Help me decide which rod brand...

[Rebel9921]

Thanks Big for chiming in on his recommendation on the trolling rod brand... He also emphasized on avoiding "all graphite" for selecting your rod when it comes to trolling... reason for this is because of their tendency to shatter and limited flexibility you need for trolling, hence the recommendation for fiberglass or fiberglass/graphite rods...

I always make it a point to remember to either do the Figure 8 or the Wide Oval at the boatside regardless... There are too many boatside strike stories that has ended with the person missing out on a good chance because they didnt figure 8 or wide oval at that time... and having a 8'6 or longer rods sure helps whole lot with this... the 8 or the oval is much more wider... easier to control and you can get more of the rod into the water if the situation calls for it... I love using the 9'0 for WTD lures as the weagle performs flawlessly with that rod... beautiful hyponizing L to R, R to L swishing movement...

Buyers remorse- dont believe in that... Just buy whatever you have confidence in... and you'll be fine... trust me... after splurging over $1k at the Expo last year... I sure dont have any buyers remorse... What you dont use, need, or want anymore, there are classifieds on the internet you can post up for sale for free anyways...

NCLaker- I have mild case of carpal's tunnel syndrome... it apparently is a genetic thing in my case... and I find out that closing my fist like I would with a normal handle, the CTS flares up badly and its so painful after a day of fishing... but with the thicker handles... the pain now is non-existent... less strain on your hand and wrist while palming... more comfort while casting too... and nope... cork or syncork... the weight difference is BARELY noticeable... If I can remember right, my 7'6 Cabela Fish Eagle II MH was a tad bit heavier than my 8'6 KT Pro Edge... Yes all of my rods are thick at both foregrip and the handle itself...

exactly... just do what works great for you... My comments earlier is what works great for me... I find that I dont need to move the rod a foot or two down to get the lure to move... I only need to move it 3-6 inches down and its working just fine...

[propster]

Rebel, if you are still interested in a couple Compres for backup, shoot me an email. I can get you a deal on them. And if you want a 7000iC3, I may be willing to part with mine that is a year old. I think I'm going to a Calcutta 700 for the big blades.

[Rebel9921]

Prop... thanks for the offer... but I'll decline... Im not going to purchase anything related to fishing itself from now til my boat is done... I need to finish my boat... then after that... its shopping spree turned wild...

as for 7000iC3... I sold one off and have other one for sale myself... after blowing out 5 reels in 2 years, I've admitted to myself how HARD and how BRUTAL I can be to my equipment, so thus I'm upgrading to Shimano Trinidad for Big Blades and Calcutta 400TEs for other stuff... You've seen firsthand how hard of an abuse I put my equipments through... if I can remember right, one of my 7000iC3 went out on me on French with you and Hunter... and I destroyed a SuperD too...

[propster]

Now you're talking some sense! Get that darn boat fixed up so you can use some of the gear you already have

And with your schedule I'll bet you can be fishing weekdays instead of weekends like most of us hacks. You are correct - you did blow out the 7000 with us. You should have heard that thing grinding! That's why I'm going to the big Calcutta, so much smoother than the the Abu, though I had very few problems with it. Good luck on the boat, and save your money - I told you last year the most you could fish was one rod in each hand anyway

[NCLaker]

...exactly... just do what works great for you... My comments earlier is what works great for me... I find that I dont need to move the rod a foot or two down to get the lure to move... I only need to move it 3-6 inches down and its working just fine...

Thanks Reb, Sounds like I'll be doing a lot of experimenting on the JB/WTD stuff. Good thing is I have both a shorter and longer XH rod so it should give me a good idea of what works for best me, or for specific lures.

BigF, I can't seem to find any info or sites that carry the Cannon rods (only downriggers). Do you know a site I can find more info on the rods? Anyone sell them locally in the cities? Any specific model you recommend for trolling skies. Thanks!

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

hence the recommendation for fiberglass or fiberglass/graphite rods...

actually i did'nt recommend the glass only. IMO and experiences with glass only rods have been unfavorable for normal trolling situations. i know people who just love them, maybe because of price and overall durability. for me, a glass rod just needs to tight a drag for a good hookset because of the super flexibility in them. plus when fighting fish, especially fish that tend to jump or change directions alot, the line can get too much slack too fast and result in a thrown hook in an instant. not to mention that ''boing boing'' factor. plus glass has way less overall power than a properly mixed rod blank when fighting a fish. i own two Cannons and a St.Croix E-Glass for normal trolling. the e-glass i use for really big stuff and the cannons for everything including planers. except lead line. lead line i use an ugly stick. all glass can be/is ok with lead line IMO. mainly because the weight in the line keeps too much slack ever getting in the line, and hooksets are ok for the same weight reason alng with it being very stiff. plus, lol, it's a good shock absorber for the strike on the leader and all that bounceing while trolling. just some thoughts.

[Rebel9921]

Quote:

hence the recommendation for fiberglass or fiberglass/graphite rods...

actually i did'nt recommend the glass only.

I was just elaborating on your statement on avoiding all graphite rods for trolling and offered two alternate type of rods...

[Rebel9921]

NCLaker... you'd might would want to try using a MH for your JB/WTD stuff... The flexibility of the tip really works well with that type of thing... which is probably why I could use my 9'0 MH without any problem... Just switch it all up and see what works the best for you... and what you are confident with... you cant go wrong with that...

[ole matty]

I like my 76 k compre for gliders and wtds. Will pick up one more compre rod possible 8'0 xh for throwin heavy stuff.. Big spinnerbaits n magdawgs... I alway tell this to myself most of the time: go with what your feel comfortable with....

