i have a customer wanting a crankbait rod built. it will be a 6'6'" med. What I am wondering is there any major advantage to fiberglass over graphite? I kind of have it narrowed down to either the St Croix 1C66MM fiberglass and the Lamiglas excel XL841E graphite. Any one have any preferences on either oft he two blank or any other recommendations of a good crankbait blank in that price range?

Seeker CBS705 or 706 best of all worlds. Graphite outer, glass inner with glass tip. SUPERB! Best Cranker I have ever owned. Trim back six inches if you feel the need.

Bingham had them at one point. Still might. Mud Hole is another place to look.

What application is he using it for. If open water ledge fishing the lamiglas may be the best fit. If dock fishing, you may want to consider other options. It is nice to have stopping power in heavy cover or hairy situations. I do use glass tipped or glass/graphite composite rods for dock fishing to have the forgiveness to allow the bait to get in the mouth of the fish well and the graphite butt will you give you the ability to "steer" the fish and still enjoy the precision of using a 6'6" rod. Using mstad triple grip or EWG trebles from gammy helps also.

Need more info...

experience level of customer?
how is he using it (ledges, grass, timber, etc)?
fishing locations (open water, river)?
what type of cranks (depth, weight, etc)?
type of line being used?

Not knocking either of those, but there are better options IMO.

I think the Seeker model is the BS706-S. You don't want the other BS706.

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No, it is what I listed. CBS705 and CBS706.

I build more crankbait rods than any other type and nearly all are graphite. The biggest advantage of graphite is the weight savings. The graphite blank may weigh half as much as the glass. I don't build any crankbait rods that short, but I can tell you in the longer lengths, the graphite blanks I use have just as soft a tip as the glass blanks though the recovery rate is much different between the two. The feel is very different between glass and graphite and I occasionally get a guy that has a strong preference for one. Otherwise, I try to match his needs and techniques with the right blank.

John, there are major advantages to fiberglass over graphite - when it comes to crankbaits - but it depends greatly on the level of the angler. If you're building for a relative novice lean toward graphite - it will serve them well. If the angler is at the Pro level (or thinks he is) go with fiberglass.

I get a few calls from the very best Elite anglers on tour that want to upgrade their crank rods - there is only one choice for them - the Seeker BassSpinning-706 S-glass has no peer at that level. The decision of what's best is never cut and dried - there is a vast range of good choices - that depend on the level of the angler. Seeker makes several different glass and composite blanks that are tops - while most of the graphite crank blanks are just fine for a certain level of angler.

Peter - Maybe you are offering another option?

Take a look at Seeker's catalog

“S” GLASSBASS BLANKS
Model No.LengthLine Size LURE WGT. Tip SizeButt Size
BS706”S” 7' 10 (12) 20 3/8–1 5 1/2 .785
BC706”S” 7' 12 (15) 25 1/2–1 6 .795

Different blank than this:
BASS CASTING & SPINNING ROD BLANKS
Model No. Length Line Size Lure WGT. Tip Size Butt Size
CBS705 7'0" 8 (10) 15 3/8–3/4 5 .575
CBS706 7'0" 8 (12) 20 1/2–1 5 1/2 .580

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Richard, what are the exact #'s of the blank you speak of please, as shown above there are a couple.

Thanks,

DR

I thought you were correcting my model numbers. I see now that you were talking about a different blank. Sorry, my mistake.

So, what is it about the customer's experience level that is important? I figure the graphite will give you a little more responsive feel when banging cover, and maybe the experienced angler with glass will already have his "feel" developed enough to not need it... ?? I guess I'm wondering at what point I should steer someone toward glass, and vice versa... I understand you want the give of glass on the take with a moving bait, but why would an "average angler" not be better off with glass over graphite?

Good question Kyle. I have my ideas from other styles of fishing and I'd imagine is has to do with how the tip vibrates. For what I do it can help to tell the difference between a lure/bait running one properly or one fouled with debris or poorly rigged. I'll be looking to see what the correct answer is as well.

It's not necessarily about feel. If I remember correctly (and hopefully Rich will correct me) the logic behind a glass blank for pro level fishermen is because of the speed they are setting the hook. Don't confuse that with rod movement speed, but more when they are setting the hook in the timeline of the fish bite.

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I am still trying to get a handle on this whole concept. First, isn't the BS706S a fast blank? Second, if it is a matter of a highly experienced pro setting the hook too fast...well, can't he just discipline himself to ease up? What am I missing?

I like the feel of graphite for my crank rods ( I have a BS706S in my shopping cart now). I use mono or co-poly. I want to feel it if I have a three inch piece of weed hanging on the back hook. Can I do that with glass? I really want to know what I am missing.

