20 Best Crappie Rods For Jigging (2023 Updated)

I’ve been fishing for many years evidenced by my equipment made in America then Japan then Korea and now China. I’ve bought very good quality equipment but mostly very good value equipment like this rod.

The 13′ and 15′ surf rods I own are hard to handle and with an RV purchase in the near future would have been too much for my rod case so I bought this 9′ and hoped for the best. Except for minor issues; some coating drips on top of (no issue with performance) the largest eye and a bit of material that could be left or nipped off it’s near perfect.

I bought it knowing the eyes were not lined but I use monofilament and fish opportunity permits so it’s of little concern to me. If you like braided line this might be a concern for you. It performed very well with my Daiwa long cast 5500 on the Severn River with casts well beyond 50 yards during today’s calm.

I bought this in a 6’6″ MH to take on a 4 day inshore Snook fishing trip in South Florida. I paired it with a 4000 size reel , 20# braid, and we were fishing live finger mullet with 30# leader and circle hooks.

It may have been overkill but I did wench a couple of 30″+ fish out of deep cover with no issues. I don’t think it is a true inshore rod but it served for this purpose and ended up being the perfect tool for the job.

I would totally buy it again. It is well built, nicely finished, and tough as nails. The line guides on this thing are so beefy it just looks sick, but it is also super light. I use the ugly stik elite series rods that I pair with 2500 size reels for bass and I think the Tiger Elite is a hair lighter.

I make it down to salt 3 or 4 times a year and this rod will serve as my “big game” live bait inshore rod. It is a beast of a rod.

You can easily spend $200. + hard earned dollars on a very nice St. Croix, Shimano or similar high end rod, or you can spend $79. on the equivalent Ugly Stik Elite series rod and be very happy, for on average a 1/3 of the cost.

I recently took this new rod to the Everglades National park where we caught Snook, Tarpon, Seatrout, Drum, etc, and it was an absolute joy to use. Lightweight, ergonomic grips, & stainless steel guides with no inserts to fall out.

This is a great line of rods for those who demand performance at an affordable price. If you happen to break one of these rods (I never have in 40 years) you can always purchase 3 more for less than one rod from the overpriced competition!.

I have been fishing this rod since it was introduced. Very light and sensitive but can also haul the big ones in. I have several different brands of jigging rods and this one is my go to.

I vertical jig in heavy cover 8 to 15 feet deep most of the time. Does a great job of getting slabs up quick , preventing them from hanging you up. This rod is very light (4 ounces) and very sensitive making it a pleasure to fish all day.

Thanks B&M for a great product.

Been jigging for crappie over 30 years. Have tried many different jigging rods, this one is the best I have tried. Super sensitive and strong backbone

First let me say “I have been fishing for decades” and if you have ever used one of these, you would instantly know the rod is perfect for small pan fish species and will haul in slabs of 2+lbs if need be.

A chunky. 75 lb fish is no match for these rods if fished as intended. Almost any modern rod with the newly designed carbon high modulus systems is subject to crack if high sticked or bounced around snapping snags and whipping against another object like a tree limb.

These rods are not Ugly Sticks and are refined tools to better catch finicky types with out bulling them in the boat or on shore. If you haven’t fished a St. Croix rod in decades then you surely know ZERO about these improved systems with precise feel, bend, strength, recover, speed, and glide.

They will impress a person who truly enjoys fishing and not hung up on made in America. After all, G. Loomis sold out to Shimano, a Japanese company and nobody poo poos either in quality or consistency of great innovation and products.

St Croix designed these with months of expert advice and input from the panfish angler community. Changes were made over dozens of prototypes and designs. Refined yet subtle changes were made to these rods in order to offer all Anglers a real value at an affordable price.

You will not find a single rod comparable to this series. They are exceptional and I own 3 of them. If Tackle Direct has these in inventory, the do buy if needed or wanted. At the most recent St. Croix customer appreciation day event (June 2020), St.

Croix sold out of these rods in the first two days of the weekend. I have been wanting a Panfish casting but all they offer is a 5′-6″ UL. When the make a ML or even L in 6 foot, talk to me. I’m all ears.

