Rigging rod?

[riverrat56]

So I'm quickly falling into the school of thought of buying the right rod for the right presentation instead of using one rod to multi task. It's getting expensive, fast, but I have deffinatly noticed an increase in my sucess rates by having the right gear.

What I am lacking right now though is a dedicated rod for Lindy Rigging. Right now I use a St.Croix Premier 7' M Fast action rod, but it just doesn't quite feel "right".

I'd like to stick with the St. Croix brand, but am open to other suggestions, it will be paired with a Pflugger President reel. Would like to keep it under $250 for the rod.

Thanks guys!

[rodmaker]

Look at the St. Croix Avid Series. 7'6" ML.

[stifler51]

well i know st croix legend tourny rods have a lindy rig rod. I love my st croixs even if u dont go with the legend im sure they make a rod in that style in the avid series.

TWS70MLF Lindy® Rig 7' ML Fast 1pc, 4 - 10 line, 1/8 - 3/8 lure weight 3.6 rod weight, $ 230

[croixflats]

Check out Limit Creek line of rods. IMO they are as good as the St.Croix without the price tag. Right now I have the medium heavy, fast for trolling cranks and three ways. And the 8'3" extendable medium lght, my personell favorite, for lindy rigs and 3 ways.

Later I will be picking up the medium fast and the medium light to complete the collection.

I have complete faith in Limit Creek. I see no reason in spending the extra cash for a rod that does the same thing

[hhguide]

Check out fenwick too. I know you said that you wanted to stay with St. Croix but if it doesn't feel right maybe try something alittle different! Fenwicks are great rods with not such a big price tag!

[fishwater]

Get the St. Croix legend tournament if you're willing to part with the entire $250. I'd get the TWS76MLF

If you go foreign assembly, hard to beat a shimano crucial - they make a 7' rigging rod that has over the counter exchange when you break it. Less than $150, very good quality.

[Jim Almquist]

I used the St Croix Avid 6'6" for 2 season's and really loved that rod and when the tip snapped they ask if I would like to upgrade for $50.00 and my response was SURE. The 6'6" Legend is a sweet rod and one of my go to rods.

[rattleL]

shimano crucial seconded 7'0 medium, i just like to have something with good backbone, but yet a nice soft tip for those soft pick up bites.

[JohnMickish]

I've got both the G. Loomis HSR 9000 (IMX) and the St. Croix Walleye Legend Tournament rods. Both are 7'6" and built as dedicated lindy rods,(well, the HSR started life as a trout rod but that's not important here). I used to use a St. Croix 7' ML Avid and before that was a 7' ML Rapala XLT rod.

I will say that the two "better" rods that I have are leaps and bounds above the others I used to use. One thing that I really like besides the lighter weight and increased feel is that the 7'6" rods offer a better hookset due to the longer length, and you don't need to swing for the fences when doing your hookset either, reducing your chances of breaking the line or ripping the hooks out. They also help you out when it's time to land a fish using extra long snells on clear water lakes.

Of the two I use for rigging (I still have the other two, I just don't use them for rigging anymore), if I had to pick only one I would pick the St. Croix. For the lakes I fish I feel the slightly softer tip of the Legend suits me better, but if I where to only fish the Mille Lacs mud I would choose the Loomis IMX due to it's ultra sensitive tip. Let me explain.

I have found that when you are running over cabbage, rocks and gravel the sensitivity of the Loomis comes at a disadvantage. EVERYTHING feels like a tap tap tap, but there isn't much on the mud so that is where it shines. With the St. Croix's tip you can watch it and tell what is going on better.

For what it's worth, you can pick up the G. Loomis for under $250 and the

St. Croix for under $200 if you look at the sales or sports shows. These rods are not cheap but the best cost money, but what the heck, they print more every day.

[riverrat56]

Thanks for the reply's guys, I decided to cut back on the spending a little bit, and picked up a 7'6" ML St.Croix Premier. I like the way it feels and it saved me about $100 over some other options. Which wasn't really saved but I am now restocked on jigs and other tackle. Hopefully it will fit the bill nicely, it also may get some duty spring crappie fishing.

Another one that did catch my eye was the Fenwick Elite Tech 7'7" ML Rigging, had a nice feel to it as well.

[PerchJerker]

As long as you like the way it feels, it's probably the right rod for you.

For me, I use a 7' ML fast or x-fast action rod if I'm using 1/4 or maybe even 3/8 ounce weights, or less. If I go with heavier weights I use a 7' MH fast action rod. It's what feels right to me.

[stifler51]

Whatever works for u is the best rod to get, but i have to agree with u that having a rod for each presentation is great, i especially love not having it change lures everytime i feel something would work better. I dont believe in quick snaps so i always have to re-tie, which is sometimes a pain when u just wanna throw something different quick to see if that will make them bite.

