Ahhh…now we are getting into a conversation I like. Here is a brief history as to my evolution to the point where I am now (which is considering having someone perform this modification for me). This rod is going to be designed for Lake Erie Smallmouth Bass from ice-out into pre-spawn conditions. From my experience over the last 5 years fishing for these fish, there seems to be a distinct jerkbait action that these fish like. That particular action I would describe as a very erratic wide path of travel. Granted, this isn’t a be-all-end-all action, but it does seem to have the best overall results. I have also toyed with tight in-line aggressive actions along with very methodical moderate actions. I have had success with both of these retrieves, but again, the majority of my success has come with the wide erratic action. The only difference from ice-out fish to full blow pre-spawn fish is the pause between jerks. I’ve experimented with about 15 rods of different length, action, power, and sensitivity.
The lengths I tested ranged from 6’3” to 7’1”. The rods 6’6” and under were just too short for my liking. The shorter length seemed to limit my casting distance. Rods that were 7’ or greater really allowed me to bomb the lure, but at that length, I didn’t feel like I had adequate control over my lure and I couldn’t work exactly how I wanted to. From all my experimentation, a 6’9” rod really hit the sweet spot. It had that little added length to gain some distance in the cast, but was short enough that I felt like I had complete control over my lure.
As far as action is concerned, I experimented with moderate action rods all the way up to extra-fast action rods. As you mentioned, a faster action rod would move the bait, but for some reason, that wide erratic movement with very little direct movement to the boat was the ticket, hence why a more moderate rod seems to work so well. Though, I have found a completely moderate action rod was a little too much to overcome and I was losing a little too much through the soft rod. I have found that a nice moderate-fast action rod is really the ticket. An added bonus is that fish seem to stay hooked up better with a softer rod when using a treble hooked lure like the jerkbait. That added absorption in the rod I know has really helps when that smallmouth decided to go crazy right at the side of the boat.
I have experimented with medium powered rods and medium-heavy powered rods. I have found that a medium powered rod can handle jerkbaits from the Pointer 78 up to the Pointer 100 (along with the Megabass Vision 110, Ima Flit, Jackall Squadminnow, Zip Orbit, etc.), but it struggles with the Pointer 128 and the Magnum Vision 110. A medium-heavy powered rod can handle those larger jerkbaits I mentioned, but it’s a little too much for the Pointer 78’s. Also, a medium powered works quite well for handling smallmouth, but I have found it a little more difficult to bury the hooks into the bony mouth of the occasional pike or muskie I run into up here. With the potential of catching those two species, I like having a little power to bury the hooks home. So, a rod with a power in-between a medium and medium-heavy would be ideal.
Now down to sensitivity. Many people have told me that sensitivity is not needed when fishing jerkbaits or crankbaits. I actually disagree with that statement. When a smallmouth crashes through your lure at mach 3, you could be holding a 3-inch thick tree branch and have no problem feeling the strike. Though, I have seen many times (and I’m sure it happens many more times when I can’t see it) a smallmouth lightly slap at the bait and I’ve never felt it. Also, when dead sticking a jerkbait in the cold water, I have seen fish slowly swim up to the lure, gently mouth it, then spit it out and swim away. You never feel a thing with the less sensitive rods, but with a highly sensitive rod and fluorocarbon, those really soft hits transmit through.
So, a long story short, I am on the hunt for a 6’9”, Moderate-Fast action (though, I would prefer it to be slightly more moderate than fast), between Medium to Medium-Heavy power, and as sensitive as GLX or equivalent. I have yet to find a rod that meets all those criteria. This is why I thought if I took a Moderate-Fast action rod that is Medium-Heavy in power and cut it down from 7’1” to 6’9”, then I would not only get the length I want, but by cutting down the butt section, I would get a rod that is a little more moderate than fast, but not a fully moderate and a rod that would fall between the medium and medium-heavy power. Also, with this rod already being a GLX, then the sensitivity I desire is already there. Now, if you guys know any blank out there that will fulfill all my criteria that I can get a custom built, I am all ears. The unfortunate thing with me is I am beyond picky when it comes to my equipment and I have already talked with a few custom rod builders and they could not provide me with a blank that I am looking for.
I apologize for boring you with that explanation as to why I have come to the current project at hand. The only problem is the unknown of whether the modifications I want made will actually yield the results I am seeking.
