SWMIBASSER

For the price.....should be strait. Hell you can buy el-cheapo MASS produced china rods for under $35 with strait guides.... If you are in some situation where you absolutely can not return it (bought new but 2nd hand from a forum member for example) then a custom rod builder can remove it re-wrap it and finish it for you.

The Fritts BPS crankin' reels aren't just using lip service. Those will bomb cranks farther than you can imagine....I like the power handle and the 6.3.1 works great for everything.... Vandam is king of the crankbait and he doesn't use reels in the 5's.........Just sayin'

I have one. I like it. VS other rods, it's not that sensitive. Not terrible. Don't let these comments scare you away. It's just at it's price point there are more sensitive rods. However the length and action IMO are perfect. I've got a Pflueger Supreme 8030 on mine and it is a nice balanced/light combo.

That actually sounds about perfect. I want the tip soft enough to protect the line a bit, but if the drag is set properly it will be fine. I prefer a faster action/stiffer rod than most do. The tip heavy thing-As much as I don't like the weight they add, or how they look, the slip on balancers really make the rod feel much better. With that said, I'm open to other tube rod suggestions. I'm also thinking about a 7' BPS Johnny Morris Elite. I really think those are grossly underrated rods... Would also be open to other Loomis offerings, and E21 rods also. Been thinking of buying one of those anyhow.

Odd I've landed a bevy of 3lbers this summer and one about 4.5..... No hogs. But not bad around here. Only use them for wacky worms and drop shotting

Some form of green pumpkin-I make a few, and regular old black/blue. I've found the high action trailers available excel almost all year.-rage tail, chigger chunk/craw, paca chunk, etc. If you are searching for confidence keep your color selection simple, and fish high percentage areas (for jigs)=laydowns, logs etc

Their Bronzeback series 7'4" spinning rod. I want to get a dedicated tube rod for either Christmas or next spring. How does it handle the higher end of it's lure weight rating? Will the action protect 6lb line?

In winters and springs past I REALLY got suckered into buying based on sales, hot baits, etc etc. I'm sure we all have.....Well my boat is going to require some maintenance so I need to pare back this unnecessary spending. So I've made a list. If it's not on the list I don't buy it. My point to this list, for those who don't mind reading it and taking the time to reply is to get opinions on what you use, and why. Here goes. Hooks. Weedless wacky hooks-I use Gamakatsu weedless finesse hook Drop shot hooks.-I've used the stand out hooks in the past.....That is what I would like to use again. I've also used non weedguard Gamakatsu finesse hooks as well Worm hooks. 3/0,4/0, maybe 5/0 Weights Traditional bullet weights-I had basically given up on the texas rigged worm. Not because of anything other than it wasn't the hot thing, and I've concentrated on a few other things. This is a brain dead decision for the most part. My question is for those who have used both, can you really tell the difference in feel between tungsten and lead??? Drop shot weights. I really like the round weights. I don't have any real snagging problems and it seems that the pencil style would try to constantly fall over-not stand up.... I need a few plastics as well. Plastics Senko style worms. 4" and 5.5" Snack Daddy Lures wiggle sticks. paca chunks. Couple different colors Strike Kind finesse worms.=basically trick worms with indestructible plastic Beaver/creature baits. More of my custom jigs assortment of tube heads-rattle or no rattle-I've always used no rattle Bagley's shaky jig heads-perfect for the strike king worms. I really like the owner screw lock shakey heads but the strike king plastic is so soft you can't thread it onto a srew lock-I know crazy! So if you have read this far what do you use and why?

I build my own custom jigs. A "weed" jig that IMO is PERFECT. Consider my location-I don't flip and don't fish much super dense wood (think washed down wood on a river-I don't do that) But for laydowns, including dense laydowns, all types of weeds, rocks you name it. Even with a thin weed guard I don't get hung The Hook is a Gamakatsu, and all the skirts are hand tied with stren super braid (I use stren as it's nice and soft-perfect for this) I use almost exclusively 3/8oz jigs. I'll build em smaller and bigger though. Several variations of green pumpkin, black/blue, a couple brown craw colors, and I'm working on a bluegill pattern.

No doubt about it the BPS Johnny Morris Elite rods, are the best $ for $ rods available. Aside from a few very specific lengths and actions I don't think I'll buy any more Loomis rods because of the BPS J/M Elite rods. Sale or not. You can't beat them.

