9' Poles

[wolfhnd]

Can the same 9' pole be used for crappie, walleye and bass?

I see that poles are rated by line weight but if I buy a crappie pole rated for 4 to 8 pound line I would like to push the line weight up and use a larger spinning reel for other fish. I assume that you run the risk of a large fish breaking the tip?

[deathb4disco]

FWIW, fishermen break tips. Fish very rarely do.

Steelhead rods are generally 8-10' long and make great rods for a variety of species. (I think they'd sell a lot more if they'd stop calling them steelhead rods.)

As long as your drag is not too tight, you should be OK.

[glasseyes]

I have two 8'6" rods I had a friend make for me that are salmon-steelhead rods, one is med. lite action the other is med, action, both fast tips. I also use them for crappie and walleye - saugeye besides salmon fishing
I also have a couple of 9'6" rods that are med. lite action, and work fine. I would not use them for bass fishing or something I need a good hard fast hook set on. They work fine for crappie , salmon- steelhead .I mainly use them for crappie bobber fishing sinve i fish from the bank. The longer rod helps me catch up slack on windy days and also I use a lot of weighted fixed bobbers so with the longer rod I can fish it pretty much as deep as I want along the bank.

[CrappiePappy]

Can the same 9' pole be used for crappie, walleye and bass?

I would say "yes" ... within limits. And those limits would be which "method" you used for those species ... and how you plan on landing them. (In deference to DB4D's statement that "fishermen break tips. Fish very rarely do." )

You might also consider looking at "Float & Fly" rods. I have a 8' BnM Duckworth F&F rod, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it for any of those three species. BnM also has 9' & 10' Tenn Handle F&F rods. As you can see by this link ( https://www.bnmpoles.com/c-12-float-fly-rods.aspx ) the 8' model has a short handle & removable weight rings for balancing the rod/reel, and a fixed reel seat ... whereas the 9' & 10' models have a longer handle with slip rings for placing the reel wherever it best balances the outfit. The shorter handle on the 8' model does not allow it to be placed in a rod holder, were you to have/use one ... but, the longer handles on the 9' & 10' models would likely work in one. (I can't say for sure, as I don't have the longer model rods)

One thing I can say for sure is that you would want a rod with a Tenn Handle/slip rings, and not one with a fixed reel seat, if you intend to use two different size/weight reels. An unbalanced rod/reel combo is not comfortable to fish with for any length of time !! About the only way I know of to use one reel on a fixed reel seat rod, and two different size lines, is to buy a reel that comes with two reel spools (or purchase the second one separately). But you'd still have to have a reel that balanced with the rod, or you've defeated the purpose.

[wolfhnd]

Thanks for the advice. I ordered a medium casting rod. Too heavy for crappie and to light for large fish. I figure it will mostly get used for throwing 1/4 ounce jigs at walleye but maybe it will work for bobber fishing. If I don't like it I will get a dedicated crappie pole.

Do you think you can cast small jigs farther with a long pole?

[CrappiePappy]

Do you think you can cast small jigs farther with a long pole?

Not always & not necessarily. A lot of casting "distance" has to do with the line & reel spool size. But, a longer rod (>6ft) can be a benefit to casting distance if it has a fast action tip. The other benefit I've noticed is what "Glasseyes" said about the rod length allowing you to take up slack line better/faster when setting the hook (and with less effort).

[ozarks ranger]

I use a 9ft rod for dipping trees and flipping toward bank spawn time. put the line in your off hand, open bail pull 2 to3 foot off spool and swing jig to target accurate and not have to watch for overhead trees docks etc, you can cast this way 30' with a 1/16 oz. IMHO

[Crestliner08]

I have two 9' spinning rigs that I use for most crappie presentations. Both are B n' M rods; a Sam Heaton's Super Sensitive and a Roger Gant Side Pulling rod. Both are dressed with Pflueger President #6920 spinning reels. I would have no reservations about catching anything on either rig. The waters I fish have a lot of different species of fish, from crappie, bluegill, catfish, bass, northern pike and even bowfin. I've successfully caught most species on these rods, although you have to do your part to land those larger fish.