Trying to match my new Quantum Smoke reel to a lightweight rod...

[IMAfishinfool]

Like the title says, I recently purchased a SL150SPT Quantum smoke reel. I have been checking it out on a number of regular and lightweight rods, and the balance just doesn't seem right on most of them. It weighs in at 6.8 oz, and on the non-lightweight rods it just feels too tip heavy in my hands.

It balanced almost perfectly on the new Carrot Stix (with the micro guides), and that is definitely on my top 5 list. I put it on a few IROD rods, and although it looked killer, it was tip heavy. I was thinking a little weight in the handle could take care of that. The rod I wanted to try (but could not find) is the Quantum smoke rod that it was designed for.

Any input, either positive or negative would be greatly appreciated. I am currently leaning pretty heavy towards either the smoke or the Carrot Stix (just so I can try out the micro guides and see if the claims are true).

[DarkShadow]

Is your budget around $150?

[Dr. MindBendo]

You need to figure what you're using the rod for and budget before deciding on just a "lightweight rod". That should help you get more responses.

[IMAfishinfool]

I was hoping to come in at or under $200. It is the 6.6 to 1 Smoke, and I plan to use it on a crankbait rod, somewhere around 7 feet. I got a hold of Matt Newman from Irod about adding weight to balance the rod, and he said that they experimented with it, but the tradeoff in weight was not really worth it. His point was that the rod tip will be down most of the time anyway...

[DarkShadow]

I was hoping to come in at or under $200. It is the 6.6 to 1 Smoke, and I plan to use it on a crankbait rod, somewhere around 7 feet. I got a hold of Matt Newman from Irod about adding weight to balance the rod, and he said that they experimented with it, but the tradeoff in weight was not really worth it. His point was that the rod tip will be down most of the time anyway...

$200 gives you a lot to work with, but I'm clueless when it comes to cranking rods.

If it were a more bottom contact application, I'd check out:

Powell Endurance Series, Dobyns Savvy Series, Shimano Crucials (and check out the Cumaras even though they are out of the price range, you may pick one up used for a lot less).

But as far as cranking rods? I dunno, I'm sorry I can't be of assistance.

[IMAfishinfool]

Thanks for the responses! I borrowed a buddy's crucial once, and I really liked it (even though it had a POS reel on it). The reason I left out the detail before was so that people would "chime in" with their experiences with the manufacturer's rods, good or bad.

The Crucial will be added to the list that currently includes the IROD, Carrot Stix micro guide, Lamiglass excel and Quantum Smoke Rod. I am still leaning to the Carrot Stix and Smoke since I cannot find anyone with any input on the performance of the Micro Guides - maybe I will post my own review if I go that way!

[IMAfishinfool]

UPDATE:

I know I will get some bashing for this, but here is what I ended up with - a Shimano Calcutta Inshore Rod. I know it is not really designed specifically as a crankbait rod, but the action was exactly what I wanted, it has great guides, and it felt good. It is also a Shimano with the limited lifetime warranty, and I could NOT walk away from the price.

We'll see how it works out...