I fish heavy heavy cover and grass on the tidal potomac. And my current 7 foot rod isnt enough and I want a seven and a half. Its just a shimano teramar inshore series heavy rod. But what Im wondering is if I should get something with a split handle such as the shimano crucial heavy flippin, dobyns champ, phenix flip rod, powell 766h or wait for the new g loomis frog rod to come out next month ? People who have handled it say its lighter then the last ones they made and more balanced. And whats the advantage to having a telescoping butt end ?

I kinda wanna split grip just for the weight factor. I want my rod to be as light as possible, shortest handle possible which the crucial seems to have(my current rod always bumps my hip or gut when popping frogs), soft tip for launching frogs a mile, and a backbone to pull 7 pounders out of 10 pounds of grass and hoist em right onto the boat. My hooksets wont be anything too crazy btw.

My budget is $250 or less. The crucial for 169 shipped on ebay seems like a good option. My crucial drop rod is my favorite even over my st croix avid. Plus shimano has the best warranty on rods. What would be the disadvantage to having a split handle if any ? Btw Im using a daiwa fuego and a 7.3:1 zillion for my 2 frog setups. Power pro 50 pound braided One reel for horny toads and such and one for popper frogs, etc..

And should I consider switchin to a heavier setup like this for my buzzbaits too or is my 7 foot st croix avid medium heavy enough for buzzbaits over heavy grass beds ? And finally would the same rod and reel setup for frogs and buzzbaits also work perfect for punching one and a half weights thru grass ? Thanks in advance.

The only advantage i see in a telescoping rod is the fact that it is easier to transport. But my one piece flippin' sticks fit on my deck fine. I have tried MANY flippin' rods and none have come close to the Powell 766H! The sensitivity and brute power of this thing is amazing! Very light weight and comfortable to fish with all day. I have both of mine paired with Revo STX reels and 65lb braid. There isn't a freshwater fish swimming that could stand up to this set-up! And even some saltwater species as well!!!

well I could care less about the extra 6 inches when it comes time to transport my gear. My gs400 takes my 7 foot rods anywhere I wanna go fine with more then 6 inches of headroom to spare, plus soon I will have an SUV to put my rods in when Im towing my boat far. Right now I live 3 miles from Lessylvania Park so so I'm out the door at 5:45 and on the water by 6 am  8-) Whenever I go there I put my rods in the boat for the 3 mile trek and no prob of course.  The powell is very tempting right now. Have u used the crucial or anything else with a split handle to compare it to ?

Oh and I just scored a used Quantum tour edition 7'6 heavy flippin stick for 48 dollars on ebay. Figured it would work for now till I make up my mind on what I want. Plus I need 2-3 flippin/frog rods anyways.

I have used the Crucial 7' 6" H/F, the Kistler all day flippin' stick, Daiwa flippin stick, Falcon Cara T7 flippin stick and the some others i cant recall right now! None compare to the strength and sensitivity of the 766 imo! They all felt more like MH/F to me(lacked power). The Crucial still has a fore grip though(i don't like that).

+1 on the Powell 766

This   http://www.americanrodsmiths.com/Products/MagStrikePredator/tabid/148/Default.aspx  I also like the Airrus Copperhead

Anyone else before I make a purchase? Not alot of feedback so far.

Go with the Crucial I have the 7'6" MH and it is a great flipping rod. It is very sensitive and light. I would highly recommend this, I got mine for $120 on the Flea Market.

I have the Crucial 7'11" Flipping Stick and I've been very happy with it.  It has plenty of power to pull fish from thick cover.  I'm sure the Powell is great as well.  You should try to handle both to see which one you like better.

I just got back from Potomac and I flipped for 2 days with the 7'6" HM Crucial and it did good. I boat flipped 2 fish in the 4-5lb range in a BFL and it held up nicely. If I were to be fishing the Potomac all the time and flipping heavy mats I would look into the 7'6" H crucial flipping stick.

For a frog rod, I would stick to something in the 7'0" to the 7'2" length.  My friend has the 7'2" crucial frog rod and swears by it.  He lives in New Orleans and frogs all year long.

Ok so a few more votes for the crucial. I need to find a local store that has both the powell and the crucial so I can handle both and see what feels better in my hands. They are the exact same price which makes it tougher for me to decide. Who even sells powell rods in va/md?

Ok so a few more votes for the crucial. I need to find a local store that has both the powell and the crucial so I can handle both and see what feels better in my hands. They are the exact same price which makes it tougher for me to decide. Who even sells powell rods in va/md?

I've never seen Powells in any stores around here and I've been to most of them.