Rant... Advice Appreciated

[wapiti]

I'm not really sure about where to post this - mods please feel free to move this if you so desire.

This post may get rather lengthy, but I'm frustrated so I'm going to start from the very beginning.

Three or four years ago I was pretty clueless when it came to bass fishing. I lurked for a bit on this forum and saw some people recommended the Shimano Compre for a good quality, but relatively inexpensive spinning rod. I purchased the rod in medium power before I realized that medium rods aren't very effective when jigging for bass. I would connect with like 1 in every 4 or 5 fish on my hooksets... I checked this forum for advice, sold the medium rod, and purchased a medium heavy. This drastically helped my hooksets... For 2 years I absolutely slayed the largemouth. I couldn't have been happier.

The rod was great to me for two years, but one morning I did an overhead cast and the rod snapped about 8 inches from the tip of the pole. At first, I didn't even think about sending it in for a replacement. The rod had treated me well for 2 years, and I wasn't sure what Shimano's warranty policy was on the Compre. I was also 18 and too stupid/lazy to want to deal with customer service.

Anyway, I went to my local tackleshop and purchased a Shimo Crucial MH... I was back to slaying the bass again - for about 2 weeks. I was in love in my new rod.... but I did an overhead cast and just like the Compre the Crucial snapped about a foot from the tip of the rod.

I knew the rod was covered under warranty and I wanted to ship it myself with the litte repair form on Shimano's website, but my parents convinced me to have the tackleshop (place I bought the rod) send it to Shimano for a replacement.... --> Could this be the reason for the resulting poor service?

I figured that since I was shipping the Crucial I might as well ship the Compre. Outdoorsman pro shop shipped my rods in the beginning of last July. The guy at Outdoorsman let me borrow his own personal rod for a few weeks... this played a part in me not being peeved at Shimano for not receiving my rods in a timely manner.

I'm a college student and I work full time. I live in Michigan so once bass fishing ended I was busy/didn't care enough to personally call Shimano and inquire about my rods. I still stopped by Outdoorsman on a monthly basis, and they informed me that the reason for the delay was Shimano was sending me their new 2012 rods... The guy at Outdoorsman told me he "was on Shimano's ass via phone" but I'm going to call myself tomorrow and find out whats up. I'm just not sure if they will be able verify that I am the owner of the rods since I sent the damaged rods through outdoorsman and not personally.

Last week, Outdoorsman called me and told me that they had recieved the Crucial (still waiting on the compre) I sent Shimano a pole that had like a solid cork handle, but this is a black "worm and jig" pole with a handle that is big on the bottom, then gets smaller and then goes back to big. I wasn't a big fan of the design, but since I finally got a day off from work I figured I'd give it a try this morning.

Are these poles like not meant for jigging??? I caught 2 largemouth, but missed on at least 12, one of which would have been a personal best. It felt like I was back to using a medium power rod and was lacking the needed spine to get good hooksets. It was a very frustrating fishing experience...

Did Shimano turn all of the Crucials into "worm and jig" poles with this design? I'm going to call shimano tomorrow morning and try to find out if they can give me an estimated time on the compre... If they can't help I guess I'll sell this crucial and buy a medium heavy jigging rod. Anyone have any recommendations for a good spinning rod for jigging or just advice in general about my situation?

[LVLDVL]

I knew the rod was covered under warranty and I wanted to ship it myself with the litte repair form on Shimano's website, but my parents convinced me to have the tackleshop (place I bought the rod) send it to Shimano for a replacement.... --> Could this be the reason for the resulting poor service?

No. The store doesn't have any effect on Shimano's turnaround time. It's all on how busy Shimano warranty department is.

Your local store seems to have cool people working there. When the store receives your warranty Compre brand new with tag and all, don't take it home. See if they are willing to let you credit it towards a different rod. As long as the rod can be re-sold as new, most stores will honor a store credit exchange. They might be more willing if you upgrade to a more expensive rod.

If you feel the medium heavy Crucial "worm" rod is lacking power, whether or not it has enough power for jigging, it's going to affect your comfort and confidence. I say go find one that feels like the old Crucial medium heavy cork that you're used to.

[Chris at Tech]

Well, I will say that if you returned the rods to Shimano yourself, you would have been in the communication loop to make sure the replacement rod you were being sent met your needs.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

First off, welcome to the forum Wapiti. Now, please take all this as intended as it's meant to be constructive.

