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CB
Rod Wars Part 15: A Powerhouse of a
Cranking Rod, the 8 foot Powell 806CB
(continued)
 Power: You want power? With the Powell 806CB you get plenty of it as this
stick has the backbone to turn even the biggest fish. This rod offers more
muscle than other rods designed for fishing deep diving crankbaits and even
double digit stripers posed no challenge. Powell rates the 806CB as a “heavy” 6
power rod and it actually feels heavier than that when you hold the stick in
your hand, but once there is a lure on the line it feels appropriately rated.
The 806CB has a hook hanger below
the cork grip...
During tests I landed a number of largemouth bass up to six pounds on deep
diving cranks at Clear Lake and in each and every case the fish felt smaller
than they actually are. I can’t emphasize enough just how powerful this rod
feels when it is loaded up. Even Delta Stripers up to 11lbs could do little to
cause concern when guiding them back to the boat with the 806CB, this is one
powerhouse of a rod.
While great for jigs this
placement is somewhat strange for a crankbait rod which puts the treble armed
crankbait right by the grip
Ergonomics: The Powell 806CB is one of the heavier rods in our crankbait
rod wars and weighs in at (7.1oz.). The rod is tip heavy by itself but feels
fairly balanced when paired with even 9oz. and heavier baitcasters. This rod
pairs just fine with a Shimano Calais or Calcutta TEDC reel and together with
this rod the entire rig feels responsive and is actually easy enough to work all a day long.
Note that I typically palm my reels over the entire reel so that my fingers
often extend around the front and the reel fits in the very back of my hand to
act as a counterbalance, if you typically hold your rod the majority of the time
on the handle behind the reel a heavier reel will have the opposite effect.
With longer baits we ended up just
hooking the lures on our reels
The
806CB does have a hook hanger but it is somewhat oddly positioned behind the
cork handle on the split grip. While this makes it easy to hook cranks on it
also is somewhat dangerous when dealing with the large hooks found on most deep
diving cranks. This hook hanger position is more suited for jigs on a flipping
rod. With the treble hooks we found that the hooks would get in the way and
swing around wildly when we were running the boat. It was also a little hairy
hooking and unhooking the crank if trying to hold onto the cork handle, most of
the time we had to hold onto the small reargrip/buttcap below.
The 806CB is finished with a small
rear grip finished with an EVA foam buttcap
Price & Applications: The 806CB retails for only $169.00 making it one of
the most affordable deep diving crankbait sticks in our CB Rod Wars. This is a
very reasonable price for a quality rod that is able to take a lot of
punishment, in fact I’ve never had a single Powell rod ever break on me during a
field test, something that cannot be said about many other more expensive
brands. Sure there are more refined rods, lighter rods and even more flashy rods
but few deliver the solid value that the Powell is able to at the 170 dollar
price point.
Along
with bass we managed a few nice striper with this powerful cranking stick
The
806CB really is designed for the heavier stuff and while it is rated from ¼-1oz.
I prefer to fish baits for ½-1.5oz. on this rod. It has the ability to move big
fish and can be used for largemouth, striped bass, and for targeting smaller
pike with lipless cranks.
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
Powell
806CB
Crankbait
Rod
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
The
Powell
806CB is
built
with
quality
components
and
features
the
clean
and
attractive
design
and
build
quality
that we
have
come to
expect
from
Powell,
we
ranked
this
category
slightly
higher
than the
754CB
because
of the
use of
quality
graphite |
8 |
|
Performance |
The
Powell
806CB is
not a
all
round
cranking
stick,
instead
this rod
is
designed
specifically
for big
deep
diving
lures
and in
this
category
it is
very
good |
8 |
|
Price |
This rod
is a
great
overall
value,
it
offers
more
value
than
many of
the
competing
rods in
the CB
Rod Wars |
8.5 |
|
Features |
This rod
is all
about
business,
nothing
too
flashy
here
just a
solid
design
consistent
with
Powell's
previous
offerings |
7 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
While
heavier
than
many of
the rods
in the
crankbait
rod wars
the
806CB is
also
among
the
beefiest
and we
actually
found
the rod
to
balance
well
with a
wide
range of baitcasters.
Note
that I
typically
palm my
reels
over the
entire
reel so
that my
fingers
often
extend
around
the
front
and the
reel
fits in
the very
back of
my hand
to act
as a
counterbalance,
if you
typically
hold
your rod
the
majority
of the
time on
the
handle
behind
the reel
a
heavier
reel
will
have the
opposite
effect.
The hook
hanger
is a
nice
addition
we just
wish it
was
above
the reel
seat on
this
particular
rod |
7 |
|
Application |
The
806CB
may be
billed
as a
heavy
powered
cranking
stick
but it
doubles
as a
good big
ripbait
rod and
paddletail
stick |
8.5 |
|
Total
Score
|
8.00 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus
Minus
|
|
J
Powerful
rod is
capable
of
turning
big fish
without
breaking
a sweat |
L
Heavier
than
some
crankbait
rods but
somewhat
expected
at this
length,
we were
able to
balance
the
806CB
with
a
variety
of
reels |
|
J
Casts
larger
and
heavier
lures
very
well |
L
Odd hook
hanger
location
for
crankbaits |
|
J
Able to
be used
for
other
applications
besides
just
crankbaits
including
mag
ripbaits
and
paddletails |
|
|
J
Great
durability
and
reliability |
|
|
J
Very reasonable
price |
|
Conclusion:
The 806CB is yet another
steady performer from the team at Powell and is a good tool for tossing long
lipped deep diving crankbaits as well as large sized ripbaits and even the
occasional soft bodied swimbait. The 806CB has heaps of power to move even big
fish away from structure and yet the maxumfiber blank is just forgiving enough
to give anglers a progressive action that keeps fish pinned on treble hooks.
While not designed as an all round crankbait rod the Powell 806CB excels at the
big stuff, and if you like cranking fish from down deep this rod is certainly
worth a cast.
Looking for the Powell 806CB? Try
Tackle Warehouse.
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