So for now, enjoy the spinning rod of your best Crappie experience. And tell the man who gave p on St. Croix decades ago, he’s full of bait and no fish!.

As winter dawned on the northeast US, I wanted a rod that was light enough for the target species (crappie, trout, etc. ) but could also handle the larger predators that roam around (such as pickerel and walleye) and still have a blast.

I noted that the pan fish series had a fresh redesign and I had to get my hands on one of their rods. I ended up ordering the 6. 4″ 1pc rod to have it paired with a daiwa legalis 1000 I had laying around.

When I got the rod, I was very pleased with the secure reel seat and the split grip handle, as well as the choice of guides that is perfect for mono or flouro. The sensitivity of the blank is very good, the action is well tuned and the parabolic bend is to my liking.

I first used simple tackle like jig heads and night crawlers, or a simple hook and split shot method, and I was very pleased to sense the lethargic bites of multiple panfish, but I was incredibly surprised with how it stayed in control of a surprise sizeable largemouth bass! This was also fantastic with inline spinners and small plastics, in which I had a great brown trout trip right before the deep freeze occurred.

Overall I am very content with the quality put into this rod at this price point. Im sure that this rod will excell in jigging techniques for early spring fishing for the fine fare panfish. I am happy to have this in the arsenal and cant wait to use it off the kayak.

Really happy with this rod having moderate action with the ultralight. Only thing I was unhappy with the rod was delivered with some imperfections on the cork. I have over a dozen St. Croix rods and don’t except that to happen to one of there rods.

St. Croix rods are amazing. The ML 8′ eyecon walleye rod is unbeatable for jigging, and for casting those lightweight jig heads far beyond the rest. You feel every rock on the bottom and every bump from finicky walleye.

They have quality rods for every specific species, and for different presentations. Super light weight and perfectly balanced. You feel the quality as soon as you pick one up for the first time. If you haven’t tried one, don’t delay.

You won’t want to use any other brand again, that’s a fact.

This is my first 8′ ML action rod I have ever purchased. Came in yesterday, and went to the river last night to try it out on a few small walleye. Was easily casting jigs 10 to 15 yards further than everyone else.

I was concerned that ML may not handle the nice fish, no longer a concern. Caught a 6 pound walleye, and the rod performed great. I’m hooked. From now on St. Ctoix Rods are the only fishing rods for me.

I bought this rod to up my game as far as catching more walleye. Lucky I have a buddy who takes me out and the most I was catching was maybe 1 or 2 at the most. I sucked. First time out with this rod and I hooked and released 1-10 pounder, 1-11 pounder and another nice 6 pounder.

Unbelievable feel. So very happy with this rod! Thanks St. Croix.

Quality is there, but I ordered the Medium and its more like a medium bass rod. Not much backbone. Very slim, not great for big hands. I wound not use this for vertical jigging on anything more than a 100 grams (3.

5 ounces) and 80 would be better. Its so light a Penn 5000 size is really too heavy for it. It has a slow action, so for casting metal, I really wouldnt recommend it for that, as a jigging rod, its only so so.

Shimano tends to run light so a 5000 size would work, but its really better paired with a lighter reel, 4000-4500 and most of us would not consider that size reel for jigging. So, maybe in the MH or Heavy, this is a totally different review.

But I wouldnt recommend the medium, there are better options out their. So its not great for casting, very limited for vertical jigging, its not really great for anything, but it does have Daiwa quality, and at $100 its a pretty good entry level price.

Id limit your jig to 2 ounces and I think it would perform well, but the medium just cant handle any more than that. It just doesnt have the snap. The Shimano or Tsunami are better and about the same price.

So I would not recommend the Medium action, unless you throw light metal, sort of a light style of fishing. If so, your getting a great rod for the money, but forany thing else I wouldnt recommend it for anything over a couple ounces.

A heavier action in may be very different but avoid the Medium. Fluke, blue fish in the Northeast, sure, but youre not going to pull up Grouper, Red snapper, or amberjack in the South. If youre targeting 10lb fish its a joy, super lightweight, but it wont really handle big stripers, big redfish, cobia, big kings, big jacks, blackfin tuna, or any heavy jigs, so thats why I gave it 4 stars, it wasnt what I expect it to be and its limited in what it can do – at least in the Medium Action.

