I'm looking at a good all around cranking rod, some rod companies claim they can mimic the action of glass but by still using graphite, other people say there is no substitution for glass, what's the verdict? Just want to get a general idea of what people prefer. Thanks everyone!

I'll break it down for you plain and simple. I talked to Gary dobyns and he said hates the glass rods. You can now get the same action with the graphite rods along with all the added sensitivity. Buy the graphite. Not the glass

Graphite blends are my choice!

Graphite. ALL DAY EVERY DAY My Abu Garcia Veracity Winch out performs every glass rod I have owned before.

I had to make this decision years ago. Ended up getting two rods. The first is the Dobyns 705cb glass rod and the other was a Powell Endurance 695 rod. I dont do any deep cranking really so these two handle 80% of what I need them to do.

If I could pick just one rod it would be 705 cb glass rod. Topwaters, spinnerbaits, and cranks all fish well on this rod. For how I fish it really is a versatile rod.

I have and fish several brands of Glass, Graphite & Composite cranking rods.

 

It all comes down to personal preference.  You may love one & hate the other; and I could be the complete opposite.

 

  I believe that there's no Right answer here.  They all catch fish and no one will ever convince me that one is far superior to the other.

 

I will tell you that if you want to really know which one is best for you - you have to fish them.  If you're going to be doing a ton of cranking it could be in your best interest to put in the effort.  But if you're a casual cranker - you would probably be good with any quality cranking rod - regardless of the blank material.

 

I will say that the type of line you select for cranking, mono, fluorocarbon or braid, will effect the way your cranking rig performs; casting, hook sets and lure depth are all affected.   So whatever line you favor, the properties of that line, should also be part of your cranking set up decision matrix.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

Graphite all day every day without question.

Ive got both and it depends on preference. Dobyns is a hybrid, graphite to a point then glass. The 765cbglass is a beat of a rod and Ive caught most of my big fish on it, everything from 5-7lb. Ive also caught small fish on it and even with the glass rod I have no problem boat flipping fish. When it comes to graphite I prefer a very narrow, rigid blank that tapers off.  The glass gives me the bend I want with treble hooked baits. That being said some guys prefer the 705cb/704cb over their glass counter parts because they pull through grass and are better around cover. 

 

In todays fishing world you can get similar performance out of graphite but from my experience it isnt the same as a glass rod. I know guys that still fish exclusively with glass and never gave it up back when graphite came out lol 

Graphite. More sensitive than glass and lighter.

Here is my take, I hated glass rods until a friend made me use his for a full day whenwe had a good crankbait bite and I ended up loving it. I still hate the weight, especially an E-Glass blank which is what I like and the reason I like it is that you can't get the same action in graphite, S-Glass and composites, yes, you can mimic that in graphite to a certain extent but not E-Glass.  The reason some anglers like glass for cranking is you have a soft rod, even in a medium heavy but, down in the butt section you have plenty of power, but here is the kicker, you're into a big fish and the rod is in the power section with the fish at the side of the boat and it gets a 2nd wind and surges, the rod even under that load will still give just a bit more, you get a very connected feel with it. Now, S-Glass and composites are noticeably lighter than E-Glass, but it is still heavier than graphite but what I don't like about them is they shut off just like graphite, if you're cranking a 3/8oz DT-6 and you get a decent 4lb fish hammer it, you reel and side sweep the hook set and you are fighting the fish, the rod is bent and it is off, meaning the rod is basically the same power all the way through the blank until it hits that backbone and it isn't moving anymore. That is fine and I never minded that until I fished with the E-Glass rod, it felt as if there was 3 distinct levels of power where as graphite and composites have a single level and then backbone. S-Glass is a little better than composites, it still shuts off to high but it isn't as much as graphite or the composite and it is lighter than E-Glass by a good bit so I can see how someone could really like S-Glass. Don't get me wrong, I have graphite cranking rods and I have a graphite finesse cranking rod and for shallow cranks and square bills you really benefit from the sensitivity but glass is different and all it takes is to catch a few decent fish to understand what glass does for you but the weight is very hard to overlook, I'm trying to find a lighter E-Glass rod and if I can't I'll get a graphite rod to take its place because I don't feel you get much more advantage over graphite with other glass type or composites.

