Southern Crappie Rods question

Looking at getting some spider rigging rods. Usually I'll troll a couple 1/8 oz jigs with 1/2 - 1 oz weight depending on wind/current. I also pull cranks in the late spring through the summer. I've used B n M's but have broken tips landing fish. I've read many post that said Southern Crappie Rods are the best.

I only want bait casting type rods.

Does Southern make such a rod to use for both methods?

I've tried to get on their online website but it won't load. Are they still in business?

also, open to suggestions.

I have 8 of the 16'ers I troll with. Usually use 1/2-1oz minnow rigs. I have used them to pull cranks with and they did fine. It's crazy just how tough these rods are, I've had the set over 2 years and have broke one tip because I stepped on it.

SCR does have a heavier action rod that can handle up to 2-3oz for pushing crankbaits too.


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All the Southern Crappie rods shown on the website have the long handles and fixed reel seats that are normally associated with "spinning" reel use .... and all the pictures showing them "in use" have them with spinning reels attached. That, however, does not necessarily mean that a baitcast reel cannot or should not be used.

But, if you are looking for a rod with the traditional "baitcast rod" style handle .... then, no, I don't believe he has such.

If you can't get the website to load ... his email address is : [email protected] .... and his ph# is : 704-791-0108 (but he requests that you do not leave phone message, but call back if no answer or send an email) His business hours are 9-9 Mon-Sat.

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

All the Southern Crappie rods shown on the website have the long handles and fixed reel seats that are normally associated with "spinning" reel use .... and all the pictures showing them "in use" have them with spinning reels attached. That, however, does not necessarily mean that a baitcast reel cannot or should not be used.

But, if you are looking for a rod with the traditional "baitcast rod" style handle .... then, no, I don't believe he has such.

If you can't get the website to load ... his email address is : [email protected] .... and his ph# is : 704-791-0108 (but he requests that you do not leave phone message, but call back if no answer or send an email) His business hours are 9-9 Mon-Sat.

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Thanks Pappy. I emailed him. I fish in the wind in Oklahoma and the spin cast guides just make it hard to detect a light bite. I really want small rod guides. I double dip with Huckabee Pro Series that has micro guides and it is amazing the difference when the wind isn't blowing the line around in the big open guides like come on spin cast rods.

The southern crappie have small line guides. He also has a specific set with the backbone for pulling cranks and using heavier weights.

I fish 12 and 14 ft southern's. 1/8 pony head on bottom and gnat on top with 1/2 to 1 oz weights. Use nothing but bait casters and guides are perfect size. I have bent my poles completely under my boat when hanging up and not hurt them. I even took one of mine at a camp in the parking lot. To show people how tough they were I put it in rod holder and grabbed line, bent pole in a complete U without hurting it. Very sensitive and tough as nails. Ed Dukes is a great guy to do business with. Long handles are for getting reel in front of rod holder.

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

All the Southern Crappie rods shown on the website have the long handles and fixed reel seats that are normally associated with "spinning" reel use .... and all the pictures showing them "in use" have them with spinning reels attached. That, however, does not necessarily mean that a baitcast reel cannot or should not be used.

But, if you are looking for a rod with the traditional "baitcast rod" style handle .... then, no, I don't believe he has such.

If you can't get the website to load ... his email address is : [email protected] .... and his ph# is : 704-791-0108 (but he requests that you do not leave phone message, but call back if no answer or send an email) His business hours are 9-9 Mon-Sat.

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He has a video you can link ti where he talks about using bait casting reels.

Ed's short rods have spinning rod guides on them. He makes rods from 6' to 16'. The rods up to 10 ' have cork handles. The 12-16 footers have small guides that can be used with spinning and baitcasting reels. I've pulled crankbaits about a million miles with the SCRs and the SCRTs. T is the series rated for weights of 2 oz or larger. They are tough as nails--made of kevlar and priced where they can compete with any top quality rod on the market.

Ed is one of the nicest guys in the fishing industry.

I use the regular 14 footers with baitcaster to spider rig. I’m happy with them. I usually run 1 oz double minnow rig and have tripped over a few brush piles and haven’t broken any yet.


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I run two 9 footers.

Great rods. I’ve got 8s, 9s, and 14s. I use them to cast jigs, vertical jig, pull cranks, spider rig, and longline. They are tough and will take the abuse. You just can’t beat SCR!

I love my BnM's but with as much positive I've read about the SCR's I think I'll try a few soon...

To much like fiberglass for me!

He's still in business as of about a month ago and one of the best people I've ever dealt with. The rods I got were the 6' to complete the trolling spread and I'm happy with both the rod and the quality of the build. Time comes for replacing any of what I now have, SCR will be the first place I look.

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Originally Posted by Gabepeeps

To much like fiberglass for me!

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They are a lot like fiberglass. That's why I love them. I've had bad luck with graphite for many years.

Aren’t they Kevlar?


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Originally Posted by CHECrappie

Aren’t they Kevlar?


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Yes Kevlar

He's definitely still in business I just got in a few more last week and I can't say enough about him or his rods.

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Originally Posted by funbun

They are a lot like fiberglass. That's why I love them. I've had bad luck with graphite for many years.

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To me they are nothing like fiberglass, they are not whippy poles at all.

