Thoughts on 7' MM bucoo casting rod.

[new2BC4bass]

Local Walmart has one at $99 sale price.  Not great price, but not bad.  I've only got one dedicated cranking rod.  That is a 7'7" M Ballistic when TW closed them out.  I have to admit I probably wouldn't have bought it had I known how heavy it is.  Must be spoiled by all my graphite rods. 

 

I like throwing a crankbait, but seldom am fishing with one....for whatever reason.  Much more apt to throw a squarebill.  It seems that most people prefer a longer rod for max distance.  Never owned a Bucoo, and not sure if I want this one.  Care to talk me into buying this one?   

 

Will be using 8# mono on a either a Sol, Alphas or older Carbonlite.  Possibly a 1600C Black Max.  I do shallow to medium depths.  Thanks.

 

Well, he$$, while I'm at it any other suggestions for a quality low cost CB rod?

[gulfcaptain]

I own 2 of this rod.  Why, because it is a GREAT shallow cranking rod. My buddies call it the noodle simply because when I get bit on it the moderate action pretty much doubles the rod.  It's got great feeling for fishing cranks since you can feel the kick on the baits and I can tell when it has something fouling the hooks or when a fish knocks it and misses. Once it's loaded up that rod has the action to keep those trebles pinned in the fish and it also works really well for fishing small paddletail swimbaits in a 1/4oz.  Loads up nicely too.  This rod has pretty much been in my hands anytime I throw a Manns 1-minus or any smaller 1.5 size squarebill.

[MIbassyaker]

I'm probably not the one to ask, but I bought a 7'2" MM Rage from the st. croix bargain room for $89 a few weeks ago, to serve as my first dedicated cranking rod. The rod is just under 4oz, and also seems to have a bit of that noodle quality gulfcaptain mentions. It feels good to hold, but I don't know what it's like to fish with it yet... sure casts well in the backyard, though...

[rippin-lips]

Bought it and sold it right away. It's more like ml/mod as Falcon overrated the Bucoo series. I found mine at Walmart also but at about a 1/3rd of that price. I wouldn't spend $100 on it.  I bought a Fury 705cb when they came out. It's a nice SB crankbait rod.  I actually still own a Bucoo 6'10 H 'pitchin stick' and it's what I use for SB cranks. It's labeled as a H but in reality it's a mh. That paired with its mod fast action makes it a good SB rod. 

 

[Jrob78]

I have the rod too.  I've used it for small cranks like RC 0.5's, KVD 1.0's, small jerkbaits like the Pointer 78 and small 1/4 oz poppers.  I agree that it is more like a ML MF.  For me, it's under powered for sq bills, or at least my preference for sq bill rods.

I would check out the Tatula or even Tatula XT cranking rods.  I think you can find them for around $100 and they are really nice rods.  

[jbrew73]

i have one and use it for 4-10' running crankbaits and i love it.. i would not use it for square bills unless you are throwing them in open water..  i prefer a rod with more backbone when throwing around cover.  

[new2BC4bass]

Hadn't planned on using the rod for squarebills.  Just mentioned in passing that I was more apt to throw a squarebill than a crankbait.  Although I've never owned a Bucoo, I've read plenty of posts stating the users felt the Bucoo rods were over-rated for power.  Two of you think it is a great rod for small shallow cranks.  I'll see if I can find a better price on one.  My Carbonlites handle a 3/16 oz. #5 Shad Rap with ease.  Also need a place to put a Sol other than a jig rod.    Just kidding about the jig rod. 

[gulfcaptain]

I don't find the Bucoo line over-rated on power.  The 8 I have are pretty spot on in my opinion. The moderate action of this rod tends to make it feel like it's a lighter action then it is.  I should have added, I wouldn't crank heavy cover where you're going to need to "rip" the bait to clear it as this rod won't do that.  As for cranking rocky areas, shallow cranks over grass or light cover with small shallow squarebill style baits it's a great rod.  And it's light.  It also works well with smaller 1/4oz chatterbait style jigs.  You may be able to find it cheaper on Ebay.  

[wnspain]

4 hours ago, rippin-lips said:

Bought it and sold it right away. It's more like ml/mod as Falcon overrated the Bucoo series. I found mine at Walmart also but at about a 1/3rd of that price. I wouldn't spend $100 on it.  I bought a Fury 705cb when they came out. It's a nice SB crankbait rod.  I actually still own a Bucoo 6'10 H 'pitchin stick' and it's what I use for SB cranks. It's labeled as a H but in reality it's a mh. That paired with its mod fast action makes it a good SB rod. 

 

1/3 of $100 price?? Hard to believe that price...might of been a mismark.