Modern graphite rods have a level of brittleness that is the trade off for lighter weight with the same stiffness. As a result we must pay a little more attention to proper rod handling. 99% of all blank failures are the result of handling or use otherwise they would fail on the first trip out. From what you described my guess is that you are doing a snap cast with a weight near or above the rods rating. At any rate, any free replacement is good service on the part of Shimano. I know some of their higher end rods come with a replacement plan but those have been debated to death in other threads. The grip style has absolutely no bearing on hooksets, sensitivity or any other performance aspect of the rod. If you just don't like it, that's OK, but to fix your issue you need to look elsewhere. Line, hooks, baits, and mood of the fish can all affect hook up ratio. IMO you're getting a deal in a free upgrade of your rods with the help of a good local retailer. My advice is to be patient, don't look a gift horse in the mouth and consult the forum for help with hook up ratio, seasonal patterns, equipment advice etc...

[wapiti]

Thanks for taking the time to read through all that guys, I appreciate the feedback. Does anyone have any recommendations for a medium heavy (spinning) rod for jigging?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

What price rang? The St Croix line from Avid level up is hard to beat and has a ton of models to choose from.

[Chris at Tech]

Thanks for taking the time to read through all that guys, I appreciate the feedback. Does anyone have any recommendations for a medium heavy (spinning) rod for jigging?

How big a jig, and in what type of cover?

[smalljaw67]

I agree 100% with DVT, more than likely you are around the weight limit for the rod with the size jig you are using. If you are set on spinning rod for jig fishing let the board know what size jgs you use, this way you'll get recommendations for a rod that will fish well and not break on a cast. I would tell you right off to look at the Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth rods, I have a 6'9" M-XF spinning rod that I use to fish tubes, shaky heads and light jigs and the last 2 outings I've been using it almost full time as I'm doing really well with finesse jigs in 1/8oz ans 3/16oz but the rod will handle over 1/2oz however I wouldn't make a snap cast with anything over 3/8oz even though the rod is rated higher and has a lifetime warranty.

[wapiti]

I'm thinking it's unfair and also stupid of me to do away with this MH Crucial since I realize that the vast majority of you guys cringe at the thought of using mono for jigging. I've been using 12 lb mono for the past few years since I have one rod and it works well for an all around setup. I guess I've done considerably well when jigging with this line in the past... I connect on like just under 70% of my hits, but if I miss a fish I can usually cast again and get him interested.

I'm going to try a different line before getting rid of the rod. I need to run some errands after I post this, but when I get back tonight I'll do some research. I know a lot of you guys recommend flouro... I tried flouro in the past and had a really bad experience with berkley vanish... What do you guys recommend for line? I'm willing to give a different brand of flouro a try... Maybe 14 lb test? I'm kind of scared to try braid... if you guys think it's best I guess I'll give it a go. Maybe it's time I designate a setup strictly for jigging.

I'm primarily fishing from shore in a small lake/really big pond. I'm using 5/16 ounce jigs with a ragetail chunk trailer. It's actually a gravel pit, so there aren't really any weeds on the bottom. It's primarily a flat bottom... a few small stones or rocks, but nothing to speak of. I'm not exactly pulling through tough cover.

I'll do some research and check this thread for replies tomorrow. I'm free until 4:00 pm tomorrow, so I'll have time to buy some line, do some fishing, and give this rod another chance.

What price rang? The St Croix line from Avid level up is hard to beat and has a ton of models to choose from.

$100-$250. I'll check them out if I'm still not happy with my crucial mh tomorrow

How big a jig, and in what type of cover?

I'm fishing primarily 5/16 booyah baby boo jigs... They are kinda light, but I love em. Like I stated earlier, I'm fishing from shore, on a relatively sandy/muddy bottom. I'm not pulling through weeds or a significant amount of cover... I guess it sounds like terrible fishing conditions, but it works... There is like a hollow concrete pipe that extends a few feet in the lake. I've no idea what comes out of the pipe and into the lake, but the bass seem to gather there... Over the years, I've learned its pointless to take a kayak out and fish the stumps and logs on the treeline... I have much more sucess fishing from shore, on a relatively flat bottom by the pipe.