I used the Daiwa HRX58XHS halibut fishing in Alaska. The rod is very light weight to handle and extremely strong, handled big halibut no problem and easy to jig. This rod is very strong as I was leaving tackle on the bottom of the ocean which weighed a bit more than the halibut we caught.

I totally recommend this rod, soft tip with a stiff back makes those fishing trips much more enjoyable. Thanks Discount Tackle.

I was very excited when my Harrier X came in and when I opened it, it came with a fabric rod case that was an added bonus for me. Great customer service from the time that I ordered it up until I received it, and a little bit after.

The rod is very lightweight and looks incredible. It casts very well and handles everything you throw at it.

I absolutely love my Sam Heaton rods!!! I have 2 seven footers and a nine foot rod. In the process of buying a couple more. Love to cast slip floats and jigs for big bream with all of them. I especially like fishing the nine footer.

It’s an absolute blast watching it bend double while fighting big bull gills and shell crackers. Has the same action as a nine foot fly rod.

First, this is a good deal from Walmart. com and a very quick ship, packed securely. For the past six years, I’ve used a 12′ Sam Heaton Super Sensitive rod for deeper water presentations, slow fall technique, for bull-bluegill in mid-west strip pits.

So I’m familiar with the product line. And I had specific uses in mind for this 9′ rod, fishing shallower depths for panfish. The 9′ Sam’s Super Sensitive rod is lightweight, balanced, and true to its name, is highly sensitive.

And the shorter length makes this rod much easier to use in smaller boats and when fishing in close quarters. I’m glad to have this new addition to my lineup.

I have the 9ft version of this rod. I absolutely love this rod. You can feel any action on the line. I usually vertical jig for Crappie with Power Pro braided line with a minnow on a 1 hook about 12-18 in above the jig.

Even with the smaller minnows, I can feel them moving. I accidentally broke my pole after getting snagged on a rock. The power pro line was too strong and when I tried to pop the line, I guess I put too much pressure on the rod and broke the last tip off.

The rod still works well enough to use as a spare rod for guests or friends, but I am buying another for myself. Also noted, I have caught 20 inch Striper Bass with this thing so I don’t believe durability is an issue.

Nicely packaged, unfortunately have not used this yet. Seems very light in the tip, not extremely rigid feeling. I’m sure it’s a great rod though, initial thoughts are that it seems kinda chincy or simply made.

Not A very rugged feeling rod. I realize these are allegedly made of a lighter more durable material and the components are of a supposed better quality, however holding it, that idea doesn’t really transfer over to how it feels in your hands.

Hopefully, it will be good when used. Thanks too tackle direct for getting it to me so quickly, that was awesome.

Everything about this rod is optimized for feel. It’s very light and feels delicate, but with the 40-lb max line rating, it has plenty of power. The best thing about it is the 15-lb line rating on the low end, protecting 20-lb line and knots on a conventional level-wind.

Most jigging rods are much heavier, and rated for much heavier lines, and spent some time looking to find a jigging rod this lightweight and with this specific line rating. The finish details and quality are striking.

The only point against it is no gimbal butt cap, and knew that when I bought it. The price, light weight and line rating did it for me.

i bought this rod based on the specs. Two Piece and the poundage and specs I wanted, with a gimble butt. It’s a beautiful rod and looks really good. I am going to take it to the lake and cast some with it paired to my shimano Thunnis 1200 spinning reel.

I bought it for an ocean trip comming up to catch tuna and yellowtail. i may not get to cast it for a couple of weeks so for now its strictly a visual of the rod.

I read where the eyelets were not positioned correctly. I figured it was just bad luck on their end until i ordered one. It also had the rollers all messed up. The roller for the tip was almost 45 degrees to the right.

Zero quality control! I heated the eyes up and repositioned them but i strongly do not recommend this rod.

While I haven’t taken this out fishing as of this review it differently looks and feels like a quality fishing pole. The two pieces screw tight together rather than just put together with friction for a solid one piece fishing pole.

Hope to catch the big one on my next Florida keys fishing outing.

