All-around bass rod <$150

[40ishnewbie]

Thanks for all the suggestions for a first low profile reel.

Now to the rod...since I'm fishing out of a kayak, I won't be taking more than 1-2 rods with me at a time. Understanding that there is no single rod that excels at all aspects of bass fishing and given a $100-150 limit, which 6.5-7' rod would you recommend that would perform reasonably tossing worms, crankbaits, etc.

Likely reel pairings - Ambassadeur 5601 C4 and Revo Inshore

Thanks again,
Jay

[jaybee]

Although I'm a dedicated Lamiglas guy, your price point would put you in the market for a different rod. You might want to check out Powell Rods. Great bang for the buck, and $139.00 brand new. If you're baitcasting the 684cef is a nice all around rod. Soft tip, extra fast action, lots of backbone. Although they haven't caught on here, they're the rage in California. You can search the forums in Westernbass.com and find lots of comments. http://www.powellco.com/

[veilside180sx]

Shimano Crucial and Compre are right in that price range....awesome bang for the buck. The Crucial is an amazing rod for the money.

[Willie Ketchum]

I just bought a couple Cabelas mag touch rods, less than $100 ea. Real sensitive, lots of actions and lengths.

[flippinbaits]

will u be fishing for LM or SM more?

[40ishnewbie]

Originally Posted by flippinbaits

will u be fishing for LM or SM more?

My best answer is "yes". I'm just getting started with bass and looking for a good rod to beging with.

[Lunkerlander]

lamiglass, I like both of mine. I have a 6.5 MH and a 7 med.

[MXRacer105]

Originally Posted by Lunkerlander

lamiglass, I like both of mine. I have a 6.5 MH and a 7 med.

I agree the competitor rods are great rods, although I wish they had hook keepers..... I especially like the CC703 as a medium to deep crankbait rod

I have also heard a lot of good things about the Shimano rods, I would like to try one of them myself.

[flippinbaits]

i would check out shimano clarus and powell rods. try a medium or medium heavey.

[Dan360]

I am really happy with the line of Shimano Compre rods that I own. I have everything from ultra-light spinning rods for panfish to medium-heavy baitcasters. They are made of IM8 graphite. They are sensitive and have a good amount of backbone.

If I were to get an all-around baitcaster, it would be the 6'6 or 7' medium action baitcaster. I would not get the crankbait version as the tip is a bit soft for my liking when it comes to soft plastics. Even the standard tip allows a fish to hold a crankbait. Great rod. The most expensive I've seem them is $99.00. I've seen them as low as $65.00.

[IslandBass]

I would highly recommend a rod from Lamiglas' Competitor or Certified Pro series for Lamiglas rods. I don't know what the prices are for their kayak series rod, but you probably find that out. You can find Competitors for about $65-85 (although their msrp is $112 and worth every penny) and that price you can get 2 rods with your budget. The CC664 is one of the models I have and it is as close to an all around rod out there that I have seen.

I also own Compre and Crucial and they will also be solid choices.

Do some shopping. I found my crucial for $59 and my compre for $54 and my Competitor for about $65.

You won't go wrong with any choices from these manufacturers.

[veilside180sx]

You ever see Crucial's for that price again...let me know.=) I'll replace my whole collection with them. (I use Shimano Clarus for most of my rods currently)

Originally Posted by IslandBass

I would highly recommend a rod from Lamiglas' Competitor or Certified Pro series for Lamiglas rods. I don't know what the prices are for their kayak series rod, but you probably find that out. You can find Competitors for about $65-85 (although their msrp is $112 and worth every penny) and that price you can get 2 rods with your budget. The CC664 is one of the models I have and it is as close to an all around rod out there that I have seen.

I also own Compre and Crucial and they will also be solid choices.

Do some shopping. I found my crucial for $59 and my compre for $54 and my Competitor for about $65.

You won't go wrong with any choices from these manufacturers.