[TrophyEyes]

Rodmaker you switched. I thought you were a loomis guy. Personally I really like the Loomis IMX's

[rodmaker]

Hey there. I really didn't switch, my last two rods I build were St. Croix Legend Elites because Loomis quit selling rod blanks. If you have one from prev years you made,and break it, they will no longer send you the blank. They will either send a factory rod 50% covered. or Loomis bucks towards any Loomis product (except of course blanks).

I still like my Loomis!!!! I have two St. Croix Legend Elites. One I'm just finishing building up. 8'6" Legend Elite Steelhead blank Med action. This will work awesome on the Mud on Mille Lacs. Using the 8-10' leaders.

Where I build my rods, they say I won't have any problem liking the Legend Elites. I take their word for it. They have never sold me a bad blank for what specific application I was looking for in 15 years.

I still think the nod goes to Loomis. Give me one more season with the St. Croix's and I can give an answer what I like the best.

I do love the HSR9000 IMX. May build one more and take a chance with the warranty. I've nver broke a Loomis rod yet.

[TrophyEyes]

I find the Legends to feel a bit tinny. The Loomis has a softer feel. I am really liking the Shimano's lately and their warranty is awesome.

[Heatseeker]

I HOPE YOU READ THIS:

If you are lindy rigging walleye with a 1/8 to 1/4 oz sinker most of the time with either a leech or a shiner type setup with 6# test line, the avid series from St. Croix are a great rod with a LIFETIME replacement guarantee that are affordable enough to allow you to invest in a Shimano reel as well. The theory of a longer rod is that they are more forgiving in reeling up the slackline before setting the hook as well as keeping a bend in the pole with a reduced drag setting and lighter line. The knock on longer rods has been that you lose sensitivity in theory because the rod dampers vibration. I have not found that to be true with St. Croix. They are a great rod. On a side note, the Avid is vastly superior to a premier in terms of feel. You will really like the rod on the water where it counts. I would go to a store and find the reel you are putting on your new rod and pick out a couple rods and put the reel on and see how they balance out if you are insistent on putting a particular reel on the rod. I would personally pick out the rod, and then find a Shimano reel to balance it out. If you are fishing spinners or bottom bouncers you would want an entirely different setup. Of course the next problem is line and which line for which situation is important. If you want any more ideas, just post the question specifically to me and i would be happy to help. It always, always depends on the bait and weight when making a rod selection.

[JohnMickish]

The Avids are a great rod, but it's about a $30 bump to the Legend line. I don't know why they have the two lines priced so close. If you look hard enough you can get the Legend on sale for about the regular price of an Avid.

[Eyefishalot]

Here are my setups:

For Bass:

* 7'5" GLX Flipping rod (Heavy) - Paired w/Shimano Core 50MG

* 7'2" GLX Jig & Worm (Heavy) - Paired w/Shimano Core 50MG

* 7'1" GLX Senko (Med-Heavy) Paired w/Daiwa Steez 103SHA

* 7'1" GLX Senko (Med Ex-fast) Paired w/Shimano Stella 2500

* 7'1" GLX Senko (Med Ex-fast) Paired w/Daiwa Steez 2500

* 7'0" GLX (Med-Heavy) Paired w/Daiwa Steez 100HA

* 7'0" Shimano Compre (Mod-Fast) Paired w/Revo SX

* 6'6" GLX Jig & Worm (Med-Heavy) Paired w/Daiwa Steez 103HA

For Walleyes:

* 6'3" St. Croix Avid (ML Ex-Fast) w/Shimano CI4 1000 (Vertical Jigging)

* 6'0" Shimano Compre (Med-Heavy) w/Daiwa Advantage 1500 (Vertical Jigging)

* 6'0" St. Croix Premier (Light) w/Shimano Symtre 1000

For Pan Fish & Trout:

* 6'6" St. Croix Premier (ML - Fast) w/Cetus Tica 500

* 6'6" St. Croix Avid (UL - Fast) w/Shimano Symetre 500

Personally, Avids are great rods for the price and they perform to my expectations.

[HOT SPOT]

Dumb question, I lindy rig probably 60-70 percent of my time when walleye fishing. What makes a longer rod so much better? I have had/tried a few 7'6 and rods in that length but I honestly can’t get comfortable with the length. I would rather use a 6ft to 6'9.

[Mike Stark]

the "smoothie" by limit creek is a great rigging rod. a 6'9 rod would be long enough for a good rigging rod. the longer the rod the easier it is to set the hook if you are using a long leader while rigging.

use what you are comfortable with. you will catch a lot more fish using something that you are confident and comfortable with.

[Eyefishalot]

that is true....I've caught fish on $9 rods but when you get into specific fishing, jigging, topwater, deep water it matters...

Longer rods gives you further cast and the hook sets are way better, especially for deep water fishing