djmax22

As for hooks with the wart I change them out and put an Owner 6 in front and a 4 in back. Hope this helps. I also should say if you want a knockoff many people go with Brads Wiggler.

The difference is that when Rapala acquired the company they discarded the "old" Storm molds and made new ones. The old molds were two piece mold that is why the Pre-Rapala Warts have a seam down the back which probably causes the erratic hunting action. Also take a new Storm and compare the rattle to an older one they sound different. I also think the color patterns of the old one are far superior to the ones today. In fact, no lure has had more color patterns than the wiggle wart. If you happen to fish the Ozark lakes you should have one tied on at all times during the Spring months. Many tourneys of have been won using the Wart. I know that the FLW will pay a premium for the old warts when they hit Table Rock. If anyone want some wee warts, sub warts, or old craw patterns PM me I have some available.

Does anyone know if Shimano is discontinuing the E series? I see that even BPS has them on sale.

Best jerkbait ever. Period.

I am a big Loomis guy, but I use the Dobyns Champion 736 for all my frog fishing. It has a soft enough tip to walk the frog in open water and more than enough backbone to fish the slop. I have this rod paired with Shimano Chronrach D and it is a match made in heaven.

Remember the PT Burners (blue ones). Now that was POS.

I have to disagree with the posters recommending the Lamiglas 705R for deep cranking. The SR 705R has been a part of my arsenal for the last 3 years and is always on deck. Although it is a great rod, I feel like it is in the zone with DT10s and RC 2.5s. I learned the hard way thrown DD22 on this rod will wear you out (but it will serve in a pinch). Fish Fast glass rod these days are sensitive and you will have no problem feeling or identifying the composition of the bottom. The 705R would be a great choice for you applications, but I still prefer longer cranking rods and the Powell 754 is one hell of a trap rod for the price. Now it seems like you are looking for a higher dollar rod. If you are going to step up to the 200 price range go with Dobyns 764 RM Model, Loomis 845, or the Lamiglas Skeet Reese 705R (Lamiglas 705R) if you want to try glass.

Ranger I would try to go some place that you could mount the reel onto the rod and see for yourself.

I agree, I fished with a Zillion yesterday and it "just felt right". Fit my hand perfectly. I'm gonna have to find one to put on my Champion 735c. It was noticeably smoother than my Curado. For the longest time I thought they would have been HUGE and really clunky, but to my surprise, it was very small. I would hope so since the Zillion is 100 more. :

The Shimano Calcutta TE series is just ridiculous. Built like a tank and cast like a dream. Amazing reels.

For that kind of coin I would be patient and get a 803 or 803 Loomis GLX from a fishing forum for around 250 and pair it with a Shimano Stradic FI. Having owned both the FI and the CI4 I don't feel like there is that big of difference in performance (although the CI4 looks good).

If you have don't want to spend the money for Dobyns or Loomis, I would probably go with the Powell cranking stick over the Avid. I have fished both and its Powell all the way. The 754 will handle all mid to deep divers well and is a great rod for ripping traps from grass. Powell makes some good rods in general and their cranking sticks are particularly good. I used the 754 for deep cranking until picking up the Dobyns 805. The extra 5" makes a big difference.

even for the 17 and 19" worms?

I am wondering what hook(s) you guys are using for giant worms (13"+). Are you using just one hook or is it a double hook setup? *Mods if this is posted in the wrong spot I apologize.

I will comment on the Loomis. This is a beast of a rod! Don't let the "4" power rating fool you it has more than enough backbone to get the job done. I own a few Dobyns rods (champions) and they are quality rods too, but when it comes to fishing plastics the GLX line is tough to beat (although I plan on trying the Mike Long jig rod). If you look hard enough I have seen a few 954 selling for ~$300. 8-)

Like all/most LTB rods it is tip heavy. Not a big deal if you are going to primarily use this rod for C-rig and small swimbaits.

I have this rod too. It was the only st croix rod that I kept when I switched most of my rods over to Loomis. Really good for CRig, Frogs, and small swimbaits.

A lot of comes down to personal preference. I have owned several St Croix Legend Tournament Bass rods and they are great rods, but I just liked the feel of the Loomis rods better. I have since sold all of my St Croix LTB and Loomis rods almost exclusively. IMO the Loomis rods are tough to beat especially when fishing with soft plastics. If I had to choose between the Loomis IMX and LTB, I would go with the IMX. I believe this topic was covered several months ago and the IMX seemed to be favored over the LTB. I would go take the reel you are going to use to the store and see what feels best to you. Good Luck!

The Gunfish is an awesome lure along with the LC Sammy.

Get the small slammer instead of the mini.

3:16 Baby wake is a great one for your budget. It is well made and is ready to fish out of the box. I like the slammers myself, but that is just a personal preference. The hooks and split rings on the slammer are complete junk. Both need to be replaced with Owners. The slammer displaces a lot more water than the Baby Wake and is effective at night. Daiwa Dead or Alive is a good swimbait I don't use it as much as the 3:16 or the slammers, but I occasionally will have one tied on. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the three.

BTW Brokeju congrats on having your photo published in "The Lunker Club" section of the Sept/Oct 2009 issue of Bassmasters. I own a couple Gen 2 Dobyns models and I cannot say enough good things about these rods.

You cannot go wrong with the Curado 300 for the Loomis 904 and 955 swimbaits rods. I love throwing the small MS Slammers and 6" triple trout with that setup. My feeling is that you can never have too much line capacity when dealing with swimbaits.

I have to disagree here. I hated the 200 D models because of the profile and weight. They just didn't feel right to me and I ended up selling them all. The 100 was great little reel. I am a lefty too and found that your options are 101B Chronarch, Crazy Cranker, or if you want to save a few dollar I would suggest picking up the 201B Curado (green one). It is the only reel I every regret selling. Another option is replacing the 7:1 with a 5.1 gear set on a new Curado.