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Posts: 27
Location: Badger State | My rods have grown over the years as equipment has changed. I started with 7' and medium heavy power. Now, i have a couple at 8'6" heavy power and fast action. I'm now looking to purchase a rod or rods at 9' or even longer, but I'm looking for input before I fork out a wad of cash for something I may not prefer. It would seem from what I've read that if going to 9' or longer, I should look for at least XH power and fast action. Can anyone comment on power and action for a rod in these lengths? I have some rubber baits, but 8 oz is about as big as they get. I throw double 10's. What about mod-fast action to at least take some of the stiffness out of the rod tip? It's all confusing when we can't go to a sporting goods store and bring home a pile of rods to test. I have more questions than answers at this point. |
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Posts: 1428
Location: Brighton CO. | A long time ago I bought my first Muskie rod and it was 5 1/2 foot pool cue type rod and fiberglass to boot.
Caught my first Muskies on this rod with a old red ambassadeur 5000 and my grandpa telling me I should have gotten a rod with some flex and longer. Of the three rods I use the most are Cabela's 8 ft. and rated for lures 3/4- 4 oz I use this for smaller lures and even some heaver stuff and I also have 7' 10" G Loomis x heavy and is advertised as a trolling rod both these rods are powerful and have a lot of flex. My grandpa would say "I told you so" My favorate is my 9 ft. Thorne Bros. XX heavy when I go big double 10's, pounders , 10" hell hounds ECT but I can throw lighter stuff too. The Cabela's rod I found in the bargin cave for 60 bucks and I had 25 dollars in points so it went home for 35 bucks. |
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Posts: 2334
Location: Chisholm, MN | I use an XH 9’6” predator. I throw 9s and up with it. I personally think it’s perfect for me but it is pretty big and heavy. Might wear you down after a while. I have not tried the heavy action but I’m sure others have. |
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Posts: 298
| Tackle Industries 10 footers are awesome! You cant beat the price. Figure eights don't get any bigger or better. |
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Posts: 14
| The Assault stick 20/20 Swat model would be a good choice for you. Strong enough for small to mid sized rubber, and a great rod for larger bucktails. Plus you get the benefit of a telescoping rod that will fit in most rod lockers. |
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Posts: 100
| Those cabelas rods mentioned earlier are pretty nice for the price. I believe the are built by Shimano from the looks of them. Nice rubber grips too. I like the 8'6" XXH I have. Not sure if they go longer |
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Posts: 1000
| just get a couple Big Nastys and cal it good  |
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Posts: 1249
Location: Walker, MN | I use an Elliot 9'6" XH, it's a great rod if you can find one. |
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Posts: 27
Location: Badger State | Thanks for all the replies so far. It would seem that a 9' XH/fast action is kind of an average sweet spot today. My current two rods at 8'6" are sweet so 9' should be a natural progression. 10' just seems too big and the one I tried last Saturday seemed a bit cumbersome so I don't want to jump that far. We're all built differently so some pole lengths just feel right and some don't. I think handle length has some to do with that as well. 16"-17" is about right for me. With a longer rod and heavier baits, a longer handle is needed to get the torque for a good cast. |
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| Stealthski - 6/11/2020 10:23 AM
Thanks for all the replies so far. It would seem that a 9' XH/fast action is kind of an average sweet spot today. My current two rods at 8'6" are sweet so 9' should be a natural progression. 10' just seems too big and the one I tried last Saturday seemed a bit cumbersome so I don't want to jump that far. We're all built differently so some pole lengths just feel right and some don't. I think handle length has some to do with that as well. 16"-17" is about right for me. With a longer rod and heavier baits, a longer handle is needed to get the torque for a good cast.
Yes, the longer handle is a big help. I have almost all 8'6" rods with the exception of a shorter rod for jerk baits, but got a 9'XXH from TI for rubber a couple years ago and I experimented a little with hand placement while casting and going to the bottom of the handle instead of a couple inches above makes a substantial difference in ease of casting. Also helps with long, smooth figure 8s. |
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Posts: 185
| Fast action with a stiffer tip is better for big bucktails in the figure 8 than a soft rod. |
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Posts: 14
| Easier to do a figure 8 for sure, but Ive seen guys lose fish on the 8 with too hard of a hook set. Sometimes a little bit softer rod is better at handling fish on a short line. I think all the x-fast rods are a little overdone. |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | Also definitely look at the new 9ft TI PRO Musky rod with WINN grips and the new Revolution handle reel seats.
https://tackleindustries.com/shop/musky_pike_bass_walleye_crappie_fi...
Fishboy19 - 6/10/2020 12:56 PM
Tackle Industries 10 footers are awesome! You cant beat the price. Figure eights don't get any bigger or better. |
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Posts: 349
| Masqui-ninja - 6/11/2020 6:16 AM I use an Elliot 9'6" XH, it's a great rod if you can find one. How does it compare to a Big Nasty? |
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Posts: 1249
Location: Walker, MN | tswoboda - 6/11/2020 4:09 PM
Masqui-ninja - 6/11/2020 6:16 AM I use an Elliot 9'6" XH, it's a great rod if you can find one. How does it compare to a Big Nasty?
I would say the blank is very comparable. Full syn-cork is as light as split grip, but cushy on the rib cage for big rubber. |
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Posts: 349
| Masqui-ninja - 6/11/2020 7:24 PM tswoboda - 6/11/2020 4:09 PM Masqui-ninja - 6/11/2020 6:16 AM I use an Elliot 9'6" XH, it's a great rod if you can find one. How does it compare to a Big Nasty? I would say the blank is very comparable. Full syn-cork is as light as split grip, but cushy on the rib cage for big rubber. Thanks! Looking at buying the blank to build a rod to replace my TI XXH. Throw 10's 12's and mag dawgs. I had a big nasty and absolutely loved it. Replaced it with a TI XXH that can cast the same baits well but is heavier and just dead. It's like comparing wood bats to aluminum in baseball, swings the same but no POP. |
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Posts: 1023
| I like the 9’6” SWAT rod for swimbaits and smaller bucktails but the tip is too soft for double tens IMO. it casts baits a mile though. |
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