# Crappie Rods



## On the Fly

Has anyone used these long ultra light rods called "crappie rods?" They look like the action would be great, but I wonder if setting the hook would be a problem because they appear to be so limp. I see them in Dicks and other stores, but have never seen one out on the water.


----------



## Bluegillin'

I am not sure if it is the same thing that you have seen or not, but I use the B'n'M Sam Heaton Super-Sensitive Rods (10' and 11' I believe). I use them for jigging versus casting but they are great in my opinion. When they say "super sensitive" it is no lie. I can feel a fish simply sucking in a bait. I have not had an issue on the hook set but what I had to adjust to was reeling the fish in too far due to rod length when in a small boat. You have to leave enough line out to be able to raise the rod, keep the fish in the water (or else they can come off more easily) and still reach the fish. It is definitely worth buying one in my opinion.


----------



## chaunc

There's a small learning curve to using them. Once you get the hang of them, your arsenal won't be complete without them. Find the length you're most comfortable with and go from there. I started with ten and went as long as fourteen. Settled on twelve as most comfy for my style of fishing. Fourteen was just too much for me.


----------



## sherman51

crappie have such a soft mouth any rod will set the hook, they almost set the hook themselves. I use a 6'6" eagle claw featherlight rod for crappie and usually just lift the rod and it sets the hook.
sherman


----------



## Lundy

I have a bunch from 8' to 14' these are a must have for me when targeting carppie


----------



## On the Fly

Thanks for the replies. If I buy one I would like to use it for all panfish, not just for crappies. I can see how the length would help for jigging. I don't remember seeing these rods 5 years ago. I'm going to take one off the rack and see how it feels. At one time I used Shorter Ultra lights , but have come to prefer longer lighter rods. This may be a good investment because it would probably be used 50 percent of the time I fish.


----------



## ress

Aren't they better for casting 1/16 size lures? I had been using a 5' Ugly Stick and a buddy says to get a 12' Crappie rod and I'll be shocked how far that tiny lure will fly.


----------



## glasseyes

I have several bass pro micro lite rods 8' to 9.5', in med lite action, they cast very well. I use the longer ones for bobber fishing lite jigs with fixed bobbers, the longer rod will cast fine with fixed bobber at fairly deep setting and the longer rod will pick up slack line much quicker when setting hook than a short rod. And they are all md. Lite action. I use them for crappie, bluegill, white bass, and steelhead. I've had a friend make me a few better rods but the micro lite rods are plenty good enough, I've had some of them I'm pretty sure for more than fifteen years. I cast any wherefrom 1/64, to 1/8 jigs I make my self. I shorefish and cast long distances with a 9.5' rod using a rocket bobber with a 1/32 oz jig for crappie in some shallow bays.


----------



## sherman51

you can get the 9' eagle claw featherlight rod for 30.00 on ebay or 25.00 from amazon. I've never used the 9' but if there anything like the 6'6" they should be awesome. these rods are light enough for any type of pan fish. but they are tough enough to last for yrs. I'm still using 2 of these that I've had for 35 or 40 yrs.
sherman


----------



## larrybass

On the Fly said:


> Has anyone used these long ultra light rods called "crappie rods?" They look like the action would be great, but I wonder if setting the hook would be a problem because they appear to be so limp. I see them in Dicks and other stores, but have never seen one out on the water.


Are you trying to set the hook on crappie? Their mouth is a THIN piece of skin!


----------



## On the Fly

larrybass said:


> Are you trying to set the hook on crappie? Their mouth is a THIN piece of skin!


No, I'm aware that they have thin mouths, but I would only buy a rod like this if It was effective for other pan fish as well. I did have a 5'5 foot featherlite and it was too limp for me. It probably would have been more effective if I had a longer one. I do catch crappies, but not too the extent that I would buy a rod just for them. I like the length because of the advantage of casting farther, but most of the fish I catch require a hook set unlike the the crappies. I was just wondering because I don't see them where I fish, but I see them in the stores, so somebody's using them.


----------



## polebender

I don’t know what application you’re looking to use a long rod for, but if it’s to dip pads or heavy brush or deep brush piles, the long rods are great. I use a B’n’M 12’ jig pole for these applications. They are not the easiest though if you’re looking to cast them.

But if you’re looking for an all around panfish rod I’d suggest you look at the B’n’M Sharp Shooter or the Lew’s Wally Marshall Speed Shooter. The sharp shooter you can get up to 6 1/2’ and the Speed Shooter up to 7’. They are excellent for handling light weight jigs and lures.

These rods are very versatile and can be used in many situations. They are great around docks, boats, overhanging brush and limbs, drop shotting, dipping around pads or just casting. And they have the back bone to set and land bigger fish. I’ve caught a 12 lb. Channel cat and pulled a 16 lb. carp out from under a dock on them.


----------



## HappySnag

On the Fly said:


> No, I'm aware that they have thin mouths, but I would only buy a rod like this if It was effective for other pan fish as well. I did have a 5'5 foot featherlite and it was too limp for me. It probably would have been more effective if I had a longer one. I do catch crappies, but not too the extent that I would buy a rod just for them. I like the length because of the advantage of casting farther, but most of the fish I catch require a hook set unlike the the crappies. I was just wondering because I don't see them where I fish, but I see them in the stores, so somebody's using them.


get yourself noodle rod 10' 6"for steelie.
you can use that for any fish,crapie,eyes,perch,steelie.total versatile rod and not big money.
bober fishing,casting jigs and lures.work well.i use that some time for casting off the rocks for eyes,it is super sensitive.


----------



## Saugeyefisher

I set the hook quite hard on crappie. Trying to put the hook in the roof of the mouth. 
Theres actually alot of mouth thats not paper thin in a crappie


----------



## firemanmike2127

I'm using the B'nM Buck's Ultimate in the 10' length, which has quickly become my all around 'long' rod for crappie fishing. It's got more backbone than my 12' Super Sensitive Sam Heaton & is also equipped with larger diameter guides than many of the jigging poles that are on the market. They both have cork handles, but the increased power of the midsection & tip in the Buck's Ultimate ten footer are what really appeal to me. Another favorite of mine is the IM7 Graphite All Purpose Crappie Wizard in the 7 1/2' length, also from B'nM. This rod is extremely sensitive & incredibly versatile. Mike


----------

