St Croix Premier, Falcon Lowrider 4-17 Or 5-17 Squarebills And Lipless

[Skog]

Does anybody have experience with any of these rods?  I am looking them for squarebills and lipless cranks.  The 4-17 MM feels light for medium, it is only rated 1/4-1/2oz and the 5-17 might be to heavy and fast for treble hooks. Also considering the premier crankbait rod in 7' but I can't find it to put hands on it. I have only fished G.loomis IMX MHF before and lost too many fish on treble hooks, not sure if they are tossing or pulling out so I figure I want something softer.  I have a fistful of cabelas points so if you can recommend something other than these 3 rods that cabelas offers please speak up.

 

Thanks

[aavery2]

I fish a lot of Falcon Rods, the lfc-4-17 is the Mansfield Special model, good rod but with it med power and moderate action it is going to be a slow for your squarebills and lipless cranks, the lfc-5-17 Big Cranker is a medium heavy power with a medium fast action,  it will suit your squarebill needs better and make it easier to rip your lipless cranks through the grass.  It will still be slow enough that you wont lose fish due to tearing out hooks. 

 

My advice is based on using FC line, if you use braid you will need to make your own adjustments due to the lack of stretch in the line.

[Thaddeus]

The MM in the premier series is too "whippy" as it is in Avid and Rage series IMO. Stick with St. Croix btw . I only like a moderate action (in MH) when I'm fishing deeper cranks (6-12 feet) or are trolling for other species. I prefer a fast action in medium power for shallow cranks/squarebills (up to 6 feet) and lipless cranks. So, to answer your question I'd go with either a 66mf or 70mf in the Premier or Avid Series (avid has lifetime warranty). The 66mf is a more versatile as you could use it as a topwater and jerkbait rod as well. Use FC or mono. My .02

 

Another rod to consider is the Dobyns 684CB. It is another very versatile rod. Check it out as well. It is hard to find in stores though...

[Bluebasser86]

I fish a MH/M St Croix Pro Glass (very similar to the Premier MH/M, just an older rod they no longer make), as my main cranking rod. I had one that got broke several years ago and tried several different brands of cranking rods before I landed back on the St. Croix, just never could find one that felt as good as that one. 

[rangerjockey]

The mansfield makes a nice wiggle wart rod or 1.5's , anything bigger and I would want a stouter rod. I have thrown squarebills on both the eakins rod and the weightless worm.

[Skog]

OK, now I am more confused.  After reading more online I am not sure if I want a M/F or a M/M or MH/M or a MH/MF.  The falcon rods feel nice but not great.  Maybe because I only ever buy IMX MH/F.  It seems when ever I grab a rod off a rack that is what follows me home.  Am I right in my logic or do I need to step out of my comfort zone and try something new?

 

I just I am having trouble with the difference with a MH/M and a M/F and what the strengths and weaknesses of each flex profile would be for what I am trying to achieve.

[aavery2]

OK, now I am more confused.  After reading more online I am not sure if I want a M/F or a M/M or MH/M or a MH/MF.  The falcon rods feel nice but not great.  Maybe because I only ever buy IMX MH/F.  It seems when ever I grab a rod off a rack that is what follows me home.  Am I right in my logic or do I need to step out of my comfort zone and try something new?

 

I just I am having trouble with the difference with a MH/M and a M/F and what the strengths and weaknesses of each flex profile would be for what I am trying to achieve.

 

One way to decide it to determine the weight of the bait that you will be using, or an average wieight of many of the baits you will bet throwing.  Look at the rods by MFG and see what the recommended weight range on the rods are, this will give you a good idea of what the mfg recommends for power, find something in the sweet spot, not on the upper end of weight and not on the lower. 

Action really comes down to a personal choice in my opinion, and the type of line that you will use needs to be factored into the equation.   Rods that will be used to throw treble hook type baits have traditionally benefited from a slower actions, moderate and moderate fast, single hook presentations traditionally have benefited from a faster action like fast or extra fast. 

 

With squarebills and lipless I prefer something with a little more backbone and a slightly faster tip.  Square bills are designed to make contact with structure and cover, when they do  a slower rod like a moderate tends to absorb/dampen some of that impact and the bait does not have as much deflection and erratic action.  Lipless crankbaits are often run over the tops of grass, when they contact the grass as faster action makes it much easier to rip the bait through the grass and free it. 

 

These are some of the things I look at when choosing a rod, I generally step outside of crankbait labeled rods for these two presentations.  My preference would be either a M or MH based on the weight of the baits, with a fast action and a slightly softer tip.

[aavery2]

The mansfield makes a nice wiggle wart rod or 1.5's , anything bigger and I would want a stouter rod. I have thrown squarebills on both the eakins rod and the weightless worm.

 

The Eakins and Headturner  are probably my two favorite rods in the Cara line, both are extremely versatile and can cover a lot of techniques.