Need advice, I have a customer that wants a 10-11 ft. crappie rod. It can be graphite, fiberglas or composition but it must have the backbone to lift a 2 lb. crappie sraight up out of the brush and tree roots. On the same hand hand it must have a senstive tip to drop jigs straight down into the holes. He does not want the B&M poles imported locally as he says he keeps breaking them? Thanks.
Sam Fox
Foxrods
Columbus MS

Sam I recently finished a 11'6'' crappie rod for a guy. I used a Batson forecast 2005 spey rod 7 wt. I don't think he has used it yet but when he put it together and played with it he was very pleased. It seems to have some backbone and the tip is very sensitive.I will give him a call and see if he has baptized it yet.In my mind the way they use these crappie rods they are just glorified cane poles. No insult intended.I grew up in East Texas and caught a lot of crappie on cane poles although we called them white perch. hope this helps Gregg

Sorry Sam I forgot to mention I got the blank from Scheider's Rod Shop listed to the left in the list of sponsers. Gregg

BATSON FORECAST SPEY ROD
F-116-6/7-4 Dark Blue Gloss 11'6" 4-pc 6/7-SPEY
0.500" 5.0-64ths Med-Fast 3.30oz. ~$66.30-Add

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2006 10:10AM by Cliff Hall.

No matter what blank you use -

Most of the "crappy" fishermen and fisherwomen value the $ 0.25 cent jigs over the $ 82.00 rod. When they decide to stick the rod down in the submerged tree top they have only one thing in mind - I do not want to break the line, loose my jig and have to retie. Another day another broken rod tip!

Gon Fishn

I am like Greg. I too am from East Texas, Panola and Greg counties. I make a lot of crappie rods most of which are ultra lites for crappie jig fishing. Cliff has the best blank without a doubt. I just shipped one to Lake Fork up in East Texas. I was pleased with the outcome. Good Luck,

UMMMM...you know the biggest thing I miss down here on the coast is CRAPPIE FISHING. Has nothing to do with this post........just a thought.

Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

Thanks, seems like the spey rod blank is the way to go. I agree Bill but you know the story, customer swears he doesn't do things like that. However if he is willing to pay the price then who am I to argue. By the way I've seen crapppie referred to as crappy, white perch, speckled perch and you probably know the Cajun name for them that I cannot pronounce. At any rate same fish and some good eatin I guarantee.
By the way Cliff, I started building rods in Gainesville back in about 1977 or 78. Are the specks still good at Newnan's lake and Lochloosa?
Sam Fox
Foxrods
Columbus MS

To: Sam Fox <[email protected]>
Wow, Sam - small world - Newnan's Lake WAS a phenomenal crappie lake in the late 1970's & early 1980's. Then things went severely downhill for almost the next 20 years. Ironically, in the midst of that fishery collapsing, ~1988 Rick Watson, son of Ray "Mr. Ray's, the Barber" Watson, caught a 3#15oz Black Crappie on Newnan's Lake. Around the same time one year, there was a huge Crappie-thon tournament on the Twin Lakes (Orange & Lochloosa) around Cross Creek. With lots of big-sponsor money. Unfortunately, there were more boats entered than crappies caught.

This year (2005-2006) things are coming back, but I will e-mail you later today. Gary Simpson is still around at the Tackle Box. He had a close call with leukemia, but was spared. Judy Clark took over the TB full-time after her father, Mr. Charles Clark passed away ~10 years ago. "Cookie" (Sylvia) is still around, too. The GOFC is still going strong, and Billy "BillyStiX" McDaniel is bigger & selling more than ever. ... Like I says, I'm going to sleep, and will write more later, after I get some sleep. ... Send more questions to cmkmhall@ufl.edu, especially if I can look up an old friend for you. Bye for now, Cliff Hall+++, Gainesville, FL-USA*****



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2006 02:08AM by Cliff Hall.