My birthday is Monday and I have some cash to spend at BPS.  I want a rod or two, and BPS has the Tourney Specials on sale for 39.00.  Is this a good rod??  

The rods I am wanting are a 7 ft. med. baitcaster for crankbaits, chatterbaits, and such,

and 7 ft. rod for topwater stuff.  or can the two uses come from the same rod????  If so, then I may upgrade and only buy one rod... I was just thinking for diving lures, using lighter line than for topwaters, or would that make a difference?????

Do I need a diff. strength rod for rat l traps and such as well???

On top of the Tourney Special, they have Bionic Blades for 49 and the Extremes for 59.  I really like the Extremes, good value for the money.  As far as rod power, I use a 6 and a half foot M rod for crankbaits and topwater.  So it can be done on the same rod.  For line I use 12 lb on that combo, I feel its a happy medium for strength and low diameter.

You can use the same rod for topwater and crankin' if you want to save the money, but I would go with a 6 to 6 1/2 ft. medium action rod.  The shorter rod will give you more accuracy for casting in those tight spots.

I use a 6 foot medium rod for my topwaters and a 6 1/2 foot medium rod for my cranks.  The 6 1/2 footer gives me just a little more backbone since the strike is underwater, but still accurate casts.  You're going to get a lot of different opinions here, but all of my 7 footers are medium-heavy and I use them for jigs, t-rigs, heavier baits, or any baits that are being pulled through cover.

Hope this helps....don't know about the Tourney Specials, sorry.

The Bass Pro Crankin Stick is $ 49.00 and I think with a 7 ft. rod you can make longer cast and better hook up.

Please be careful when entering your BPS store.....if you feel that someone is following you or you hear some heavy breathing,dont bother turning around to look.....just run out of the store as fast as you can. If you browse around the store too long,the baitmonkey will eventually overtake you and your wallet and you'll end up buying way too much stuff and spending money that you really dont have.....trust me,it will happen!

wow, i didnt know the extremes were on sale as well, my flyer didnt include them... I prefer those over the tourney specials, and will get them instead, providing they are on sale here in Georgia.....  

as for the bait monkey,, I am leaving the credit card, atm card, everything at home, only taking the cash I have to spend, lol,,, that way the bait monkey and I can come back home, lol,, I will spend what I have, to please the bait monkey, but not so much as to anger the queen of my domain....  ;D ;D ;D

However, she did hook me up with about 50.00 in lures, some cds, and some fishing magazines for my Birthday,, yea, she loves me...