St. Croix Premier "crankbait" Rod

[RushFan2112]

Hey All, Got my hands on this rod at the local BPS and really like the way it feels. In particular, I was checking out the PC66MHM for my shallower cranking and spinnerbaits. $119 is a bit steep for a crankbait rod, but it feels so much better than the BPS Crankin Stick in every way, which is $69 right now. Not a fan of the BPS "powerhump" handle either. I obviously love the feeling of the Avid cranking rod, but $179 is definitely out of the price range I'm willing to spend. So, have you used the Premier cranking rod and what is your take on it? Should I be considering other cranking rods in this price range? Thanks in advance.

[shootermcbob]

I have the PGC66MMF glass cranking rod and I love it. Something about the glass I think really allows this rod to load up. I am able to cast even the lighter baits a long ways. I have a daiwa 150p 5.1:1 reel on it and I am able to feel the crank wobble, and can tell immediately if the bait gets "fouled" w/ grass or leaves.

[BassThumb]

I had one, the 7' medium, moderate action. It was a pretty good rod for the money, but it was too soft for my liking. I had a hard time ripping crankbaits free of weeds. They have a really soft action compared to some other moderate action rods.

[RushFan2112]

I had one, the 7' medium, moderate action. It was a pretty good rod for the money, but it was too soft for my liking. I had a hard time ripping crankbaits free of weeds. They have a really soft action compared to some other moderate action rods.

Yep, I took a look at the St. Croix MM and it was very whippy. The MH seems to be about perfect. I kept going back and forth between the MHM St Croix and the BPS Carbonlite Medium Fast. The Carbonlite seemed too stiff for a cranker, even in the Medium Fast, but nice and light. I'm just not a fan of the split grip rods. I'll take a full cork handle any day over a split grip. Thanks for the replies guys.

[RushFan2112]

I had one, the 7' medium, moderate action. It was a pretty good rod for the money, but it was too soft for my liking. I had a hard time ripping crankbaits free of weeds. They have a really soft action compared to some other moderate action rods.

I wish the BPS near me had the glass rods in-house. I just have a very hard time buying a rod before ever feeling it in my own hands.

[flippin and pitchin]

I would suggest you look at the Lamiglas Excel 705G glass cranking rod. I and several others have used this model for well over a year and like it alot. If you want to see one in action, go to Youtube videos and type in Columbia River Smallmouths and watch the rods used, Excels. That should give you an idea of the flex and power characteristics. Good luck !

[tritz18]

I have the 7 foot version of that rod. Have had it for two years now and let me tell you it still works very well. Very durable rod and I think it has the right amount of sensitivity for cranking. Overall I think its a great rod for the money and cranking.

[kbkindle]

Hey All, Got my hands on this rod at the local BPS and really like the way it feels. In particular, I was checking out the PC66MHM for my shallower cranking and spinnerbaits. $119 is a bit steep for a crankbait rod, but it feels so much better than the BPS Crankin Stick in every way, which is $69 right now. Not a fan of the BPS "powerhump" handle either. I obviously love the feeling of the Avid cranking rod, but $179 is definitely out of the price range I'm willing to spend. So, have you used the Premier cranking rod and what is your take on it? Should I be considering other cranking rods in this price range? Thanks in advance.

Man i had some premier rods for a while nice rod till i tryed the avid, to me so much more sensitive , i can feel so much more ,I like to do a lot of wacky style fishing, iam catching some blugills on the avid, where with the premier i never felt them. trouble is they say the next best st croixi is even better but iam like you the legend rods are about$235.00 and i dont like a splitrod handle

[BassThumb]

I played around with the 66MHM in my local Gander a little today when I went there to pick up a fishing license. It like the feel of it for shallow to mid-depth cranks and jerkbaits in the 3/8 - 1/2 oz range. It feels to me like a spinnerbait heavier than 1/4 oz would overpower the rod though. I prefer a MH or H power, fast action rod for spinnerbaits, but I also tend to use heavy spinners.

[RushFan2112]

I played around with the 66MHM in my local Gander a little today when I went there to pick up a fishing license. It like the feel of it for shallow to mid-depth cranks and jerkbaits in the 3/8 - 1/2 oz range. It feels to me like a spinnerbait heavier than 1/4 oz would overpower the rod though. I prefer a MH or F power, fast action rod for spinnerbaits, but I also tend to use heavy spinners.

Thanks, Thumb. You just brought up my main concern with the spinnerbait comments. I'm really hoping to have one "go to" rod for both spinnerbaits and crankbaits, but I'm wondering if my desired rod even exists. I felt the same way as you did. It seems like a nice rod for cranks, but I was questioning if it had the right weight and action to also handle a 3/8 to 1/2 spinnerbait. I don't want the rod to feel overpowered while using spinners, but want it to have the flex for cranking. Like I said, I wonder if my desired rod is even out there. $150 is my absolute max to spend. I wonder if the Avid cranker would be a bit more what I'm looking for. It's a hefty price tag, but I'll suck it up if need be. Unfortunately, the local BPS only had a 7' Avid cranker in MM, so I had no other Avid crankers to compare it to. It too felt too whippy for my liking when I was checking it out, and I'm more comfortable with 6'6 rods anyways. Thanks for the insight - much appreciated.

[Locked]

I have a 6'6" Medium power Fast action rod that I like for spinnerbaits and lipless cranks. I have a 7' MM premier that I got for shallow cranks and it was too whippy for me.

[Hooligan]

The 6-6 Glass Crankbait rod is a great rod for fishing square bills, Bandit 100-200, and similar baits. It will handle up to about a DT10 with relative ease. It is not, however, built to be a deep crank rod, or a rod to be used for ripping baits of any size. The way to fish the rod is to let the rod load and continue reeling and the baits will "pop" free of the grass without ripping it. It is a superb 3/8-1/2 oz spinnerbait rod for fishing grass and "grinding" in the slop. The rod generates a huge potential energy as you're pulling baits through, and it will just grind away. It's definitely one of my favorite rods from St Croix.

If you're looking for a deep crank rod, or a rod for ripping traps and spinnerbaits, or a rod for fishing 5/8 and 3/4 ounce spinnerbaits, look elsewhere. If you use the rod as it's intended to be used, you'll fall in love with it in quick fashion.

[BrASSmonkey]

I have the PC70MHM and bought it because of the mod-fast action as opposed to the mod action of a glass rod. I feel a more positive response from the mod-fast and it is a little better for ripping crankbaits from weeds in my opinion. As far as spinnerbaits, I do believe that this rod can work well for spinnerbaits. You would just need a good solid hookset in order to make sure your thicker gauge hooks penetrate the fishes mouth.