The 7 foot light action TFO tout panfish rod is possibly the best panfish rod I’ve ever used. It’s light, sensitive and has the back bone you need to set the hook on panfish no matter the depth. Anyone I fish with, inevitably asks me to hand them that rod at some point in the day.

Everyone says the same thing. Man, I need one of these. Don’t be the guy who needs one. Be the guy who has one.

Very sensitive and great feeling rod. Caught a 3lb bass on the 6’6 2 piece and it was a great fight. Snapped the tip after smacking it on a beam fishing under a bridge, all my fault. Will be getting another very soon.

Nice rod, a little too much flex for a “Fast Action” IMO so you might want an Extra Fast. Rod came in a box without any packing materials so I felt fortunate that it wasn’t damaged in shipping. Took the long route in getting here.

Several of the eyes and the rods themselves had globs of clear coating on the rod and eyes. The first 2 rods I ordered online had to be returned. It took several trips the the store and found all the ugly sticks were in the same condition.

Finally when the inventory came ALL the rods had the same issue. I had to take the best of the worst and scrap off the extra globs of clear coating. I now own a brand new $79 Ugly Stik rod with pealing on the rod blank which I had to use clear nail polish to stop the pealing.

Pure fishing makes these rod in China, No quality control.

Decided to learn to jig fish for crappie this year and after much research, decided on the Buck’s Graphite Jig Pole 10′ model. After first trip noticed the insert in the tip-top guide popped out. Fortunately, there was line through it and saved it.

I popped back in, but second trip, hung a jig in a brush pile and at some point it had popped out again and without line retaining it, it is gone. Without the insert the guide clearly will wear down or cut the line.

Not sure if this is a design issue or just poor workmanship. Will be returning to BPS. B n M has a great reputation, but not sure about replacing with same pole.

I’ve owned one of these rods for 2 yrs. Great action and very light to use. I use it with 4# test line and an closed face underspin Daiwa reel. I pan fish a lot and my buddies always think I have a 9″ gill on when I don’t.

Great light action in the tip of the rod. I liked it so much I bought another one to leave at the lake cottage.

I used this rod for YEARS! I’ve hauled everything from 1 lb gills to 30 lb catfish out with this rod and it has performed flawlessly.

Great service, as usual, from WMT’s website. I bought this combo fairly cheap, and the reel is cheap. I like the rod, but have replaced the reel. The service, packaging, etc. were great. I recommend it, but expect to replace the reel.

it takes a while to figure out if you cast it or use it like a fly rod. I use it like a fly rod, it may work better the other way for others. caught fish 4th cast. can’t promise same results for all.

nice set up.

Lot heavier, big eye opening in tip and quick hitch get caught when jigging in cattails

These rods are top-of-the-line for the price. I use only Penn reels. I use Ugly Stik big-water rods for my pier and surf fishing. But I use only Penn Rampage and Carnage II for my boat usage. With all the back and forth between mono and braid and different setups that we have nowadays, these rods function as they should and are very reliable as long as you don’t overpower the line rating of the rod.

If you take a Slammer 3 , with it’s lock down drag and put 80-100lb braid on it. and put that on a 30-50lb rod. Something’s gotta give. And it won’t be the braid or the reel for sure and it definitely won’t be that big yellowfin tuna.

You are going to break a rod. You are overpowering it. As long as you properly pair your reels, line, and rod you will have a long lived relationship with these poles. Please don’t let people’s knocks on quality run you away from the purchase.

This equipment is great ! Spinfisher VI and Slammer 3 have more line capacity. Also brass gears. Pair best with offshore rods. Slammer 3 is completely sealed and has a heavier drag. Both have brass gears.

Don’t just order something offline, make sure you talk to a professional at Penn, or professional retailer to make sure you get what you need so you’re not sobbing on some review page about how your eyes broke off your rod when it’s actually clearly your fault.

I just received my 7’ fast action, heavy Rampage spinning rod and after preliminary examination it appears to be a strong backbone workhorse. I purchased this rod to match up with my Daiwa BG 6500 for pelagic offshore trips.

The Rampage feels at home with the weight of the reel and the reel seat holds tight. Although the item description stated that it was a fast action tip, it doesn’t seem like it is. May have to stick to trolling or jigging.

