I have a question for the fourm.  I have made it a goal to fish more crankbaits and rattle-traps this year.  The question is what is a good rod for using these tecniques?  I fish tourmaments all summer and usually use 7' rods.  I fish mostly shimano curado's with St. Croix rods.  The selection in my area is small and usually purchase them right from St. Croix corporate.  Anyone use a rod that they think serves all my needs.

p.s I will be using braid for the rattle-trap so the rod becomes real important here.

Thoughts?

Iced in...... in NH

mjbfsh07

I'd go with an American Rodsmiths H3 Titanium Special Jig Rod

http://www.americanrodsmiths.com The model # is H3T-SJR. Don't let that price scare you away. That's the MSRP. You can expect to pay $150-$170 for them. I'm pretty sure BPS carries them and maybe Dick's

I like the Loomis MBR844C IMX as all around general purpose rod.  I have yet to find a rod that fits so many setups and techniques.

My all-purpose rod is a G.Loomis IMX MBR783C(6'6" MH, fast tip). I use it for cranks, spinners, chatters, swimbaits, jerkbaits, jigs, soft plastics, and in a pinch, flipping.  As Avid said a while back, it is a magic wand. It will do just about anything you want it too, plus. They cost, but are worth every penny.

My all-purpose rod is a G.Loomis IMX MBR783C(6'6" MH, fast tip). I use it for cranks, spinners, chatters, swimbaits, jerkbaits, jigs, soft plastics, and in a pinch, flipping. As Avid said a while back, it is a magic wand. It will do just about anything you want it too, plus. They cost, but are worth every penny.

X2

this rod is on the boat every time I go out.

x3  Mine never leaves the boat.  I use it for crankbaits, tubes, and spinnerbaits.

I hate to sound like a broken record. I use the 7' St Croix Premiere Series Glass rod coupled with an old model Curado. This rod works great with lipless cranks and small crank baits. It really depends on how much you are will to spend. I own a IMX too, it is a do everything rod.

Are you looking for a cranking/trap rod or one rod for everything?  Title says one thing and post suggests another.

If you are using braid for traps and cranks, I doubt you'll like a fast rod for that purpose.  You'll be apt to pull a lot of hooks out.  Look for a mod or mod-fast to crank with.  Just my $0.02

I have a question for the fourm. I have made it a goal to fish more crankbaits and rattle-traps this year. The question is what is a good rod for using these tecniques? I fish tourmaments all summer and usually use 7' rods. I fish mostly shimano curado's with St. Croix rods. The selection in my area is small and usually purchase them right from St. Croix corporate. Anyone use a rod that they think serves all my needs.

p.s I will be using braid for the rattle-trap so the rod becomes real important here.

Thoughts?

Iced in...... in NH

mjbfsh07

I recently purchashed the St. Croix Avid AC70MM for $110 at Sportsman's Warehouse. I think it would fit your needs VERY well.

Clarification: This rod will work as an "all-purpose" rod for most crankbaits, but not for lures requiring a firm tip, .i.e., jigs and soft plastics

8-)

Gloomis is an awesome rod..but...check out the Castaway HG-40 rods. These are the bomb! They mostly all are made with moderate action, perfect for you application.

All Purpose rod

Fenwick  or All Star 6'6" or 7' med/fast

If you are asking about "all-around" equipment, this might help:  

Almost all your fishing can be done with one rod, spinning or baitcasting. I would suggest Medium Power/ Fast Action. This rod is especially suited for single hook lures.

Two rods are better. The second would be Medium or Medium Heavy Power with a soft tip. This is the rod for ALL treble hook lures.

After that, it's all about "want" and there is a lot to choose from. Application and your perception of sensitivity is VERY subjective. I fish high-end, technique specific rods because I enjoy collecting equipment that I consider "perfect" for a specific purpose. I do NOT "need" these rods to "catch" fish, but my "fishing" is more fun!

8-)

Gloomis is an awesome rod..but...check out the Castaway HG-40 rods. These are the bomb! They mostly all are made with moderate action, perfect for you application.

For your applications,  you could use the Castaway Standard Graphites.  I use both the HG-40 and Standards.  IMHO no need for the HG-40 for lipless baits.

Like one other guy said, your subject suggests one thing, and your actual post suggests another.

 Do you want an all purpose rod as in, you can throw crankbaits, plastics, jigs, spinnerbaits, and just about everything?

Or do you want a all purpose crankbait rod, in which you can throw deep diving, shallow diving, jerkbaits, and all that?

ESPECIALLY if you're using braid, you really want a moderate action rod.

My little brother got one of the rods they were handing out to the first 100 kids from the expo. It is all purpose, it is made by Kistler. It is a really nice rod It is about 7'.

I also fish mostly Curados on St Croix rods and have two set ups that I like for cranks & Traps.

Curado-B 6.2:1 on a AC66MHM for crankbaits

Curado-D 7.1:1 on a AC68MXF for Weightless plastics/Lipless cranks

If I had to pick one for both types of cranks I would go with Curado-D 7.1:1 on the AC66MHM Crankbait rod.

JMHO