[Chris at Tech]

Though I've never used the stuff, I don't hear much good about Vanish fluoro. If you are going to try fluoro, i'd recommend Berkley 100%, BPS or Seaguar.

What's scary to you about braid? I think going from mono to braid would be an easier transition than mono to fluoro due to the handling differences. Fluoro, especially new, has a tendency to jump off your reel. Braid, on the other hand, lays flat and has no memory. If you're concerned about the visibility of braid, learn to add a mono/fluoro leader via a uni-to-uni knot and you're good to go.

Regarding a rod choice -- I know you don't seem to care for M-powered spinning rods, but St Croix rods are generally stronger than their ratings shows. For the jig size and cover you mentioned, a M/F or a M/XF St Croix Avid would get the job done nicely.

[wapiti]

I'm willing to try braid. It's just since I was ten my dad always told me that I'd hate the stuff because it floated. I'll give it a go though. I see most people recommend power pro or 832. I'm just not sure if I should get 20 or 30 pound test.

Sidenote - the water I'm fishing is also very very murky. I can't see the bottom 2 feet from shore, so there isn't really a need for a leader. There are like a few small rocks scattered across the bottom, but I never had problems with it nicking or damaging my 12 lb mono. Do rocks do more damage to braid than mono?

[Hyrule Bass]

get rid of the shimano rods and get an ugly stik. Shimano might be decent, but on this board its severely overrated and overhyped...

[grimlin]

Sufix 832 braid sinks....That's what i use and can be found pretty much everywhere. I would get the 30lb test.It has the diameter of 8lb mono.

There's been bad reviews on Vanish line since it came out. I find it hard to understand why they still stock and sell the stuff.

Since you mentioned you are using a 5/16 jig you shouldn't have any problems on a Medium rod. While i don't like to use braid in rocks,it can be done.Few small rocks ain't gonna hurt it.

Also IMPORTANT! Make sure you leave a little bit of mono on your spool before you put braid on there. Braid will slip on the spool making you think your reel is broken and the brakes on it aren't working..

[wapiti]

Sufix 832 braid sinks....That's what i use and can be found pretty much everywhere. I would get the 30lb test.It has the diameter of 8lb mono.

There's been bad reviews on Vanish line since it came out. I find it hard to understand why they still stock and sell the stuff.

Since you mentioned you are using a 5/16 jig you shouldn't have any problems on a Medium rod. While i don't like to use braid in rocks,it can be done.Few small rocks ain't gonna hurt it.

Also IMPORTANT! Make sure you leave a little bit of mono on your spool before you put braid on there. Braid will slip on the spool making you think your reel is broken and the brakes on it aren't working..

Thanks for the info. I'm going to go eat lunch, buy some 832 and give it a try before I have to work.

[Chris at Tech]

I'm willing to try braid. It's just since I was ten my dad always told me that I'd hate the stuff because it floated. I'll give it a go though. I see most people recommend power pro or 832. I'm just not sure if I should get 20 or 30 pound test.

Sidenote - the water I'm fishing is also very very murky. I can't see the bottom 2 feet from shore, so there isn't really a need for a leader. There are like a few small rocks scattered across the bottom, but I never had problems with it nicking or damaging my 12 lb mono. Do rocks do more damage to braid than mono?

This is for a spinning reel, right? If so, go with 20lb. It handles great on spinning reels.

Yes, I'd say mono is a bit more abrasion resistant than braid.

[wapiti]

This is for a spinning reel, right? If so, go with 20lb. It handles great on spinning reels.

Yes, I'd say mono is a bit more abrasion resistant than braid.

Yeah it's for a spinning reel, but I bought 30 lb test before reading your reply. Is 20 lb test significantly more sensitive than 30 lb test? Worth switching?

I only had like a half hour to go fishing... Conditions weren't great, it was like 2:00 pm and pretty windy. I was really pleased that the one time I did set the hook that I landed the bass no problem. In contrast, yeterday I had like 12 solid hits and only connected on two of them. So... thanks guys. I'm excited to head out tomorrow morning. Why exactly is braid so much more effective than mono when jigging and setting the hook?

I did notice that braid isn't as sensitive as the 12 lb mono I was using, but that's to be expected. I know that at one point I had a hit, but messed up in not setting the hook. It's just going to take a little bit of practice and getting used to.

