I recently bought a new Stradic CI4+ 2500FA, and am looking for a rod to pair it with. It will be an all purpose rod but much of its work will be done in fishing tubes for smallies. What would you guys suggest?

I use a at croix avid 6'8" mxf

There was an interesting thread awhile back in the tackle section on tubes. Guys weight a tube any where from 1/8-1/2 maybe more. First question you have to ask yourself is what weight tubes are you throwing and where.

Avid or LTB 6'8" MXF or Elite Tech SM 6'10" MF, depending on your price range and brand preferences.

I'd suggest a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Plastics rod. It's 7'1" M/F it'll give you that all around performance with great sensitivity and will also handle your tubes with ease.

Avid or LTB 6'8" MXF or Elite Tech SM 6'10" MF, depending on your price range and brand preferences.

 

An Aetos 7'2" MXF or Aetos 7' MF  might be other options.  Can't wait to fish mine.  Very nice looking rods.

I wouldnt use a XF action for tubes, could miss some hooksets... I'd suggest looking into a shimano crucial, something 6'6 -7'2 Medium-fast... Some people have different preferences oh rod length

I use a at croix avid 6'8" mxf

 

Great all-around rod!

 

My main rod for weightless soft plastics is a St. Croix LES70MF.

GLoomis SJR782 IMX.

 

Nuff said !!!.

Hi Michbassin, 

 

Tubes are one of my favorite plastics and I fish them a lot.  Here in Florida I use a MH 6' 6" or 7' rod.  Both casting and spinning.  The spinning when I fish weightless or with a 1/32, 1/16oz weight.  The casting rod I use with heavy weights.  I find a tube is a very good punch bait because it is so slim and really slips through the cover.

 

Since you are in Michigan I might go with a Medium rod as you probably don't have a lot of heavy grass cover and you are fishing open water frequently.  I would look at the weight rating of the rods and pick one that covers 1/8 to 1oz or 1/4 to 3/4.  It depends on what weight and tube you are using.  I don't like to name a specific rod as this is just my personal preference.  For spinning I do prefer a handle like the one that Denali uses.  I find the hump keeps my hand from fatiguing over a long day of fishing. 

 

The picture is upside down but you can see the grip.  There are other rods out there with a similar or same grip.

 

Frank

I'm probably going to be a bit different from the rest.  I have found that a 7' ducket spinning rod is the bomb for tubes. It's a great combination of sensitivity but have some play in the tip for casting.  Yet that tip quiets down nicely after flexing for the cast.  Just works really well.

For tubes I like either the shimano compre/crucial in 6'8 or 7'2" ML/XF or the st. croix mojo 6'9" ML/XF both are great tube rods. 

 

Mitch

I fish tubes an awful lot, mainly for smallies so take my advice with a grain of salt because most of my reasoning for rod choice is based around the fact that 9 times out of 10 I am using it for smallies. I usually throw them on 2 rods, a 6'8" MXF which acts kind of like a fast action and a 7' MF. I prefer the fast action over the extra fast because when they jump, (and for some reason on tubes they LOVE to jump) you can keep a much larger bend in the rod to keep that pressure on the hook which lowers the spit rate a ton. I use a bunch of high end rods, but actually prefer the Mojo Bass series over them because the lower tonnage graphite has a little more give in them which aids in what I just said above. A tube bite is usually pretty ferocious so having any lack in sensitivity doesn't come into play that much for me. 

Wife uses a SCIV 6'8" MXF. I had a Legend Elite 6'8" MXF. Broke it. Downgraded to a custom Avid Pearl 6'8" MXF. Sold it to a guy's wife in my bass club. Currently building a SCV 6'10" MXF. You could say I like the MXFs for tubes!

My current setup for tube jigs and grubs is a Stradic ci4 3000 on a Loomis IMX852s(7'1 medium/xfast)

Powell Endurance 6'10 Medium Ex fast

I have the Croix LTB tube rod and the Elite tech and I feel the Fenwick is a little better suited for the size of the smallies I get in Lake Michigan. I also have a Crucial that's 7'2" and mh xf and love it when using 1/2oz or more weights