Yes, they are Kevlar. Stiffer than fiberglass, not a brittle as graphite. It's perfect material really. The long pole over 10 ft are Kevlar graphite composite becasue of the length. The Kevlar SCR are much more sensitive than fiberglass and has far more backbone as well. People have gotten so used to the stiffness of graphite that they don't realize what they're giving up using other materials. Kevlar and Kevlar/graphite makes a good combo of materials.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

All the Southern Crappie rods shown on the website have the long handles and fixed reel seats that are normally associated with "spinning" reel use .... and all the pictures showing them "in use" have them with spinning reels attached. That, however, does not necessarily mean that a baitcast reel cannot or should not be used.

But, if you are looking for a rod with the traditional "baitcast rod" style handle .... then, no, I don't believe he has such.

If you can't get the website to load ... his email address is : [email protected] .... and his ph# is : 704-791-0108 (but he requests that you do not leave phone message, but call back if no answer or send an email) His business hours are 9-9 Mon-Sat.

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These work fine with baitcasters also..I really like these rods..Ed is quite a fellow...

The 16' trolling rods are Kevlar with carbon added. They are not like a flimsy fiberglass pole in the slightest


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by funbun

Yes, they are Kevlar. Stiffer than fiberglass, not a brittle as graphite. It's perfect material really. The long pole over 10 ft are Kevlar graphite composite becasue of the length. The Kevlar SCR are much more sensitive than fiberglass and has far more backbone as well. People have gotten so used to the stiffness of graphite that they don't realize what they're giving up using other materials. Kevlar and Kevlar/graphite makes a good combo of materials.

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Love the southern crappie 14fters I had and tough as nails.But the tips flop around to much on windy days.Boat control and good tip action when it's windy will put more fish in the boat.Sure hated to sell mine,wish they performed better in the wind spiderriging.

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Good poles!

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Originally Posted by blueball

Love the southern crappie 14fters I had and tough as nails.But the tips flop around to much on windy days.Boat control and good tip action when it's windy will put more fish in the boat.Sure hated to sell mine,wish they performed better in the wind spiderriging.

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This is why I’m looking at 12’ers. I normally don’t shallow water spider rig.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CHECrappie

This is why I’m looking at 12’ers. I normally don’t shallow water spider rig.


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Don't know about the 12fters,but the 14 and 16's are about the same.

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I got the 143T's I would buy the lighter rods if I had it to do again

I have a set of the 14 regular with spinning reels and a set of the 14 heavy with line counters on them. I prefer the 14 heavies to spider rig and push jigs. They are excellent rods.

Website works just fine as od 4:37 PM.
just ordered 4 for pushing cranks, my plan for post spawn!

why do you need such long poles for spyder rigging, this has my curious to try this. The website is working also I just sent him e-mail

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Originally Posted by Potatoe

why do you need such long poles for spyder rigging, this has my curious to try this. The website is working also I just sent him e-mail

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To get your baits further away from the boat....and also to cover a wider swath of water.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CHECrappie

This is why I’m looking at 12’ers. I normally don’t shallow water spider rig.


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I have 12's and 14's and had 16's. I couldn't handle the 16 in my boat fishing alone. 12's are nice but have 1 complaint on them, the butt section is not as long as the 14. Depending on your rod holder to get reel in front of holder like I like to fish just a tiny bit holding rod in holder. If you place reel inside holder works fine. Just a personal thing for me. Still good rods but I would take 14's over 12's.

good info thanks guys, looks like 14' is the way to go.

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Originally Posted by Cray

I have 12's and 14's and had 16's. I couldn't handle the 16 in my boat fishing alone. 12's are nice but have 1 complaint on them, the butt section is not as long as the 14. Depending on your rod holder to get reel in front of holder like I like to fish just a tiny bit holding rod in holder. If you place reel inside holder works fine. Just a personal thing for me. Still good rods but I would take 14's over 12's.

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Do you have spyderloc rod holders?


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I have 14 ft the 12ft and 10ft SCR. Going to order some 2 16 ft and another 14 ft.. that will put me at 16 southern Crappie rods.. really like them.

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Originally Posted by CHECrappie

Do you have spyderloc rod holders?


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I have SpiderLocks and hitec. They work pretty good in the hitec but SpiderLocks is why I posted that. SpiderLocks and most all holders of that design have same distance from butt strap to yoke. May not be a big deal to most it's just I like to grab my rod at the reel by wrapping my hand around reel and jerking rod up. And I have just always done it that way. If you grab in front of reel no problem at all.

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Originally Posted by Cray

I have SpiderLocks and hitec. They work pretty good in the hitec but SpiderLocks is why I posted that. SpiderLocks and most all holders of that design have same distance from butt strap to yoke. May not be a big deal to most it's just I like to grab my rod at the reel by wrapping my hand around reel and jerking rod up. And I have just always done it that way. If you grab in front of reel no problem at all.

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You wouldn't happen to have a picture of your 12'er in your spiderlock holder would you? I'm about to pull the trigger on these but I've never fished a 14'er.

Red is 14. Blue is 12Attachment 290715Attachment 290716


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Cray. I see what you’re saying. The 14’ers definitely fit in the holder better. Does the 14’er have same backbone as 12’er to swing them in the boat? Thanks so much for the pictures.


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Off topic, sorta, Cray, do you use the red and blue wraps for mostly for identification purpose, or for improved grip?
if for grip, I plan to order some black ones, what size works best on Southern Crappie 12's and 14's?
i have the stiff, 2 ounce SC rods.
Thanks