Crappie Rod/Reel

[Brade04]

What is a good rod and reel or combo I could use for catching crappies?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Panfish Sweetheart from ThornBrothers... thats my personal fave.. For a reel, I lik ehte 500 series Shimano, but many like the Tica Cetus.

[Chode2235]

I love my Thorne Sweetheart too, I wish the spring bobber was a little better...

But really, you want a soft tip with a little bit of backbone. And a small reel with a good SMOOTH drag (more for the chance you hook into a walleye). I use 2 or 3 lb test.

I think the Cabelas XML combos are a pretty good deal, and a pretty good rod for the money. I also think the St. Croix rods are a good value.

But probably the best value is the Thorne Hardwater Series ($29), which are almost as good as their custom line of rods.

A good crappie rod needs to be versatile as you could be jigging some bigger spoons with it one moment and then spring bobbering with a tiny little bug on it the next.

So I really like a softer tip, but some good power backbone. Which is exactly what the thorne rods are.

[Drewski]

I love my cabelas fish eagle/TB power noodle combo!

[ozzie]

for me st croix legend ml with the pink spring bobber with a tica cetus ss or the sb and spool with 4 lb p-line

[Borch]

I really like the Thorne Brothers Sweet Thing for working gills and the panfish sweetheart for crappies. For reels I use Tica Cetus SB500, Abu Garcia Cardinal 300U or Mitchell Avocet Gold 500U. All have good drags with the Tica and the Mitchell having the smoothest.

[Bigslugger]

I use a cheap Gander Reel. St. Croix UL and HT spring bobber with 4 lb vanish. It does the job just like expensive rods at a cheaper cost

The reason I use a UL is I like the rod to play the fish..+ it is much more fun to catch them with

[mrfish1991]

i like my 24" bro series rod combo, the reel that it came with is ok, but i would prefer a tica or shimano 500.

you need to look closely at the guides to make sure they are all lined up

[Bigslugger]

i like my 24" bro series rod combo, the reel that it came with is ok, but i would prefer a tica or shimano 500.

you need to look closely at the guides to make sure they are all lined up

I almost bought one of the Bro Series.

They look like a great rod

[mrfish1991]

Yes they are a very nice rod if you can find one with straight guides

The reel is fairly good too, but i do not like that the handle is a push button to fold and not the typical screw type. Im also not quite sure about the drag cap, it always seems a little wobbly... But the drag itself is awsome nice and smooth and other than those two things i mentioned its a great reel.

[harvey lee]

Check out the Mitchell rod line up and the combo's also. They are all a very nice rod and reel. It's great to see a company offer a quality set up that will fit into ones budget.

http://www.jasonmitchellrods.com/

[lovebigbluegills]

I love my JM panfish rod

[Flaco651]

The Jason Mitchell spring bobber rod with an Okuma IT-10 or the JM meatstick with the same reel has been my go to the last couple seasons.

[RainyEye]

I agree, my Jason Mitchell spring bobber is really a great panfish rod and the customer service is great too, if you need it!

[Brade04]

Is a spring bobber mounted on the end of the rod? If so how does a guy use a bobber and stopper or can't they?

[CrappieAttitude]

There are a variety of different spring bobbers out there. I personally have two rods rigged up with them and I don't try to fish any other bobbers with them. I do believe however that the style of spring bobber I use, a bobber stop knot would fit through.

When looking at decent combos for the money, don't forget to look at the guide series rods and reels. I have a bunch of them and I don't have to justify to the wife spending a lot on a rod and reel combo. I would love to add some more thorne brothers rods to my collection, however I can't justify it. Typically Instead of buying combos, I buy rods and reels seperate. I have noticed over the years that in most combos, you either get a decent rod and a sub-par reel, or a decent reel with a sub-par rod.

My favorite crappie rig right now is a $9.99 guide series 24" UL paired with a tica.

There's my $0.02

CA

[Bigslugger]

I bought 6 genz stix gold 23" UL on the BigE for $80

Ill be fishing them tomorrow to see how they turn out, hopefully they are nice

There are more on there for sale for the same price if any one is interested

[mrfish1991]

well....my bro series was a great rod, but i snapped the tip off today and im PI$$ED...and of course i didnt save the reciept so i cant return it....

off to FF to buy an ice blue rod

[Fred_Bear]

I like the St Croix premiere 28" UL. Great rod for the price, but if you can afford it the TB rods are the best.

Pflueger has a great line of reels, I have a few different sizes of the Trion which is the cheapest of the pfluegers and they're all great. Smooth drag and they have been durable so far. Doesn't stiffen up in cold weather either. I tried a couple Gander Mt professional series ice reals and I am for sure staying away from those from now on.

[boatfixer]

I cant say enough good things about the Jason Mitchell meat stick and spring bobber rods, great rods.

[mole]

Jason Mitchell spring bobber rod with Plueger reel. My go to combo with great success.

[ASMOLEY]

I also have a St Croix premiere 28" UL by far my fav! Sensitive yet has some backbone for the slabs and bull gills.

[Borch]

I need to add the Jason Mitchell Meatstick to my favorites list. Pair it up with a Tica Cetus and it's a crappie slaying rig with it's sensitive tip and plenty of backbone to get a good hookset.

[eyeguy541432404961]

I picked up a couple Blizzard Ultra Lite 24 inchers last year at SW for pannies. 15 bucks or so each and they work really well.

[tacklebox7FF]

anything with a spring bobber works just fine. but you have to look at the quality a little bit.. manly the reel!