KYntucky Warmouth

My two daiwa rods have daiwa reels, the rest is fair game.

I prefer the ECS seat, plain and comfortable. The skeleton seat would be second, I don't care for the ACS much, I don't find it comfortable at all, and the TCS well, never fished with one but I like an exposed reel seat. Whoever makes the XPS reel seats for BPS needs to sell them, they are one of the most comfortable seats I have used.

Are you thinking the savvy series or champions in the dobyns? I have two of the savvy rods and really like them. I would put them above the powells, which I also have two of as well. The XF action of the Powell rods is nice, gives a little extra on hook sets. The dobyns rods balance a bit better but it's all about what reel you put on them.

I say curado but can only compare it to the old SX and what's the use of a strong smooth reel you can't cast correctly half the time. I do have a new SX coming this week so we'll see but until then, curado.

My favorite setup is probably my 7'M Daiwa Zillion/Daiwa Alphas 103/12lb XPS Flourocarbon. I find it a versatile setup fishing shakey heads, tubes, jerkbaits, weightless plastics, dropshot, and small jigs. It's terribly light, sensitive, extremely balanced, and has plenty of power to handle big fish.

listen the reason why cumulus got lower rating than vendetta because of the price fool i would prefer to pay for lighter rod and good senstivity than tip heavy cheap rod Seriously.....here's my suggestion Go here http://cgi.ebay.com/KISTLER-MAGNESIUM-MGAPSMH69-69-MED-HVY-CASTING-ROD-/200449523797?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eabb90055 Make an offer for $82, that comes to $100 even with shipping...if it's accepted you've got probably one of the best rods you could buy for $100.

If you haven't heard, the Vendetta was rated higher than the Shimano Cumulus on Tackle Tour. :

Personal preference and product availability.....you're welcome....thread over

A tube is probably my #1 producer. It's my go to bait, it seems like when nothing else is working, a tube will get bit. I like the BPS tender tubes and the xps (oldham style) weedless tube insert but also have pretty good success on a t-rig. I used to use these but haven't had a chance to get more. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_44436_100010003_100000000_100010000_100-10-3

They are decent rods, it just feels like Abu spent alot less time in development with them than the casting rods.

In regards to the Abu spinning rods, I had a 7'MH and they feel slapped together, almost like they spent alot of time on the casting rods and realized they needed a spinning rod last minute. They are heavy, unbalanced, clumsy, and the threading on the real seat is about an inche to long.

I'm in total agreement. me too....the moss may be greener but it all has bugs in it. I like trying new gear too much to fish the same brand. I have reels from most of the top reel makers and a selection of different rods. I tend to buy in pairs so I usually have two of a certain brand or series of rods and reels and I like them all. Every now and then you'll see on here where someone buys one brand then sells it all to switch brands and then loads up on their products. I just don't get that.

Just goes to show you what kind of idiots they are. What good is blowing up the dam gonna do? For them, it would illiminate a means of transportation of drugs across the border. If you ask me it would hurt their "business", wonder if they thought of that. It's sad that they could, and would, destroy one of the best fisheries in both countries because of drugs.

x2 they are stout rods, the M is the best suited for trebles and it's terrible for cranks. I really like it for jerkbaits but that's about it.

I have a 7'M Zillion that I use for finesse type baits, shakey heads, tubes, and jerkbaits. It puts any other M rod that I have used, or even felt, to shame. I love my zillion rod and actually have a 7'MH coming that I just bought, literally 15 minutes ago. Mine is paired with a Daiwa alphas 103 and it's just an amazing setup. The weight and balance are almost unbelievable. I recently caught a 5.1lber out of a tree line on a 3 1/2'' tube on 12lb flouroclear and never once felt the rod was underpowered. Just to look at the place I caught it you would immediately pull out the flipping stick for heavy cover. As for the Dobyns rods, I have only used the Savvy Series and the Zillion definitely over shadows them. In the $130-150 range, Savvy, but for a $200+ rod, the Zillion. Granted, I haven't fished a champion, with the exception of a gen1 swimbait rod that is lighter than my 6'6''M pro qualifier, but from all my experience, the Zillion takes the cake. A few things about the Zillion you may want to take into consideration: The rods are under rated and the reel seat takes a little getting used to, it can be uncomfortable at first.

These may help Winch http://www.tackletour.com/reviewabugarciarevowinch.html Crazy Cranker http://www.tackletour.com/reviewdaiwazillioncc.html final totals http://www.tackletour.com/review2010lowspeedfinal.html

I use to use it, restored my comp and havent take the time to get it back, but it works

Thanks guys, I'm gonna start with a book, probably the kirkman book. It sounds like I may just need to piece it together. I thought the kits would make it easier but it makes more sense to choose the components that I want than to make due with what the kit would come with.

I know this goes against the big bait big fish idea but all of my bigger fish have come on finesse baits, 4" shakey head, 3 1/2" tube, weightless 5" stick bait, 2" jerkbait.

I just heard about 3 Mercs blowing powerheads today. What happened last weekend? BigRickRolled - Hospital? What happened? The wife had a routine laprascopy that turned into a bowel resection. They removed 8-10" of small intestine, she's fine now though. The financial counselor told us upfront it would be around $2000 out of pocket, insurance didn't cover 25%. Haven't got the bill yet, let's hope she over estimated, but I doubt it.

$2000..............on a hospital bill, no fishing equipment for me

I had a 7'M BPS Crankin Stick and threw everything from Bandit 100s, Bomber 6-7A to SK Series 6 and BDS6 Fat Free Shads. It was a bit underpowered for DD22s and baits that went 14'+. On the other hand it wasn't great for lighter baits, it really had a sweet spot for 8-12'.

If you are looking into one, I would definitely take advantage of the current sales. I also have two, one 7'MH and a 7'H. I really like them and they are my favorite rods in their price range, I also have Powell Max rods and Kistler Magnesiums. The Savvy is above both rods IMO, the Powell is close but the Savvy balances better. A 7'MH Savvy and a Curado are a match made in heavy. I don't think they'll disappoint you. I can't really compare them to the upper tier of rods but they surpass their $130-150 counterparts.

For me I use them interchangeably for the most part. I do use EWG for fatter baits like the ika and topwater toads and such. One thing I have noticed is that when fishing an EWG with a slender, smaller bodied bait, the gap in the hook catches and hooks onto branches really easily.

A 7'MH fast action should be a good place to start if you have the ability to handle the rods in person before you buy I would find one that you feel is good for you