Need suggestions for a close range big lure rod...

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by BigBass Dez on July 25, 2013 at 2:43pm

Matt ,

 

You can explore saltwater rods ,but even with that being said i dont believe that a saltwater rod will fit your comfort needs on the lakes . Based on the capacity that you are looking for in a 6'6" rod i honestly dont think that you will find a bass rod manfactor meeting those requirements . Most bass rod manufactors that offer a 2-5oz rating are your typical Frog and Swimbait rods which in most cases are 7' and longer.

I suggest you look at the ideal of a custom bass rod . I do know a gentleman that builds custom rods with Lamiglas blanks out of his garage . I am also confident that he can tell you straight up what you can expect in line of options .

 

Feel free to shoot me a PM for his contact info

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on July 25, 2013 at 8:35pm

Hey Matt, I have some ideas but can you give me a little more of an idea of what you're trying to do?  Will a 7'0" rod not give you the accuracy you need in this application?  By going too short, you're likely going to lose some of the leverage required to move the type of fish you're targeting away from the trouble cover.

Permalink Reply by Matthew Kennedy on July 25, 2013 at 11:31pm

Tag-

No doubt on the leverage. I have one 7 footer that I want to try in this scenario. Maybe that's my rod. But I love throwing a 6'6". So so accurate in tight quarters. The lures I have in mind are a G2 shell cracker, the original black dog shell cracker, a 5" and 6" punker, and a roman made south. Might as well say the weedless 68 hudd when that comes in the mail. Picture pulling up to that perfect little slot of water that is 6 feet wide and 40 feet long. With a 6'6" I could make 4 casts in there before I biffed it and with a 7' I could make only 1 or 2. I'm just still working on accuracy. What are your thoughts...

Permalink Reply by Nick Berto on July 26, 2013 at 6:08am

I think if you look for a rod with maybe better action, not necessarily length, it may help with accuracy. And I think a 6'6" rod will not have the leverage needed to present the bait properly nor have the ability to move a lot of line on a hookset (as Tag had already mentioned, I agree).

With that in mind, I will make a suggestion of a Daiwa Zillion TDZL741XHFB, it is 7'4" with a light tip to skip or swing a bait and has the right action to load a heavy bait properly while not fatiguing the angler. It also has the backbone to handle the type of fish you expect to catch (BIG), especially if you want to throw a little heavier weight with it. I own this rod and love it for most of my swimbait fishing unless i want to throw something a long ways (and in that case i use a TDZL801MHRB).

Feel free to send me a message if you any further questions!

Matthew Kennedy said:

Tag-

No doubt on the leverage. I have one 7 footer that I want to try in this scenario. Maybe that's my rod. But I love throwing a 6'6". So so accurate in tight quarters. The lures I have in mind are a G2 shell cracker, the original black dog shell cracker, a 5" and 6" punker, and a roman made south. Might as well say the weedless 68 hudd when that comes in the mail. Picture pulling up to that perfect little slot of water that is 6 feet wide and 40 feet long. With a 6'6" I could make 4 casts in there before I biffed it and with a 7' I could make only 1 or 2. I'm just still working on accuracy. What are your thoughts...

Permalink Reply by Nick Berto on July 26, 2013 at 6:12am

But if you are really stuck on a 6'6" rod, check out this.... Daiwa Saltiga-G. I use it in the salt for throwing big swimbaits for a verticle presentation. Very comfortable rod and could probably pull a VW off the bottom... Model SAG-J66MF 

http://www.daiwa.com/rod/detail.aspx?id=571

Permalink Reply by Matthew Kennedy on July 26, 2013 at 9:29am

Thanks, Nick. Makes sense. I think your point about action is spot on. Unfortunately, my bigger bait rods are broom sticks...

Permalink Reply by Daniel Caffrey on July 26, 2013 at 9:21pm

I've had a rod similar to what you are looking for built. However, mine is 7'1". I had 2 foot guides put on all the way to the tip it stiffened the action up alot and left the tip soft. I went with a St Croix blank. It pulls em outta anywhere. Maybe find the toughest 6'6" blank you like then put a bunch of 2 foot guides on it.  just a suggestion but it will stiffen that rod and allow for heavier baits than labeled on the blank.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Ryan Perrey on July 28, 2013 at 12:15pm

Matt, what swimbaits rods are you rockin at the moment? I do a lot of tight quarters swimbait fishing by pitching the baits this time of year like a jig so it hit's the water quietly in comparison. With practice you can pitch em pretty far. Roll casts take practice with a swimbait rod but you can defiantly get a shell cracker in some tight spots like under a dock doing so. The 68 skips under cover like a dream. I do all of this with my Dobyns 806. It put's the baits where I want em pretty well for an 8' rod. Esp skipping a 68 or deluxe hudd. Just slowly load your rod on the cast and you'll be amazed how effortlessly youll get the hudds where you want. I have a new rule and this is just me... if it's windy out and the trees or docks your skipping are under a foot from the bottom of the dock/cover to the surface of the water, don't skip hudds. Once the water gets stirred from wind the hudd will bounce more than skip. It only takes a few bad skips to split the plastic at the nose and bend the lead inside. It's a pain to fix and some don't swim right afterwards. Sorry to get off topic. I realize my advice is not an ideal solution for you but it's all I got;)

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on July 28, 2013 at 8:13pm

My advice is to go with with a 7' to 7'3" with the right action (per Nick).  You'll get deadly accurate with it, with practice.

Matthew Kennedy said:

Tag-

No doubt on the leverage. I have one 7 footer that I want to try in this scenario. Maybe that's my rod. But I love throwing a 6'6". So so accurate in tight quarters. The lures I have in mind are a G2 shell cracker, the original black dog shell cracker, a 5" and 6" punker, and a roman made south. Might as well say the weedless 68 hudd when that comes in the mail. Picture pulling up to that perfect little slot of water that is 6 feet wide and 40 feet long. With a 6'6" I could make 4 casts in there before I biffed it and with a 7' I could make only 1 or 2. I'm just still working on accuracy. What are your thoughts...

Permalink Reply by Rusty Ryan on August 29, 2013 at 2:32pm

I thought a shorter rod for these types of locations would work better.  It is much easier to sneak up on them on longer casts.

If a big fish sees, hears or evens smells you... Well, good luck at that.  I catch way more fish on long bombs.

~Ryan

Permalink Reply by Matthew Kennedy on August 29, 2013 at 10:20pm

Forgot to say thanks for the replies. Appreciate everybody's input. Still working on a solution...