TackleTour

What’s everyone’s opinion on using sensitive rods for things like crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, etc.? Rods like NRX/Conquest, Steez, Ultima...but also rods like Expride/Adrena, Helium, etc and did you notice any advantages when you moved up?

I read all the time that it’s not needed, and used to go along with that, until I bought my first 843 NRX. After only a few trips with that rod, I could see it was making me a better angler. This was eye opening and definitely changed the way I looked at it. My opinion is to go with as sensitive a rod you can afford for any technique you normally use as it will make you more efficient on the water. So what’s your opinion on this subject?

i have thrown a lot of baits on sensitive rods that are reaction type baits such as crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, swim jigs, and the like. a lot of it has to do with taper for me and the rods action. this last season i started using the st croix legend elite glass chatterbait rod for chatterbaits and really liked it due to the smooth transition in power when setting the hook and no lost fish this year, but i did throw a lot on the conquest 903 and z bone 4 power (mh) rods and you can for sure feel the bait a lot better and grass when coming in contact with it and some of the strikes are electrifying on these blanks. honestly the conquest having a mag bass taper are imo pretty great moving bait rods i throw spinnerbaits on them a lot and some crankbaits as well. as i do not have a boat this year i have fished a lot of parks that rent out the boats and you bring your trolling motor so i dont like bringing no more rods than 8 at the max if that. Ill bring a conquest 843 for 3/8 oz bottom contact, rattle traps, swim jigs, and some cranks even though i have legend glass cranking rods ill leave them if im utilizing what rods to bring down to a certain number. ive tried throwing some baits on the nrx 853 and didnt like it for reaction baits due to the super fast taper. I could be wrong but i think his name is Corey Johnston ? he is a elite pro who has done well this year so when you go to bassmaster and see top baits at whatever tournament they fished when it shows his its always got some sort of crankbait tied onto a nrx rod i dont know what model he is using though. prospectively i dont think he is sponsored by loomis either just chooses that for his cranking rod to use. i know sometimes you have to take it with a grain of salt because watching highlights of the last event on st clair it shows seth feider who won the tx using some type of crankbait that looked to be evergreen or something of a jdm type bait, but when it showed the winning bait segments said he used a rapala dt series ( the ones he is sponsored by)

I throw a bunch on my mbr conquest and glx. Also throw allot on my fast rods not much on my xfast nrx rods.

I did the same thing. After buying the NRX 843 it made me re-think my entire repertoir. Thing is, it's so light and fun to fish, you never want to put it down. I recently spent 1/2 day fishing a buzzbait and caught quite a few in the 3-6 pound range. Bombing long casts effortlessly, and easily controlling a fish with this featherlight stick, it was heaven. In no way did the sensitivity have a bearing on fishing a buzzbait, but I didn't want to put it down.

If you have money to burn, I would buy the most sensitive (and light) sticks for everything except crankbaits (but I haven't tried the 842) yet...

It's a cost-benefit deal. I paid half as much for a Loomis IMX spinnerbait rod and there doesn't seem to be a significant reduction in feeling the vibration on the baits I'm throwing, and I like the 6-9 length. So, I don't "need" an NRX for spinnerbait...but if they made one in 6-9 length, and money was no object, why not, right?

David

Depends on the bait. I think proper rod characteristics for specific baits and how they're worked, is more important than sensitivity. No reason why you can't have both though. I won't fork out as much money for a moving bait rod as I will others - unless it's very universal, which is what I generally try to get anyways.

I have two favs for mainly lighter baits. It's really about the taper, but sensitivity is always a plus.
1. X7 Shading-X for chatterbaits, Rip baits, and cranks
2. NRX 842 MBR for small cranks, and Scrounger heads

So many factors go into this and so many ways to compensate for shortcomings of a particular choice in rod. Here's my general opinion on the matter:

Standard, Fast Tapered, Graphite Stick:
The obvious advantage is sensitivity. The disadvantage is you will miss fish. Fast tapered rods, in general, react too quickly to your reactions and tend to pull the bait away from the fish when you feel that hit. They will also pull the bait out of the fish's mouth if you have a questionable hook-up - if the fish is barely hooked.

However, excellent choice for single hook moving baits like spinnerbaits and buzzbaits where you need that power to set the hook.

You can mitigate this a bit with your choice in line. Nylon monofilament is the way to go because of the stretch, but then you lose a bit in sensitivity. A stretchy fluorocarbon is a good option to retain sensitivity and still get some stretch.


Moderate Tapered Graphite Stick:
The slower taper really aids in keeping those fish buttoned. The caveat here is not all moderate taper, graphite sticks made for moving baits are created equal. There was a time manufacturers would downgrade the graphite on these sticks so you lost out on sensitivity. Today's sticks are a bit better though.

