I have been using hand-me-down rods for some time now.  I am ready to upgrade and spend a couple of gift cards at Cabela's to get a couple nice rods.  I have no idea how to pick one out.  I am afraid if I ask the sales person they may be more familiar with fishing out of a big honkin' bass boat.  I almost exclusively fish in and around the BWCA.  So that is what kind of rig I am looking for.  Can anyone suggest a good spinner and bait casting rod.   Specific brands and model numbers would be helpful.
Thanks.

I use Ugly Stiks. Sensitive enough for me, and practically unbreakable, a worthy consideration, considering the number of rods broken in canoe country.

I use a medium-heavy 6 1/2' for trolling, and an ultra-light for casting.

dogjojo wrote on May 18^th, 2013 at 2:05pm:

I have been using hand-me-down rods for some time now.  I am ready to upgrade and spend a couple of gift cards at Cabela's to get a couple nice rods.  I have no idea how to pick one out.  I am afraid if I ask the sales person they may be more familiar with fishing out of a big honkin' bass boat.  I almost exclusively fish in and around the BWCA.  So that is what kind of rig I am looking for.  Can anyone suggest a good spinner and bait casting rod.   Specific brands and model numbers would be helpful. Thanks.

Everybody has their preferences based on all kinds of things including brand loyalty.  After you've decided on what you need it for, which, in your case seems to be an all purpose rod for casting and trolling, you need to decide what you want to spend.  The other thing you need to consider is whether you want a 1-piece or 2-piece rod. 
The quality of a rod is mostly determined by the quality of the blank and the guides.  These days most rod blanks are pretty good and you have to decide where the point of diminishing returns is for you.  A G.Loomis GLX or NRX blank is the top of the line but their rods run in the $350 and up range. However, a mid-range rod at about a hundred bucks will give you plenty of sensitivity and durability.  Shimano products are pretty good and they offer a lifetime replacement warranty, which really can't be beat. 
I use a 2-piece rod, which I carry in a case.  I can get it out and ready to cast in about 2 minutes so that works for me.  The case more or less guarantees that my rod and reel will be safe and it's no big deal to hang it around my shoulder on portages.  Others prefer 1-piece rods, which they protect and carry in various ways.
I only take one rod with me on canoe trips.  I have a spinning rig - Shimano Compre (Medium Fast 6'6", 2 piece @ $100) with a Shimano Saros reel.  It's a very nice combo.  But I much prefer a bait caster so I really don't take the spinning rig anymore.  My baitcasting rig is ridiculous, a G.Loomis Mag Bass GLX 2-piece (Medium Heavy, Fast 6'6") coupled with an Abu Garcia Revo Premier bait caster.  Its expensive equipment but I love using it and I'm willing to look after it and keep it in its case when I'm not fishing.
However, for a nice mid-price rod you might consider the St.Croix Premier line (they retail around $120 but you can often get them on sale.)  They come in 1 and 2-piece versions.  A Medium, Fast, 6"6" in either casting or spinning versions (PS66MF2 or PC66MF2) would probably suit your purposes. But really there are lots of rods out there in the hundred dollar price range.  Both Cabelas and Bass Pro have a store brand, which is usually just as good and a little cheaper than a comparable name brand.  If possible I would suggest going to the store with your reel and put the reel on various rods and see how it feels in your hand.
Good luck and enjoy!

Here's my best suggestion for the price.  The St. Croix Triumph's are a great rod and around a $100.  # PS60MF

  (You need to Login or Register

and for bait casting the PC66MF

  (You need to Login or Register

all good suggestions so far, but ill add a couple things. if you are gonna spend a good chunk of money on something, spend it on a nice reel.

as for rods, i like the mid grade ones, quality while still getting value. im a big fenwick fan, so when i look for a quality rods at a value price i go with gander mountain rods. they are fenwick blanks with gander markings.

for a baitcaster, i like 6'6" 2 piece rods for canoe country. i have golf club tubes mounted in the canoe to store the rods inside and keep them safe. i like the longer rods to help cast farther and play larger fish better. longer rods are also more forgiving while trolling and a big one slams your bait. i like medium action with an extra fast tip. good backbone yet the tip is soft and supple to help cast better.

