repper

i'm very happy with my Phenix X-10. very light, casts great. i've got a curado e-5 on it right now. i don't think you need the slower speed reel for anything other than deep crankin though. have fun lookin at all those rods.

many years ago now i was the amateur in the back seat with a pro, fishing a combined weight event. the pro and i were fishing jigs and he caught about 8 fish to my one all morning. the fish were just picking up the jig and sittin there with in their mouths. i could not detect the bites and he could. he called them pressure bites, and said you just feel a little pressure on your line. when you feel the pressure you lower your rod slightly and slowly reel line and when your rod is low enough and your line taught you set the hook. and that's the best description of the hard to detect bite i have heard. it just feels like a little bit of pressure on your line. i believe you would benefit from an extra fast action rod, and the more you can afford to spend on your t-rig/jig rod the better because the extra sensitivity will pay off when fishing jigs. the extra fast action will give you a more sensitive tip to feel the slightest change, and then your rod will stiffen up quickly to bury the hook. and i think you will benefit from fluro, or even braid with a fluro leader. it takes awhile to recognize those 'pressure' bites but if you stay at it you will get it eventually. and when fishing jigs you want to swing for the fences so to speak when setting the hook.

From what i can tell that new rod looks like it fits in nicely. I have not fished that particular rod, but from the 'specs' it seems like it would make a fine topwater rod, buzzbaits, sppoks, Sammys , and jerkbait rod, even crankbait rod to me. and you could fish plastics with it too. the fast action is not ideal for jigs, and worm fishing, but it will work. Don't second guess yourself. you have more than enough MH rods already. you will find that you will like pickin up that nice light rod for throwing an assortment of lures. go fish with it. i've got a couple of Kistler rods and like them both

That *** deal is a good one. Go with Raul's advice and get that Daiwa at *** for $40.00. that's a very nice reel for $40.00.

If I were in your shoes I would jump all over the chance to get Bronzefly's rod. great rod at a great price. don't see how you could do any better. fortunate timing.

st croix legend tournament 6'8" medium XF with Core 50, with 10lb sufix elite. Dobyns 702s, with Fuego 2500, Sufiz 20lb braid, 8lb invis x

Dobyns 702 with a Core 50. Awesome.

jeb you might want to try some different line before giving up and the reel. mine throw light baits as well as any baitcaster ive ever owned. great reel.

bought a mojo rod...hated it. upgraded to a legend tournament rod...love it. in the 150 or less range i own Kistler, Powell, and Shimano Compre, and they are all good rods for the money, but of the three i like the Powell the best. i've got a buddy who has a couple of falcon lowriders that he likes alot too.

shakey head

Vixen, in Flitter shad. don't know why, but fished side by side with Spooks, the Vixen catches two or three to one every time. I've causght many fish on the Spooks over the years, but make my sons use the Spooks now, while i fish the Vixen! I bought three of the Vixen in Flitter shad when i found out they had stopped making them. if Paycheck baits uses the tungsten knocker then i will give them a try. i've also caught many fish with the LC Sammy, and many when it was sitting still, straight up and down as described by another poster. in fact, after slashing it thru the water for a couple of seconds i always let it sit for several seconds, and that's when it gets bit more times than not. i'll fish the original Lunker Punkers too, but for Stripers, and i will let the lure out by using the trolling motor, and then walk it while slowly moving with the motor. i do the same thing with the 3:16 trout those things are too heavy to cast more than a couple of times for my old ***. but afte they stock trout those stripers are suckers for the big trout imitating topwaters! i don't care as much for the injected Punkers because they just don't walk as well as the wooden ones.

in that case you can tie a 12lb fluro leader onto your braid where or when required, and just snip it off to go back to the braid setup. i've done that before while fishing. if I take my two sons fishing and we are going to fish frogs, or flip, i just cut the leaders off a couple of my setups so they can use them for frogging or flipping, and then when i go back to fishing by myself i just tie on the leaders, with whatever lb test i want for the next trip. probably won't take much longer than putting on a new spool.

i was told years ago, when in the back seat of a pro's boat, that the popper is supposed to spit tiny drops of water, which is what bait fish do when they are near or at the surface. and if you pay close attention you will see shad dong this exact thing. i was told not to make it bloop, but rather make it spit so that's what i've tried to make it do over the years, and i've had pretty darn good success fishing poppers this way. maybe I'll try blooping em this weekend though, and see what happens

I have the medium, fast , and would recommend that rod over the xf. for an all around rod the fast action will be better. If he fishes cranks, topwaters, things like that, the slower action will serve him better. and I agree with the others that this will be a great rod that he will enjoy using.

I've had better luck over the years with Daiwa spinning reels than Shimano. and if you can afford it, then go with a Sol, or even a Fuego, but for the money the Exceler does a nice job. it's the reel i let my children(adults now) fish with when they go with me, and it has been a workhorse reel so far.

i think Mattin makes a good point, but if you get lucky i have seen used compre and premier rods in 40 dollar range

If you can, shop for a used rod. you will get much more rod for your money. or try to find a Fenwick on super sale somewhere. And on a sidenote: that alphas ito reel deserves a better rod.

I did not read the suit, but if he's suing over the beaver type bait, Reaction Innovations(Andre Moore) was the first one to have a beaver type bait I believe. And because it has been so hugely sucessfull everybody now has their version, and many look VERY much like the Sweet Beaver from R.I. i can't recall how many years ago it was, but i rode in back of a pro's boat years ago and he was using those beavers as jig trailers, at clear Lake, and we ( he lent me some) just caught fish after fish with that combo. great baits.

you can use St Croix's trade up program. that's what i did with my Mojo. you get the value of the mojo applied to whatever rod you buy, and i could not be happier with my legend tournament rod. i didn't care for the Mojo rod. you have to spend additional money, but at least you get something for the Mojo.

ive got several of each, and though I like them both, I just like fishing with the zillions better. i guess they just feel better in my hand. and i think i just feel what's on the end of the line better or something with the zillions. so if money were no object i'd go with the zillion

use your current rod for t-rig, and get a Powell 704, or 705, for the others. i've got a 705 and use it for all of the techniques you mentioned. a very nice rod for the money imo. i use the 705 for fishing the heavier jigs too.

as stated previously, it sounds like you need two rods to do both well. but if I could only get one, based on what i've read here i would get an 8 foot, heavy, with a fast action. not extra fast, and not moderate. of course everybody's different, but I just do not like flipping or pitching with a moderate action rod. Some very good rod builders make them with a moderate action though. From the looks of the picture you posted you will be doing more punching mats than casting swimbaits though. the 8'HF will work for all but the nastiest stuff

Get the Exceler. Daiwa's spinning reels last longer for me, with smoother drag, and better casting.

of the three you mentioned I like the Avid rods the best, followed by the Crucial, and then the GL3. of course if you can get a big discount on the Crucial it will serve you well, but if the price is the same or similar then the Avid is preferable.

you might find a Daiwa Exceler for around $50.00 on the internet. i think they retail for about $70.00. i've got one that works fine for the 1/4 oz and heavier baits. i don't use it much but my son does when he comes fishing with me, and it's still going strong.