Glass Sticks:
Today's glass rods, or at least the last few I've fished are much lighter and better handling than a decade ago. There is no denying the buttery feel of glass once you've hooked a fish on a stick like this. They stay buttoned. The downside is you have to fight the fish a little longer (I don't get why guys are so adamant about surfing a fish back to the boat) and of course, glass rods aren't as sensitive. You can mitigate this by using straight braid, or braid with a leader.

Not such a great choice - in my opinion - for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits though.

Having said all that, it also matters where you're fishing and in what type of cover. Out on the CA Delta, a lot of old sticks use flipping rods to throw shallow running cranks because they're tossing the baits into dense cover and want to be able to yank a fish out of that mess before they know what hit them. I've done this... it's actually quite thrilling

Sometimes, you just want to bomb a bait and cover a lot of water. In this case, the length of rod matters more than the makeup.

A lot of times, you only have one or two rods to use, so you make due. Line type, rate of retrieve on your reel, all have an effect. A lot of pros like to fish their vibrating jigs on glass rods with fluorocarbon line. I've done this a lot while reviewing a product - I don't like it. I prefer a long, graphite rod and braid.

So, bottom line, be aware of the pluses and minuses, but do what works for you and your budget.

Incidentally, the Conquest MBR842C makes an excellent moving bait stick.

I tried fishing chatterbaits with a glass composite rod and fluoro, too and I couldn't hook up with anything. With braid, I almost never miss. Glass is good with those because it keeps the bait from beating the heck out of you.

poisonokie wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 05, 2019 7:36 am

I tried fishing chatterbaits with a glass composite rod and fluoro, too and I couldn't hook up with anything. With braid, I almost never miss. Glass is good with those because it keeps the bait from beating the heck out of you.

Thing is... a lot of the hits I seem to get with the vibrating jigs, I don't feel the hit... I just feel the bait stop vibrating. So the fish are swimming up behind the bait and sucking it in while continuing on that same trajectory for a few feet. The vibration stops and I swing. I can't feel that hit with a glass rod and fluoro, but with a graphite rod and braid I do! *shrug*

I use a St-Croix Legend Tournament Glass for crankbaits and absolutely love it.

I use my NRX 843 for a little of everything, dragging 1/4oz tubes, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and sometimes even senkos.

The ultimate tube rod is the NRX 852 IMO but sometimes I like a little more power and thats when I will use the 843.

I think jerkbaits are the trickiest of the bunch. Finding the perfect tip speed for not over or under working various style and depth baits, yet having a blank that will properly load and flex deep enough (not to deep), to keep fish pinned. I believe sensitivity is a little more important here than with a crank or top water. I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking it. I've found what I feel is the perfect blend with popping blanks. Not too fast, not too slow, appropriate flex.

In the Expride line I own both the 72MH glass and the 7M glass composite rods. They are the most ensitive moving bait rods I have used.

Hogsticker2 wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:10 pm

I think jerkbaits are the trickiest of the bunch. Finding the perfect tip speed for not over or under working various style and depth baits, yet having a blank that will properly load and flex deep enough (not to deep), to keep fish pinned. I believe sensitivity is a little more important here than with a crank or top water. I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking it. I've found what I feel is the perfect blend with popping blanks. Not too fast, not too slow, appropriate flex.

jerkbaits are tough as are rods that walk say a sammy 85. Finding the rod for these took me some trial and error.

Hogsticker2 wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:10 pm

I think jerkbaits are the trickiest of the bunch. Finding the perfect tip speed for not over or under working various style and depth baits, yet having a blank that will properly load and flex deep enough (not to deep), to keep fish pinned. I believe sensitivity is a little more important here than with a crank or top water. I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking it. I've found what I feel is the perfect blend with popping blanks. Not too fast, not too slow, appropriate flex.

Your not overthinking it at all. Sensitivity is very important for jerkbait fishing especially with a moderate action rod. My perfect jerkbait rods are a custom Otterod built on a St Croix legend elite blank in a MHM used with braid & a leader. For straight fluoro I use a kistler z bone LEXF-3MH-70. I have also used a popping blank in a spinning rod application.

Cal wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 05, 2019 11:47 am

poisonokie wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 05, 2019 7:36 am

I tried fishing chatterbaits with a glass composite rod and fluoro, too and I couldn't hook up with anything. With braid, I almost never miss. Glass is good with those because it keeps the bait from beating the heck out of you.

Thing is... a lot of the hits I seem to get with the vibrating jigs, I don't feel the hit... I just feel the bait stop vibrating. So the fish are swimming up behind the bait and sucking it in while continuing on that same trajectory for a few feet. The vibration stops and I swing. I can't feel that hit with a glass rod and fluoro, but with a graphite rod and braid I do! *shrug*

I'd argue that you are feeling the bite, you're just feeling it in a different way! Incidentally that bite you speak of is one of the reasons I love fishing a bladed jig. Different strokes for different folks I suppose