21farms

i was excited when split grips really started getting popular and have had owned many. however, after the initial buzz wore off, i've found that i really do prefer the feel of a full grip. split grips look cooler but i've almost come full circle...most of the rods that i have kept are full grip. dobyns gives you a choice which drove me nuts at first but that i really appreciate now.

zero here too.

the citica comes from the factory with the brakes set at 3 on/3off...just leave it as is. adjust the tension knob for the weight of the lure and go fish.

i've owned the daiwa advantage (a slightly fancied up tierra), the revo S, and dozens of other reels over the last few years. i still have two citica Es as well as numerous other reels. the tierra is a nice reel but i think the basic design is becoming rather dated. it's largish and the spool takes longer to start up. it doesn't sit as low on the reel seat than newer designs too. if you like the tierras, the cabelas prodigy is essentially the same reel with a swept handle and it's currently on sale for $80. the revo S is very nice. built like a tank and fairly smooth. i don't think it does that well with lighter lures though and it never wowed me with it's casting distance. i still have two of the citica Es...i like them a lot. all around good performers and i can't tell much difference between them and my curado Es. as for the PQ, i have not tried one out but i don't doubt that they're good reels. i have a BPS prolite and a new carbonlite and they exceed my expectations at their price points. i was totally skeptical about the dual braking at first but it does indeed work well. the carbonlite, in particular is very nice, especially since it is currently on sale.

here's an earlier thread asking the same question: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1274744748/0

i have both. the zillions are light and super "crisp". however, as others have mentioned, they're kind of underrated powerwise (their M feels like other manufacturer's MH, etc.). they're gorgeous rods and look like a million bucks. however, what i don't like about them is that: 1) they don't come with a hook hanger (not a biggie), and 2) reels sit really low in the reel seat (i have large hands and it makes everything feel "too" small for me. i love my dobyns, especially the 735...most versatile and most-used rod i own. i especially like that i can get it in a full grip...split grips look cool but i still prefer the feel and handling of a full grip. not everyone cares but if you're concerned about aesthetics, the lightish metallic blue of the dobyns is a little hard to match with a decent reel. a green curado E on it just throws my eyeballs out of whack. i ended up with a daiwa coastal zillion on my 735 and citica Es on my other dobyns. but, that's just me.

the $30 difference gets you: dual (magnetic and centrifugal) braking infini II spool (as already mentioned) TiN wormshaft (whatever that means) everslik coated pinion shaft and pawl interestingly, all 11 bearings in the SX are HPCR while the STX has 10 stainless steel bearings and only one HPCR bearing. plus, the SX is much better looking with the slick black paint job. however, i've had SXs before and didn't like the mag brakes on them...i just got an STX and am looking forward to using it.

the laws of physics are immutable. the higher the graphite content, the more sensitive it is...but, also the more brittle it is. also, to achieve light weight, the blank walls are thinner and may not incorporate an inner core. in summary, the super sensitivity and light weight of the cumaras comes at the price of increased fragility and need to be handled accordingly. for me, the cumaras are great but it sounds to me like they're just not a good fit for your fishing style and you'd be better off going in a different direction. hard-to-break graphite rods are the bass pro shops rods with their "powerwall construction" and the cabela's rods with their "spiral core technology", which are both essentially a blank-within-a-blank, but that makes them heavy and less sensitive (both stores want to reduce their broken rod warranty claims to an absolute minimum). so, it's all about tradeoffs. something between the cumaras and the BPS/cabelas rods is perhaps your best bet. good luck.

fishing with a glass rod for cranks is an acquired taste. some hate it while others (like me) love it. i ordered my first glass crankin' rod sight unseen and when it arrived i thought it was ridicuously heavy and noodly and thought i'd just turn around and return it. i didn't but then the rod sat unused for 6 months. finally, i decided to sell it but i thought i'd better fish it one time so i'd know what it was like. i caught numerous fish that day on the rod and didn't miss one strike and landed every single fish. the glass slowed my reaction time and allowed enough time for the fish to get the crank fully into its mouth and the parabolic action kept the fish pinned. previously, i hated fishing with cranks because of the huge percentage of short strikes and how easily they come unbuttoned with those small treble hooks on my stiff graphite rods. i was sold. in the years since, i have since tried numerous graphite and graphite-composite crankbait rods but, to me, they're too sensitive of course, YMMV. given your budget, i'd go for the lamiglas excel XL705glass. i've checked them out at the store and they feel amazingly similar to my beloved lamiglas XCF705R and SR705R cranking rods. i've read that the blanks are actually the same but no one has been able to confirm that.

