i havent even made a cast yet with a swimbait. but i just placed my first order and am already looking for a good rod. so i was wondering what people thought about the brand new crucials? i know they are hard to get but ill be able to get good deals on them, so im not worried about price, just theyre function and ability to be used with certain baits. for example there is one that is a 7'11" heavy, medium action rated for 5"-8" baits and 15-30lb line. i just order a 9" castaic real bait, castaic sunfish, 7" mission fish, and 6.5" charlie. is there a rod that would all of these adequately? like i said ive never even fished one and cant really test anything unless i buy it.

I have the 7'11" Heavy and it works fine for all of those baits. It loads easy and doesn't wear you out throwing them. I have no complaints with mine.

well they look awesome. ive got mine on back order and should recieve it sometime in decemeber. right now all i have is a shimano clarus 7'6" heavy flippin rod. what results can i expect if i use that to throw the baits i mentioned early? thanks guys

I think it might be the wrong taper for what you're looking to do. For the mission fish it will be fine, but for the bigger swim baits you should hold out for the other rod. I found a medium or medium fast taper has been a good for me. It allows you to load the rod easy for casting and it doesn't tear up your shoulder when throwing all day. I also found that I wasn't pulling the bait out of there mouth as easy as before with faster taper rods. I hope this helps but remember this is my style and that might not necessarily be the way any one else fishes

yeah i understand what your saying. i know the clarus flippin rod i have now is not ideal, but im hoping it will do until the crucial one is available. from what im understanding and guessing is that the medium taper is better for swimbaits because of what you said, it doesnt rip the lure from the fish. now im mainly trying to figure out if i only need a crucial heavy w/med. fast taper? or if i will be limited in the size of baits i can throw with the rod? im guessing the biggest lure i would throw would be the 9" castaic real bait. any more thoughts?

arent the crucials crankbait rods?

sam

there is a slew of them, crank sticks, drop shot, swimbait, etc.-

yeah ive already order three or four of them. i just have to wait until they come in. i was wanting to throw either the castaic large bluegill or the 9" castaic real bait with my 7'6" clarus heavy flippin stick, until my crucial rod came it. but im guessing its not even worth it?

you can use that rod for it but you can easily pull the bait out of there mouth when they strike. I have lost several fish becuase the rod was too stiff and had no give. Just think of a topwater/crankbait rod, they both give a little to help them take the bait down with out spitting it as easy. same concept with swimbait rods or at least that's what I think.

yeah thats what im thinking too. i just dont want to buy a temporary rod while i wait on the crucials. i wonder if i could get by with a loosely set drag, to prevent over setting the hook?

What I do is not really swing on the fish but I just keep a steady wind and a low sweep of the rod and that generally does the trick. The Crucials should be available in December sometime I know that's a long time to wait, but try my method in the meantime and you should be fine.

thanks for the help. ill try that.