How much does you get what you pay for apply to crappie rods? How much do you gain in sensitivity from a BnM rod compared to a St Croix to a G-Loomis and everything in between.
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How much does you get what you pay for apply to crappie rods? How much do you gain in sensitivity from a BnM rod compared to a St Croix to a G-Loomis and everything in between.
I think less rod weight and quality of components are the most important things gained as you go up in price- sensitivity not as much. What feels good to your hand makes up most of the difference to me. :twocents
I guess the “How much do you spend on your spinning rod set up” thread got me thinking, how much the cost of the rod increased sensitivity.
A light & well balanced rod& reel setup makes a huge difference when it comes to sensitivity
Graphite not fiberglass
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One thing to remember, sometimes price is set to balance out what is spent on advertising and anticipated replacement under warranty.
Just because you spend more doesn’t always mean you will get more…
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I use some Wally Marshall Pro's and a couple crappie maxx. Both around $50 price point but got the crappie maxx's on sale for $29. A couple years ago, on a whim I bought a TFO for quite a bit more money thinking it had to be better. I mostly use my old rods. For me there wasn't much difference other than a prettier rod and I actually like the cheaper crappie maxx's best of all.
When I first started back crappie fishing in 2021 I bought a $10 rod at Walmart and a$10 reel. Caught crappie. Bought a $20 combo something from Academy. Caught a few crappie. Mostly used the Walmart rod. Bought a $50 rod and a $40 reel. Caught a few crappie and several docks. Broke $50 rod kept reel. Still use reel it works smooth and feels great. Bought a Crappie max rod. Is my favorite now. Broke the Walmart rod. Was very sad.
Wife bought me an old fiberglass rid at a flea market . It catches crappie.
My brother bought me a $20 light action setup at Walmart. Catches crappie. I use it mostly for fishing docks. Great little shooter.
Learning the feel of the bite seems to be the key for me.
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I'm sure the truly high end equipment is nice (100$+). I can't justify myself to purchase it though! I like to splurge on reels and stay around 80$ max on a rod. Just as Mr Dan said, learning the feel of the bite on what you have is the key. All rods have the ability to catch crappie. I've got 3 crappie rods that I regularly use, a 7ft rod made by a gentleman around Weiss lake that I use to cast and retrieve, a 6ft Duckett Crappie Slayer, and an old Eagle Claw 10 ft pole. They all perform very well and each have their own quirks. I have a G13 Med-light Omen that I originally bass fished with and it does the job as well if I need it to (this one stays at the house now)
With crappie fishing, sensitivity is everything. That being said, for most people, cost can be extremely prohibitive in picking out a good rod. Because of that and the fact that I always wanted the best rod I could get, I began building my own. If you have the patience and the time, building your own is a good option and very rewarding. If that is not an option, take someone with you to help test sensitivity. Remember that more sensitive also means more brittle.
I’d like to try building my own rods someday. Being new at the sport I only have 2 crappie rigs one is on the cheaper end and one is higher end for my budget.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappie wrangler
I have made custom rods so long that I still have GLoomis and St Croix blanks on the shelf.
If you are serious about getting into rod building I might could be helpful.
Building one on the right blank is the best way to end up with one you truly enjoy,and that can make all the difference in knowing when the jig is in the crappie mouth. If you cast with no float, your rod is much more important. I used Okuma sst ultralight for two years and went to the much better and more expensive guide select pro. About 120$ and worth every cent
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Have couple friends wjo only use st Croix and expensive reels and I use bnm super sensitive caught on sale for 25 bucks a d I ketch as many fish or more than the expensive crew.