Budget spinning rod for lite cranks

[IndianaFinesse]

I'm looking for a spinning rod with a moderate action for lite crankbaits, for under $60. I would like to make sure its actually a moderate action rod, last time I bought a rod labeled moderate, it turned out to be a fast action rod that had been mislabeled online.  The two I'm looking at right now are the Berkeley e-motion rod and the falcon HD spinning rod, but am open to any suggestions.  If l.b.f carries them I can go up to 75$ cause of the 20% off sales, or $70 if its from tw.

[bigturtle]

This isnt exactly what you are looking for, but the Fenwick Eagle rod ($69.95) 7' ML (1/8-5/8oz) moderate fast is a good rod for small topwater and cranks

[Spankey]

Hard to really recommend rods for the most part. I would never buy a rod sight unseen or rod untouched. Maybe touch one first than get it on line. I would go to a shop that has a lot of rods and get one that feels right to you. Would look for the feel of the rod and not the mfg. or price right away. The rod will probably fall in your price range. 

 

I find that some of the Shimano rods are softer in the tip than specs. Claim to be fast and more moderate or moderate fast. Cabela's rods are more moderate also. 

 

How something feels in the shop and on the water are two different things anyway. 

[IndianaFinesse]

 

On 5/10/2017 at 9:51 PM, bigturtle said:

This isnt exactly what you are looking for, but the Fenwick Eagle rod ($69.95) 7' ML (1/8-5/8oz) moderate fast is a good rod for small topwater and cranks

 

[Choporoz]

DSG has a flash sale right now...Pflueger President combo for $60....you can basically get the rod for $10.  I have one Pflueger spinning rod and it is great, though a bit heavier than I expected for the med classification.  For small cranks, I'd get the 6'6" Light.

[IndianaFinesse]

7 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

DSG has a flash sale right now...Pflueger President combo for $60....you can basically get the rod for $10.  I have one Pflueger spinning rod and it is great, though a bit heavier than I expected for the med classification.  For small cranks, I'd get the 6'6" Light.

What is the action?  It doesn't list the action online. 

[WRB]

20 minutes ago, IndianaFinesse said:

I thought about those, but would prefer something with a true moderate action.

 

 

What is a true moderate fast spinning rod? Only you know how it feels.

Every trout or Walleye specific spinning rod is a moderate action rod, rod listed as bass are faster action. You have entry level rods available from several mfr's that are in your budget between 6' to 6'6", 7' and longer will be more difficult to find. 

What small crank baits are you wanting to use, brands and weight would be helpful.

Tom

 

 

[IndianaFinesse]

6 minutes ago, WRB said:

What is a true moderate fast spinning rod? Only you know how it feels.

Every trout or Walleye specific spinning rod is a moderate action rod, rod listed as bass are faster action. You have entry level rods available from several mfr's that are in your budget between 6' to 6'6", 7' and longer will be more difficult to find. 

What small crank baits are you wanting to use, brands and weight would be helpful.

Tom

 

 

I would mostly be throwing bandit 100s, big o's, #5 shad raps, kvd 1.0 square bills, all baits around 1/4-3/8 ounce.

[fishnkamp]

My wife's crankbait rod IS the Berkley Lightning Rod Shock 6'6" medium mod fast. It is exactly what you are looking for.

It is very moderate and we throw all of her small to mid sized crankbaits, rattle traps, and even spinnerbaits.

It would work for jerkbaits as well. It is one of your best options in your price range.

 

I own two of the same rods( 6'6" med mod) in baitcasters as well.  I own two much more expensive rods that I usually use for crankbaits, but when I am striper fishing I need 4 different lip less cranks ( traps) on deck at all times.  All four rods work just as well while doing this.

 

Every rod manufacturers have their own idea what a rod action is. One brand's "moderate" is another brands "mod fast"

[IndianaFinesse]

What do you think of the regular lightning rod 7' medium power medium fast action combo?  Berkeley has the combo on sale for 42$.

[fishnkamp]

Too much of a fast action for treble baits.

If you asked me for a worm or bottom bouncing rod than that is a better rod for that application.