IMO shakey heading needs a faster rod than drop shotting. A rod with decent back bone to set the hook and move fish, but with a soft tip for utilizing the 1/16 and 1/8 oz heads. For me, despite my thinking that Loomis rods are generally overrated is that their SHR rods are spot on. I have the heavier of the two I think it's the SHR 822 and it's perfect. The 8030 Pflueger Supreme makes a nice light, balanced setup.

One other thing. I was in the same boat as you. Didn't fish with jigs much. When I did I had little or no success. One day of fishing with a good jig fisherman, and that's all it took. Just a few key things pointed out to me, and I ran with it tweaking my own techniques and tackle along the way. Go fishing with someone good at a technique you struggle with. You can learn a ton.

worse yet think of the $$ you wasted on girlfriends back then

BPS J/M Elite. $ for $ the best rod out there....You give up the solid warranty but you gain MUCH more rod for the $$. It's my jig rod. I don't flip. The water is to clear. But for pitching and dragging jigs out deep I bought the 7'6 MH JME. Light, very sensitive and I really like the action. It's perfect for a 'northern jig rod'

I would sure hope you don't have line failure with that replacement rate

dropping line size and increasing catch rates is lMO attributed to better action/more natural action and not to reduced visibility. I've made some conclusions pertaining to line size/visibility based on observing bass all summer long in a clear water creek that we have lived on since summer. It is loaded with largemouth cruising back and forth.....Has been really helpful IMO. Like having a natural aquarium in your backyard.

Keep in mind what you are using the rod for. You don't need that sensitive a rod for reactions baits, cranking rods, spinnerbaits, even jerkbaits. Reserve the nicer rods for bottom contact techniques, such as jigs, worms, dropshot, shakyhead, etc. Also weightless techniques wacky worms etc. Watch BPS sales as some of there reals are downright CHEAP when on sale. The old model extremes were down to $30-40. I'm more than happy with the extreme reals even when put on high end rods. Check Gandermountain for rods. They have a really god rod per $$ ratio. Also watch classifieds sections of sites like this and on e-bay. When you do step up to the high end stuff, save some money and look into Rogue rods. IMO the most underrated fishing rod on the market.

After going from Y/Z Hybrid two years ago to strictly 100% Flourocarbon from Berkley, I'm going back to the Y/Z and sticking with it. Of all the other stuff I've tried or fished with in between you simply can't beat Y/Z.

If you haven't fished jigs much, don't assume you will be flipping. You can do a BUNCH more with a jig than flip into heavy cover from short distances. Granted I'm up north but I do ZERO flipping. The water just isn't stained enough to get that close. I bought a 7'6" BPS Johnny Morris elite rod for jig fishing. It is a MH however. I love the action, and power, but sometimes the 6" could go away. Other times when pitching long distances the extra 6" is nice. I would look into this rod. $ for $ the best rod out there. Very light, extremely sensitive nice actions. I'm done buying Loomis because of these rods.

I'm not generally one who gets hung up on "confidence lures" for me, if you are thinking clearly and choosing the right presentation, the color only has to be close. And by close I mean a 'natural' color. However if there is one thing I simply have zero confidence in it is craw patterned and colored crankbaits. And they are working for you. Most important thing in lakes like this is to have enough colors, and lures of the same brand/design with different diving depths.

$ for $ a MUCH better rod than Loomis....

BPS Johnny Morris Elite.......The Elite is the most underrated rod sold. Rogue......Tied for 1st in the most underrated rod category.

Loomis shr821 Pflueger Supreme 8030. Best setup for this fishing IMO. A Loomis rod that is spot on.

Not the highest end reel but I have an old Cardinal 704. The one that has the drag adjustment at back of the spool at the rotor. Not on the end of the spool. It holds plenty of line, and has a strong, consistent drag. I use it on a Gander Mountain 8'7 steelhead rod. 30lb braid, 12lb leader.

Even still, if you throw the big heavy hard swimbaits on that lb braid expect to lose some expensive lures. Even at 80lb Stren Superbraid, and Spiderwire braid, I lost probably a half dozen lures over the course of a season. A backlash means an automatic loss. Even time when you don't backlash, but the line 'catches' when spooling off, will snap the line. Zero stretch plus heavy lure at mach speed=loss of big $$ lures.