Swimbait/umbrella Rig Rod

[MOsmallies]

I'm looking to buy a new combo for throwing Swimbaits and Umbrella Rigs this Fall/Winter. I'm pretty dead set on the Lew's Super Duty Speed Spool SD1H reel (6.4:1), but I'm looking for suggestions on the rod. I'm looking for the following features...

- Around 7'6" H

- Split Grip preferable

- Biggest swimbaits are 2 oz. or under (5" Bull Shads) and I mainly throw junior sized A-Rigs (e.g. Picasso School E Rig Bait Ball Jr or Eco Pro Tungsten Roll Tide Junior Rig).

- Something light and comfortable to throw these relatively heavy baits all day.

- $200 is about my max

Let me know your thoughts and what you use.

Thanks,

MOsmallies

[J-Doc]

I bought a St Croix Mojo bass rod that's 8ft long and handles up to 3oz weights.

It's a lightweight pool cue and I can run out of 50lb braid in a cast. It flat launches an a-rig or a deep diving crankbait. It's still sensitive enough to be used as a c-rig rod too. Good for big heavy 1oz football jigs too. Great rod and lightweight considering its backbone strength. Highly recommend it.

You definately need a rod that can handle up to 2-3oz min. Take a 1/8oz weight, multiply times 5 (or 3 in your case for MO) then add 1/4oz for the main weight, then add the weight of the plastics and you're around 2.5-3oz easy.

[Bill Babler]

You might take a look at the Falcon Bucco. They have a dedicated swimbait/umbrella rod that is very price and performance efficient. Also take a very close look at Lew's. They have at least 4 models of swimbait/umbrella rods at different price and performance levels.

All will meet and exceed your demands. You can spend more like the Falcon Cara and Signature series and the St. Croix rods, but lets face it you are throwing a bucket, really don't need to have an IM 14 rod for that.

Good Luck

[J-Doc]

I got my St Croix for around $100 at Bass Pro.

And yes Bill. A stump finding bucket at that! Darn things find everything in the lake which is why I use 50lb braid. Just reel down and pull straight back. A strong reel seat is just as important. I pull using the reel too. Less stress on the rod.

[Bill Babler]

I got my St Croix for around $100 at Bass Pro.

And yes Bill. A stump finding bucket at that! Darn things find everything in the lake which is why I use 50lb braid. Just reel down and pull straight back. A strong reel seat is just as important. I pull using the reel too. Less stress on the rod.

Good information on the St. Crouch. Did not know that had a lower end dedicated Umbrella Rig Rod. Tks.

[J-Doc]

I’ll have to look up the model number because I can’t find it online now. I want to say it was a saltwater series in shore rod. It wasn’t “dedicated” to the A-rig. Nothing was at the time I bought it. Everyone was simply finding the biggest rods they could. That’s why I like this one. It’s light enough that you don’t feel like you’re heaving a big catfish rod and still has a good sensitivity to it that you can feel a subtle bite (not that an A-rig bite is ever subtle but can be).

I literally run out of line on a good cast. I’m using an Academy Sports Mettle baitcaster and it will out cast my Shimano reels. I bought it because it was cheap and it’s actually become a favorite reel so I bought 4 of them. J

[riverfish]

no doubt on that mettle they had them on sale for 25 bucks the last two black firday events...talk about a bargain! and a pretty darn good reel too

[Lvn2Fish]

I use an Abu Garcia Veritas 7'9 heavy action. It's light and very affordable at about 80 bucks. FYI Lew's makes thier new BB1PRO in a deep spool model. That thing would cast forever.

[tse90]

You might take a look at the Falcon Bucco. They have a dedicated swimbait/umbrella rod that is very price and performance efficient. Also take a very close look at Lew's. They have at least 4 models of swimbait/umbrella rods at different price and performance levels.

All will meet and exceed your demands. You can spend more like the Falcon Cara and Signature series and the St. Croix rods, but lets face it you are throwing a bucket, really don't need to have an IM 14 rod for that.

Good Luck

+1

Picked up one of their swimbait/a rig rods a couple weeks ago and it's stellar. Handles the bigger baits very well...plus they're local. Head on into Sportmans in Springfield and I'm sure they'd be happy to show you all the variations they've got.

[J-Doc]

Springfield has a Sportsman's Warehouse???????? I didn't know that.