for spinning rods, im really polar. a lot of people like a 6-7 ft spinning rod. i have a 5'6" and an 8' both light action and wouldnt use anything else. the short rod is really easy to handle and land fish with because you can reach them easily. the long rod handles the fight better and casts farther, but is harder to land the fish with because of the length.

but, here is yet another thing to consider... do you sit primarily in the front of the canoe or rear? that matters!!
or, if you fish a lot from the shore, longer rods are better!!

in the rear i like the short rod for spinning, but i prefer the baitcaster from the rear. im right handed and usually have the starboard side of the canoe toward the shore if im casting. gives me lots of room to cast.

in the front of the canoe, i like a longer spinning rod because i can fight the fish around the bow if i have to, you dont want line dragging on the hull. the short rod on a big fish just doesnt cut it when you try to swing around the bow. baitcasting from the front we go port to shore so i have more casting room.

also your fishing partners equipment/preferences come into play. half the guys are purely spinning rod guys (big heavy ones for trolling) and the other half are baitcaster guys. we are all right handed so matching right handed baitcaster guys in the same canoe doesnt always work smoothly.

with that said, i mainly sit rear (unless im trolling around the lake and i want a break) and i bring 2 baitcasters and a long spinning rod.

Thanks for your input.  I'm going to head to Cabelas today and see what I find.  Hopefully by this time next week I have a nice lunker at the end of this new rod.

St. Croix Triumph $75.  Same exact rod as Premier (except made in St. Croix Mexico facility).

Also, I disagree with going cheap on a rod and spendy on a reel.  Any Shimano spinning over $50 is great! 

Old Salt wrote on May 18^th, 2013 at 2:13pm:

I use Ugly Stiks. Sensitive enough for me, and practically unbreakable, a worthy consideration, considering the number of rods broken in canoe country. I use a medium-heavy 6 1/2' for trolling, and an ultra-light for casting.

  :thumbup
For the price there hard to beat.
I have 2, a 7' for trolling and a ultra for casting.
I'd spend the money on a good reel before a rod in that environment.
Unless your extremely careful your going to break a ordinary rod sooner or later.

solotripper wrote on May 20^th, 2013 at 1:31pm:

Unless your extremely careful your going to break a ordinary rod sooner or later.

Thats why good rods come with warranties.  I purchased 3 St. Croix premiers 8 years ago and have never had to purchase a new one.  My bait caster broke a tip some years back.  Brought to my local Gander Mtn and I was given a new one no questions asked.

PhantomJug wrote on May 20^th, 2013 at 8:16pm:

[quote author=solotripper link=1368885913/7#7 date=1369056697]Unless your extremely careful your going to break a ordinary rod sooner or later.

No argument about the benefit of a good rod with a warranty. I was referring more to the Ugly Stiks reputation for being tougher than most as far as enduring the inevitable knocks canoe tripping/portaging brings.

You break one of them beyond repair or lose one in a mishap, it's no big deal.

No argument about the benefit of a good rod with a warranty. I was referring more to the Ugly Stiks reputation for being tougher than most as far as enduring the inevitable knocks canoe tripping/portaging brings.

Tough but no sensitivity  :-/

Quote:

Tough but no sensitivity

I've heard that before  ;D

True that!  In all cirrus(ness), the Uglystick is a catfish rod isn't it?   ;)

;D

Go ahead, mock my Ugly Stiks... They catch tons of fish.

Old Salt wrote on May 18^th, 2013 at 2:13pm:

I use Ugly Stiks. Sensitive enough for me, and practically unbreakable, a worthy consideration, considering the number of rods broken in canoe country. I use a medium-heavy 6 1/2' for trolling, and an ultra-light for casting.

OS:
I agree with your Ugly Stick choice for one of the rods I take. A seven foot two piece that I use to cast or troll. I also take two Fenwicks. One with a baitcaster as a trolling rod and a medium light action to jig fish with. Considering a solo and if it comes to pass, will probably leave the Fenwick trolling rod behind.