I haven't used a fiberglass rod in years. I have a couple of blends, but after the last post I am ready to try an E-glass.

I like a blend for shallower stuff. squarebills,warts,1.5's ect. For the deep divers nothing but glass.. I have a old quantum tour made back when they were still built in the U.S.A. and a Mojo big crankster..

 I think one of the biggest advantages to glass is fish don't seem to pull off at the boat or when they are short lined...

dang i was all excited for my new lamiglas excel2 glass rod now im thinkn i shlda went graphite

It's all personal preference. If you want a lighter rod that won't wear you out, go graphite. If you want best of both worlds, go composite.

 

**Although my Diesel 705CB glass rod is fairly light for a glass rod and I can fish it all day.

I would wager that most of the graphite rods we use are rolled with a fiberglass scrim.

 

 

oe

There's much more to it than simply graphite vs glass. The Lami blank will fish very well if it's anything like the ones I've used. A glass rod is not necessarily lacking in sensitivity. For long casting, deep cranking I like the old SR 705. Sensitive enough to feel the lure vibrate and powerful enough to move the fish away from cover if need be. 

 

For mid to shallow cranks I prefer a faster action - Mod Fast usually a graphite or blend model. The faster action makes popping off weeds and steering around cover a little easier. At the end of the day, I suggest you look for the power and action you want and put less emphasis on what construction method is used to achieve the result. 

Glass isn't what it used to be and technology is moving at an incredible rate.  IMO any enthusiast would do well to keep a close eye on innovation and be willing to disregard what they held true in the past more and more.    

 

 

The 705CB glass/fast Dobyns Champ is actually lighter than its graphite counterpart strangely enough.   

 

 

Modern glass/graphite hybrid blanks are engineered to give the best of both worlds.  You can get fast, crisp action while working the bait and once the fight is on and the blank loads it has the parabolic cushion that only glass can really give to keep those trebles buttoned.  I know everyone is different and some people want graphite which is totally cool but to apply the old adage that glass rods are heavy noodles would be doing yourself a disservice given the recent advances in technology and application.  Not all glass blend rods are created equally either, so just as with graphite you still have to find your comfort zone in a manufacturer or you aren't going to have a good time.    

Old School meets New School ~ Two of my favorite rigs. 

 

A-Jay

 

 

 

Old School meets New School ~ Two of my favorite rigs. 

 

A-Jay

 

Old School meets New School.jpg

Sweet. I built a custom 765 version currently matched with a Gen 2 Winch

Sweet. I built a custom 765 version currently matched with a Gen 2 Winch

 

Nice - I discovered and fell in love with these blanks and this rod late in the game.

 

Wished I had snagged one or two more before they became "special".

 

A-Jay

I personally chose a composite both glass & graphite for the best over all performance . As far as my choice I researched around and finally chose the 704 cb & 705 glass rods . Both have excellent ratings , even the kvd line up is a composite setup I believe . 

dang i was all excited for my new lamiglas excel2 glass rod now im thinkn i shlda went graphite

 

You'll be fine, I actually contacted Lamiglas about the rod in the Excel 2 line-up to find out if it was an E-Glass blank and I was told that it is a composite blend and very light in weight. They changed it because the original Excel was a straight E-Glass blank and even with a split grip it was considered heavy. I've heard a lot of guys really liked that rod, and went it went on sale it was the first one gone.

You'll be fine, I actually contacted Lamiglas about the rod in the Excel 2 line-up to find out if it was an E-Glass blank and I was told that it is a composite blend and very light in weight. They changed it because the original Excel was a straight E-Glass blank and even with a split grip it was considered heavy. I've heard a lot of guys really liked that rod, and went it went on sale it was the first one gone.

awesome! yea i went on and ordered mine when it went on sale for 78. TW was good enough to give me a store credit for the extra 25% when it went on sale for 59. so that gave me an excuse to pick up some baits. havent fished this rod yet but its certainly light and feels and looks great