fast or XF action - besides salmon or steelhead drift rods. I have tied a friends Avid 8 ft MLM and it's too wimpy, to me. Will let you know how the Falcon rod performs.

I'm looking for help with finding a spinning rod for big water use. Ideally 7 1/2 foot, since I have a 7 footer but it doesn't cast quite as far as I'd like. Am planning to pair the rod with a 2500 Daiwa reel and 10 lb. Sufix 832. The rod I am considering is the Falcon Lowrider LSS-76L, which is rated in the ballpark of the lures I will throw for smallies. My question is for those who have used Falcon salt rods, do they compare, generally, to their freshwater tapers/builds? I have a few Lowrider spin rods and like their more parabolic actions (3-166 and 4-166). The description says light action, moderate flex but I am hoping the taper is somewhat fast until loaded with a fish. Can anyone of you saltwater anglers help me out? No saltwater for miles here in Michigan... Thanks!

Thanks Guys. I spoke to one of the customer service people at SC and told him I thought they lost more customers than just me with the switch to those reel seats. I do think the new guides on the LTB was a good decision. Oh well, I'll either go with a Legend Elite or 'step down' to an Avid.

Unfortunately, I broke my 2 y.o. LTB tube rod (with cork handle) and am going to ship it back to Park Falls using the Gold warranty. But am not sure about the newer skeletal reel seats on the LTB spin rods. How do you like them? They seem like they would not be comfortable for an old school guy like me. Really want to get another LTB but not sure if I'll get used to the reel seat. Appreciate feedback - thanks!