Another jig casting rod question.

So I have bought cheaper rods for years and I am ready to buy some quality gear. When I look at reviews on Cabela’s/basspro I see all these reviews from all types of rods breaking. I have never broken a rod in my life . My question is what do you guys use these days ? I know I want a 6’6-7 ft and have been looking at the st.croix premier but their warranty sounds a little silly and not sure they are worth the extra money. Any other options or opinions would be helpful. I plan on using a Pflueger president xt reel ,Haven’t determined which size yet. Stern crappie hi vis 6lb test.


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Sam Heaton 10' B n M Sharp Shooter 6' and most all the other one's are Southern Crappie. 16'14'12'.
LittleJohn

You will not go wrongs with a BnM pole

I currently have a 10’and 11’ B n M bucks crappie jig pole but haven’t heard much about their smaller rods for casting lite jigs.


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Bass Pro Mitie light rods are a pretty good rod for the money. Crappiepappy swears by his ESP rods. Never fished one but good reviews and good pricing for a higher end rod.

I use an older 6'6" lightning rod 2 piece that is way out of production. It balances perfect with a Diawa Capricorn 1500 series and casts a 1/32 forever. I've bought a lot of rods and by this time, brand makes no difference to me. I pick up a rod and see if it fits the bill for weight first, then action, then balance. Helps to have an idea of what you're looking for in action before you start. For casting I use a lot of 4lb line and with that said, I like extra spools that would allow the 6lb you stated. I prefer to have the reel I'm going to use with me and put it on the rod I like and see what it feels like.

I've handled high end rods that stated medium action that closely resembled a broomstick. Had light actions that would touch end to end. I like the St Croix 66lf 1 piece, you might give it a look while you're out snooping around.

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Originally Posted by jascott765

I know I want a 6’6-7 ft and have been looking at the st.croix premier but their warranty sounds a little silly and not sure they are worth the extra money.

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The Premier is a great rod, as are the St. Croix Panfish and Trout rods.



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I don't know about the premier, but the Triumph is worth the money. I used one for years until it got broken. :bash It was my favorite rod.

My favorite St Croix is the 6'3" Eyecon light which is marketed as a light Walleye jigging rod. Perfect for Crappie. I find it a much better action than the Premier. For me the pan fish rods are too wimpy. The Eyecon is a favorite for casting jigs. A little more $ but very worth it. I also have a 6'6" Fox River which is good also but I prefer the St Croix.

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Originally Posted by IkenI

My favorite St Croix is the 6'3" Eyecon light which is marketed as a light Walleye jigging rod. Perfect for Crappie. I find it a much better action than the Premier. For me the pan fish rods are too wimpy. The Eyecon is a favorite for casting jigs. A little more $ but very worth it. I also have a 6'6" Fox River which is good also but I prefer the St Croix.

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I just looked it up. It is actually the same price right now at 119.00 how small of weight will it cast?


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Originally Posted by Cray

Bass Pro Mitie light rods are a pretty good rod for the money. Crappiepappy swears by his ESP rods. Never fished one but good reviews and good pricing for a higher end rod.

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Cray is correct (well after I corrected some spelling errors :Rofl) ... I use a 6'6" ESP PowerLite rod for all my jig casting. Been recommending members give them consideration & many have taken me up on it and bought one ... no negative reviews from anyone here, so far.

I was given mine as a fieldtester for the Marketing VP ... and it quickly replaced several other rods I had been using. Biggest plus for me was the very fast tip action, and the sensitivity. The all graphite Tenn style handle with holding rings also allowed me to switch reels on it & still balance the outfit by the placement of the reel. The 6'6" PowerLite is a split handle style rod, or extended handle ... what I call a "poodle tail" handle. Here's a pic to show you what I'm talking about :

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/attac...hmentid=287453

If you buy the 6' version ... it's the same rod MINUS the 6" handle extension (poodle tail) ... if you don't care for the handle extension.

It's a one piece all high modulus graphite IM6 blank & the handle is graphite capped with cork. Has a large gathering guide, then tapers down quickly with micro guides. And because of that, I don't recommend it for slip float use.

They are not in many stores, but you can find store locations on this site : https://www.norsemenoutdoors.com/pro...gory/esp-rods/ ... plus you can read about them on the page that link brings up. But, Grizzly Jigs advertises them for about $10 less than Norsemen Outdoors. (but check out S/H costs from both places)

I currently have a Okuma Stratus STX20 reel on mine and it balances very well. The reel in the picture is a Shimano Aero 1000, which is what I had on it before the Okuma ... and it balanced well, too. So you can't go by the series number of different brands and expect them to weigh the same.

I'm an old B n' M fan here. Been using them for years. The Sam Heaton Super Sensitive in 7' length would fit your bill nicely. Cost effective too at just ~$50.00.

ESP rods , have a 6' 6'' ultra lite for bluegills and 6' 6'' power lite for crappie jigs. Very sensitive and good backbone when needed.

I use a 9 ft southern crappie rod


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I just got a killer deal on some 10ft H20 Express jigging rods from Academy Sports. They have alot of backbone which I love. I can't to try them out. The last thing I needed was some rods but what can I say.

I really like the Lews Mr Crappie pro series,but I want to try out some ACC crappie stik

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The last rods I've bought have been the Fenwick Eagle 6'6" and the Fenwick HMX 7' both light action both have Shimano quick fire Spirex 1000 reels spooled with 6lb Fireline Crystel I've been happy with both rods and reels for panfish jigging/casting and jigging lighter walleye jigs.

st croix is hard to beat i got 3 eyecons and 2 panfish. kinda prefer the eycons cause im not crazy about micro guides. my fav is the 7ft light action with x-fast tip. but i really like em all.

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Originally Posted by jascott765

So I have bought cheaper rods for years and I am ready to buy some quality gear. When I look at reviews on Cabela’s/basspro I see all these reviews from all types of rods breaking. I have never broken a rod in my life . My question is what do you guys use these days ? I know I want a 6’6-7 ft and have been looking at the st.croix premier but their warranty sounds a little silly and not sure they are worth the extra money. Any other options or opinions would be helpful. I plan on using a Pflueger president xt reel ,Haven’t determined which size yet. Stern crappie hi vis 6lb test.


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Do yourself a favor and have a rod custom built to do exactly what you want it to do. You will not be dissapointed.

With a custom build you will get:
The rear handle size and configuration you want (cork, foam, split grip)
The exact reel seat you would like
Perfect fore grip (for jigging, I prefer a longer one, for casting, I like a three inch)
One piece or two peice (some blanks)
The ability to fit the exact jig sizes and line size you are intending to fish with
The exact guide eyes you want

There are just too many variables for a rod company to build every configuration. Many of the rods sold today are NOT what I like. If I want a rod specific for throwing 1/32, 1/16, or 1/64 oz jigs tipped with soft plastics, I build one. 7 inch rear cork, 3 inch front cork, Fuji reel seat. Graphite arbor under the seat (most companies utilize tape between the blank and the seat and it deadens the feel). Recoil guide eyes, exact thread color I want (you can get glow in the dark thread now too).

I will not post my personal opion of St. Croix however you can PM me for it. I will say this, their warrenty is stupid. Every rod company has a warrenty and many of them are far superior to St. Croix. They however SELL their warrenty because most people end up having to use it!

My recommendation for you: SJ842 or an SJ842-2. MHX spin and jig 7 foot one piece or two peice. Light weight, fast action. You cannot buy it in the stores.

try the carrot stix 6' and 6'7" either one is super sensitive great balance can t beat em in my opinion