J

I bring an Ugly stick to use when trolling for those big pike, and a 6 ft one piece Berkley Lighting spinning rod for jigging up dinner. Both fairly low cost and tough so I don't burn a lot of energy worrying about breaking a rod. Or when I watch it slowly sink to the bottom after getting it caught in a cast with my other rod, I don't feel nearly as terrible as I would if I'd spent $150 on the rod.

You guys might get a kick out of this story.......(I might have already told it but I'm old and forget)

I admit it, I'm a sucker for loomis rods. I get that you are paying quite a chunk of change for "brand recognition" but the rods specialize for various applications but I digress..........

I own 3 8' offshore pelagic series rods.......they will set you back about $250/$300 if you could buy them anymore. Toss on a Shimano Trinidad reel and you have some $800 of outfit in your hands. Late one night while standing at the rail with 8 other guys we were enjoying the full moon and calm seas. Unfortunately no fish were chewing.......all was quiet. I caught a blue runner and decided to chunk it up for bait. My fighting gloves received a nice coating of slime and as I was  flinging a 6oz weight and 5' of leader I lost my grip on my outfit. Kerrrplooosh! First the bait landed soon followed by rod and reel. No one said a word until one fella said "would you look at that, it's floating"! Yup, loomis rods float.........I did get it back thanks to the foul mouthed cigar smoking cuban next to me who had, up to this point, made my life miserable. Of course he soon became my best friend  ;)

Loomis rods do float and when I rolled my boat in Isle Royale I put two of them into the drink. Miraculously I never lost them as they bobbed along behind the boat as I towed it to shore (almost like obedient puppies, sorta weird ).

I could probably fish with just about anything and still enjoy it. But what I have noticed is a heightened pleasure while using quality stuff. Does it catch more fish? Maybe, maybe not........that is not the point I am making. Just going through the motions of fishing with fine gear is in itself an enjoyable experience. It is about the quality of the experience > (I like good sunglasses and high quality paddles for the same reason).

My suggestion is towards St Croix as a #1 choice for a very quality rod at a reasonable price. I own several and they aren't exactly cheap but you are getting real value.   

mastertangler wrote on May 24^th, 2013 at 10:00am:

I could probably fish with just about anything and still enjoy it. But what I have noticed is a heightened pleasure while using quality stuff. Does it catch more fish? Maybe, maybe not........that is not the point I am making. Just going through the motions of fishing with fine gear is in itself an enjoyable experience. It is about the quality of the experience > (I like good sunglasses and high quality paddles for the same reason).

Have you ever tried to make you own rods? I thought of trying to do that someday. I think that using a my own hand made rod would would be an enjoyable experience, just as tripping in my own hand made canoe. -

When my son was a young teenager he saved his allowance and purchased heavy duty St. Croix for Musky, Pike fishing. One day he lost a large fish right at the side of the boat. In frustration, he smacked his rod on the gunnel. It shattered. He wrote a letter to St. Croix, with some embellishments to the story of course, and sent along a photo too. They replaced the rod, no questions asked.

Might be kind of neat to build a rod. I already am most of the way there as i have a rod wrapping station and a motorized turning station for the epoxy process.

I got tired of having to drive 1.5 hours to a shop to get eyelets fixed (saltwater fish are rough on eyelets) and have learned to wrap my own. Even though I like working with my hands I never felt any real desire to build either a boat or a rod. Seems like it would be a real source of pride though to paddle your own boat.

mastertangler wrote on May 24^th, 2013 at 10:00am:

Yup, loomis rods float......... Loomis rods do float and when I rolled my boat in Isle Royale I put two of them into the drink. Miraculously I never lost them as they bobbed along behind the boat as I towed it to shore (almost like obedient puppies, sorta weird ).

What!?!  They most certainly do not float! 

Pascanell wrote on May 24^th, 2013 at 10:20pm:

What?! They most certainly do not float!

   Hmmm.......looks like someone had a little different experience.
To achieve the correct gravitational pull that such weapons deserve let me ask you a few questions.

*what do you feed your rods?
*How often do you speak soothing, kind and encouraging words to them?
*do your rods sleep in your bed or or they out in the garage?
*how often do you polish your rods (furniture polish works wonders)?

