I need to rephrase my inquiry from earlier.
What is your favorite crappie rod for Livescope.
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I need to rephrase my inquiry from earlier.
What is your favorite crappie rod for Livescope.
BnM Diamond Series 12' rod
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Todd Huckabee Elite 10'6" for me
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I like the 13 and 14 foot Huckabee rods. Would really like to try the new 15 foot "Ghost" also.
Pull up a chair.
I have a K-Rod and a Tsunami, both 16'. I also have a Jenko TX 15 and the new 15' Ghost. I like them all. They all feel different, but all are really great. I like the longer rods on calmer days to pitch out 25-28' with a 1/16 or 1/32oz. and get a soft drop. However, I'm in wind around here most of the time, with pretty good chop, so I'm pitching an 1/8 or even a 1/4 oz to pitch 20ish feet out through the wind and get on them quicker from boat movement.
16' K Rod is a broomstick, super sensitive, thicker handle and is solid under your forearm with hook sets. Its surprisingly very light for its base diameter and length. Its a straight up work horse.
16' Tsunami is a step down just a bit in stiffness, but still a very solid backbone. The handle is traditional sized diameter, slightly smaller than all of the Huckabee long rods. It has the cut outs on the reel seat exposing the blank directly to your hand. Another very sensitive, high quality rod
The Ghost is like a shorter, better balanced and lighter K-Rod. Big handle feel that is solid and its super sensitive, just like the K-Rod, but a little more manageable for an 8 hour day. It also has removable weights at the base of the handle to change the balance to your preference.
The TX 15 is a little more on the finesse side of all of these. The lower handle is a little shorter, but this places the real set further back, so it fishes more like a 15-1/2' rod. It also has the cut outs on the reel seat exposing the blank straight to your grip. The lower handle is split more like a bass rod with it mainly just being the rod blank exposed and the adjustable butt cap with removable brass weights. This rod is very light in the hands, but the shorter lower will work your wrist harder in hook sets without the additional leverage from a longer handle. This isnt a big deal to me, but its noticeable coming from the other rods as it can slip to either side of your forearm on hard hooksets when wearing a coat or jacket. It also is a 2 piece rod, which give it a very solid almost 1 piece blank feel.
There are a few quirks that kind of stick with you with holding and looking down different rods on 8+ hour days:
I like the Tsunami rod a lot, it could pass as a custom Kistler or even a Loomis rod in looks and build, but the fluorescent chartreuse colored eye wraps for each rod eye are very bright and your eyes get drawn to them. Its like you cant tune them out. It makes the rod look huge in diameter mid way up the blank when looking down it causing a distraction to my eyes because they're so bright.
All the Huckabee rods handles are solid, and they're a good bit bigger around and feel great in your hand. Most positive and solid feel of any of the rods I have used, but turning the rod in opposite directions quickly, that fatter handle can brush your forearm and kink your transition unless you use them all the time.
The TX 15 is a different animal all together. It looks futuristic with its minimalist approach and all composite component build and two piece blank design. The whole rod is flat black and just disappears in front of you. No long beefy cork handle here, its the closest thing you can buy to just having a blank in your hand. It feels very thin and quick in movement but has backbone just short of the Huckabee's, which they can be overkill on occasions for me and I can tear out running braid sometimes. I do wish it had a little more diameter in the grip and maybe some foam at the butt to help grip your forearm, but this rod is the lightest and easiest to handle all day long pitch after pitch.
I have personal nit picks on them all, but I rig them all different colors and weights from plastics to hairs and keep them on my deck every trip. I usually just fish with what rod has the rig that works for me that day. If I had to walk away with one, it would be a toss up with the Ghost and the TX 15. I know the Ghost may be my first choice in time, but I have only fished with it a few months and I have fished with the Tx 15 for almost 2 years now. For shallow water fishing 6-11 feet, The TX 15 is the true sniper rod IMO. 10 to 20 feet, I may prefer the Ghost more for just steering through deeper timber.