[Jrob78]

7 minutes ago, wnspain said:

1/3 of $100 price?? Hard to believe that price...might of been a mismark.

That's about what I paid for mine too.  Walmart marked them way down a year or so ago.

[new2BC4bass]

9 minutes ago, wnspain said:

1/3 of $100 price?? Hard to believe that price...might of been a mismark.

Think I remember reading about a year ago where Walmart was selling them for something like $75.  I wouldn't hesitate a second if I could get this rod for that price.

[rippin-lips]

9 minutes ago, wnspain said:

1/3 of $100 price?? Hard to believe that price...might of been a mismark.

I think they were just on the shelf for a long time and didn't sell. I bought 3 Bucoo's for $25 + tax. 

[new2BC4bass]

4 minutes ago, rippin-lips said:

I think they were just on the shelf for a long time and didn't sell. I bought 3 Bucoo's for $25 + tax. 

 

Right place.  Right time.  Happen often? 

 

[rippin-lips]

6 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

 

Right place.  Right time.  Happen often? 

 

They've never had any more Bucoo's after that. Just didn't sell. $130 rods are high dollar to these people. 

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, rippin-lips said:

They've never had any more Bucoo's after that. Just didn't sell. $130 rods are high dollar to these people. 

Only items the Walmart nearest to me carries that are worth anything are Rapala lures and Zoom worms.  I have to drive to the one further away to find something as good as a Bucoo rod.  They also carry 4 times the lures.  However, it looks like $130 rods are going to be too much for this store as well.  There were only about 3-4 Jupiter rods left.  A line only made for Walmart and running $70.  Must also be too rich for the average clientèle.    Looks like Berkley and Shakespeare are go to be the only lines left.  Online shopping at Walmart is the best way for me to go.  I did get 2 Tatula rods for less than $100 from the Online site.

[smalljaw67]

My local Walmart had 2 of them left and they sold them for $39.99 and I wish I would have been there when they did that. I think the original price tag was fair for that rod, it is rated the same as my Fenwick ML-M and the ratings are spot on, 1/4oz to 1/2oz. If you like throwing 1/4oz to 3/8oz cranks then you'll like the rod, 3/8oz is in the wheelhouse and it is very light, sub 4oz. I was going to grab one but Fenwick introduced the Aetos with a 6'6" ML-M with the same specs and I grabbed that, as I wanted a slightly shorter rod for finesse cranking but the BuCoo will do the job. BTW, my buddy loves his, I was with him the day he landed a 7lb fish on a Jackall Bling 55, the fish only had 1 hook in her and the rod kept that hook from pulling out, it is a decent rod. Before paying the original price for it, go to Amazon or other places and look it up, there is a good chance you can pay a lot less for it but even at $99 it isn't bad because it works great for the smaller shallow diving cranks.

[lecisnith]

Man.  I need to get over my disdain for Wal-Mart people and get there more often, I guess...

[wnspain]

11 hours ago, new2BC4bass said:

Think I remember reading about a year ago where Walmart was selling them for something like $75.  I wouldn't hesitate a second if I could get this rod for that price.

Me either

[DCales84]

I have three different Bucoo models at this time and really enjoy them. I was able to find all three at a deep discount which is the only reason why I bought them.  The MH 7' Trap Caster model has been able to handle just about anything so far and has a moderate action. I would imagine that the 7' Med Moderate would work well for a wide variety of lures. It may not be best suited for deep divers but square bills and moderate diving baits should do well. Also if you plan on using braid with a leader the micro guides are very small and may not be ideal for you.

[tomustang]

On 12/20/2015 at 10:38 PM, new2BC4bass said:

 

Right place.  Right time.  Happen often? 

 

Our wally's are terrible for rod markdowns. I've seen them in other ones far away from us for as low as $33 clearanced.  

 

 

That mm bucco rod, I must've picked it up every time I went though the fishing department, always checking if the price got marked down or not. I still wouldn't pay more than $33 for them, but that's just me

[gulfcaptain]

1 hour ago, DCales84 said:

I have three different Bucoo models at this time and really enjoy them. I was able to find all three at a deep discount which is the only reason why I bought them.  The MH 7' Trap Caster model has been able to handle just about anything so far and has a moderate action. I would imagine that the 7' Med Moderate would work well for a wide variety of lures. It may not be best suited for deep divers but square bills and moderate diving baits should do well. Also if you plan on using braid with a leader the micro guides are very small and may not be ideal for you.

These two rods are not EVEN close in action.  The 7'MH isn't a moderate action rod.  Far from it.  It's a medium-fast action.  You can rip a bait out of the grass with the 7'MH, not going to happen with the 7'M.