Fiberglass is an acquired taste. Once you use it a bunch you will get used to it and not use much else in my belief for the proper application. I really don't believe the whole speed of pros vs. joes hookset. Kind of weird, fished with numerous pros and they are all unique just as ourselves. My whole deal is use what you have confidence in. If you do feel you can improve in what you are doing then going to new material may be worth a try. If you do try it though please give it, its fair trial. It took me a full two years of offshore ledge fishing to truly start seeing the advantages of glass over graphite. Each glass feels different also. There are also some baits and applications that negate the use of glass. Unfortunately instead of building rods this is one of those deals where you need to be on the water yourself instead of hearing reviews from friends or clients.

Something I preach to those looking into glass for deep ledge/point/flat cranking:
The key to a crankbait rod is its action. It needs to be a parabolic action rod (glass), so maybe the feel you are looking for, may not be the best action for the application. I use glass almost exclusively for deep cranking tank dams, ledges and similar situations. The idea is that trebles are pulled from a fishes mouth easier than single hook applications. That is the reason for the soft action almost through the butt of the rod. This absorption of energy also has a side benefit of being less taxing on the body. When coupled with a low gear ratio reel, it is actually becomes easy to cast and wind deep cranks all day long. You also benefit with the low ratio reel by adding more kick to deflections when the bait hits the bottom because of the slower line take-up.

It is more difficult to cast a glass rod as it actually stores more potential energy than graphite rods. This is done by its slower action, but when converted to kinetic you will see longer casting distances. Another benefit of glass. You do need to cast the rod at a slower pace to allow the rod to store as much energy as possible to throw the bait farther. In reality a 7' glass rod can store as much energy as most 7'6" graphite rods when casted properly.

Some recommendations for glass rods are:
Lamiglas- SR705/SR765
American Rodsmiths- DF70MH/DF76MH/DF711MH
St Croix- PGC70MMF

Tom - Do you have the info in Rich's book containing the logic behind the glass vs graphite for moving bait techniques? Rich used a basic matrix to explain (novice to pro) at the ICRBE seminar.

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John, I would suggest meet with the customer, if you have not done so, and ask him to show you how he holds the current rod he uses for crankbaits. Plus quiz him on the types of baits he is wanting to fish. The 6'-6" is pretty short for most CBaits. Especially if he is throwing the bigger CBs that run in the 14 to 16 ft range. How long of rear grip does he want? The last 2 orders I have had are for CB rods, both for men with physical problems. One a bad shoulder, the other a gentleman with sever curveature of the spine. The rods, because of the men's ability to set a hook, were the same. 7 ft rod with a 10" rear grip. It all was dictated by the size of baits and how they had to hold a rod just to crank and handle a hookset. As the gentlemen above have indicated, crankbaits cover a large spectrum of choices and that's not even counting lipless CBs. If he is looking to throw light baits such as a Shad Rap or a small Bandit, you might consider an inshore popping rod. All of these comments assumes he is wanting a baitcasting rod.

The bottom line - lost fish. For the recreational angler - it's called an early release - and not that big of a deal. For the touring Pro - it's a disaster! If you or your customer is content with the number of lost fish - change nothing. However, I have never had a touring pro improve their catch ratio when cranking by going to a higher grade graphite - the solution has always been the very best S-glass I could find for the chosen lure. In almost every case this has been the Seeker BS706S-glass blank. Fiberglass and graphite both have their place - the hard part is figuring out where that is - for the skill level of a particular angler. Graphite crank blanks are fun to use because of their lighter weight and sensitivity - glass crank blanks are more forgiving and for a given power will tear out fewer hooks and miss fewer fish. Going for cranking fun - consider graphite - going for money, consider fiberglass.

The pros count the fish only when they are safely in the bottom of the boat. The action and power of the blank used to build a crank rod rod are crucial. One of the key words in this subject matter is EVOLUTION. The pros developed their affinity for the glass blank during the time of single modulus blanks. When attempts were made to lighten the rod by use of single high modulus from butt to tip the stiffness and action mix for the correct crank bait power and action made the rods entirely too stiff and or fragile. It has only been a very short time that blank manufacturers targeting this specific technique have utilized multi modulus fiber lay ups to create similar action and power by using lower modulus fibers on the tip section for "softness" and higher modulus materials on the butt end.

Many of the Elites have only used glass rods and have never given the multi modulus graphites a test ride. All of the builder's that have sat in Rich's class at High Point realize the value of his opinion. Rich now has a graphite multi modulus eight foot, four power micro, all on top, rod in his possession, donated by the M&Ms, for comparative testing side by side with the preferred glass composite standard.

We will all be looking forward to his comparison of action, power and evaluation of the single size micro guides.

Would it not be possible to greatly increase the sensitivity of a fiberglass rod by using very low stretch braided spectra line, and might it similarly be possible to make a crankbait on a graphite rod behave like a crankbait on a fiberglass rod by the relatively simple expedient of spooling up with high-stretch monofilament line? Changing lines would be a simple and inexpensive alternative to building or buying more fishpoles and hauling them around.