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Posts: 7123
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Crash_McG just ordered me a Abu Garcia 5500 CS Rocket from Hatteras Outfitters (cool site for you Garcia fans), and now I need a rod to mate with it. Looking for a 7'6"+ medium heavy to throw everything from small spinnerbaits to medium bucktails (largest maybe a double tail harasser or Mepps Musky Killer) and maybe some topwaters (weagles? topraider/pacemaker). Trying to keep it under $200.
I like the 7'7" 4 weight Loomis, but the butt section requires a 2" extension for how I like to cast, any other ideas? |
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Posts: 7123
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Not to add to my own post, but just looked at Loomis' site, has anyone else noticed that the 7'7" has a butt cap extension on the end? |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Slamr,
For those applications I am a big fan of the 8' premier from St. Croix. It is an awesome topwater stick and functions quite well on the smaller end of the spectrum with bucktails. You don't want to be dragging big tails with it but it is my go to bucktail rod in the spring. Under $150!!!!!
Edited by nwild 12/14/2004 8:38 AM
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Posts: 2378
| 8' or 8'6" Bass Pro Maina. Awesome rods for the money. Under $100. |
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| Go for a St. Croix Premier or Avid 7'6" or 8' MH. For less money, BPS 7'2", 7'6", or 8' MH. G Loomis are sweet rounds, so stick with that if you like them. I just have used St. Croix Premiers for years and love them. I have also used the BPS rods since they came out and they work great too. |
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Posts: 2089
| Ante up and get one made.It's a tool man! Steve |
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Posts: 96
| I have the St Croix and the Loomis. For medium bucktails and such I always pickup the Loomis. It has a strong backbone with a tip that has a great feel.  |
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Posts: 1046
| Slamr, I have had excellent success with my 7`6" Fig-Rig ToothTamer MH. Lite,fast,big backbone and about 154.00. Its an awesome production rod with super guarantee too! And I have no affiliation with them, full price baby!! |
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| hard to beat a TB diamondback custom
for me a 7'10" med hvy does almost everything well
a bit over $200 for the first one (you can't eat just one) but well worth the bucks. |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | You may want to look into something with just a hair slower tip design for those smaller spinner baits especially. I've been noticing that my topwater fast tip rods, have not been doubling as well for medium sized spinnerbaits as I once thought. My buddy built a couple rods out of cabelas blanks that are fair, and he is working on a couple rainshadow blank rods now that should be a bit slower with the backbone still there in backup form. Until then, I prefer the old school St. Croix 7'6" MH(old maroon wrapped skinnier blank). that rod is slower and loads up very nicely with the smaller tails, and spinnerbaits, and allows decent casting with them into wind. Super fast tips always feel better in the store, and are my mainstay rods for most of my musky fishing, but in reality, some of the slower to medium fast actions are better suited for the lures you mention. Spinnerbaits especially need a little extra oomph sometimes that can only be awarded by a rod that can load up under the weight of light lures. My buddy(maker of Rylures) who made the cabelas rods for me, talked to Pete Maina at his house once and checked out his longer medium bass pro series sticks. At the time we both thought he was nuts using such rods for musky fishin'. We now see that his back was being spared much abuse!! Fortunately more companies are making rods like that now.
Edited by Reef Hawg 12/14/2004 11:29 PM
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Posts: 827
Location: Minneapolis,Minnesota | I second the Fig Rig....it's the best rod you'll get under $200 IMHO
Over $200 go with a Frank or TB
I love my 8' TB Diamonback |
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| PK, that 8' TB handles those big suckers well too. |
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Posts: 686
Location: Tomahawk, Wisconsin | Slamr listen to the budda, and call Steve at Thornes!!! Don't wuss out on the rod man if you don't want the rod to wuss out on you!!! I don't think the 7'7 would handle Weagles too well!! |
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| Steve Jonesi has some supper secret custom rod being built. That seems to be the way to go if you have the cash, Thorne Brothers Diamondback built to order |
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Posts: 578
Location: Sheboygan Falls, WI | Well, here is the first vote for Fenwick rods. 6'6" HMX or 6'6" Techna would be good choices to throw the Weagles. Both of these rods made the Weagle that Steve gave me dance, jump, glide, burp and everything else this summer. For other bucktails, Top Raiders and twitch baits like Slammers, go with the 7'0" models. I will put these rods up against ANY rods out there. HMX comes in at $90 and the Techna comes in at $170.
Just remember, its not those with the most expensive toys who win; it is those that know how to use the toys they have that win. My last month of musky fishing is tell tale sign of that and only a select few know what I am talking about.
Chuck |
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