new rods and reels for crank baits and plastics

[05kas05]

I'm looking to get a couple of new rods and spinning reels I'm looking for a setup for throwing worms and other soft plastic baits and also looking for a setup to throw crank baits. i own a couple of shakespeare uglystick lite pro graphite rods in 6'0 medium heavy action with 20lbs braid and a abu garcia cardinal spinning reels and have been using them to catch anything and everything if i could use these for one or the other that would be great but not a deal breaker if i can't.
i catch fish but i believe It is more due to luck than skill. i want to learn the proper techniques and i think in order to do that i should start with the proper pole setup. i have a lot of lures and plastics so I'm covered there. i don't want to break the bank so if i could put something together for around 200 bucks each that would be ideal if it is more i can start with one and buy the other later. any suggestions would be great

[gonefishin]

If you have a $200 budget for each set-up, then you have a lot of decent rods and reels to pick from. I have the 2 of the Shimano Spheros for saltwater. I also have a couple of Okuma Epixor 25s that have taken a beating and still work well and a new Okuma Raw II 30 that has really smooth action. I do have to say that for the price my Okuma Epixors have held up better than comparably priced Shimanos that got the same amount of use and care.

I have also heard good things about the Penn Battle II and I know a lot of the guys on this site swear by them. Lews are also high up on everyones list All of these reels run around $100, the Epixors are much less. For rods I like the Allstars, Falcons and Castaways and they can be picked up for around $100 or less. Of course you can't beat an Ugly Stick for durability and if you only fish freshwater you will probably be fine with what you have for now. If you have to get a new set-up start with one and see how you like it, before you pick up a second one

[TroutSupport.com]

I agree a lot with what gonefishin posted. The okuma spinners are spec'd very well and I agree on penn battle as well. A couple rods to add to the ones he mentioned are the new Lew's Inshore rods in both the American Hero $60 and the 'Lews Custom' rods ($129). You can use your med heavy and abu and get away with it, but especially for light jigheads and light crankbaits you will want to lighten up a little bit.

For the rods the plastic rod would be medium action 6'9 to 7'0 with a fast tip (1/8th to 1/2oz rated).
And the crankbait rod same blank in a moderate action would be the spec your looking for. I'd probably go with a 6''6 - 6'9 for the crankbait rod.

just remember it's the archer and not the arrow, focus more on learning how to find the fish than getting the right pole... with that said, a better rod and reel will make the whole experience more enjoyable and give you more options, more prowess, and precision.

[05kas05]

Ok so I went and found a st croix triumph x in 6'6" medium power fast action
Model #txs66mf would this be good for the crank rod? Also found the same rod model number txs70mf for a possible worm rod? Will these work for the applications I listed? If these can get me started I can upgrade later as I learn more but if there is something better to be had I'll look elsewhere and continue my searches

[gonefishin]

I've never used ST Croix so I couldn't tell you anything about them. Trout support was right about the Lews Rods. I forgot about those. My dad's favorite freshwater rod of many years was a Lews Speed Stick. I like a longer rod like 7 ft for casting distance and fast soft tip. Excellent advice on what to look for from Troutsupport.

[05kas05]

Here is the specs for the rods
The first is the one I was looking at for a shallow to medium crank rod
* TXS66MF 6'6" M Fast 1 6 - 12 1/4 - 5/8 3.8 3 $ 100

The second is what I was looking at using for a worm rod here are those specs
* TXS70MF 7' M Fast 1 6 - 12 1/4 - 5/8 4.0 3 $ 100

Do these look like they will work for my intended applications? If so and you could only pick up one for both styles of fishing until you could get the other which would you choose? I was leaning towards the TXS70MF to start with then add the other later if these are similar in specs to what
Trout support.com suggested.

[05kas05]

I agree a lot with what gonefishin posted. The okuma spinners are spec'd very well and I agree on penn battle as well. A couple rods to add to the ones he mentioned are the new Lew's Inshore rods in both the American Hero $60 and the 'Lews Custom' rods ($129). You can use your med heavy and abu and get away with it, but especially for light jigheads and light crankbaits you will want to lighten up a little bit.