[S Hovanec]

Since both rods broke in just about the same place, id take note as to how you store/transport the rods. I have a friend that broke 4 rods in one summer, all in the exact same spot. That spot happened to be where the rods rested on the top-cap of his boat when he ran from spot to spot. The rods bounced on there, fracturing the fibers in the rod. Set the hook or snap-cast and poof.....splinters.

[Chris at Tech]

Yeah it's for a spinning reel, but I bought 30 lb test before reading your reply. Is 20 lb test significantly more sensitive than 30 lb test? Worth switching?

I only had like a half hour to go fishing... Conditions weren't great, it was like 2:00 pm and pretty windy. I was really pleased that the one time I did set the hook that I landed the bass no problem. In contrast, yeterday I had like 12 solid hits and only connected on two of them. So... thanks guys. I'm excited to head out tomorrow morning. Why exactly is braid so much more effective than mono when jigging and setting the hook?

I did notice that braid isn't as sensitive as the 12 lb mono I was using, but that's to be expected. I know that at one point I had a hit, but messed up in not setting the hook. It's just going to take a little bit of practice and getting used to.

No difference in sensitivity between 20 and 30 lb braid. To me, the 20 handles a little better on a 2500 sized spinning reel.

The likely reason that the braid is more effective is the lack of stretch compared to mono.

The braid wasn't as sensitive as mono? I've never heard that one before

[jerzeeD]

Ill throw my hat into the ring here. Someone above mentioned ditching your rod for an ugly stick..... Please don't. While they are strong, jig fishing requires sensitivity. You wouldn't feel a bullshark bite on an ugly stick. I would probably stick with flouro or a co-poly like yo-zuri or p-line if you are using this as an all purpose rod. If you do go braid, Suffix 832 is a great line. Just be advised it doesn't really sink the way it is advertised... It barely sinks at all. But if you have a spare spool, keep one with braid and the other with flouro to maximizs your options. As for the rod.. The Avid is a great rod, the St Croix premier in MH is very good too. I use a MH premier with a pflueger patriarch spinning reel and 30 lb. 832 for my frog setup. If I am frogging in heavy slop with no issues with this setup, I am sure you will have no problems jig fishing with a similar one.

[wapiti]

As of right now I think I'm actually happy with the rod now that I have switched to braid. I'm going to head out tomorrow morning and give it another go.

Since both rods broke in just about the same place, id take note as to how you store/transport the rods.

Thanks for the advice - I'm also not going to do any 'snappy' over-head casts anymore. I'm still kind of paranoid after breaking two rods last year.

The braid wasn't as sensitive as mono? I've never heard that one before

It might be that I'm just so used to using mono... I think with some practice and getting used to that I will like it. I'll let you know what I think tomorrow

Ill throw my hat into the ring here. Someone above mentioned ditching your rod for an ugly stick..... Please don't. If you do go braid, Suffix 832 is a great line. Just be advised it doesn't really sink the way it is advertised... It barely sinks at all.

I won't. And yeah I'm using 832 - so far I think I like it. I need to find my spare spool lol

[Hyrule Bass]

Ill throw my hat into the ring here. Someone above mentioned ditching your rod for an ugly stick..... Please don't. While they are strong, jig fishing requires sensitivity. You wouldn't feel a bullshark bite on an ugly stick.

WRONG!!! an ugly stik is plenty sensitive. why pay a bunch more money for minimal difference?

[jerzeeD]

Ill agree to disagree on that one. Ive owned a few ugly sticks... Sorry to say a fiberglass rod with a 3" diameter foam handle will most likely absorb more of the vibration before it reaches your hand than a high modulus rod with a cork handle. That and ugly sticks weigh a metric ton. Like I said, they are VERY strong... But for 30 bucks, you are only going to get so much rod.

[S Hovanec]

Only thing I've ever found ugly sticks to be good for are tomato stakes and inner plugs for repairing broken rods.

[Megastink]

If you want a great, lightweight, sensitive rod, look at Powell. Their Diesel line might be perfect for you! If you "need" a warranty, you could buy one of their Max rods.

[trevor]

If you want a great, lightweight, sensitive rod, look at Powell. Their Diesel line might be perfect for you! If you "need" a warranty, you could buy one of their Max rods.

Diesel rods carry no warranty, whatsoever. And I would have to say that there is no comparison between an Ugly Stick and a quality graphite rod. Especially bottom contact baits, you really need the extra sensitivity.