[bank basser]

If you have the time going to woodland and getting a feel for the diff lamiglass rods at the factory is a good idea. the biggest advantage to that is sometimes they have great deals there that you aren't going to see anywhere else. i build rods for myself and last trip in i got a $200 crankbait rod for $35 all i had to do is put on 5 guides that was $15. it takes a little time but lets you fish rods you wouldn't let yourself buy for the $. i know it isn't for everyone but it is not that hard.

[IslandBass]

Originally Posted by veilside180sx

You ever see Crucial's for that price again...let me know.=) I'll replace my whole collection with them. (I use Shimano Clarus for most of my rods currently)

I got very lucky, but will admit in retrospect I was an idiot. There were 2 other identical models for the same price. If I bought those two, I could have sold them from $100 each and would have made a profit and simultaneously given someone an excellent deal. Back then Crucials were roughly $129.00. Ahh, the clarity of hindsight. I'll let you know.

[40ishnewbie]

Originally Posted by bank basser

If you have the time going to woodland and getting a feel for the diff lamiglass rods at the factory is a good idea. the biggest advantage to that is sometimes they have great deals there that you aren't going to see anywhere else. i build rods for myself and last trip in i got a $200 crankbait rod for $35 all i had to do is put on 5 guides that was $15. it takes a little time but lets you fish rods you wouldn't let yourself buy for the $. i know it isn't for everyone but it is not that hard.

Since I'm not in a huge hurry, I may give this a try. I'm always up for learning new things. Any idea of their hours?

[40ishnewbie]

Does Lamiglas have a traditional store front type operation? I know people bring warranty issues directly to them but can you just go there and purchase a rod as well?

Thanks,
Jay

[MXRacer105]

Originally Posted by 40ishnewbie

Does Lamiglas have a traditional store front type operation? I know people bring warranty issues directly to them but can you just go there and purchase a rod as well?

Thanks,
Jay

Yeah, they have a store at the factory, here is the address:

Lamiglas
1400 Atlantic Ave.
Woodland, WA 98674
1 (360) 225-9436

http://www.lamiglas.com/

I believe they are only open on weekdays, but I would give them a call.

[40ishnewbie]

so based on your comments and a bit more research, here are the rod characteristics I think I'll be looking for...

7-7.5'
fast to extra fast action
medium to medium-heavy power
10-20 lb line rating
1/4-1oz lures

does this sound about right?

[Hunt'nFish]

I think someone already asked this, but I didn't see an answer....which will be your likey target species, Largemouth or Smallmouth?
This would influence my criteria greatly.

I'm going to assume smallies. So with that in mind I'd agree in your choice, although I don't fish any rods longer that 6.5' for smallies. Part of that is has to do with how high the deck is on my boat & how I like to hold a rod in relation to the water when retrieving. You on the otherhand, in a kayak might prefer the extra length.

If largemouth were the target, I'd definately be fishing a 7' rod, and a stiffer rod with a stiffer tip.
To me, a fast action tip is to soft in order to get the hook setting power needed to peirce a LM's lip.


That said, I've fondled rods that although marked the same, as far as model #, lure weight and rod ratings, they definately had drasticly differant feels to them. Don't just buy a rod blindly w/o fondling it while pondering the lure weight, line size, castability and hook setting power needed.

Do this....spend your $$ on a good LM rod....and just buy a couple cheap Berkley Rods for your smallie work.
Hunt'nFish

[flippinbaits]

Originally Posted by Hunt'nFish

Do this....spend your $$ on a good LM rod....and just buy a couple cheap Berkley Rods for your smallie work.
Hunt'nFish

couldn't agree more!!! you can get about two of those rods for 40 bucks out the door!!!

[40ishnewbie]

Originally Posted by Hunt'nFish

I think someone already asked this, but I
If largemouth were the target, I'd definately be fishing a 7' rod, and a stiffer rod with a stiffer tip.
To me, a fast action tip is to soft in order to get the hook setting power needed to peirce a LM's lip.