Really good comparison on the rods. Thanks
Very nice and detailed comparison on the rods.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammmerhead
Thank you for sharing
Just bought the ghost,havent got to try it out yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by slabbandit
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It’s a Huckabee rod?Quote:
Originally Posted by blueball
Yep huckabee ghost,picked one up at grizzly jig last weekendQuote:
Originally Posted by fe1
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What's the situation? Very open ended question. I've literally caught them using my hand to hold the line directly under the boat when fish have swam under me, to casting to 60ft, at depths from just barely under the surface to 55ft deep, in water from 3ft deep to 56ft deep.
I fish from a kayak so my rod lengths are lower but love the ACC 7'6" and the B&M diamond 8' for livescope fishing
Well catching crappie with my hands is totally not going to happen but jigging from a boat with Livescope will be the method from 1-30’.Quote:
Originally Posted by TreednNC
I use a 6’ HH Dockshooter. I’ve tried several other rods and this one casts better for me than any of the others.
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12’ ACC Crappie Stix for me…
I currently use two ACC 13ft Crossovers as my most versatile approach to vertical if they'll let me, to 40-45ft, no matter the depth. I've got a 16ft HH Tsunami for the same applications but I dont usually pitch as much with it. I try to use it mostly in vertical form if they'll let me. I've got a cheap 7ft blank I'll use to cast occasionally, but I dont like it. Also some 11ft ACC rear seat rods that rarely see any water time but I have used them to cast, thought it hurts my forearm after a while.
Should be picking up new Southern Crappie Rods that are coming out. They've made it to the country, and he should be picking them up this weekend. I've got two 14's preordered and think I'm going to grab a 10' to cast with if he's got extras. If they're as good as the prototypes, I doubt anything in the current line-up but the 16' Tsunami will see use anymore.
Have you used the Ghost yet? Looking at a 14'-15' rod and need to narrow it down.Quote:
Originally Posted by blueball
Not yet,working 2 jobs at the moment so i hsvent got to fish.Put in my 2 week notice so it wont be much longer and i will get to try it out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert
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Thanks for the reply, 2 jobs will turn a young man into an old man in a hurry. How does the Ghost compare in weight to other rods you've handled?Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert
Well, I bought the TX 15, will try it tomorrow.
I just got the 16' Huckabee K-Rod from Power Crappie in this week. I've definitely seen the need for a little longer rod than my 13' Trident. When the fish are still a little spooky or they are deeper than 12 feet. The 16 helps control the pitch and swing with that much line out a little better than the 13'. Each has it's own purpose.
What does the K-rod weigh if you don’t mind me asking.Quote:
Originally Posted by slabbandit
Heard it is quite heavy.
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I'll have to check. It actually doesn't feel that heavy for the length. That's the reason I bought it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck Adams
Well after breaking my 11ft Jenco on Okeechobee in January, I bought a Catch the Fever 11ft rear seat jigging pole from a local tackle shop in Taylor creek, the selling point was it has a different type of tip that prevents line wrap! I haven't had a issue but I like the feel of the pole, and it flips 2+lbrs onto the boat just fine.
I have a 12’ Catch the fever rod fighting butt and it’s ok but I’ve found I prefer a middle seat rod. I also have several Jenko rods and like those a lot.
I really like Rear seat jigging poles, the balance is far better than others. The only draw back is if I'm in a pinch and want to use one to add to the spider rigging arsenal they don't sit in my Millennium Tbar.
I fished the TX 15 the last 2 days and so far, I'm pleased with it. Next, I've got to decide whether to use a spinning reel or a casting reel. Thanks to Hammerhead for the detailed write up on the different rods he uses.
Chuck, after fishing all day with the 16' K Rod I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't fatigue me. Granted, I do prop it up in between my double stack units until I see a fish. It's a whole lot easier to fish 14 feet deep with a 16' rod compared to a 13 or 14.Quote:
Originally Posted by slabbandit