stkbassn

The Triumph is a great rod for the money. I like it much better than any Mojo for sure. The Avid is nice too.....just more money. You might also check out the Premier which is also nice. American Legacy Fishing has a great selection of used rods and I see a lot of the Avid and Premier rods on there for good prices. Cool trade in program they have too.

This response is a bit late but related....I didn't see the show that is highlighted here but I saw one of the top pros recently (can't remember his name off the top of my head and it was either Elite or FLW but anyway.....) He was using the All Star 7'10 Telescopic Crankbait rod, the red one, to crank in his limit.....I have the 7'2 of that series and it's a good rod but you can get either for around $70 bucks or less so it came as a surprise to me too! Hey, if you like it you like it...... All Star makes pretty decent rods for the money for sure.

Thank you very much! You're always a great help to folks on here.

Hey guys, I need some advice. I have quite a few new and very nice rods that I've used some and they're starting to get some discoloring on the cork from use...dirt, etc. What is the easiest, safest way to clean the cork without damaging it or wearing it down? I've heard you can use alcohol? Any suggestions would be great! Thanks in advance to all of you.

LOVE my new Powell Deep Cranking Composite rod 7'11 and light as a feather..very sensitive and launches a crankbait. Curado 200 E5 paired with it. In my opionion, hard to beat. As said in an above post, you will want to be able to make long casts for this application and the longer rod will make this much easier on you. I just fished a tournament with a friend of mine last weekend and we were both fishing deep cranks. He was using a 7' rod and his casts were considerably shorter than mine. I kept getting bit and he didn't. My bait was able to get down to the strike zone and stay there longer because of this reason....lonnnng casts.That simple in my opinion.

I haven't heard of Powell....they seem to be in the price range as other quality rods. Why Powell over St. Croix?

It's strange to me that the smallmouth pattern is one that is so hard to find. We have a lake here that is managed for smallmouth only and is stocked with trout to feed them. They seem to love the Hudd trout but they also crush the Mattlures baby smallmouth. You'd think this would be a pattern that would hold true in any fishery that holds smallmouth but maybe I'm wrong. I also wonder why EVERY bait company wouldn't put out a black color in every swimbait and crankbait they make.......just seems silly not to but once again, maybe I'm wrong! I've been known to be wrong for sure!

Thanks to everyone for being so helpful. That's why this forum is the best there is, period. Thanks a lot guys.

Thanks for the info!

That's the one It's a little beauty indeed. Thanks.

I'm looking for one of the colors that I found on the Lucky Craft website but can't seem to find it anywhere......can anyone help me here? I didn't even see a way to contact them about it. I'm looking for the LC Pointer in Smallmouth Bass in either 100 or 128 size........ please help! Thanks guys

Wasn't sure where to post this but here goes.... I understand the Powell 754 isn't made anymore for some reason but I ran across one at American Legacy Fishing today for $85 in their used section. Thought I would let you guys know. I just got my Powell Composite Deep Cranking rod so I have no need for this one. Good luck guys!

I'll try all of those! Thanks! Might pick up a rod for this....any recommendations? I saw an All Star AST rod made for this application on sale at FFO......might get it for $60 bucks....can't go wrong I suppose...

I'm just getting into squarebills so I'll start trying it some. I'd like to throw lipless cranks as well but have no confidence in it yet of course. I try it a little here and there but I figure if it's tearing up through the water column and rattling like crazy and still not getting bit.....I need to try something else. Maybe I don't give it enough time. I will from here on though, I have too many to let them just sit in a box!

I fish in a lake with very little in the way of weeds but has lots of docks, laydowns, brush , and rocks...... Will lipless cranks do well around all of these and on points? Is it necessary for it to come into contact with anything or can you just reel, stop, jerk, ...... Or what's the best for open water situations?

I agree, the shipping rates at BPS are just absurd. They do have good sales but by the time you add the tax and shipping you've lost most of what you've saved. I buy from TW, another site, and Bass Tackle depot only..they're all pretty great and they have everything most angler could ever want in my opinion. BPS and Cabelas can keep their products! Why can't I say land........................big................................fish on here as one of the places I buy from? It always changes it to "another site". It kind of makes me laugh but annoys me at the same time!

I've owned the 7'11 Okuma MH and it was a great rod. It's the best swimbait rod you will get for $100. I don't like the handle on the the 7'6 though, I hate that plastic cap on the end...just looks cheap to me. I've not handled the Quantum that was mentioned but it looks nice for the price too. I doubt you'd be disappointed with either but I don't know about throwing big cranks with them. I never tried with the Okuma.

I'll keep it to a whisper or my fishing partner might just push me out of the boat Ha. I'll try that though....

I'm still looking for a Curado 300d or E but I have an extra Curado 200DHSV 7.1 Keep in mind I'm throwing mainly smaller baits, 6 inch Hudds and Mattlures Baby Bass, no mondo size baits... I feel a 200 size Curado D is no problem for this size bait but I realize this gear ratio hasn't been popular with swimbaiting. Will this work well enough or should I bag the idea? I fish them fairly slowly anyway so I don;t see how this can hurt....a few more inches per turn doesn't seem like a lot to me..... Help me out guys...thanks!

No worries, it's always interesting to see what a thread can bring out....I haven't bought anything more expensive than the Huddleston Deluxe as far as swimbaits go...I like the Mattlures baby bass and the Hudds.....I tell you what, for the money these are both fish catching machines. I can't imagine a $100 plus swimbait being that much more lethal....only to your wallet I would imagine....that's just my opinion...maybe I'd be surprised I'll demo any that anyone would like to send

I too use the DPV for my cranks but I ended up buying the Castaway XP3 DD 22 Cranking rod and it's 7'10. Both of the rods you are looking at are great but if you want an awesome rod that launches a crankbait and feels amazing, this is it. It will save you some cash and give you exactly the rod you're looking for. $139.... You should also check out the Powell Deep Cranking rod (the red one) looks awesome for $169...

I'm getting another E5 today for small/medium cranks on my St Croix Pro Glass....I've never had distance issues with one but I haven't used it for long casts with big baits either.....my understanding is they have the same capacity as the D models but just much smaller and lighter in hand....They are smaller and lighter but I still love my D's the best. I really do want the 300 though...just gotta have one! I missed the best deal in a while a week or so ago, 300D for $135.....D*&%!

There was a guy selling two Lamiglas Excels on here for around what you're looking to spend. Those are really nice rods for that money! Check out the St. Croix Triumph too...a very nice rod for the money.

I appreciate it Packard but I am sticking with LP model reels. I tried some round ones and just didn't get comfortable with them. Thanks though!

I did buy one and sold it shortly after. I like that reel though....I may do that again. It's a smooth reel indeed ! For 120 I think it's darn good !