Hunt'nFish

I'm not exactly sure of the ratings themselves. Which of those ratings would change when looking for a LM rod? Medium-heavy to heavy power?

[wannasteelhead]

Run up to the lamiglas showroom and check out the 7' med. killer bass rod. Should be able to find something in your price range. Just don't go to JOE's !

[Hunt'nFish]

Originally Posted by 40ishnewbie

I'm not exactly sure of the ratings themselves. Which of those ratings would change when looking for a LM rod? Medium-heavy to heavy power?

To answer your Q: the bottom # in "3/8-1oz" usually hints at the tip and the top # usually hints at the backbone of the rod.
A 3/8-1oz rod will have a stiffer tip than a 1/4-1oz rod even though they both are rated Med-Hvy action rods.
A 1/2-2oz Hvy action rod would have an even stiffer tip and even more back bone. (this one would probably have difficulty casting smaller baits.)

For a general purpose LM rod, I'd probably step upto a 7' to 7.5 15-30lb 3/8-1oz Med-Hvy action w/ 15-20lb P-Line co-polymer.
This would be for general LM baits, 1/2-3/4oz spinnerbaits, fair sized cranks, jigs and texas rigged brush hogs, sweet beavers and big 6"-7" worms.
Just make sure the butt of the rod is long enough to reach the end of your forearm while reeling. Enough butt to get some 2-handed casting power but not too long the hit your belly on the side arm casts under over-hanging trees or pitching to bank brush. Course I suspect my belly's a little bigger than yours.
But many times when you get into the Hvy action rods the butt length will come back past the elbow. These are a bit long for my tastes for a general purpose LM rod.....but they do have their place when casting big heavy baits in open water.

I might also add that I suspect most deticated LM guys would probably go even stiffer on the ratings than what I just said. But that would be a good place to start on a "general purpose beginner LM rod". This type of rod could also pull double duty as a steelhead/walleye rod as well. Least mine do.

I might also add that rod ratings are to be taken w/ a grain of salt. Ratings vary drastically but "feel" doesn't. Fondle & compare rods ratings sidexside and you'll see what I mean. Some brands are stiffer than thier ratings. Some of this has to do w/ what modulas graphite (IM#) they are made with and some of it is what eyes they use....single foot vs double foot. Higher modulas graphite is stronger per given diameter. So even though it's stronger, it's also thinner...which affects stiffness, tip action and therefore how the tip loads up on the cast or when setting the hook. But the benefit w/ higher modulas is they are lighter weight and don't fatige you as much after a long hard day of casting. (trust me you CAN get a soar arm.) So if your looking a IM7 and above you may find they seem a little whippy in the tip. Bump up the rating and keep to a fairly stiff rod. But you don't want CB antenna stiff either, otherwise it won't load up the tip and cast worth a hoot and you'll run a higher risk of professional over-runs on the reel.

So give a lot of thought to your choice of LM rod.
As for the cheap smallie rods......6.5' 1/4-1oz 10-20lb med hvy and a 7ft'er in the same rating.

[BuKuBass]

One of the best rod builders that I know of explained rod rating thusly:
Power of the rod is only a starting point. Look at the length you want, then look at the LURE RATINGS the rod was designed to hold and throw. Think how much the lures you throw the most weigh. Then find the blank with that lure weight in it's MID RANGE of it's rating.

Like this:

if you throw 1/8oz lures all the time, look for a rod rated at 1/16-3/8ounce

3/8 you throw: buy a 1/4-1/2oz

1oz you throw, buy a 1/2oz-2oz

Make sense? What you want is a rod DESIGNED to handle the lure weights you are throwing most of the time.