i've own several g.loomis rods and they're excellent rods. that being said, i think their power ratings are a little off on their reaction rods. in the case of their crankbait rods, if you read the description and the 843 sounds perfect for you, get the 845. if the description for the 845 sounds perfect for your needs, go for the 847, etc. the CBR845 is g.loomis' top-selling crankbait rod for good reason...it fits the bill for most cranks. someone else gave me this advice when i was shopping for an 843...so, i bought the 845 instead and that advice turned out to be spot-on. same thing happened when i was shopping for the SBR812 spinnerbait rod...i got the SBR813 instead and, again, that advice was spot-on. and, are they sensitive? oh yes...probably bordering on too sensitive for a cranking rod but that may just be me as i have a preference for slow, glass rods.

are you using a spectra-based braid or a dyneema-based braid? the spectra lines i use don't need it but the dyneema line i used to use would fray like crazy and i practically had to seal the tips of that.

very interesting thread because i fish my poppers to avoid making the bloop-bloop sound. i catch fish when i make the popper spit and splash but have never caught one blooping it. very interesting.

i have the 735 and it is the most versatile rod i own. i love it to death and am now considering adding a 736 to my arsenal. hollow body frogs are an interesting lure. a rod with a little bit of tip to it will really launch them pretty far but you want a faster rod in case the fish get stuck in the salad. that being said, i'd opt for 735...it pitches like a dream. unless you do a lot of flippin' and you say you're not, i don't see why you'd even consider the 765. the 735 does t-rigs, pitchin' jigs and frogs great.

i only like 65 for big topwater lures...i use 50 for everything else. i do think i get better distance with 50 but that's an anecdotal observation. i haven't have any problems with backlash or line digging with either. if i were you, i'd just reverse the line and keep using it.

timber tigers are probably one of the most thought-out designs in crankbaits. the designer, tom seward, also designed the luhr-jensen speed trap. the timber tiger is actually supposed to be a better speed trap but speed traps continue to significantly outsell timber tigers. anyway, a great lure...i just wish they were a little smaller in size.

i owned the 7'0" MH XF fuego. it weighed in at 4.4 ounces and was very "crisp" feeling. i loved the zaion reel seat...very comfy in my hand and does not need constant retightening like my other spinning rods with the no-foregrip design (dobyns and powells) but the foam foregrip is longer than i found necessary. i only fished it once before i sold it so i can't tell you much about how it fished. the colors and graphics are very pretty and matched my shimano stradic Ci4 perfectly.

i've spent time handling most models in the excel line. the 7-foot and under rods feel light and balanced but the 7'3" models do feel tip-heavy to me...it was immediately noticeable.

i have to assume you're talking about the 735c and the 736c? if so, you should note that the *** description is different than the dobyns website info. TW says that those are both 'fast' while dobyns says that they're 'extra fast'. who is correct i am not sure but i have the champion 735C and it feels like a 'fast' taper to me, not XF. i love it just the way it is.

i went through a major swimbait phase myself and bought a ton of them. i have the most confidence and have caught the most fish on the basstrix followed closely by the berkley hollow bodies. the basstrix has the best finishes and the body has a subtle side-to-side rolling motion the others don't have. unfortunately, the basstrix and berkleys are the most expensive and tear very easily after a fish. the yum money minnows and kamikaze treats are somewhat similar but their action is pretty much limited to just their paddle tails but sometimes i guess that what the fish want as i've caught fish on them too. i personally found the paddle tails on bass magic and the reaction innovation fat head jr.'s to be too big...it causes those baits to roll up and down and doesn't at all look natural in the water on retrieve; maybe the fish actually like that but i'm not willing to try finding out and don't tie them on after the first time. the one i have the least trouble with is the mann's hardnose swimbaits...they're easy to rig and stay on the hook well but don't look very realistic but do work although the hooks they come with (eagle claw) aren't the greatest. i have not tried the netbaits. i'm not sure what it is but i've lost confidence in swimbaits and don't fish them anymore...it just seems like the fish here have gotten used to seeing them or something. anyway, if you're interested, i can put a lot of them up for sale in the buy/sell/trade forum.

