I would like your recommendations on how I should pair my rod/reels. here is was I have:

Reels: 2 mg51's, Sol, and 201E7

Rods: BPS Bionic Blade 7' MH and 7' M and BPS Crankin Stik 6'6 M

Basically I am looking for help pairing the 3 rods I currently have and then suggesting a 4th rod to pair with the reel that was left out. I have a few rods in mind, but I am open to any suggestions you guys bring up. If you wouldn't mind, I would also welcome you to suggest techniques for each setup.  I plan to use my stradic/crucial combo for drop shot and throwing anything under 1/4 oz. Anything else is up for debate. Thanks in advance guys. You have been a great help to me as I lam learning more everyday.

IMO, the BPS 7' MH with a MG51 for texas rigged plastics. The 7' m with the other MG51 for weightless plastics. And the Crankin stick with the 201E7 for crankin of course. As for the Sol, who knows, keep it as a spare, LOL!

Dink,

If you had to pair a rod with the Sol what would it be ($80-120)? I like your pairings, but I want to utilize the sol. This is what I am thinking:

Sol with Crankin Stick for light crankbaits, light spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits.

mg51 with M Bionic Blade for weightless plastics

mg51 with MH Bionic Blade for Texas rigs or Carolina rigs, heavier spinnerbaits and deep divers.

201E7 with some type of MH rod??? for frogs and buzzbaits. This rod would also be for other applications if not throwing frogs/buzzbaits.

Anybody else have some input?

Dink,

If you had to pair a rod with the Sol what would it be ($80-120)? I like your pairings, but I want to utilize the sol. This is what I am thinking:

Sol with Crankin Stick for light crankbaits, light spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits.

mg51 with M Bionic Blade for weightless plastics

mg51 with MH Bionic Blade for Texas rigs or Carolina rigs, heavier spinnerbaits and deep divers.

201E7 with some type of MH rod??? for frogs and buzzbaits. This rod would also be for other applications if not throwing frogs/buzzbaits.

Anybody else have some input?

In that case i would strongly recommend a St Croix Mojo Bass rod in 7' MH/F= $89.99. I have a couple and for the $ you can't go wrong with them man! They are Very strong and sensitive! Check them out!

For cranking, I use a Kistler composite 7' crankin rod (check out the review on tackletour.com)  and love it.  It maight be a little over $120 though.  Good luck!

The mojo is one of the rods I am looking at. I am also looking at either the 6'6 or 6'10 compre MH/XF. The one thing that I do not like about the mojo is that there is no cork in front of where the reel sits. I tend to rest my index finger there when palming smaller reels and it looks like the mojo might be a little uncomfortable. I guess I will just have to try both at the store and see for myself. Thanks for the input.

I think you should obviously pair your sol with the crankin stick its your going to be using it for crankbaits. Then buy a 7'MH Mojo for spinnerbaits and/or jigs!

Well guys, I just checked ebay and decided  to bid on a 6'10 compre. Anyways, I won the rod for $75 w/ free shipping. I thought that this was a fair deal as I would have to drive over an hour to pick one up anyways. I think I will pair it with an mg51 for throwing texas rigs and jigs. I will end up pairing the bionic blade MH/F with my curado for frogs/buzzbaits and heavier crankbaits/spinnerbaits. It was an impulse buy, but now I feel complete for the season. Haha

Anybody else have some input?

Here's a summary of the opinions I've seen posted this year.

This may seem counter-intuitive, but many prefer faster 7.X reels for jigs and slower reels for cranks.

The faster reel allows slack to be quickly reeled in while bouncing jigs off the bottom - it helps you to get set for a good, quick hookset.

With cranks, deep divers may not reach optimal depth if reeled too quickly, or they may just be too fast...  Many feel it is easier to speed up a 5.X reel while cranking, than to slow down a 7.X.  

Personally, I prefer faster reels in all situations.  Then again, I don't have any tournament trophies  ;D

Haha... me either. I agree with everything you've said. I think it is a given that the sol will be paired with the crankin stick and one of the mg's with a 7'M Bionic Blade. Now, since I just bought my final rod, would you pair the curado with the MH/XF compre or the MH/F bionic blade? My other mg will go on the other rod. Do you think I'd benefit more from an XF rod for jigs/carolina rigs or frogs?

The "slow" 5.8:1 retrieve ratio of the Sol isn't the only consideration.  It also has Mag Force-V braking system that is designed to work best with lighter baits on lighter line.  I own two Sols and an Ito Alphas Ai.  5.8:1 is not noticeably slower than 6.2:1, but not 7+:1.  remember, just a few years ago, 5:1 was "high speed."  

I have one on my light cranking rig (8#), and one for light jigs (10#).  The Ito is for finesse plastics (6#).

In a general sense, you are on the right track, but I wanted to let you know some more about these reels.  Down the road, you may want to try something different.

Thanks for the details on the Sol. Do you know anything about the Mg? I know the Sol vs Mg thing has been discussed already, but I am wondering if it is a little more universal than the Sol. From my research, correct me if I am wrong, it seems that the Mg is great at throwing lighter lures, but can also be used for heavier ones as well. As you have probably seen in my other posts, I plan to use it for weightless plastics, TX/Carolina rigs, Jigs, deep divers, and heavier spinnerbaits. Thanks for the help

I've never fished with a CH50MG, but I've cleaned them, and held them.  Its similar, but some key differences - centrifugal brakes, slightly faster gear ratio, better looking, but its a Shimano, LOL.  I kid, I kid.  The Sol has an Al frame, so its not as light as the Mg.

I would say that the MG "can" be used for all of those applications but I wouldnt suggest it.  I would try to limit it's use to the weightless plastics, texas rigs, light jigs and light spinnerbaits.

I'd use the 7MH with 201E7 for the carolina, heavier jigs and frogging.  

I've never used a SOL but from what J Francho described they are pretty similar in targetted application.  I'd go with Dink's suggestion and use it for the lighter cranking and treble type baits.

It sounds like you have 3  reels ideal for lighter applications and one for the heavier duty work but you have a 50/50 split in your required workload.

That makes for some tough decisionmaking!!  Bottom line is that your MG's can handle the heavier tasks - it will just require some adjustments on your part.

I'd say Dink has you pointed in the right direction.

B

The Daiwa Fuego is the closest to the CH50MG in design and application.

Banor,

You hit the nail right on the head when you said that I have 3 for light tackle and 1 more heavier stuff. I think that I am going to take each of your suggestions and see what I can come up with. Here in N. Illinois I don't throw a lot of heavier stuff. Basically nothing over 1/2 oz except for the occasional fat free shad that I think is 3/4 oz. I think I have light cranks/spinners and weightless/small jigs covered with the Sol and Mg respectively. I now need to decide what rod I want to pair with the mg and curado.