Arv

While this is a great rod, I think that its probably not the ideal rod for cranking. The MH veritas is stiff compared a lot of other MH rod, plus the XF action. A lot of people, including me, prefer a softer rod for treble hooks. I have the same rod and use it mostly for jigs and t rigs and spinners. I might throw lipless cranks on it occasionally but thats it as far as cranks go. With that said, I agree with Okoboji. Your first casting set up will feel different and will take a little time to get used to. Just have patience and get comfortable with it because a baitcaster is a great tool to have in your arsenal.

Like most people have said, I would either look for a flip/pitch/frog rod or a cranking rod. I think it depends a lot on a) what you fish/want to fish most and b)what conditions you are fishing. If you don't fish a lot of heavy cover, you could probably get away with your Lews set up for a flipping/pitching set up. If there is a lot of slop, I might look at getting something along the lines of a H/F 7+ rod with some heavy braid. This could also double as a frog rod like mentioned before. You could probably tie cranks on your other two rods and get away with it. But if you wanted to get a rod specifically for crankbaits you might want to look at something M/M or MH/M around 7ft depending on how deep running cranks you would throw. Especially since you got a boat you can fish them nice 'n deep like. If you put mono on this it could double as a top water as well. I think once you decide on the application, then you can really start reading and researching what rod will suit you best.

Thanks Stingray. Im excited to try it out. This is the worst part waiting for it to get here

If it aint broke, dont fix it.

Well guys, I wound up buying a Catalyst PT. I read enough good things about it and was able to find it new for 80 bucks so I figured if it breaks on me, I'm not out 200 or anything. I'll let yall know what I think when I get to fish it. Thanks for the input from everyone!

I love my Lews. Never used a Chronarch but I also really like my Citicas. Don't think you can go wrong with either one. Try them out if you can, especially if you can mount it on the rod and see which you like.

No kidding. Some of their new reels look sick.

Thanks for the input everyone! I might seriously consider looking at buying one of these reels in the future.

I have read a lot of mixed reviews about Quantum. Some people say they fish their reels and nothing else. Others say they don't think about touching them. I have read that a lot of the reels are great out of the box but that the inner workings fall apart over time and I see some of their more expensive reels on ebay for pretty cheap, quite often, which makes me a little suspicious. I was wondering what ya'll thought? Thanks in advance.

x2, never had any issues

Jig and T-rig pretty much any soft plastic

I learned baitcasters with both. It really wasnt that bad. I prefer a lefty reel because I started with left handed spinning reels, so it feels a little more comfortable. But after forcing myself to use right handed reels it really doesnt make a difference any more. Also, I hate to pass up a good deal on a nice reel just because of the dexterity

X2 on the Yo Zuri. Unless your pond has a jungle under the surface I wouldn't worry about braid too much. Like Mod said above, you will be able to buy a lot of line for cheaper than quality braid. I just got 600yds of Yo Zuri for around 16 bucks where as I spent around 20 for 150 yds of braid. With that said, I feel like 8-10lb test would probably be fine for what you're doing.

What are you using it for? What action power is it? I dont know that 3 inches is going to make that much of a difference...but it might

The specs. are very similar on both these rods. You could use them for some top water, crankbaits, and some finesse fishing. I would look at getting something MH that might be better for jigs, t rigs, spinnerbaits and maybe some lipless crankbaits. In my opinion, that and your M Cabela's rod would let you cover a large spectrum of lures if you dont want to carry too many.

Popped some small fish out of the water yesterday with my rod. I can attest that the Veritas can handle the 1lb large mouth bass.

I'm in a similar predicament as you are Rooster. I want one that does it all too since I'm ballin on a budget. So, I'm getting one that I feel like will serve shallow to deep divers. If I find out that I need another one for deep divers, then I will get it later. I dont think you need to rush in and buy two rods right off the bat. Just my thoughts.

I would also suggest getting two rods since these are different enough that it will make a difference. Depending on what other set ups you have I would probably buy a MH/F rod since that will be more versatile and get a cranking set up later.

Holy Moly! Thats super duper!

x2 This is a pretty good breakdown of what goes in to a casting reel. It probably has some information that will be helpful and some you won't need but is still good to know anyways. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPage?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&mode=article&objectID=31583 Also check out ebay. I know some people don't feel comfortable messing with it but you can find some killer deals on there that might be a little better than what you can find in the store

Thanks guys. Sounds like I'll get something 7' M/M-F for now since I'm mostly throwing cranks in shallow water and get the second set up later when I can get out with a good fish finder more often. So much good advice on this site.

I just made a different topic similar to this earlier today but found I had this question which I feel deserves its own thread. Do you all think you need 2 different rods for deep and shallow crankbaits? I have not been able to find any solid difference but it seems like deeper divers require a longer rod (7'+) while shallow-mid divers do not need to be as long (6'6''-7'). The majority of my lipped crankbaits are squarebills while I only have a few longer lipped that dive down around 10-12 ft. If I can get away with one rod for everything then I will just buy more deeper diving lures. If its that big of a deal where I should wait (which would be longer than I would like) to get a second set up for deep divers then I will. If it helps any, I am looking to pair this rod with a citica 200g5. Thanks!

Thanks Nitro. I was eying that jadewood even before I got my cranking reel.

I just got one and paired it with my Lews Tournament SS and I like it a lot. I haven't been able to fish it much yet but it handles very well in my opinion. I got a MH power and it is pretty stiff compared to other MH rods. Only thing I don't like about it is the hook keeper (if you can even call it that) because it is almost flush up against the rod making it hard to put anything on it. With that being my only complaint I think its a great rod for the price.

Nice. Thank you. I'm looking for something around 7ft, M-MH power. Something I can fish fairly shallow but still be able to throw some deeper diving crankbaits with. I've heard a lot of good about the Bucoo so I'll definitely keep that one in mind.