For the rods the plastic rod would be medium action 6'9 to 7'0 with a fast tip (1/8th to 1/2oz rated).
And the crankbait rod same blank in a moderate action would be the spec your looking for. I'd probably go with a 6''6 - 6'9 for the crankbait rod.

just remember it's the archer and not the arrow, focus more on learning how to find the fish than getting the right pole... with that said, a better rod and reel will make the whole experience more enjoyable and give you more options, more prowess, and precision.

Would it be possible for you to post the model # to the lews rods you recommend for each in both the hero and the custom ?

[gonefishin]

I would go with the rod to suit the type of fishing you have the most confidence in. Do you mostly have luck with worms and soft plastics or with Spinners and Crankbaits? Myself, I use a lot of plastics in both fresh and saltwater fishing. Plastics are a good way to find where the fish are holding in an area. If you are fishing around weed cover, stumps and lily pads, plastics can be rigged weed less and can be fished at any depth. Start with what you have confidence in. Go to your local tackle store and talk to the guys there about the gear and the type of fishing you want to do. Usually the guys that work there do so because they love fishing too and they can probably steer you in the right direction.

[05kas05]

Well I definitly have had better luck using crank baits
But I really want to start learning the worm side of things which is why I want to get a decent setup for each. Found a local tackle shop online In Austin called jensons so I'll head down there this weekend and see what they have to say. Sorry for all the newb questions thanks again to everyone the help is appreciated

[TroutSupport.com]

Here is the spec on the American Hero Inshore spinning. http://www.lews.com/rods-americanhero.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
NEW Inshore AHI70MFS M F 7'0" 8-14 1/16-3/4 9+1 = for plastic
Spinning AH66MS M F 6'6" 4-12 1/8-1/2 7+1 and this one would work well for cranks and tops

for the Lews Custom http://www.lews.com/rods-custom.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Inshore LI-MFS70 M MF 7'0" 8-17 1/16-5/8 9+1 for plastics

hope that helps. So far I'm liking the changes they've made to make specific actions for Inshore.

[05kas05]

Here is the spec on the American Hero Inshore spinning. http://www.lews.com/rods-americanhero.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
NEW Inshore AHI70MFS M F 7'0" 8-14 1/16-3/4 9+1 = for plastic
Spinning AH66MS M F 6'6" 4-12 1/8-1/2 7+1 and this one would work well for cranks and tops

for the Lews Custom http://www.lews.com/rods-custom.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Inshore LI-MFS70 M MF 7'0" 8-17 1/16-5/8 9+1 for plastics

hope that helps. So far I'm liking the changes they've made to make specific actions for Inshore.

thanks for posting the specifics on those rods i was able to pick up the AH66MS at the academy in cedar park and i paired it with a sahara 3000 fe
and 20 lb power pro it seems to be a nice little set up so far definitly lighter than my other rods so that alone was worth the money hope to get it out this weekend and give it a go to see how it does. thanks again for the help everyone.

[05kas05]

well the good news is i have been catching a bunch of bass with worms so i guess i figured out some sort of working technique caught eight yesterday over at brushy creek the biggest being a little over 3 pounds and around 18" not the biggest out there i know but nice none the less. the bad news is i think i got a defective reel after the third time out it started getting hard to turn when reeling in and just felt like it was binding up in certain spots so i cleaned it as best i know how but it didn't seem to help so in the end i took it back to academy and got the SYMETRE 3000 FL which has been working great so far.

[gonefishin]

Glad to hear you are gaining success with the plastics.
I have the same Symetre as you. I bought it as a extra reel for friends to use. It has only been used once in freshwater and was cleaned and lubed after use. A year later I got it out to use and it is not working right. It casts okay but sticks and locks up on reeling in. I will be dropping it off to a guy I know that works on them and see if he can get it working right. If not, I will relegate my Okuma Epixor 25 to guest reel status and pick up another Okuma for myself. My Okuma Epixor 25 has landed everything from Bull Reds to Sharks and Crappie too. 8 years old and it has taken a lot of abuse. I'm not knocking Shimanos, I love my Shimano Spheros Reels. I just have not had luck with some of my other Shimano Spinning Reels holding up.

[gonefishin]

I found the problem with the Symetre when I was putting new line on all my reels. A friend had borrowed it and apparently got line under the spool and wrapped around the spindle and then broke it off, not once but several times. A sharp knife and some new line and it is just as smooth as ever.

[JMS]

Caught ALOT of bass on plastic worm fishing with Berkley lightning Rod, only around $50. Not sure if they still make them, but they where awesome rods.