ChiCityBasser

The latest version of the Sahara

My choice for baitcasting was Daiwa as I own and Exceler and a Prodigy which is made by Daiwa. Quantum wasn't listed but my Daiwas spend more time on the water. As far as spinning goes I couldn't make a choice cause Quantum wasn't listed and as far as spinning setups 3 out of my 5 setups are Quantum.

I own a Sahara and maybe I should have stepped up to a Saros at the time or the Stradic. My sahara was not the greatest shimano experience. It was smooth but has spent more time at home then on the water. Go with the Symetre or Stradic

For me it's quality and performance and also value/deal and my product of choice is Quantum. Now I know quite a few on here have had issue with them but I've only been fishing the last 4-5 years and they have performed for me solidly. I have other reels in my arsenal including Daiwa, Cabelas reels(made by daiwa), a no name rainbow bm spinning reel and a shimano. My quantums spend more time on the water with me and only had a issue with one quantum reel. Took it back and replaced it with a Quantum. Great products and have worked for me everytime.

I have 4 Quantum spinning reels:Catalyst A&B,Kinetic B and a older Incyte and I also have a couple of baitcasters, a Energy and a Accurist. I purchased the Catalyst A ,Incyte and Energy off ebay and all were damaged. I took them to a local repair shop that sent them in to Quantum. They replaced the the incyte with a brand new one at the time. They repaired the other 2 reels good as new at very minimal cost. The customer service was great from each of my experiences. I own other reels as well including Daiwas and a Shimano and of all the reels I own My Shimano is the only one to give me problems. The one Quantum I did have a problem with was a KVD model sold by BPS. I didn't like the way it felt after a couple outings and took it back to BPS to exchange for another quantum. I like my quantum reels and my time on the water with them has been good and the customer service has been great. My Daiwa experience has been great as well as there customer service. On any given day anyone can have a bad experience and be soured toward a particular product but I still use my Shimano despite my mistake experience with the reel and would purchase another.

BPS is pretty good about returns. If ya dont like it take it back. I agree that if u don't like it after have hit the water and had a real world test then you should take it back. BPS does have a great return policy I agree.

Glad I was able to get it as well and even with it being in the 40's here I took it out to test it. It felt good with the couple of cranks I tried it with and very sensitive. I was thinking of having it upgraded to Micro Guides but for now just gonna enjoy it the way it sits.

I don't think its a bad product at all and was just speaking of my experience with it. If it is the B model of the reel I would say its a good choice but only your time on the water will tell. I took mine back because of my individual experience and all the B models of Quantum reels are a step above the A models.

I had the KVD20A a couple years ago and it was a second choice to the reel I really wanted which was the Kinetic 20PTI-B when they first came out. The KVD20 A was more like a re-branded Catalyst A. The A model after a couple of trips out felt labored on the retrieve and like it had sand in the gearing mechanism. It might have just needed a good cleaning but instead I just returned it. It handled well out of the box but the performance dropped off after 5-6 trips out. I ended up taking it back and getting my first choice the Kinetic. I see BPS has the KVD20B model on sale and I would get another but I have the Kinetic-B and the Catalyst-A&B models. I would have it cleaned good and it should perform well.

I just purchased a Kistler Magnesium TS Cranking rod off ebay and paired it with a Daiwa Exceler. I took it out today for some casting with a 1/4 oz crankbait with 12lbs test mono. The combo is very light and I could feel every movement of the crank. It is a very sensitive rod and too bad cranking season is over here cause now I can't wait til next season.

You referring to the black model sold by BPS?

Nice combo and yes it will take some practice and all my baitcasters are left handed models. Good luck with your new purchase.

I agree that the 20 size would be perfect

Cabeas Prodigy PRC201 made by Daiwa for Cabelas. Cast great down to 1/4 oz lures and weighs in at 8.6 oz. I've had one for a couple of years now and its still nice and smooth and now they are on sale for $60 and normally $100

Gonna be that way soon here in Chicago and ice fishing doesn't do it for me either but it will be in the 60's this sunday.

I use the Daiwa Exceler and the Cabelas Prodigy for cranking duties with the Exceler being the preferred reel due to its smaller size compared to the Prodigy. They both handle 1/4 oz crankbaits very well with no problems with braid or flouro lines. I use them both with shallow to mid divers to about 8ft with no problems. Of the two if I had to narrow it down I would chose the Exceler.

Thanks for all the great input on the rods and the reasons for the choices you made. So far in the poll it looks like the majority preferred the St Croix Legend with the Shimano Cumaro being a close second. Either one of those would have been a very good choice I feel as well with me leaning towards the St Croix. I ended up getting a Kistler Magnesium TS Crankbait rod MgCBSAGM70 7M/MH Line Wt:8-15lb, Lure Wt:1/8-3/4oz for $70. It was a good deal and it's a step up from my Daiwa setup and if it's not as good then it will be either the St Croix or the Shimano.

Thanks for the answer and it helped since my primary crankbait rod was a older Daiwa glass rod and it's the reason I'm looking to upgrade for next year.

How would you rate the rod sensitivity as a crankbait rod?

I was in Cabelas the other day and handled the Veritas as well. I handled the VRC70-5 M/MF and it felt stiffer/crisper than other M rods I have handled as well. While the rod was quite light playing around with it in the store the quality of the rod didn't seem that great to me. It was very light and I also wondered how it would feel under a load or out on the water as well.

Thanks for all the input guys and had a chance to go to Cabelas the other day and get my hands on 3 of the 4 rods. Since my crankbait rod was also the least sensitive of my rods I felt going with something better could only benefit me. The St Croix felt pretty good and I really like the quality of the rod. They had a Cumara in but it wasn't the model I have in the poll but it also felt good. The Abu Felt a bit stiffer than the others but I wasn't too impressed with the quality of the rod. Feeling them in the store and on the water is completely different though and all the combos were pretty light with the reel mounted on them as well.

I picked up the quantum kvd stick in bps and it felt really light.

I'm in the market for a New Crankbait rod for shallow to medium diver crankbaits. All of the rods are 7 ft Medium and either M or MF action. The rod will be paired with a Daiwa Exceler with either 10# fluoro or braid in the mono equivalent. I've handled the St. Croix at Cabelas and plan to do the same thing with the others in the next couple of days. The Falcon may not be out but is very close to the Falcon Cara. Looking for opinions from anyone that has used any of the rods mentioned. Thanks

Right now my casting setup is a Cabelas Prodigy PDC705-1 7ft MH/MF rod paired with a Cabelas Prodigy reel. Lure weight rating is 1/4-1oz. My spinning setup is a Daiwa D Shock 6'6" Fiberglass rod M paired with a Quantum Catalyst

Thanks for the info and checking the site now