These questions and others like unto them provide vital clues as to why rods decide to leave home  ;)

:o I actually called G Loomis/Shimano and the girl on the other end took a few minutes (she was laughing so hard it took her a bit to gain her composure) to explain that although the quality is still amazing, they do not float.  Then she asked me to hold and called over some engineers and put me on speaker phone and continued to make fun of me for the remainder of the call.

And to answer your question, you are correct.  I don't polish my rod very often anymore. :o

True story.......

Newell offshore reels are all graphite and I believe that helped quite a bit. The pelagic series rod has a hypolon grip and that probably helped as well. The kink in the offshore fiasco was that the reel was not engaged and when my Cuban friend snagged the line the combo was still in free spool. I thought all was still lost but he insisted that we pull the line in as fast as we could. Between the two of us pulling and very luckily no tide running I did get the combo back. I gave a very loud "thank you Lord" and then I squeezed the stuffing out of the Cuban fellow. The entire episode gained me some fame and I thought about getting a T-shirt made up...> "Yes, I'm the guy who threw his rod overboard"......... I cannot afford what I fish with and I certainly cannot afford to lose it.

The Loomis Muskie rod does indeed float and that with a fairly good sized bait caster attached. I suspect it is because the blank is so big it holds a lot of air. That and it has quite a bit of cork........very nice outfit to chuck big lures all day and not get wore out.

The other outfit was inside the boat I believe during my spill at Isle Royale. I can't remember for sure what rod it was but it stayed with me as well..........so did all my fishing tackle which was in an orvis pack and stuffed under my seat. Even my bailer which I have had since day one a decade ago stayed along for the ride as well. 

Who are you going to believe........some engineer types or the guy who it happened to? Don't believe me? That is your prerogative. 

BTW......I do suggest taking furniture polish to your rods (and so do the engineers at Loomis  ;) ). They will shine up quite nicely and have a little protective coating. Also a little WD40 on a q-tip and apply at the base of your eyelets will help them last longer.

I have another story which shows both sides of the floating rod scenario.......

I took my sisters hippie dope smoking boyfriend on the Detroit river for a day of smallmouth fishing. I generally lay my rods on my rod lockers along the side of the boat. Well this genius rears back for a cast, snags one of my loomis bass outfits and launches it into the river,

The vision presented to me was quite surreal. Directly in front of me, in the water and sinking, was my rod and reel. I acted very quickly and set the loomis in my hand down and reached out to grab the fast disappearing rod. Unfortunately it was just out of reach of my outstretched hand. I committed and went in after it. On the way over I kicked my other rod in the water and broke my pouch containing my keys, wallet and money clip off on the gunnel.

I managed to grab the original rod and as I was getting right side up I felt the other rod bump against my arm and I grabbed it with my other hand. At the time I couldn't figure out where the other rod had come from and thought I was grabbing the other half of a 2 piece rod. It was only later did I figure out that I must have kicked in the other rod on my way over.

I surfaced with a rod in each hand and my pouch hanging loose on the gunnel. The whole thing was surreal and I would of given quite a chunk of cash to have had a video of the whole sorry episode. I was fortunate that I got everything back.

So you are at least partially correct Pascanell.........not all Loomis rods float (but some certainly do!)

You are the Obi Wan of fishing....Have you ever fished without dumping all your gear in the water?

mastertangler wrote on May 25^th, 2013 at 6:12pm:

Newell offshore reels are all graphite and I believe that helped quite a bit.

Seriously? The gears and bearings and everything? What do they recommend for lubricant or don't they need any?

db wrote on May 26^th, 2013 at 6:31am:

mastertangler wrote on May 25th, 2013 at 6:12pm: Newell offshore reels are all graphite and I believe that helped quite a bit. Seriously? The gears and bearings and everything? What do they recommend for lubricant or don't they need any?

Don't be silly......the spool, side plates (other than a stainless outer ring) and housing are all graphite making the Newells tops in lightweight and corrosion resistance. A common mistake amongst the Newell crowd is to not lubricate the gears in their reels.

  (You need to Login or Register

Thanks Pascanell for the Obi Wan reference. Certainly one of the "good guys" and on the right team. I like talking fishing and am transparent here.......how about you? Or do we have just another sharpshooter who hides behind a rock waiting for an opportunity for a snide remark?