Now with action, all action means (extra fast, fast, moderate fast, moderate, slow) is HOW and WHERE the rod BENDS. Like this:



Extra Fast actions are usually thinner tipped rods that are designed to throw things of little weight but handle a larger fish if hooked. Fast actions are usually rods that are great all around rods. moderate fast - slow are rods specifically designed for things like crank baits and lures where the added slowness of the blank helps keep the fish attached or lets the fish inhale the lure better keeping the angler from jerking the lure away from the fish before he can eat it.

So when you choose ANY rod of any brand, think what you'll be throwing with the rod and what style rod suits your needs.


"Do this....spend your $$ on a good LM rod....and just buy a couple cheap Berkley Rods for your smallie work."
Hunt'nFish

Do you truly believe that a SM is that inferior to a LM? You can catch either species on a cheap rod but for finessing and for detecting what the fish is doing, rods in the $50 to $80 range such as Shimano's Clarus (great warranty) or St. Croix's Triumph series are nice rods for the price.

HnF...Hook a 4# smallie to a 4# largie and that ol'brown bass will tow that bucketmount anywhere he wants to.

[40ishnewbie]

WOW, you guys are full of great info. This is why it's so tough for someone just starting to even know which rod to begin with. All the different types of lures on the market, rigging techniques and that elusive 'feel' present a beginner too much info. Thanks for trying to simplify the process.

After one day, I quickly figured out that the round reel won't work too well when using lighter weight lures.

Jay

[Hunt'nFish]

I agree Buku, but a 4lb smallie is something to be proud of and represents what 1-2% of the smallies we catch.....a 4lb Largemouth is just kinda ho-hum as far as LM go and certainly represents a larger % of the LM caught.

But yeah pound for pound smallies put up a good fight, and I certainly wouldn't be-little them.
I LOVE smallies.

But last year I also learned what a decent LM can do to my smallie rods. Thank GOD I had a couple of my walleye rods with me. I switched to them right quick and felt much better equipped. Although I have to admit it wasn't as much fun as with the lighter outfit. But after catching a couple 5lb fish, I was beginning to think the possibility of something bigger existed.
I'd have CRIED if I laid into a REALLY NICE LM and was undergunned on the equipment.

Heck I kinda had that happen to me the other weekend on a big smallie.....too small & flexible of a hook, resulting in no peirced lip. And what happened? ...... it got off. The biggest smallie in years and I screwed it up.

So what did I learn? If you want to land the bigger fish you best be equipped to land big fish.
I think someone by the name of "Dave" might've said something like that.

Anyway, I'm not going to disagree w/ you. Hey BTW, great explaination of the ratings and tip action.
Good graphic!


Jay, your right, too much friction in a Abu C4. And there is also a reason a bass real is shaped the way it is. Hard to "palm" a round reel. Really gets you in the wrist and can lead to "fish wrist" (much like tennis elbow) and numbness. I used to fish a round Abu for walleye and by the end of the day, I could barely grip the rod. My nerves were pinched and hand numb. Switched to low-profile bass and problem went away for the most part...although then I got tennis elbow.
Now that REALLY took a long time to heal up.
Hunt'nFish

[IslandBass]

Originally Posted by 40ishnewbie

After one day, I quickly figured out that the round reel won't work too well when using lighter weight lures.

Jay

There are always exceptions to the rule... Do a search on google for a Shimano Conquest, the Japanese Domestic version of a Calcutta, in the size 50, but don't like at its price. We can take you to the dark side of bass tackle later.

[40ishnewbie]

After all that searching and asking, I picked up a Lami Competitor CC705 at Joes yesterday for $40% off (about $55). This will be matched with a Revo Inshore to do double duty as a rockfish setup on the kayak. Since I still have my Fenwick spinning rod and Sedona reel as a second setup for bass, I'm done looking for a while. Well, at least until I sell some of the other extra gear I've accumulated recently.

If anyone needs someone to fish with and won't mind a newbie, I'm always looking to learn and contribute to the days adventures.

Jay