the 735c is my most-used rod...extremely versatile and, surprisingly, has supplanted my various 7-foot MH and H rods and i wish had more of them. however, i do think it is on the light side for punching and frogging. i'd recommend getting the 735c to start with and see how that works for you before making a decision on the next one. personally, i'd go with the 735c and the 736c.

sure they are...i just meant that if you had to buy new dartarium drag washers for $8, you mght as well buy carbontex washers for $9 instead. they are smoooooooooooth 8-) and, actually, i misremembered about the which parts you need. ;D here's the correct info in a copy and paste of my post on this topic from another forum: to put citica E200 gears into a curado E7, you will need: BTN 3951 (main gear) BTN 3953 (pinion gear) BTN 2430 (key washer) note: you can reuse the drag washer (BTN 2431) since they are the same to put citica E200 gears into a curado E5, you will need: BTN 3951 (main gear) BTN 3953 (pinion gear) BTN 2430 (key washer) BTN 2431 (drag washer) to put curado E7 gears into a citica E200, you will need: BTN 3914 (main gear) BTN 3923 (pinion gear) optional: BTN 3913 (key washer) note: you can save yourself $7 by reusing the key washer from the citica; it fits but is ever so slightly undersized which may or may not affect performance...i personally did not want to chance it note: you can reuse the drag washer (BTN 2431) since it is the same to put curado E5 gears into a citica E200, you will need: BTN 3942 (main gear) BTN 3943 (pinion gear) BTN 3941 (key washer) BTN 2662 (drag washer) note: instead of the dartanium drag washer from shimano, i used a carbontex drag washer from smoothdrag.com ($9) feels great just a word of warning though...the gears ain't cheap. the main gear and pinion gears are about $16-$18...each. the key washers are about $6 and the drag washers are about $8. add shipping.

rooster, when the curado e's first came out, i lamented that they were only available in 7:1 and 5:1 gear ratios but i bought them anyway. i discovered that i really liked having the faster ratio for bottom-contact baits and the slower ratio for moving baits. so much so, in fact, that i hardly even touched my citica e's in the 6:1 ratio so i ordered the curado gearsets and converted them, one to 7:1 and the other to 5:1. if you're interested, i'll sell you one of the 6:1 gearsets for your curado for $20 shipped...it consists of the main gear and the pinion gear and can't have been used for more than 20 casts. the conversion is super-easy. if you're converting an E5, you can reuse the drag washer and key washer. but, if you want to convert an E7 to an "E6", then you'll also need to pick up the appropriate key washer (about $6) and a drag washer (you can upgrade to a carbontex washer for about $8).

i have two of the cabelas XMLti dropshot rods...they're 6'9" and medium action and i love them to death. i think light is waaay too light for dropshotting. i'd recommend going with medium in either the 6'6" or, preferably, the 7'0".

of the four ***-exclusive jared lintner powell rods (3 casting and 1 spinning), only the spook/trap rod is glass. the swim jig rod and the square bill rod as well as the wacky rig spinning rod are not listed as glass nor do they have the characteristic fat blank of powell glass rods. if i didn't already have a gazillion rods, i'd pick some of these up myself. my experience with other powell rods has been very good.

once, i was fishing with this guy that was fishing with braid and he was having the worst time of it. he was swearing at his line and cursing the day he bought braid. i finally had him hand his rod and reel to me and, sure enough, it acted funny with me too...sorta like the way you're describing. upon closer inspection, i discovered that when he was threading the line through the guides, he missed one of the eyes and, instead, ran the line under the eye through the guideframe. after fixing that, everything was fine. is there a possibility that's what happened with you? i've used many different brands of braid and don't see how what you described could be the fault of the line.