spinnerbait rod action

[jimmyjoe]

   I've always liked a MH/F rod for spinnerbaits. But I recently bought a H/M Mojo Bass Glass rod, and I've been experimenting with it, including using it with spinnerbaits. It does well enough. Some of my friends had conniption fits about my using spinnerbaits with a fiberglass rod, but this article on the history of the spinnerbait ( https://lakerecord.net/2019/01/17/the-history-of-the-spinnerbait/ ) states that spinnerbaits were used at least in the late 40's, and that Don Fuelsch made the Strike King design in 1961.

   Those lures were used on fiberglass rods. Fenwick didn't bring out graphite rods (the HMG) until about 1975.

   Anyone else out there using fiberglass rods to throw spinnerbaits? If you do, how good is your hookset? Any problems?

   Thnx.        jj

[rangerjockey]

Well, I grew up fishing those old fenwick  and lews glass rods ,of course it was all we had at the time.

I used a old Daiwa green handle glass blend spinnerbait/crankbait rod for a few years back in the day and it did alright.

  Personally on Table Rock I'm throwing at Bushes and dock corners and I'd rather have a stouter rod to move them that first few feet.

Don't confuse the glass rods of yesteryear with a crankbait rod of today, Those old 4 power Fenwicks were flat stout.

 

[A-Jay]

I use a composite stick for spinnerbaits.

Casts great and I have no trouble putting the steel to them . . .

A-Jay

[Jason Penn]

i prefer mod action on spinnerbaits.  my 1st experience using a crank rod was with the old green handle 7' mh tds rods also.  it took a little bit to get used to casting it, but i was amazed at how little fish i lost.  i like the way slower action rods seem to just pierce the hook thru.

 

i did have problems back in the day using titanium wire baits with a slow rod.  they are springy enough as is.

[Mobasser]

I use a composite rod for spinnerbaits also. I like one with a little tip flex, med/ivy action. I think a glass rod would work good too

[Mobasser]

2 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   I've always liked a MH/F rod for spinnerbaits. But I recently bought a H/M Mojo Bass Glass rod, and I've been experimenting with it, including using it with spinnerbaits. It does well enough. Some of my friends had conniption fits about my using spinnerbaits with a fiberglass rod, but this article on the history of the spinnerbait ( https://lakerecord.net/2019/01/17/the-history-of-the-spinnerbait/ ) states that spinnerbaits were used at least in the late 40's, and that Don Fuelsch made the Strike King design in 1961.

   Those lures were used on fiberglass rods. Fenwick didn't bring out graphite rods (the HMG) until about 1975.

   Anyone else out there using fiberglass rods to throw spinnerbaits? If you do, how good is your hookset? Any problems?

   Thnx.        jj

jj, one thing I love about glass rods is how they cast. It's a slower casting stroke, but you can feel them load up with a smooth even feel. Different than modern graphite for sure. I like em.

[J Francho]

For the past 20 years, I've been using XF taper for spinnerbaits.  They cast well, and hook setting is a quick flick and sweep.  I did try a TCS Scott Martin rod from Okuma for spinnerbaits, and I liked it equally as well.  It wasn't as fast as a typical XF, but, but wasn't like any glass rod and it roll casted really well.  I usually put a little oomph in the hookset for this rod.  

[jimmyjoe]

   Thank you, gentlemen.

 

  

3 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

Don't confuse the glass rods of yesteryear with a crankbait rod of today,

 

   Yeah, I'm aware of that. When I first picked up this St. Croix, I was surprised at the light weight. I remember the Heddon glass rod I learned on. This is very different.

 

  

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Casts great and I have no trouble putting the steel to them . . .

 

   I appreciate that you have no trouble setting the hook, A-Jay. That had been my biggest doubt. As for the casting performance ..... well, let's just say there are several reasons I love this glass rod, and that's one of the most obvious.

 

  

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

jj, one thing I love about glass rods is how they cast. It's a slower casting stroke, but you can feel them load up with a smooth even feel. Different than modern graphite for sure. I like em.

  

   It's funny how soooo many articles emphasize how a rod feels on the retrieve and hookset, but almost none emphasize how a rod feels on the cast. How it loads and the feedback you get are important.

   I also noticed that this rod makes it easier to kill the spinnerbait at the end of the cast so that it enters the water quietly. In fact, as I was experimenting, that was the thing that I noticed most, and it made me want to continue experiments with other spinnerbaits.

