Squarebill Crankbait Rod Suggestions...???

[ITO_ZILLION]

I need some tips and advice on a squarebill crankbait rod. Mainly throwing 3/8 and 1/2 oz crankbaits. Maybe the occasional 5/8, 3/4 oz also. 

 

1. Medium or Medium Heavy...?

 

Most likely fishing medium to heavy cover (timber, laydowns, brush piles, tules, rip rap etc). I live in CA and its known for bigger than average bass so I am leaning towards the Medium Heavy. The Med Hvy would also be great for the 5/8 and bigger baits I plan on fishing also. 

 

2.  Fast or Med Fast/Mod Fast Action...?

 

I know med fast/mod fast is usually the best bet for crankbaits and treble hook lures. But seeing as I will mainly be fishing around some pretty heavy cover...I am leaning towards the fast action. 

 

3. Length...? 7'0"...? Less than 7...? Greater than 7...?  

 

I am leaning towards 7'0" since its a good compromise between not too long and not too short. I tend to like longer rods for the extra distance in casting, picking up line on a hook set and for better leverage in fighting the fish. 

 

4. Graphite or Composite...?

 

Don't really like glass rods at all. Tried one once and it felt horrible to me. Leaning towards graphite. I like the added sensitivity that graphite has. If I plan on going for a all graphite rod...Will downgrading to a cheaper/lower grade of graphite (30 ton vs 40 ton, IM6/IM7 vs IM8 etc.) afford me some more shock absorbency/softness for treble hook lures...?

 

I am browsing Tacklewarehouse as we speak and I came across a rod I think would be great for squarebills and tick all my boxes. It is the Spiralite SQ series of rods. They are brand new and just came out this year so not a lot of reviews or experiences from people yet. I am trying to decide between the 7' Med Hvy Fast or 7' Med Fast. I am leaning towards the 7' med hvy as I think it would be a lot more versatile and be able to fish a variety of baits and techniques. Its 30 Ton graphite and a little on the softer side as far as blank materials, so it should be able to fish treble hook lures without being to stiff/powerful. 

 

Help...?

 

[burrows]

What’s your budget ? How much are you thinking of spending becouse anyone can recommend anything but you might not want something lower end or you might be looking at higher end rods? Or something in between? How much you want to spend bro?

[new2BC4bass]

9 minutes ago, Burrows said:

What’s your budget ? How much are you thinking of spending becouse anyone can recommend anything but you might not want something lower end or you might be looking at higher end rods? Or something in between? How much you want to spend bro?

Price of the rod the OP is interested in is $150.

 

OP    to the forum.

 

Given the lure weights and cover you are fishing in, I think your leaning towards the MH is a wise decision.  I know zero about Spiralite rods.  In fact this is the first I had heard the name.  I think you should buy one and give the rest of us a review of it.

[fishballer06]

My all time favorite squarebill rod is my Dobyns 705CB (graphite). I like the Champion line, but buy whichever lineup fits your budget.

[ITO_ZILLION]

4 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

My all time favorite squarebill rod is my Dobyns 705CB (graphite). I like the Champion line, but buy whichever lineup fits your budget.

Truth be told...I stopped bass fishing for a while because of other priorities. I started fishing squarebills when they got really popular a few years back when KVD and strike king came out with the KVD 1.5/2.5 Squarebills. I immediately knew I wanted to try and fish squarebills. So...I ended up getting a Dobyns 705cb and a couple KVD 1.5/2.5 squarebills just to try out the technique. On my second outing with that combo...I caught my first squarebill crankbait fish. 

 

I ended up selling the rod though because I really didn't like the way it handled other baits and techniques. For squarebills...it is really superb but it wasn't versatile enough for me so I ended up getting rid of it. 

 

But now that I want to get back into bass fishing...I am looking for a squarebill crankbait rod that isn't a Dobyns and that I hope would fill some double/triple duty applications.

 

Per Tacklewarehouse and I believe Spiralite's marketing claim and I quote...

 

'...the Spiralte SQ Series Casting Rods employ more moderate actions in comparison to Spiralite’s other, spiral-wrap offerings...'

 

So...with 'moderate' in the description (and maybe taken out of 'context' here)...I figured the SQ rod would be a pretty good candidate for a squarebill crankbait rod and maybe afford me some versatility with other techniques/baits. 

