Ardent Krappie Kings Rod, Crappie Fishing, Graphite 3 Piece, Light Action, 16 Foot

I really like this rod. I bought it for Kentucky lake fishing but I didn't get to go this year but I had a chance to fish Okeechobee last weekend. Its got the length to reach out far from the boat, so less spooked fishing holes. Straight lining jigs around submerged limbs and sticks, the first fish I caught was a 5 lb. bass. The rod handled it with no problem. I was able to land the fish with after a minute or two of fight. I also caught several smaller bass and several crappie. I could swing them into the boat with little effort. There is enough backbone to handle these fish and enough sensitivity to feel the smallest strike. I also hooked something large enough to break my 15 lb. test Power Pro line when it doubled it back toward me and under the boat. I thought that would have broke the rod ..., but no problem for this one. Well worth the price, I will be getting 3 more.

The pole was sturdy enough. I used it for sheepshead fishing. You would definitely need a hand net if fishing from jetties, because I don't think it would hold up to lifting a sheepshead from the water. I put a light Penn reel on it and it is convenient that it breaks down into three pieces!

I bought this rod specifically for Steelhead Trout fishing , not for crappies . That being said, I paired it with an Okuma reel and 4lb test fluorocarbon line. At 16 ft long it should have cast my 1/4oz. set up of a hook,split shot,and float a country mile. It did not.My longest cast was less than 50 feet.just enough to get into the correct drift.WAAY too much oscillation in the rod during the cast. I imagine that if the line guides were set up for a spinning rod instead of a casting rod it may have worked out better but the reel seat is a spinning type so that is what I used. So much for the down side The fish I did catch were played easily ,letting the rod length and a light drag do all the work in tiring the fish enough to land and safely release every one of them. The largest, an 8lb male, did put up heck of a fight for about 10 minutes til it finally tired. I believe that for crappies this would be an excellent rod,perfect for reaching in-between the lily-pads for slabs.Just like an old school cane pole does. I may yet use it for this.This rod,for the price was an excellent value. As I know how to wind guides onto rods I may just change up the guide configuration and sizing to adapt it for my needs.