I rated each of three categories, in this case 1 star is good, and gave it 3 stars for the quality, weight, and physical components (would have liked an Aluminum reel seat) but I have not used it yet, so to be fair I gave it a 3 out of 3.

Once I test it out I will be able to rate the performance and strength. ( the other two stars). Overall I am pleased with the product received and expect it to be a successful advisary to the mighty yellowfin.

One thing I learned in my 50 years of fishing, is it is not the expensive equipment that all the product promoting “ review and angler” sites rave about being needed to catch fish. It’s the skill of the angler that puts the fish in the boat.

I know that big fish can be caught on a 150 foot piece of Dacron rope, a pair of fireplace mits, a meat hook and a sloppy, oily, piece of chicken, but don’t tell those “super-promo” fishermen because they get too much free stuff to agree.

Overall, for the price tag on this rod you cannot go wrong. Great rod great price.

I bought this rod to use hitting log jams for big flathead catfish. This is my go to rod paid with a penn squall 30lw. I have 3 of these now and can’t say enough great this about this rod. In my opinion it is the perfect balance between a light enough tip for casting and power for pulling those big girls out of the woods.

I hooked a 47lb flathead in a logjam that was on a bank with riprap that been put in the river for erosion control and was able to land that fish because of this rod. If your on the fence about buying this stop and get it.

It’s on the lower end of the price range but on the higher end of the quality.

I pull bandit 300s and jigs for crappie with them. They have the backbone to also handle 10lb hybrid bass that I occasionally hook also. They are well made yet still sensitive. I have 2 bm jig poles that are going on 30 years old and hauled in a ton of slab crappie on Kentucky Lake with them and they have held up with no problems.

I expect these will do the same. These rods are not cheaply put together like other brands, they are solid.

My home lake is Lake Washington. We catch 2 pound plus crappie on a regular basis. These rods have a great backbone and at the same time have a fast tip. Since using these rods I now detect bites I never realize I was getting.

These rods are awesome. You won’t be sorry for the investment if you fish very much.

the rod works great i am using it to fish gills in the lilly pads they are not on the beds yet but the rod reaches out to holes in the pads .pulls them out with out getting hung up in the pads

This rod is everything you would expect from St. Croix. It’s light, strong, and well designed. Designed for jigging but it also casts fairly well and brings in 75 lb tuna with ease. Highly recommended!.

I use this rod for vertical jigging at the nearshore reef. I recently caught a 4′ Hammer Head Shark. He put up quite the fight but he was no match for this rod and VS reel. After a brief fight, I cranked him up and was able to release him.

I’ve caught many size and species on this rod. Great rod!.

St Croix makes excellent and (mostly) expensive fishing rods that ARE “worth the money. ” They look great, are beautifully detailed and finished, feel wonderful in the hand and fish with a unique combination of strength and sensitivity.

I own several St Croix rods for various types of fishing, each one is a delightful fishing tool. You probably won’t ever break one while fighting a fish (I never did), but car doors (don’t remind me!) and things like that will take their toll.

No problem: St Croix’s warrantee and service is as excellent (industry leading, for sure) as their equipment. You won’t go wrong!.

Looked around for these rods and reels for a crappie fishing trip. Was hard to find exactly what we wanted , but then stumbled across Sportsman guide!! Wow!! So glad we did!! Had what we wanted at a great price! Shipped on time, arrived on time, and most importantly was just as pictured and described!! Have told all our friends wear to shop now!! Looking forward to the catalog!! Thank you guys for being “REAL”!!!.

Purchased for an upcoming trip. Canada is out this year so we’ll try some fall crappie fishing. Outfit is good looking, complete (rod,reel,& line), and appears to be a quality item for the price. Can’t really recommend it because of not using it yet, but if someone was looking for a inexpensive crappie outfit, I would definitely tell them to look at this.

Tight lines. Cheers.

Not used yet. But appears to be a quality item, especially for the budget minded. Haven’t used a Zebco “anything” in years. If looks are an indicator of the product’s quality, it should be a winner. SMG’s packing and processing for shipping was SUPERB!! Shows pride and responsibility.

Thanx SMG personnel.