 

I have to mention my wife and I have been fishing since the 80's, we have bought and sold a lot of gear over the years.

I truly believe we own the best arsenal we have ever owned. Most of our rods run $150 to $350 and reels run from $60 to $275.  The only rods we fish with that cost less than $100 are our 3 Lightning Shock rods and a pair of ultralight 5 1/2 foot Cherrywood crappie/ bluegill combos. So that should tell you how much I like the way those rods fish.

 

[IndianaFinesse]

1 hour ago, fishnkamp said:

Too much of a fast action for treble baits.

If you asked me for a worm or bottom bouncing rod than that is a better rod for that application.

 

I have to mention my wife and I have been fishing since the 80's, we have bought and sold a lot of gear over the years.

I truly believe we own the best arsenal we have ever owned. Most of our rods run $150 to $350 and reels run from $60 to $275.  The only rods we fish with that cost less than $100 are our 3 Lightning Shock rods and a pair of ultralight 5 1/2 foot Cherrywood crappie/ bluegill combos. So that should tell you how much I like the way those rods fish.

 

Thanks for all of the info, so the regular lightning rods are faster than rated?  The combo is rated moderate fast just like the lightning shock rod.

[fishnkamp]

If you go to the Berkley fishing website, you will find the specs for the Berkley lightning Shock rod says"

SH 661M    6'6"     rod power: medium    rod action:   moderate fast   line rating 4-12    lure rating 1/8 to 3/8.  

 

The regular lightning rod's specs says

LR661MS    6'6'     rod power: medium      rod action: fast                 line rating 8 -14    lure rating  1/4 to 5/8

 

So clearly the Shock rod is a softer action rod than the standard Lightning rod.  Linda fishes baits all the way to 3/4 ounce traps on that Shock rod.  So do not worry about what it can do. I know the specs are a little off.  It fishes the same as my Lightning Rod Shock baitcasting rods.  They spec  for 1/4 to 3/4.  I have thrown 1 ounce Redeye shads on them with no trouble.

 

 

[iceintheveins]

I recommend the Berkley Lightning shock, 7' medium. Great for small cranks.

[Angry John]

I am going to go out on a limb here and say an ugly stick lite is what i would get on the cheap to do what you want.  The one issue i have with them is that they have nothing other than moderate.  Small cranks and traps is that rods bread and butter.  We will now return to my regular programming where i recommend rods three times people budget.

[WRB]

The 6'6" is more than likely the same blank as the 7' rod, difference in action depends on where the tip and butt is cutt off, longer rod has softer tip.

Tom

[Bucky205]

For under $50 I like the original Berkley Lightning Rods with the IM6 blank.  You see them on sale all the time for $29.

 

 

[IndianaFinesse]

Anyone use the Barkley E-motion rods?  I found one for 60$.

[Bucky205]

1 minute ago, IndianaFinesse said:

Anyone use the Barkley E-motion rods?  I found one for 60$.

If you want to go a little over $60, the BPS Carbonlite is a very good rod.  BPS puts them on sale occasionally or apply for a BPS credit card and get the $20 off coupon, pay it off and close the account.

[smalljaw67]

IndianaFinesse, a moderate fast action in a spinning rod is going to be very flexible. Spinning rod are more forgiving in general and most medium power spinning rods with a fast action are soft enough for cranks. The Lightning rod Shock was designed for use with braided line so they made them very forgiving, and remember, the action is only how far down the blank the rod flexes before it hits the backbone. What you need is a rod that has a good amount of flex but more importantly it has to have a soft action, a mod-fast action in a medium power that is soft light the Shock will be perfect for what you want to do, as I said before, casting rods are different as they tend to have more power than the spinning rod does.

[IndianaFinesse]

I was looking at the amp series, does the saltwater series have a different blank than the freshwater series?  The saltwater rod is labeled moderate, but I wasn't sure if it was even a different blank.  I'm still hung up on the moderate action, last time I bought a supposed moderate fast for cranks and it fished like a fast action rod.

[CTBassin860]

The Abu Garcia vigilante should fall in that wheelhouse.25-30 bucks