   Yeah, I know glass rods feel "dead". And yes, @J Francho, I know they're "noodly".  ??  But I'm finding out that there are some things that glass rods do better than popular opinion would indicate.

 

  What was that Michael J. Fox movie ..... "Back To The Future" ???    ?      jj

[J Francho]

24 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said:

Back To The Future

No thanks, Doc.

 

 

I've never felt I was missing anything not using bamboo, boron, glass, etc.  I'm sure a good angler can make all of them work, they're just not for me.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

5 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   I've always liked a MH/F rod for spinnerbaits. But I recently bought a H/M Mojo Bass Glass rod, and I've been experimenting with it, including using it with spinnerbaits. It does well enough. Some of my friends had conniption fits about my using spinnerbaits with a fiberglass rod, but this article on the history of the spinnerbait ( https://lakerecord.net/2019/01/17/the-history-of-the-spinnerbait/ ) states that spinnerbaits were used at least in the late 40's, and that Don Fuelsch made the Strike King design in 1961.

   Those lures were used on fiberglass rods. Fenwick didn't bring out graphite rods (the HMG) until about 1975.

   Anyone else out there using fiberglass rods to throw spinnerbaits? If you do, how good is your hookset? Any problems?

   Thnx.        jj

The technology has changed too much over that period and until now to say whatever they did is better than what’s available today. There’s more to a blank than material too. A glass rod of sufficient power and action to work the way you want will work as well as a graphite with similar properties. The spinner baits I throw use a heavy hook so I like a fast action to drive it home without a he-man swing for the fences set. Prefer graphite for weight reduction. 

[MassYak85]

I use a Tatula 7'2" MH/Mod-Fast. It's forgiving enough to load a bit when they grab it but still fast enough for a quick hookset and has the backbone to pull fish from cover. 

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

A glass rod of sufficient power and action to work the way you want will work as well as a graphite with similar properties.

Help me with this one.  Won't that rod be heavier, and have a larger diameter than graphite?  Honestly curious.  I know SC has come out with new lighter glass blanks, so this might not be the case anymore?

[Columbia Craw]

I fish two specific spinnerbait rods.  For heavy to moderate cover a 7'3" MHF.  I want the rod to lock up and have enough power to penetrate that larger hook and to turn fish quickly.  For open water or river smallies I prefer a 7'3" MH composite rod.  Smallmouth seem to crush a spinnerbait and a more forgiving rod is an advantage when a fish goes airborne.  

[CountryboyinDC]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

I know SC has come out with new lighter glass blanks, so this might not be the case anymore?

SC glass blanks are definitely heavier (although maybe not that much), and much have a much greater diameter than most comparable power graphite rods.  I think they must have gone way down on wall diameter to make them as light as they are, but I haven't cut mine in half to check.  They are enough greater in diameter that they won't fit in my rod holders that all my graphite rods do.  As for performance, that's not something I feel I'm as qualified to answer as some of the other posters.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

Help me with this one.  Won't that rod be heavier, and have a larger diameter than graphite?  Honestly curious.  I know SC has come out with new lighter glass blanks, so this might not be the case anymore?

Depending on the maker, probably yes. That’s why I added later that my personal preference is for graphite is party for the lighter weight. My point was just that material by itself doesn’t make the blank. Fiberglass is great vigor making softer blanks if that’s what you want, but they could in theory be made stiff and powerful. 

[newyorktoiowa57]

I like MHMF

 

Favorite Models:

 

TCS69APC

 

SC Mojo SC3 Spinnerbait Rod

 

I'd say they feel more like Mediums to me, honestly. 

[WRB]

You all use the same rod for a Johnson Beatle spin as a Nichols .44 Magnum, I think not!

The rod needs to be able to perform well with the lure being used.

Tom

[The Maestro]

I've been using a 6'10" MH/F Shimano Clarus spinnerbait rod.  Something about the action is perfectly dialed for spinnerbaits.  I was able to get my hands on a 6'9" first gen Cumara reaction rod which is supposed to be a spinnerbait rod . It's MH/XF but I haven't had a chance to use it. I also have a 7'2" MH Expride (graphite) which might pull double duty for chatters and spinnerbaits.

[MN Fisher]

Spinners go on either my 7' Aird-X MH/F or the 7' Laguna MH/F.