I was looking for a rod that I could do some rigging with that was light and sensitive, I had a look at these and thought maybe. I am here to tell you I have been totally blown away by the performance ! These rods are super light and sensitive and have all the power you will ever need.

I recently used these in a walleye tournament for rigging and caught multiple fish over 10 lbs on these Crappie Sticks ! Very impressed !.

This is one of my favorite rod’s at the moment. I’m very impressed with the quality. I highly recommend to anyone looking to buy a new rod.

There are sooo many rods on the market that it can make it difficult to choose the right one! Daiwa has been making excellent products for years. These new Rebellion rods are are not the same old formula.

Im using the 7 feet 3 inches – Medium-Heavy – Fast action. First off they are not laden down with a lot of Resin which means they are extremely sensitive and responsive. You may think “brittle”, easy to break, not so! They are super strong and Feather light.

I couldn’t believe how light they are. You can feel every single thump, bite, nick. The quality of the components is unheard-of in a rod under $200. The guides, the EVA Grips, and the reel seat are the best of Daiwa technology.

The Braiding-X technology is a plus. It does not allow the rod to twist torsionally and that translates into a wrist saver, as the stress of fighting a monster bass is not going to beat your arms to death.

Everybody appreciates the ability to rip some lips all day long without a doctor’s visit. These are all-around speciality rods, if that is such a thing!! I will admit I am Daiwa partial, however what works is what I go with.

This rod is paired with a Zillion TW HD 1520H 6. 3 reel, the Cadillac of the Zillion series. This combo is going to slay, so I can fillet! 😉👍👍🤗🤗.

Daiwa hit it out if the park. Purchased the 7’1 medium as a finesse rod for general drop shotting, Ned rigs, and weightless senko presentations. This rod is incredibly sensitive. I’m able to feel everything on the bottom and bites are easy to detect.

The rod is extremely lightweight, and a pleasure to fish with for extended periods of time. I have mine paired with a size 2000 tatula reel, and find myself using it more often that my more expensive St.

Croix rods. I’d purchase this rod again in a heartbeat.

I bought this rod for one mission – catch fluke (summer flounder) from the surf using light jig heads and Gulp Jerk Shads (like those videos out there). While not cheap, cheaper than the imported from Japan rods the cousins use and suited my needs.

Paired with a 3000 Daiwa Saltist Backbay reel it was well balanced, though a 2500 reel might be more appropriate. Incredibly light, sensitive and plenty of backbone to deal with a 4 pound keeper. Good looking rod too and highly recommended.

Allows me to see the bite so much faster. For side pulling it does make the Difference. Also fishing brushpiles. I have been using different B&M poles same length. Sam Heatons super Sensitive. There good, but not as good as these Roger Gant rods.

These are the fast action/light power blanks I have been looking for! They have the backbone for solid hook sets and great sensitivity. Highly recommend these for panfish and trout.

I got back into fishing after a 10 yr. break and started out with my Bass Pro Micro Lite’s & Extreme’s but wanted to try something a little different so I picked up “The Difference” in 8′. I primarily fish small “ice fishing” jigs under Thill floats and even with the smaller BB floats I am able to make long casts.

With the larger BB TG Wagglers, Bodied Wagglers & Stealths my casting distances are out there. Sensitivity is excellent and the rod has enough backbone to hoist 10″ bluegills over downed logs & brush near shore when bank fishing.

I have been so impressed with this rod that I’m picking up one each for my son & son-in-law so they can experience “The Difference. “.

I brought the 10ft rod I was very impressed with it. It’s was very lightweight and sensitive very easy to handle. But i wouldn’t give this rod a 5 stars because I only had the rod for two twice weeks.

I was doing some crappie fishing and I went to take the hook out of the fish mouth. Next thing I know my rod snapped and broke off in the top section of the rod. I was very disappointed.

This is a quality rod. It has so many line guides it makes you tired threading them. My only complaint is that I would like to have a little more backbone. It seems a little flimsy when applying pressure.

I bought this rod a month ago absolutely loved it sweeteast rod ever had. But last night I was casting it out and it snapped three quarters way to tip. Now I’m bummed out and not shure about this rod on one hand I love it and on the other feel let down.

Not sure on its quality and they seem to be sold out. So I will try to fix it. I like using it to much to let it go.