Pistol Grip

[Mobasser]

9 minutes ago, rangerjockey said:

Another thing to remember is back in the day bass boats didn't have casting decks the seats were on pedestals and sat down in the boat.

Most guys used actually fish sitting down that necessitated a short rod , today a five and a half foot Rod I think would be more of a hindrance than a help walking a spook.

I've tried longer rods with different handle styles and none work better for me than a short- not over 6ft rod with a short handle. It's been working for me for 35yrs, so I see no need to change now. With a shorter stick it's automatic. Not a hindrance at all

[Drew03cmc]

27 minutes ago, rangerjockey said:

Another thing to remember is back in the day bass boats didn't have casting decks the seats were on pedestals and sat down in the boat.

Most guys used actually fish sitting down that necessitated a short rod , today a five and a half foot Rod I think would be more of a hindrance than a help walking a spook.

If you've ever fished a walking bait while wade fishing, a short rod is almost a necessity. Also, there are those of us who fish walking baits with a spinning rod exclusively.

 

[rangerjockey]

Walking a spook isn't the art form at once was, with today's Baits and really The Spook since they move the line ties are  much easier to walk, but whatever works

[scaleface]

I even think poppers/chuggers work better with the 5'6" rod . I give a short little  snap and spit water 6 foot and move the bait just an inch or two . I use long rods on everything else but on top-waters I get better action with less effort using my old lightning rods . 

[GreenPig]

I'm not a fan of pistol grip rods but I fish a few creeks that are 80' to 90" wide at the widest point. I realized very quick that needed rods shorter than the 7' & 8'er's that I use on big waters. I picked up two $24 Berkley Cherrywood 5'6" Med casting rods(paired with Curado 70's) and they're perfect. I just ease down the center and pitch lures under the over hanging limbs effortlessly. 

[Mobasser]

24 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I even think poppers/chuggers work better with the 5'6" rod . I give a short little  snap and spit water 6 foot and move the bait just an inch or two . I use long rods on everything else but on top-waters I get better action with less effort using my old lightning rods . 

Agree. I can work my other baits better with a shorter rod too.I use some standards- Storm Chug Bug, Pop R and the H20 popper from Academy. The only surface bait I like to use a longer rod with are buzzbaits. I do better with those on a longer rod.

[Mobasser]

As per Charlie Cambell? He's a very well known Hall of Fame angler. He could use whatever brand, style, cost rod he wants to use. But, he chooses a shorter rod because that's what works best for him. Not what someone else tells him to use. I just think a shorter rod works best for this. 

[Maxximus Redneckus]

I use them exclusively no need for distance casting  when on a kayak ...plus IMO a spook or popper is best used on a pistol grip or short handle rod any how ..no clue how anyone can walk a spook  with a 7 ft rod and a 2 foot handle dont care how u do it that handle will hit .

[OCdockskipper]

17 hours ago, Log Catcher said:

I checked the BPS website today. They no longer have a 5'6" Bionic Blade rod listed. I won't be buying anymore of them. They ruined them with the split grip handle as far as I'm concerned. I still use pistol grip rods in 6' for crank baits, spinner baits, and top water baits.

Crud, I liked that rod and it used to be readily available.  I wonder if they would bring it back with enough emails & letters...

[WRB]

My 1st casting rod was a Connolin 5 1/2' bass rod with cork pistol grip in '55.

My 1st trigger grip straight handle rod was a Fenwick 7' popping rod I used in '71 for crank baits. 

I put away all the pistol grip rods by '75 and started making my own 6'6"-6'10" trigger grip rods using Fenwick blanks until Lamiglas offered to make custom rods in the early 80's. 

Donated all the pistol grips rod to a local Boys and Girls club in '80's and never looked back.

A pistol grip rod will teach you how to cast properly using more wrist movement in lieu of your arm. 

I prefer the straight handles.

Tom

[Spy]

I've pulled more fish with an old Diawa pistol grip this year than all the rest of my rods combined and only because an eye seat snapped on a GLX leaving me a loose Chronarch one day. I bought this rod on clearance in '90 because it matched my Diawa Samurai spinning rod and have been carting it about through cross country moves since though I never put a reel on it for the first time mid summer.

 

It's awesome out of the yak, a close combat weapon that makes it a breeze putting lures they have no right being. I will say the rod has the same ChatterBait tied on at all times and that is the real hero this summer (Thanks to our sponsor Siebert Outdoors) but that aside I am actively looking for pistol grips in the Loomis quality range just because they work so efficiently out of the yak platform, not a replacement by any means, rather a compliment to the 6'6" MBRs that fit other applications so superbly.

 

[Drew03cmc]

3 minutes ago, BaitFinesse said:

With enough spool tension and a heavy enough bait any baitcast reel can skip.  What makes the SV reels special is that they will skip with a lose spool tension, skip very light weight difficult baits and do it with little to no thumb.

With enough skill, anyone can skip a bait. Honestly, I skip my 3/8 Dark Sleepers, weedless Keitech 3.8 on an 1/8 oz swimbait hook, stuff like that. I can use my Ardent, Kastking, Piscifuns, Haibo, etc. 

[papajoe222]

I use a 6’ Quantum Tournament rod for my walking baits. It’s the only rod I use that I haven’t built, mainly because I haven’t found a blank with similar power/action  my dream build is a5’10” Med/Mod-Fast wiith a pisrol grip. 

[Log Catcher]

6 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

Crud, I liked that rod and it used to be readily available.  I wonder if they would bring it back with enough emails & letters...

I wouldn't bet on it. I really like the Bionic Blades and the old Pro Qualifier rods and have several of them. They are so wrapped up in thinking the long rods are all anybody wants they forget us guys that still like the shorter rods.