7′ Crankbait Trolling Rod ?

Looking for a couple new trolling rods for this spring….with out breaking the bank.

Trolling the river with crankbaits
7′ rod…. useing power pro braid

Any suggestions ? I try not to buy any rods with out getting it in my hands but would like to check them out a little before I go shopping.

Any suggestions ?
Thanks,
Mike

The Jason mitchell rods are pretty decent for around $60. Not sure if they make a 7 footer. But worth checking out.

Sportsman’s show starts Mar 18 in Mpls. C’mon up, they’ll have plenty to test jerr

lots of questions…will you be holding the rod or leaving it in a rod holder? linecounter or spinning reel? ever want to pull boards or strictly flatlining?

Both..rod holder and hand….70/30 rod holder more
Baitcaster reel (no line counter)
No boards…..just flat lining
And even do a little casting with it…..but do have a rod just for casting cranks…..so mostley trolling

Thanks

Quote:

---

lots of questions…will you be holding the rod or leaving it in a rod holder? linecounter or spinning reel? ever want to pull boards or strictly flatlining?

---

All good/important questions. I run st.croix 8′-9′ I perfer to keep the rod, line away from the boat.

Shimano sellus 72 MH worked good for me. The shimano line seems to have softer tips and a tad more flex in the top third, which are nice for watching the lure yet still loads real nice when fish smacks it. And cheap around $65.

Don’t most use fire line for trolling? Achieves greater depths from what I’ve read. Just a thought.

I have most set with lead core, the others I run fireline yes it will run a little deeper due to the smaller dia. Of the line

I’m looking for the same thing, and have even thought about an Ugly Stick

This looks like a good deal…

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiwa_Ballistic_Crankbait_Casting_Rods/descpage-DBCCR.html

Anyone own one of these?

St Croix tidemasters 7′ are nice trolling rods. They only make them in spinning now. Still work well for long line trolling. The tip on them has the right flex for hard line. Doubles well for casting cranks to. Dean has them at anglers hq. Think they run about $150.

I would try the Scheels rods. I believe they still have and over the counter exchange. Which is great if you do happen to break one. The first set that I bought was probably 15 yrs ago. You will not be disappointed. Nice looking rods to.

Berkley Lightning rods aren’t bad.

Quote:

---

St Croix tidemasters 7′ are nice trolling rods. They only make them in spinning now. Still work well for long line trolling. The tip on them has the right flex for hard line. Doubles well for casting cranks to. Dean has them at anglers hq. Think they run about $150.

---

I wonder about the Shimano Teramar Inshore rods 7’med?? Has anyone ever trolled with these? Like stated above, most Shimanos seem to have a softer tip section.

Quote:

---

Sportsman’s show starts Mar 18 in Mpls. C’mon up, they’ll have plenty to test jerr

---

Do you mean the Northwest Sportshow March 26-31?

http://www.northwestsportshow.com/

I fell in love with the Scheels Extreme Trolling rods last year. I’m running two 8’6″ & two 5′ shorties. IMHO they are the nicest trolling rod I’ve seen. I’ve noticed a fair amount of walleye pros are now using them as well.

Thanks for the suggestions
I picked up a St Croix eyecon 7′ mhm
Liked the feel and look…..hope it works for me.

Quote:

---

Thanks for the suggestions
I picked up a St Croix eyecon 7′ mhm
Liked the feel and look…..hope it works for me.

---

That is the exact rod I was just going to recommend for you. I picked up a pair of them last year at the Sport Show. The work excellent for trolling bottom bouncers, flat line trolling, and they even work for throwing crank baits for bass and walleye since its a moderate action. Hope you like yours as much as I love mine

Is there a proper action for a crank bait trolling rod ?
Or is there such a thing….

Seems most ” Trolling Rods ” I pick up have a soft tip and the rest of the rod is stiff. Only the first 1/3 or the rod bends and the rest is like a stick.

Maybe I should just be looking for a 7′ Med action rod.

You definitely want a soft tip so the fish don’t tear the trebles loose when they hit it and turn their heads while you are under power. But you are also going to need some backbone to get them turned your direction and get them in while the boat is moving 2-3 MPH. That is why most trolling rods are like you said, stiff backbone and soft tip.

I’m way too cheap to buy trolling rods for the limited crank pulling I do, so I just use 7’MF casting rods. Since I don’t have the backbone of a trolling rod, I do have to kill the motor when I hook a bigger fish.

Thanks,
We troll in the river, up and down stream, and when we hook up we always kick it out of gear, so we aren’t fighting the current to. I should look for a 7′ Med fast or what about a Med Mod casting rod. Would a Moderate rod be a little bit more forgiving when the fish hit ?

Thanks

A med mod crankbait is going to be soft from the tip to about mid blank. It will work fine as long as you are not pulling baits with a lot of resistance. When you hook a fish you should be able to keep him hooked.

I think the bigger sweap of the moderate action rod is best for trolling, gives you alittle more forgiveness.

Thanks for the suggestions….

We troll mainly #7 shad raps and some others about the same size.

Now to find a good 7′ med/mod action rod.

Thanks