ncbass

I love my Dobyns DX 742 for big fish in deep water. Tip is sensitive yet butt section powerful to handle fish. I have Ci4 4000 on mine and the bigger reel allows you to bomb a cast out and balances perfect with the 742.

I have the DX 702 and think it is the best drop shot rod I have ever used. Paired with a Ci4 2500 feels like a feather and the most sensitive rod I have ever fished with.

I have a Loomis SBR 864. It is their big spinnerbaits rod. Have fished up to ounce and half Ledgebusters on it. Has a nice action to launch the big spinnerbaits and has a progressive action with good bend in the upper half of the rod and lots of power in the butt section. I looked for a long time for a rod with this action and have never looked back. Caught bunches of big mean largemouth out of Falcon Lake on this rod. I have it paired with an Chronarch 100BPV and this is a work horse outfit. Usually has 40 or 50 lb braid with 20 to 30 lb flouro leader.

I am a Shimano guy but for right now at BPS if you need a reel then you'd be foolish not to buy the Pro Qualifier for $50 bucks.

There is no better rod than a Dobyns DX 702sf.

I also second the Loomis MBR783 GLX. I have an older model with Weibe handle and just love it for roll cast to targets.

I always use a Floro leader with braid; but not so much for line visibility issue. I use it for abrasion resistance. If you are fishing rocks or heavy brush a floro leader will take the abuse much better than straight braid. Braid and rocks are a no-no, and heavy brush will weaken your braid as well, especially at the knot. using a bead on your line will also help the weight from pounding you knot on straight braid when T-rigging.

How does that flourobraid stand up to an occasional rock ? My experience using braid tied directly to lures/hooks is that it fails at the knot due to abrasion of the bottom/structure/lure; thats why I use a flouro leader to eliminate this failure. I have all my setups whether spinning or casting rigged this way.

Who uses braid for deep cranking and what sizes do you use. I ask because I'm fishing areas that hold big fish(up to and over 10 lbs in submerged standing timber); tops of the timber is 15 to 20 ft deep. I plan to use flouro leader but need the braid to get these fish out of the trees. I can't get the bait down (DD22's) on heavy flouro that will also allow me to get the fish out. So I'm curious as to who out there has experience with braid deep cranking.

Buy you some Mend-It plastic glue and fix them. I use it all the time to repair senkos. It is a little pricey but will fix many a senko to be fished again. I use it on all my plastic baits expecially paddletail swimbaits. A very good product IMHO and the manufacturer has fixed the problem of shelf life by now packaging it in glass bottles with a brush applicator. I get mine from ***.

You can go to Falcon stay on the US side and be just as safe with the same probability of catching a DD.

Several good spinning reels in that range, I have fished Shimano for years and not been disappointed in any model I have purchased. I would suggest you go with braid on the spinning reel. This will eliminate the twist. If you are concerned about visibility of braid go with a flouro leader tied with a uni to uni to the braid. I have fished this on my stradics for well over 10 years and I'll never go back to straight mono or flouro.

When ya'll send your GLX's to the trash bin I'll give you my address.

I've had AllStars for many years, and just recently began to replace them with higher end rods...life is getting shorter may as well has some really good stuff ! I still have several of the Titaniums and some will go with me to the grave. I really loved their old original spinning rods with Tennessee handles and fish yet with a couple that are 20 years old. In their day the Titaniums were the standard for a higher end rod, mass produced. For most people looking for a quality rod the Platinum or Team allstar series would be a safe bet for a good rod with available actions and the price point will allow you to own more than a couple ! Some old timers still covet their WR1 and WR2's and the Jiggin rods have a loyal following as well.

I agree they are awesome jigs, but I'm still looking for the larger diameter round rubber they are tied with. With regular round rubber you get the flare of an original mop jig but it is sooo much better with the rubber they use.

If so they have changed since I bought jigs in March. It was/is a larger round rubber. Seems I read an article by *** about how this stuff was imported from Japan ? Thanks !

I'm looking for a source of round rubber in a larger size than what the usual sources carry, i.e. Lurecraft, Netcraft, Living Rubber, Barlows. If you have ever seen a Mop jig made by Buckeye Lures the round rubber is quite a bit larger than the kind you can get at the listed sources. The key to a mop jig is that it flares out quickly and the material used by Buckeye lures does that since it is larger and more bouyant. Anyone have a source?