8 Foot Light Rod Suggestions ?

[Robert11]

Hello,

One of the ways of getting thru all the snows up here in Boston
is thinking about a new rod. Sure is hard without actually

trying them out. At least with a car you can test drive it first.

So, would most appreciate your comments and suggestions.

I do mainly small pond fishing; lots of Largemouth.
Probably 3 pounds absolute max size. Mainly smaller.


Have a Daiwa Spinmatic UL 8 foot now.
Fine rod, but tip section is way too soft.

Thinking of going up one level to a Light.
Want an 8 foot again, and the "classic" all cork (front and handle); not any
of those cut-away styles.

Considering these three 8 foot rods.
All are pretty much the same in cost.
a. Gander Mountain Guide Series Classic Crappie Rod (GSC13-802L-CR) - Light

b. Cabelas Cabela's Pro Guide® PTC Spinning Rod (PGPTCS802-2) - Light

c. B n M The Difference by Roger Gant - Light ? They don't say ?

Which would you pick ? Other possibilities ?

Are they all "truly" a "Light," and one step up from an UL, and likely to have a "meaningfully" stiffer tip section compared to my present UL Daiwa ?

Quality, etc. ?

BTW: Couldn't find any 8 footers designated as a Medium-Light (one step up from a Light. Are there ?)
If so, would this perhaps be a "better" choice for my Pond fishing ?

Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob

[bigbass12]

I have an 8ft Pro Angler Tackle rod that I have caught a couple of nice bass on. It has great backbone and is very sensitive. I like to throw Crappie Sliders on it and you can feel everything on the bottom. They are made in TX and are designed for fishing brush. You can choose between foam or cork grips. I chose cork. It really is a nice rod. Check their website to order. I am also looking at a BnM Ultimate in the 8ft length. The reviews are great on it and it seems to be an all purpose rod with spinning guides and good backbone. In the process of buying one from Cabela' s. Maybe I will give a full review once I put it through the paces.

[jackie53]

Crappie Max lite (bass pro)or Wally Marshall. Good rods for the money. If you ever put your hands on one you will not be disappointed.

[wicklundrh]

Bob,

It is getting harder and harder to find the rods people want anymore. The "split grip" fad came on by storm and a ton of companies went away from building the all cork fore and rear grip. I too hate the split grip.

There are tons of 8' rods that have an ML weight. Problem is, most of them are in "blank" form and are usually hand tied. Your stepping to a whole nother class and money catagory if you are looking in that direction. I tied a ton of them for people.

If I was looking for a "non custom" ML rod, I would look at the Fenwick series. They have about 6 or 8 different rod blends in both split and full cork grip and a multitude of sizes ranging in price from about $70.00 to $150.00.
You could also look into the G-Loomis rods but you are going to pay for them ($200.00 to over $400.00). I never recommend St. Croix (too many issues from a custom builders perspective).

Now that sticker shock is about over....... Go to a local Wal-mart or K-mart and test drive a couple different rods. They may say "light" on them when they are in fact an ML powered rod. You get what you pay for but if you don't do a ton of fishing, there is no sense getting the higher end rods as you won't notice much of a difference. I don't own a store bought rod anymore so I cannot comment much on the ones you mentioned.

[deathb4disco]

I suggest a ML steelhead rod. I have an 8.5-footer, and it’s great for pond fishing for bass. It’ll sling a Senko a mile.

[philmacMS]

The B n M roger gant pole was designed for side pulling. Tried one not good for jigging. Great for what it was designed for though. I second the crappie max 8 ft ML good rod. Friend of mine has a 8 ft B n M duck commander and it fishes good. I think both have the cut away notch in the top handle though.

[deathb4disco]

It is getting harder and harder to find the rods people want anymore. The "split grip" fad came on by storm and a ton of companies went away from building the all cork fore and rear grip. I too hate the split grip.

Yeah, I'm firmly in the "hate split grip" camp. Let the bass guys have 'em if they want 'em. I'll stick with the traditional handle.

[BuckeyeKdog]

I bought an Okuma Celio in 7'6" similar to the one below a couple years ago for fishing 1/32 - 1/16oz jigs for spring walleye and Saugeye. Light weight, sensitive and has handled 8# Walleye very well. Does a great job on Crappie and Blue Gill as well.
Okuma Celilo Spinning Rod 7' Light 2 Piece | eBay

[VaCrappieMan]

I will say that cabelas ptc rod is much stiffer than a light action it's more of a medium (to stiff for crappie IMO) but it might be a good option for largemouth... Hope this helps only rod I have experience with that you have listed

[wicklundrh]

Action is not refered to as Light, or medium... That is the weight of the rod. The action (stiffness) is refered or referenced as: Slow, Moderate slow, Moderate, Moderate Fast, Fast, X-fast. Weight refers to what the blank can handle in terms of bait selection.