Forum | Baitcaster Reels?

Andy, that rod/reel selection looks REALLY good.  With that selection, you won't be missing out on anything.  Now you just need to work on getting enough rods and reels so that you have one for every different technique you want to try.

I have one rod for spinnerbaits, one for frogs, one for flukes, one for senkos, one for dropshotting, one for cranks, one for…..

I'm sure there are other good combos out there, but I know I WON'T fish spinnerbaits on another rod other than my American Rodsmiths Croaker Smoker.  That long (8 ft.) blank gives me a lot more control over fish and really lets me pound hooks home, even on the end of a long cast.

And after a while, eight feet doesn't seem that long…  

It sounds about right to me Andy.  But then again, that's how my rods are rigged… 

Hey Andy,

I'd say that if you're happy with the setups you currently have, and the Daiwa Advantage setup you have is good for jerkbaits, if you use the new rig for spinnerbaits and cranks, you'll be just fine.

The only problem I have would be figuring out what line to use.  I prefer 50 lb. PowerPro for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, but 30 lb. PowerPro for crankbaits.  The smaller line diameter allows the cranks to get deeper.  If you don't do a lot of deep cranking, I'd probably go with the 50 lb. line.  I just don't feel comfortable throwing spinnerbaits around heavy cover on less than 50 lb. line…

Well, here's how I see it.

Spinnerbaits and crankbaits require (according to conventional wisdom) a rod that has a little softer action than a jerkbait rod, so it's going to be difficult to find a rod that will work well for all three applications.  With the increased sensitivity of rods today, it's easy to set the hook too fast with a fast action rod, so the softer action will reduce (somewhat) the tendency to react too quickly on the fish.  I'm not 100% certain of this, but I do know from experience that slightly softer rods do work well for spinnerbaits and cranks.

American Rodsmiths makes a rod called "The Croaker Smoker."  It's an 8 foot, medium action rod and it really should be marketed as a spinnerbait and crankbait rod.  I have one and the thing is amazing.  It'll launch a lightweight spinnerbait a mile with 50 lb. braid, yet has sufficient backbone to set the hook into a fish even at the end of a long cast.  It sells for $119.00 and here's a link to that particular rod.  http://americanrodsmiths.com/c…..ker-smoker

In my estimation, a jerkbait rod needs to be 7 feet long, with a medium/heavy power rating and a fast to extra fast action.  When it comes to factory built rods, I do have a tendency to recommend American Rodsmith rods.  But, while they're fantastic in quality and more importantly, fishability, their prices do have a tendency to run a bit to the high side.

Another rod company that produces a great product is Citrus Sticks.  They make three different classes of rods that run $99, $150 and $199.  I've got one of their Frog/Swimbait rods from the high end group and it's an amazing rod.  Lightweight and sensitive, it does a great job.  They make some good jerkbait rods as well.    Here's a link to their website.  http://www.citrusstick.com/index.html

Some people like the bright colors, others hate the colors on the rods.  To me, I'm more interested in the performance of the rod and I'm impressed with my Citrus Stick.

So I guess while I've given you some information, I guess I couldn't tell you which rod to buy.  Mostly because I think you need two different rods….  I guess that's how I ended up with a ridiculous number of rods in my boat…..

Sorry….

Well, if'n you're asking me, I'd say go with the Shimano Curado.  I have probably six or eight of the things and they're just downright bullet proof!  I cannot imagine a better reel with the exception of the Shimano Chronarch SF… 

Of course, I've heard good things about the Revo reels, but I have a lot of experience with Shimano and they've all been great reels.