GLoomis CBR903 Crankbait Rod

[RickK]

Looking through the Gloomis Rod selection at Reed’s. The Walleye Crankbait Series CBR903 looks like a very versatile rod. Something I could use with a regular bait casting reel for cranks and plugs. Then put on a SG27LC with Fireline and long line, or pull small planners. Would also work well for casting lures in Barnegat Bay, NJ for Stripers and Weaks. Anyone have any experience with this rod.

Hmmm…wonder if Reed’s will give me a good price on two combos

Rick

[livebait]

I am a bit curious why youd want to use a premium rod for trolling when you dont need it?

[RickK]

Good Question, I'm trying to find a Rod that I can use for other
types of lure presentation. After looking at the specs. on this Rod
I figured I can use it for casting cranks and plugs, bouncers, and
slip sinker rigs, and even spinner baits and rubber worms for bass.
I have two ABU Garcia TP5600C casting reels that would match up with these rods very nicely. By purchaseing two Daiwa SG27LCW counter reels I can use them for flatlineing or pulling planners. I will not be trolling all the time. I fish big and small lakes,rivers and also saltwater. I'm also an avid fly fisherman. I know that there is no one rod that can do everything ( so the rod manufactures say )but a 7.5 foot med.rod is just a ( a 7.5 foot med. rod )it's just a tool to catch fish. I would rather invest is a good sensitive,well built rod backed by a good warranty and get as much use out of it as I can.
Rick

[REW]

It is interesting that you mention this rod.
I pulled up the catalog and noted that this has a power rating of 3.
This means that this is a "very beefy" rod for a typical rod.


Lots of walleyes are caught on rods with a power rating of 0.

If you are going to run inline planer boards it will be a great rod. Plenty of beef to handle the drag of the board.

I expect that it would also have enough beef to handle a dipsy.

I think that in general - it would probably be quite a bit too stiff - if you were going to run - only a crankbait - without any kind of board.

If you are going to do that - you should have a rod, with a power rating of about 0 or 1. i.e. a light or medium light rod, works much better if you are going to be running crank baits - without any boards or dipsys.

You also - mention using it on the coast for surf casting. It should work fine for that application - as a matter of fact - probably better for that application, than even for trolling.

However, even - for that application, there are better rods out there - that will work better.

If you are going to be casting in the surf - you are generally better off with a rod that is longer than 7 1/2 feet. An 8-12 foot rod - will get your bait further into the surf - and that is the key in surf casting - "distance". Distance - means rod length. Longer = longer casts.

--
Having said that - your choice of a compromise rod - would probably work quite well.

--
It is interesting that you mention this particular rod. Over the last couple of years - I have picked up a couple of St. Croix 8' surf casting rod blanks - that are almost identical to the rod that you are talking about.

I use these rods exclusively for running cranks and for small in line planer boards, with very excellent results. I have built up these rods, with # 18 reel seats - an 18 inch back grip and an 8 inch fore grip. They work very well - either hand held, or in a rod holder.
Since, we are limited to a single rod in Minnesota - I made the handles of cork - because I will be hand holding these rods a bit - even though I am trolling. If the effort to hold them gets to be too great - I will put them in the rod holder.

Typically - I run with 10 -20 lb fire line on this rod all the time, and it works very well.

So - if you use this rod - in this very specialized application - it will work very well for you.

If you try to use it for a lighter fishing application - you will be very disappointed - because it is much too heavy for lighter applications.

Actually - with the power rating of 3 - you could actually use it for musky fishing with out any problems. Certainly fishing for big northerns would be an ideal application for this rod as well.

Take care
REW

[mike 1410]

I have a Loomis CBR843 and an 845 that I use for crankbait fishing. The 843 is not a "beefy" rod. Loomis rates every series of rods for their intended application - so a crankbait 3 power rod will not be as stiff as a MBR 3 power. I regularily throw 1/4 to 1/2 oz lures on the 843. I would guess (but don't know for sure) that the 903 will be slightly softer with the added length. It is true in the MBR series.