Them long rods

[Big Zig]

Had my first 10 footer in hand today - that's a lot of rod! I was originally going to look for a 12 footer to start with, but I think a 10 ft. rod will be a good starting point. I'd like to stay local for my first purchase, then as I find what I really need in a specialized crappie rod, go from there.

Am I looking for the same design as a standard fishing rod? Or put another way; the rod I played with (mounted a reel to get the proper feel for the complete rig) was a 10'6" IM-8 graphite blank w/stainless steel guides and SS inserts. Two piece rod, light action, rated for 2-8lb test line and 1/32 to 1/4 oz lures. The guides are decreasing size from the handle to end (possible casting rod), and setup for a spinning reel. With a Shimano CX series 2000 reel mounted, the rod balanced slightly tip heavy at the handle junction of the blank. I believe that with a full spool of mono the rod will balance just about perfect. But I don't know if this is a correct setup with these rods or not. Any thoughts?

Looking to make a repeat performance of last weeks trip, maybe with a new majic wand.

[LBM]

BZ

I think you will really get to like the long rods. Wait until you hook a 4 or 5 lb large mouth green carp with the long rod and see what a hoot it can be. I now keep a 10ft spooled with braid and use it to fish for channel cats around the fish feeders. I have caught up to 15 pounders with this rig. I keep a 12 footer spooled with mono for crappie.
Have fun and good luck with the long rod.

LBM

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

Light or medium light are the best rod rating choices for Crappie. These should give you enough backbone to fish in brush, but are still limp enough to keep from ripping the Crappie's lips off on the hook set, and strong enough to lift a 2lber into the boat.

Ceramic guides can make a pole heavy, but do work well. These can chip easily if the pole falls over though. These chips, will cut your line instantly. I prefer to use the stainless or titainium inserts instead. These are more durable, and that is important to me since I am a Fireline fisherman. These also cut down on tip weight too, which is especially important if you commonly vertical jig with a pole in each hand.

I like my rods to be as light, and as sensitive as possible. I find Graphite is the best to satisfy both of those requirements. Don't buy cheap, you will regret it in the long run- missed strikes, breaks, less sensitivity, etc.

Being correctly balanced makes all the difference in the world. I like to be able to balance my pole on top of my index finger when it is positioned right in the middle of the foregrip in front of the reel. This helps me to lower my arm fatigue too. Gripping above the reel on a balanced combo, in my opinion, is far more sensitive than otherwise as well.

A 8.5 to 10oz reel usually will create a pretty good balance and mate for 10' poles. 12' or longer poles may require butt weights, or heavier reels in order to get the balance you desire. I use spinning reels that have at least 3 bearings or more. The poles that I cast & retrieve with have at least 7BB up to 11BB, and are pretty expensive. If you are going to mainly vertical jig instead of pitching, or flip casting, then cheaper/less will work fine. I like a reel to at least have a switch to where I can free spool in order to fight my fish. I never rely on ANY fighting drag, no matter how good it claims to be. The only exception would be when I am trolling multiple rods through brushy areas.

Hope this helps, and sorry if I made a book out of it.

<,"}/>{ Rippa

[fishingpox]

I've been using a 10' B&M poles forever, lined with braided wire. I never use monofiliments. However, this year I went to a 12 foot pole. I noticed ...during pre-spawn.. that my catch of catfish increased tremendously. Also, I set my drag just right on the spin cast reels I use. I think the extra 2 foot of pole is what gave me the advantage.

[chaunc]

To balance out my 10ft rods, i bought Okuma AV-20 reels. These reels are light, strong, hold a good amount of line, have a lot of BB's, and are inexpensive. They hold up well even if you fish often. I use them even when i slow troll. Only allowed 2 poles here in Pa. so i can't say how they spider-rig. I spool mine with 8# Trilene green and put clear on the spare spool. I also have the AV-15, which is smaller and even lighter than the 20, but it doesn't hold enough line. It's a good reel for shorter jig poles. I have one on my 5'6" b&m dockshooter rod. They have great prices at www.fishusa.com. Check em out.

[Big Zig]

Thanks for the tips - I ended up getting the Shakespeare rod Friday night and put it to work Sunday. Check out my report in the Pennsylvania section. I wish I would have learned about these rods 20 years ago - it would have changed how I fished for panfish. I had a blast with the 10.5 footer, put also had a re-occuring problem. I had to swing the fish into the boat, which wasn't an issue, but once I had them in the boat the line would break, leaving a flopping fish with an exposed hook in its' mouth. I set this rod up the same as my ultra-light rigs - 2lb test line. It wasn't like I was grabbing the line trying to get the fish in the boat, and my other 2lb setups didn't have this problem. I just hate to go to heavier line - I believe that is a major contribution to the amount of fish I catch on my home lake.