My point was, Obi Wan has a knack at dropping his light saber at inopportune times.  You seem to drop your gear in the water quite a bit.

Also, it sounds like you have a lot of very high end gear...good for you.  You should start your own topic. 
This topic began with a question about purchasing a decent fishing rod, suitable for a canoe trip and turned into a few bogus stories about extremely high end gear that floats and some Cuban guy.  So I ask, who is the sniper here?

Think what you want, rolled my boat once and some nitwit "helped" my stuff into the water.

You twice contested my comment that Loomis rods float going so far as to call Loomis (kinda weird if you ask me) and in essence calling me a fibber. Can't let that stand so we go your way and try to politely take the gloves off (or shall we say the light sabers on  ;) ).

I had tried to steer the conversation towards a bit of humor if you remember correctly.

In any event yes I do have more high end fishing stuff than a man of my meager means should have but the point being, and as I have already attempted to make, that it is more fun IMO to fish with quality gear.

And I will repeat my previous stance that IMO the best value for an exceptional quality rod at a good price is St. Croix and not Loomis.

But I agree........I would prefer not to use my light saber to have to deflect cheap shots. Hopefully the stories provided were at least mildly interesting as the biggest miscue is to be boring (which I do try and avoid).

Hopefully the dustup is over and we can go back to talking about what you refer to as "catfish rods". One thing is certain, the catfish rods are all but indestructible which reminds me of another story........did I ever tell you about the time my canoe partner broke BOTH his rods in the little beaver pond leading to Jeff? Well it happened this way............. ::) ::) ::)

MT - you said they were all graphite. I think someone said the same thing recently. Didn't seem right but who knows? I'm not a gearhead like many of you so I asked this time.

Here's a picture of my last (current) outfit with an average bass for scale.   (You need to Login or Register

Broke that rod on a snag 10 yrs later. Now it seems Cabelas offers a 25 year warranty on that XML. As I watched a yard of tip go under following the line I knew it was my own damn fault as I've seen that same visual (+6") before....

I bought another just like it since I liked that rod a lot and it was my mistake. Are you guys saying I can take it back and they will give me a new one? I still have all three pieces! I thought of asking if I could purchase only the half that broke but like I said, it was my own damn fault and being a dick about things isn't how I was brought up.

Rod companies have tightened up a bit on their "here'e a new one, no questions asked" of years ago. Loomis now charges $100 for a replacement (no questions asked  ;D ). But that is not to say that the competition between companies does put some pressure on them to try and make you happy.

As for Cabelas I would be down there in a heartbeat. It's not like you slammed the rod into your car door or something.........Very nice pic BTW, nice marking on the fish.

Speaking of return policies >REI has a no questions asked on gear return if you are unsatisfied for any reason. That can lead to quite a bit of abuse. I gave my pal and his kid a MSR Taj 3 man tent for a Quetico trip with repeated instructions to check the fly for leaks as I had not used it in close to a decade. After the night from hell in which the tent leaked like a sieve he returned it to REI recounting his disaster. They gave him full credit for another tent. Crazytown!

Maui Jim sunglasses will put new lenses into your glasses for $60 after their 2 year warranty has expired. Keep them in to much heat for to long and they will delaminate  :'( . 

Spoons sink though and are good for dragging the bottom to find that rod that did not.

  (You need to Login or Register

after my trip this year (trip report to follow in the next few days), i had a bit of extra cash set aside that was quickly spent at gander on my way home (dont tell the wife!). i was looking at new rods, just kinda putzing around. i normally bring a baitcaster for trolling, sometimes 2, and then a jig rod. my jig rods are all light action and either really short or really long. my baitcasters are 6ft to 6'6". i was meandering through gander and saw that st croix had a $15 rebate on select models. i have a st croix legend elite muskie rod(refurbished) that i really like, so i played around with the ones on rebate. my brother has a nice st croix 7 ft spinning medium action one he uses for trolling. i picked up one of the triumph series rods (st croixs budget/value series) and i was super impressed. it was so light, so sensitive, so nice, i got a 7ft, medium action, fast tip, 2 piece, that way i can troll and jig all on the same rod! plus, it fills the niche rod i didnt have