repper

Six a one, half a dozen of the other. I've got both, and one's never obviously outperformed the other. But if I could only have one, I would have the Rico.

Try a Sam Adams Summer before it's gone until next year. And get a Curado 200e7 before they're gone forever!

if u haven't bought a rod yet there's a new Argon rod for sale in the claasifieds for $95. u should jump on that!i have a couple of argons & a powell max. the argons are sweet. i think they retailed for $200+. while the warranty may not be as good i wouldn't buy a rod based on the warranty. i've had my argons for 2+ years w/o issues.

RC 1.5 Splatterback or copper green shad

Have you tried frogs? or toads? Or weightless worms, with the hook buried for weedlessness? I've got worms that really do float, and would be great for this spot.

RC1.5 in Copper Green Shad,then in White Shad. If I need to go deeper I like the DT series,silver/black. Those are the first ones I try every time out

I were in your shoes I would get the Core for $250. I've got all three reels and to me the Core stands out. It's worth the extra $30 you will pay to get the Core in my opinion. I think all three reels are great though, and I've got several Curados in the rotation so to speak. I've got a Scorpion 1000xt that is really nice, and I picked it up on ebay for $200.

My favorite trailer for small jigs is a Yamamoto 4" double tail grub. or 5" one. And if they want something with less movement I'll try the smallie beaver.

im not sure you can find them in your area, but if you find some Uptons Customs, 8.5" ribbontail you wont be sorry. hand poured, floating(really float). These are awesome baits, and something the fish will not have seen.

go for it And get the Curado 50

I've got an Avid 6'8" MXF that broke right inside the tip. I just figured it was something me or one of my sons had done to the rod though, and replaced the tip. Great rod for the money I think. But I too am surprised they didn't offer to help you out,on the one hand, but on the other hand I bet these rod companies get tons of people trying to get them to replace rods when in fact it WAS something the customer did to the rod that made it snap. I'm no insinuating that's what happened with yours, but I'm saying is the rod companies probably do get tons of bogus attempts at free rods.

owners

I have both rods you've mentioned by in the opposite versions. I've got a legend tournament topwater rod by St Croix. that's 6'8"MXF rod that I use for everything you've mentioned. And I've got aCurado 50E on it. I also use this rod for topwaters and jerkbaits. And the 702C I have in the spinning rod version with a Daiwa Fuego reel. I use this rod almost always for dropshotting. And maybe for very small ripbaits, or smallish fluke type baits. I really like both setups but I think you would love the St Croix topwater rod, with your curado on it

I'm not clear as to what the problem is with the reel. And the folks at the tackle shop weren't much help. It's also not clear how long the reel was exposed to the saltwater before being rinsed. If the reel was exposed to saltwater for a "long sailing trip" without being rinsed off then the salt could have caused some pretty serious damage to this, or any, reel. Senators are very basic reels though so it should not be too bad getting it back into good condition. But if your rod and reel are on the deck of your sailboat for long periods of time you should at the very least rinse them off daily. And I would recommend you keeping the reel covered anytime it's exposed to the weather, when you are at sea. Saltwater or even salt air can ruin any reel quickly if measures are not taken to protect them

From my experiences the Uni knot is the best overall, with fluro. And from what I've seen from the back seat of some really good anglers, it's the most commonly used by guys that can't afford to lose a fish because a knot broke before it should have. And the Uni is very quick and easy to tie as well.

I believe the Compre is well worth the extra money, over the Clarus. The Compre is a very good value, IMHO.

Scorpion 1000xt, ebay. I just got one for $200.00. Awesome. If not the Scorpion go with a Cuardo 50E. Not as nice as the Scorpion which is the Japanese version of the 50e, but stille best for your purpose, for that amount of $$

I think it's much more fun to fish these on a baitcaster. anything bigger than a LC 65 you should be able to cast with a baitcaster. I use a St Croix LT topwater rod most of the time. it's 6'8" M XF. Sometimes I'll use the Teaser rod, which is a 7' M, F. I think most 6'6" to 7' M, f or xf will work for you. Just depends on which you prefer. But for me, baitcasters are just nicer to use all day for something like throwing topwaters or jerkbaits. I get tired of having to grab the line and turn the bail on the spinning reels. Of course if you're throwing tiny jerkbaits then you have to use a spinning outfit. unless you have a baitcaster that will throw something lighter than 1/4oz.

I don' tknow what they sell for these days, but the Compre is worth the extra money when compared to the Clarus. the Compre is a great rod for the money, and a 7' medium Compre would be a nice fit for ya. But i do agree with those that say extra money spent on the finesse spinning rod is money well spent. Of course it's hard to prove because you will never feels those bites you miss with the cheaper rods, so you won't know you are missing them. And a Daiwa Exceler spinning reel has been a workhorse for my son over the last couple of seasons.

Reaction Innovations Vixen, and barely legal Vixen, in Flittershad.

the scrounger is definitely worth trying. the lips are different lengths for different wobbles. the longer the lip themore wobble you get. i've had the best success fishing them with flukes, and either the medium or long lip. go to scrounger.com for lots of info about them.

Raider baits, Bass Chow, Uptons Customs. All three of these brands float. They are all hand poured customs. And they all come in some awesome colors as well.

My advice would be to try braid, Sufix, and learn to tie a good Alberto to connect some fluro leaders, and you will never look back. it's so much more versatile. try some 50lb Sufix Performance braid with your choice of fluro leader. And yes, the initial cost is more, but the braid will last a very long time. and you can switch out the fluro leader to different lb test rather easily once you master the alberto knot. If you insist on spooling up all fluro then go with Seaguar AbrazX 12lb

While there's no doubt you can save money by getting the PP, when you consider how long a spool of braid lasts, it's well worth the extra money for the better braid. i've used PP for several years, but I do think Sufix is better. And being able to fish for a year or so without any of the 'problems' mentioned with using PP is definitely worth 15 or so dollars to me. If someone were to read this post and buy some braid based on what they read here I would recommend they go with the more expensive Sufix

get the Dobyns 736, and a shimano Curado 200e7.