 

Gonna have to follow new2BC4bass advice and just 'bite the bullet' and try the rod out as a review for everyone else on the forum here. 

[burrows]

Why don’t you try a composite for square bills. I like a good composite for square bills plenty of sensitivity in the new composite blanks and their perfect for square bills.

[ITO_ZILLION]

On 8/23/2018 at 7:18 PM, Burrows said:

Why don’t you try a composite for square bills. I like a good composite for square bills plenty of sensitivity in the new composite blanks and their perfect for square bills.

Can you recommend me some composite rods...? Brand...? Model...?

[A-Jay]

29 minutes ago, ITO_ZILLION said:

Can you recommend me some composite rods...? Brand...? Model...?

Right here ~ and at a great price.

https://www.amazon.com/Zebco-Medium-Heavy-Quantum-Cranking/dp/B01397STOE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1535844775&sr=8-4&keywords=kvd+cranking+rod&dpID=31PHklQjzOL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 I have 3 and they work well for me. ( pictured on deck )

 

A-Jay

[burrows]

54 minutes ago, ITO_ZILLION said:

Can you recommend me some composite rods...? Brand...? Model...?

Powell endurance 6’10 mf is what I’m using for cranking squarebills, the new composite blanks offer that sensitivity plus plenty of give that glass offers.

[BankBasser]

I picked up a Dobyns Champion 705CB graphite off their refurbished page earlier in the summer and it's worked great. There's one on their website now for $170. I have five Dobyns rods from the refurbished page and they all arrived in near new condition.

[Bass_Fanatic]

If you can find a used Powell Max TW exclusive “squarebill rod” you’d be in heaven. It’s 6’9” H/mf composite.  I have 3. I went through 7 or 8 $150-$250 rods before I finally found these. Perfect rod IMO 

[burrows]

The Powell inferno composite is really a solid rod as well. 

[Somd Fx4]

another vote for the dobyns 705cb. It was recommend to me by several members on this site. I use it for anything with trebles not just squarebills.

[SMB101]

What I can say is I have a Phenix X series and do like using it very much.  Don't see many here talking bout them much, I believe.   But maybe someone else can chime in on Phenix composite rods for the technique your asking about. 

Good luck.  Also, just to say my overall bass rods are from Dobyns and love using them just as much...

[Dirtyeggroll]

I agree that the Dobyns 705CB feels like a rod that is really limited in its capabilities beyond squarebills. It is a pretty whippy rod and I have never tied any other bait but a squarebill or wakebait with it.

 

BUT MAN IT IS SUCH A FANTASTIC ROD FOR THAT APPLICATION!

 

another less expensive rod that can cover multiple applications is the 7’ Cabela’s ZX Crankshaft. I have one and use it for pretty much all small to mid-sized moving baits (squarebill, chatterbait, spinnerbait, etc...).

[Boomstick]

I use a Daiwa Tatula 7'2" MH/R glass rod for squarebills. It has a nice and fast rebound for when you hit a stump, and a just extra play in the tip to help land the fish. It's also all-around moving bait stick -- absolutely perfect for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits as well. I can't recommend it enough for these applications.

 

It's a little bit thicker and heavier than your graphite rods, but you'd be surprised how sensitive it is. Typical chatterbait wake vibrations are muted, but you feel everything you need to -- it's a little hard to explain.

 

 

On 9/1/2018 at 10:06 PM, BankBasser said:

I picked up a Dobyns Champion 705CB graphite off their refurbished page earlier in the summer and it's worked great. There's one on their website now for $170. I have five Dobyns rods from the refurbished page and they all arrived in near new condition.

A lot of them just had the wrong label put on them -- they even tell you on the website on the models that's the case with!

[LonnieP]

I use a Dobyns Fury 705cb and a Daiwa Tatula 7’ Med regular for squarebills. Both are good rods but I prefer the Tatula. It is lighter and I can feel the vibrations from the lure a lot better with the Tatula.

[Matt_3479]

My new crankbait rod for this season is the g.loomis imx pro 845c cbr and it’s fantastic so far and my hookup ratio has gone way way up! It has quickly become one of my favorite ways to fish!