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

trolling rods for $30-$50 which would do better for trolling as they're made of fiberglass compared to graphite for casting

gottcha .

probably still a good thing though. the more angles given the more smarter someone looks to the sales person.

i obviously agree with Matty about what's comfortable and sticking with it. for casting, i like a fast or extra fast tip whether it's my walleye rods or my muskie rods. light, medium, MH, Heavy, EH, they all gotta be fast or extra fast. the only drawback for me is that it's more set in stone to follow recommended lure weights and not go above. snap a tip quick with an ounce on a half ounce rod with a extra fast tip if i'm not carefull. and i'm not exactly carefull when i'm zinging lures out. so i need to switch up a lot, but the possitives for me make it worth it.

[10,000 Casts]

I hardly ever troll, just not a fan of it but when I do, I use my 8' compre. Yes, it will build up a week spot down the road and it probably will snap but I don't care because of the lifetime warranty. The Cannon Power Troll, Daiwa Heartland are good glass options and about $40 a piece.

Propster, go with the Toro before the Calcutta 700. I don't remember the wieght on the 700 but it feels really heavy. I know that you guys like to throw the big stuff.

Also, let me know when you and Hunter will be at the Muskie Shows. Maybe we can meet up. I might be able to get you a pretty good deal on your reel Shoot me an email [email protected]

B1g, are you going to have a booth at any of the shows?

[b1gf1sh1]

Quote:

Yes, it will build up a week spot down the road and it probably will snap but I don't care because of the lifetime warranty.

that's fine as long as it ain't that fish of the decade that does the breaking ...

really though, i'd rather troll with a graphite too, much better except the breaking part.

as far as a booth? no, not this year. right now i'm still pretty much just Customs. i've got my customs customer base, here in the north and down south. i do have about 10 or so different lures of my own design but i'm also a small time player. and new to the mainstream production side of it. i really want to get two of my own out this spring but it's not looking great for the two i want to do. i want more inventory, and per-lure aint cheap so it's probably 2010. but i do want to try and get a few Badgers with and without tails in smaller shops, some Medium Rides too. and the Mega-not sure of the name yet-lure, if nothing else, just to let some people decide if they like the quality of my work. so a show would be jumping the gun for where i'm at right now, even if i bought into somebody elses booth.

but all this is ok. i have no plans on going away anytime soon. so i have plenty of time.

Never used the diawa but i'll take your word on it. you seem to know a thing or two about the sport.

[propster]

JC, tell us when you are coming down, we're flexible. Thanks for the offer but I'll stick with the Calcutta - tried and true, and I can handle the weight.

[Rebel9921]

Prop... seems like you have your mind set on for Calcutta 700, but dont forget that Shimano Trinidad TN16N is priced the same as a Calcutta 700, and probably would suit you better when it comes to the big blades... just a minor adjustment of reeling the line in without the guide of the levelwind... and if I can remember right, the TN14 is little bigger than 6500 and 16TN is about the same as a 7000iC3 while 700 would be bit bigger than a 7000iC3... I could be mistaken...

I more likely will be going for a Trinidad TN14... only drawback with going for 14 instead of 16N would be that I lose about 7 inches of line per turn (36 inches per turn compared to 42 for 16N... and the 700 you want only get 31 inches per turn)... or with the way I really crank in my DB10s, I might will just suck it up and go for a TN16N...

[Quackaddict9]

Quote:

700 would be bit bigger than a 7000iC3... I could be mistaken...

gosh that is a big reel! and yes it is bigger than the 7000iC3. I bought one last summer. I prefer my Lunas though but a little harder working the big blades.

[propster]

Reb, I don't even want to think about how much you'll backlash with a Trinidad! We fished with a couple good sticks using 'em last year and they had regular professional reverse overrides. I got a big mitt, so no problem, the Calcuttas are just so smooth and trouble-free.

[Professional Edge]

My opinion.

There is nothing like the new St Croix Legend and Premier series.

If you were to get one rod to start make it the new sling blade (4M86HF rod blank). I have built several of these this year and I am currently waiting for more blanks. I decided not to go to the Chicago show this year because of all the orders I had already received on this blank.

There are a bunch of options. If you have a specific need post it and I will try and help.

[TheHawgTrough]

What are people's impressions of the Daiwa Saltist reels? Do they hold up casting the big blades?

[Rebel9921]

Sorry that this thread got hijacked and became a thread about reels...

I've heard some good things about the Saltist... there are several blogs online about Diawa Saltist which can be found if googled... But Trinidads still are the tops... I know that Thorne Bros carries both brand...

Now to get this thread back on track... to sum it up, nobody can go wrong with rods from Keith at KT Pro Edge... Few recommended that I go down that path last year, and I did... definitely no regrets this time around... I love them... Probably would order few more from Keith sometimes next year...

[10,000 Casts]

Propster, I will give you a heads up before the shows. I am looking forward to them like always.

As far as a rod snapping, it will more than likely be on a cast with a mag dawg or something but if it does happen on a fish of a lifetime, let the fun begin! It will make for a better story. If I was to lose it, so be it, another one will come along someday, things like that keep me comming back year after year.

Another rod that isn't all that bad for trolling is an Ugly Stick believe it or not, They used to make a 7'6" heavy (they still might). There is a guy on leech that throws one in the rod holder on his sailboat and drags baits all over leech all summer long. That rog gets abuised like no other.

As far as the hijacking, I can be guilty of it from time to time I know but isn't there a rule about a thread being a year old?