[jimmyjoe]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

You all use the same rod for a Johnson Beatle spin as a Nichols .44 Magnum, I think not!

The rod needs to be able to perform well with the lure being used.

Tom

 

   Absolutely true. When I said I "was experimenting", I meant that I was trying to match 1) the weight on casting, and 2) the resistance on retrieve to 3) what I thought was close to the max flex of the rod, and 4) what felt good to me. So I'm trying 3 different weights of spinnerbaits, 2 weights of traps, 3 weights of in-line spinners, 4 weights of spoons, and 3 weights of floater-divers.

   It's been interesting. I went to the river for about 20 minutes today, and caught one reasonable-sized bass  (about 2 lbs). The thing is, I caught him on a 1 oz. Dardevle .... in black. There were 3 deadstickers there, and they were pretty surprised. To tell the truth, so was I. I had thought last year that the 1 oz. size might be good for bass, and it is. I tried the 1 oz. because I had it in my mind that this was the rod I wanted for exactly that spoon. Since I "twitch" spoons, I wanted to make sure that the soft tip on this glass rod would be firm enough.   It is.   ?

   One other thing: I had always been told that glass rods kinda lose their "oomph" towards the upper end of their rating. This rod holds true right up to the 1 3/8 top of the rating.

   I would guess that this simply means that someone decided to rate it a little more conservatively.

 

   Anyway ....... tomorrow, more spinnerbaits. Wakebaits as well as low-n'-slow. Life is good.   ?      jj

[jbsoonerfan]

8 hours ago, The Maestro said:

I've been using a 6'10" MH/F Shimano Clarus spinnerbait rod.  Something about the action is perfectly dialed for spinnerbaits.  I was able to get my hands on a 6'9" first gen Cumara reaction rod which is supposed to be a spinnerbait rod . It's MH/XF but I haven't had a chance to use it. I also have a 7'2" MH Expride (graphite) which might pull double duty for chatters and spinnerbaits.

You will love that rod! If for some reason you don't, please PM me if you want to get rid of it.

[J Francho]

16 hours ago, CountryboyinDC said:

I think they must have gone way down on wall diameter to make them as light as they are, but I haven't cut mine in half to check.

Please don't 

Thanks for the feedback.

[Finessegenics]

17 hours ago, newyorktoiowa57 said:

SC Mojo SC3 Spinnerbait Rod

I've been interested in that model for a while now. I wanted to get a spinnerbait/chatterbait specific setup. Is it truly more parabolic than SC's fast actions? Also, that lure rating is kinda weird and since you say they feel more like mediums, do you think you can cast 1/4 oz effectively? I haven't been able to find too many owners of that model so I'd really appreciate your opinion 

[jimmyjoe]

8 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

I've been interested in that model for a while now. I wanted to get a spinnerbait/chatterbait specific setup. Is it truly more parabolic than SC's fast actions? Also, that lure rating is kinda weird and since you say they feel more like mediums, do you think you can cast 1/4 oz effectively? I haven't been able to find too many owners of that model so I'd really appreciate your opinion 

 

   I have that rod. I don't know what @newyorktoiowa57 thinks of it, but I named it "The Rod That Doesn't Need To Exist".   It's the typical fast tip from SC3 rods, but I think it's not strong enough for a true MH nor flexible enough for a M+. Perversely, it's excellent as a twitchbait and/or bottom contact rod. Lots of competition in that genre, though.     jj

[newyorktoiowa57]

Just now, Finessegenics said:

I've been interested in that model for a while now. I wanted to get a spinnerbait/chatterbait specific setup. Is it truly more parabolic than SC's fast actions? Also, that lure rating is kinda weird and since you say they feel more like mediums, do you think you can cast 1/4 oz effectively? I haven't been able to find too many owners of that model so I'd really appreciate your opinion 

I've never used a SC Fast but to me it certainly feels moderate fast.  I have not tried to go that low, the 3/8 spinnerbaits and chatterbaits I mostly throw are 1/2-2/3 ounce total weight, I'd say.  I'd imagine you could throw 1/4 with the right reel (think Tatula SV). 

 

You might also look at a dobyns 703C.  That rod is very similar in action, but a touch lighter in power overall, so it could handle lighter weights a bit better.  It might feel a bit overloaded with a chatterbait though