casting rod advice

[As yet un-named]

My buddy left his casting rod on my boat last year. I figured I'd give it a try while I was at Hell's Canyon Res. Once I got the hang of it, I kind of like it. But it only seemed to work for me when throwing medium to large crank baits. When I tried using it for Zulus, etc. it didn't seem like I was able to "load" the road properly? This is fly fishing terminology for me, but figured it'd work here too. He also told me that a nicer reel would work better too. His setup is a Cabela's Black Label (their cheapest model), and a pretty nice Fish Eagle 6 1/2' Med. Heavy rod. I'd probably still like to use it mostly for crankbaits, but would like something easier to cast accurately. Can y'all make a recommendation as far as length and power? Would a longer rod cast easier vs. a shorter one. Lighter power vs. heavier? Also there's a couple of "package" deals in Cabela's where you can save $50 over buying the rod and reel separately, any opinions on them?

ML

[Hunt'nFish]

Hey don't knock those Black Label reels! My uncle has one that he picked up for nothing (expecting nothing) and was pleasently surprised how well it casted the mono line that was on it. It looks butt ugly but it casts very well.

Rods, the short answer is.....
Ya need three rods w/ 3 reels, 1 in each action! All setup differantly for differant size/weights of baits. :laugh: :laugh:

Now seriously, do a search and you'll find a lot of talk about baitcasting rods from last year. For bass I like a 6.6' med to med-lite action 1pc rod, for walleye I step upto a 7' med for trolling and a med-hvy for pulling cranks.
For bass a 6' rod isn't bad either.

So find a good sale and buy one of each! But if you had to pick one, I'd vote for a 6'6" med action with enough butt to reach 4-5" from your elbow. Not to short and not too long. (However I prefer longer butts on my 7' walleye rods, they should reach all the way to the elbow.)
Hunt'nFish

[IslandBass]

I am glad you are taking a liking to casting gear.

You have deduced correctly. A "weightless" zulu would definitely cast better on a rod whose lure weight range meets its weight.

In addition, higher quality bc reels do make the tossing of "lighter" lures (in tandem with the right rod and line) much easier or more manageable.

For example, my curado can toss a 1/8 rooster tail if set up properly, but my old abu g round reel, bless its heart, would mostly likely give me grief trying to toss so light a weight. And a Daiwa Presso can handle even lighter weights and it is a baitcaster!

Keep in mind some crankbaits cast better than others. The Rapala DT series have excellent castibility even compared to a Rapala Husky Jerk.

A curado or any other bc reel in its class or better will toss that zulu or other weightless plastic like a senko a country mile with little effort.

Welcome to the baitcast world!

[As yet un-named]

Ok,
So now another question/quandry... To cast the lighter baits properly I need a lighter action rod right? Well, I was casting them with spinning rods and it didn't take me long to figure out that I was getting more hookups on my medium weight / fast action spinning rod than on my old favorite med lt. ugly stick. Seems there's a delayed reaction between initiation of hook set and the line actually coming tight. So on a casting rod, I'd need like med. lt. to cast the lighter baits, but isn't that counter productive to good/quick hooksets? Or... Get a med.lt. wt, but fast action casting rod? Never seen them rated in both weight and speed though? I wouldn't mind getting three so I have one of each, but where in the heck would I put them all? I'd have to leave the wife on shore so I had room for all the new fishin' poles... Wait, I digress... Actually I hate cheesy equipment, and I can't see myself dropping the dough for three nice setups only to find out after a couple of weeks that I actually hate casting rods or something like that. Anyway, thanks for your advice and and additional you could send my way would be appreciated.

ML

[BuKuBass]

Many of the better rods will have both the lure weight range ie. ML=1/8 - 3/8 oz. and action ie. moderate, fast, extra fast listed.
With crankbaits, most like a slower action to cushion the fight, especially when using braid. Because the hooks are exposed, a fast set isn't necessary. I do like a fast action rod for the increased sensitivity and use one for walking-the-dog because I feel that it gives me more control. For soft plastics where you might be required to drive the hook point thru the lure's material before encountering the fish's mouth, many prefer a faster action. Hint: use circle hooks with soft baits where a fast set is detrimental and is less injurious to the fish.