Need Rod advice

[TNDiver]

With Christmas coming up and I thinking of asking for a new rod.

I have 3 rods, one 7' MH (Carrot Stix), 7'6" cranking in MM Duckett MicroMagic, & 7'10" H (or XH) Duckett Micro Magic as my flipping rod.

What rod should I get next?  I was thinking of something for lighter stuff for more finesse fishing/shaky heads, etc.  Would I want a M or ML?  Should I switch to spinning set up?  I have never used a spinning reel.  I am just getting competent in bait casters and would like to stick with it unless it is too much of a disadvantage.  Plus I have some extra baitcasters I could match up with a new rod.

I am open to other suggestions as well.  I want to become a better bass fisherman, so I want to expand my techniques.

I also tend to fish murky muddy waters, but we will be moving near Piercy Priest Lake in TN, which I understand is much more clear of a lake to fish.

[duke13372]

It depends on how much of a particular style of fishing you do.  If you crank different depths you may want to have more than one cranking rod just for the convenience.  If you want to take of some style of finesse fishing then perhaps a rig for light presentations.  I don't like spinning but I've got one collecting dust.  If I must down size I have a Custom Loomis built on a Spin-Jig blank with a Shimano Calcutta 51 baitcaster on it.  It is only 6-6 but it's a versatile little rod.  However again, because of the style of fishing I prefer it doesn't get much use either (fun rod for ponds).  I'd advise picking up a rod that is your strength and matches a style of fishing for your home waters.  We do have some lakes with grass but our home waters within a hours drive don't have grass.  So I wouldn't recommend a frog rod for someone that lives in my area.  If you have pressured waters perhaps a finesse set up would be good.  I like to crank so many of my rods are cranking rods to cover lots of water.  Decide your target technique then choose your rod to match. 

[Mike Cork]

Adding a finesse rod to your current arsenal isn't a bad idea at this point. I'm curious as to what kind of tournaments you might fish in the future. If going as a co angler in an event interests you I'd definitely recommend a finesse rod. You'll want a shakey head type rod to follow up behind the boater.

A medium action spinning rod with a fast tip will give you a good finesse rod with multiple applications. There are many that will tell you that a finesee baitcasting rod is just as effective as a finesse spinning rod, but I highly disagree. You can put a vibration on a soft plastic that simply is not possible with a bait caster. Casting a light bait up under a dock is also going to be easier with a spinning rod. Some are very good with light baitcasters, but for most anglers, myself included, find a spinning rod is much easier when skipping light baits up under objects.

I think you're headed down the right road in getting a finesse rod added to your system. Keep in mind that finesse applications are not normally the best choice in murky or muddy water, but with the addition of Piercy Priest (I believe that's a great spotted bass lake) you'll be glad you have this tool.

If you decide the finesse is not the way to go at this time I'd look at getting another medium heavy action rod. You have a crank rod, and a heavy rod for flipping. One MH rod limits you, with another you can use it to have a jig and texas rig tied on at the same time, or a spinnerbait, or a chatterbait, or a or a or a .... Point is a Medium Heavy action rod is pretty versatile and allows you more options when on the water.

[TNDiver]

All good points.  I also thought about another MH rod, just for the reasons you said Mike as a quick follow up rod.

FOr spinning rod, you wouldn't want micro's, correct?

[Mike Cork]

You've got me on that one. Micro's in a spinning rod are not as readily available as they are in baitcasters. Meaning everyone makes a baitcaster micro now but not a spinning rod version.

To be honest I'm not sure the reasons that make it good for baitcasters are as effective for spinning rods. The line comes off the reel in a completely different fashion. Surely those that do make it believe there is an advantage. Buy nature line slap with a spinning rod is tremendous, and if it tamed it, then you could see some advantages?

I personally haven't used one, much less even seen one other than on the internet in a photo.

[beast96z]

Kistler makes a micro spinning. I have a couple of the Micro Magnesiums. As Mike said, very few people have them.


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[duke13372]

Do you think any issues with line twist or loops would be magnified with micro guides or in other words the rod would not be as forgiving with an issue with the line?

[Pferox]

Do you think any issues with line twist or loops would be magnified with micro guides or in other words the rod would not be as forgiving with an issue with the line?

I would suspect so, most of my longest casting spinning rods have huge guides on them, much larger than they need to be for the suggested size reel, but this allows the line loops to slap the guides with less force. Twist is usually more a factor of the reel and bait connection, more or less.

From what I have read about micro spinning guides, the first guide gets a lot of slap, but helps to tame the line so you have much less resistance down the rod. Not sure if that equates to less resistance on the whole system or not.

If you are using braid all of this becomes less of an issue.

[LgMouthGambler]

Having a finnese setup is a good idea, though you dont need spinning gear to do it. If you are more comfortable with casting gear, and Curado/Chronarch 50E, a good quality M/MH Fast rod, and 8-12lb line will do just fine. If you are looking for UL or L, then I would go for a spinning setup.

[Smallie_Stalker]

This year Abu Garcia introduced 3 spinning rods with micro guides in their Villian series of rods. I have not tried them out though so I can't really say if they make a difference. I think we are slowly going to see more and more companies releasing micro guide spinning rods as time goes on. As long as people believe they work better they will continue to buy them, and, as the old saying goes, you've got to give the people what they want.