DTack

If you have the room I recommend the 805cb or 804cb... I even throw squarebills on mine now. The 805cb has a bit more power than most other crank rods on the market, I would consider the 804cb a bit closer to "standard" as far as crankbait action. Both rods are great and load beautifully for me personally. I don't feel at the mercy of the fish once I hook them like I did with my old crank rods.

The TP1SH is 85mm, TS1SH is 85mm, TS1SHMG is 95mm. Thank you for your interest in Lew's products Team Lew's Fishing I asked the question a while back. I am loving the handles on my daiwa tatula... Handle length and knobs.

I will always have a soft spot for the Shimano Symetre in the 3000 size, black bass over 15 lbs and multiple spots over 6 lbs on my reel and still trucking along happily, that's enough for me to love it.

I'm sorry but I can't give an answer besides, yes it is needed. I want to catch every fish that I can... I'm not happy losing them and I don't throw a frog so I can talk about a 10 minute fight. Everyone fishes for different reasons and I entirely respect that. You definitely CAN fish a frog on light braid or on heavy mono but I see absolutely no reason to. I am not much of a fan of the braid to leader but I would rather get caught fishing that then 20 lb mono or 20 lb braid with a frog, even in open water.

Thank you VERY much for your time and explanation. I have been meaning to send mine off and I believe i will sometime soon. I honestly would just sell it (steep discount since it's not 100% working) but I bought it from a friend who's gone and have always wanted to use it. Plus it's a very comfortable reel. Anyways, thanks for the information, I appreciate it greatly.

Do you have any details on this? I have one of these reels and it just doesn't ever seem to cast consistently. Thanks! Had no clue this was an issue on them.

734c for a champion. For a DX the 744 loads up just fine on fish from 3-8.5 lbs, dunno about anything else.

Well here's my opinion. I don't own a model reel higher than a Symetre from Shimano (or any spinning reel brand for that matter). I fish for bass. Spots up to 6.8 lbs and largemouth up to 15 on spinning rods. Yes, they do fight, yes it's in open water so you can just let the drag do the work for you and take your time on the big ones. I use a 3000 size as I like as much line and largest spool possible for the longest cast possible. This is just my personal preference I don't see the benefit in my fishing with the higher priced reels. I could understand with other types of fish but with bass the symetre's drag has never made me want more. I will not argue with anyone who simply enjoys fishing nice gear as I see no problems with that nor do I disagree with it! As far as reel weight goes, I don't even know what my 3000s weigh but I throw them ona well balanced rod and there are plenty of days where it is just about the only rod in my hand and I could fish 3 weeks straight with it. Hope this helps and enjoy your new reel to the fullest!!! With how much I love my symetres I can only imagine how nice a Stradic must be to fish with!

I'm glad you gave them a chance to help. One thing I will say, when you get the rods back, they will likely still feel "different". I would encourage you to fish them a bit and see if you get used to them... Also hook some fish on them see what they do once a fish is hooked, that is where rods separate themselves for me. Hope you enjoy the new choices and they are a better fit for you. Have fun!

I think it is preference. I don't like split grip at all and I feel like the "nub" on the end gets caught on my sweatshirts and jackets more. Just me.

Echo... Straight Fluoro 12-16lb.

The closest thing I have is an original Dee Thomas flippin' stick with no trigger. Fenwick used to do a promotion if you beat Dee you won a rod. My old man got it years ago, and since I like the sport's history, I've hung onto it. That's about it. I keep all my plaques in the closet in a stack aside from that, not much displaying here haha.

P-line makes a lot of different co-polymers, or monos I call em all mono. The two most popular (I think) are CXX and CX. CXX is thick stuff, it's strong and has a lot of memory. CX is still strong, has a little lower memory, little thinner (still not thin per lb test at all) and little less strong. I used it for years and really haven't had any problems. I did end up switching to Maxima and it is insane as far as abrasion resistance and overall strength. They both stretch but I don't mind it too much, if it bothers me a lot I will just pre-stretch it. Overall I say any of the p-line mono are good for a baitcaster. If you wanna throw it on a spinning reel make sure it's cx and it's not over 8 lb test. I wouldn't personally recommend the fluoroclear however. Hope you enjoy it and catch some big ones!

Yeah, it might be "mechanically" more efficient.. But I will stick with what works when it comes to landing 5-11 lb fish out of heavy cover and mats. David has plenty of experience with that so I will stick with his methods as they work for me as well. Keep the fish pinned with the rod and grind it back with the reel. Unless you're fishing a tournament against us... Then go ahead and drop the rod haha.

Covered and done. Make sure you have a strong drag on a fast reel and you're good in my eyes. My current preference is the Type R Tatula.

Might get blasted a bit for this but I can't agree that a 7.5-8' rod is too long for a frog. I would take an 8' frog rod over a 7' rod any day. I don't have any experience with the Orochi xx rods but I can say a 7'9"-8' flipping stick makes a great frog rod if you're fishing in cover or for any fish over 3 lbs. I'm not saying you can't fish a frog on a 7 footer or 7'3" rod that is underpowered, I just think a higher powered 7'3" rod or a longer more powerful rod increases your chances. Learn to cast a 7'9-8' rod and it is no tougher to cast than a 7' rod. Not trying to confuse your decision just can't agree with a 7'9" rod being too long for frogs.

My opinion on this (not right or wrong, black and white). I think the Savvy 766 is my favorite savvy rod I've picked up. The Savvy is slightly less powerful than the Champion but not by too much. The Champion 766 is just like iabass8 said a beast of a rod. If I am pitching something or flipping something I want the heaviest rod I can get away with. This type of thinking can cause a bit of inconvenience for some but I do believe once people adjust slightly with their casting the benefits (for me) outweigh the negatives. Honestly I might lose a 13" fish here and there but I am more concerned with what happens when I hook a 4+ lber. Another compromise that people constantly bring up is casting... the "tip loads well when casting a bait" As a fisherman if you get to cast a lot and practice a lot you can fix this overtime where you no longer need "much of a tip". Don't get me wrong even the best of casters aren't perfect and it would be slightly easier even for those with the most practice to cast with a softer rod, but once again I'm not as concerned with a rod's "casting" abilities since I would rather make up for that with my own. I am more concerned with what the rod is going to do once I hook a good sized fish and that is my priority when picking the rod, I can adjust and make the rest work just as well. The 766 (for me) is fine for pitching and flipping a 3/8-3/4 and up ounce jig or texas rigged set up. (TX rig up to 1.5 oz works for me). Once again I don't think this is a black and white answer and I DO NOT think anyone is wrong with their answer as I'm sure you will get a few here. Just a perspective on how I use or may use the rod. Also, outside of flipping/pitching I think the rod makes a fine "utility" rod for heavier fishing. For me that means frogs and buzzbaits as well! I hope you find a use for the rod where you enjoy fishing it!

Not to thread-jack, but would you mind shooting me a PM where you found the Type-R for 119? That's an awesome deal. Honestly between the two reels SO FAR I can not tell a difference but that may come out with time. That is kind of the way it was with my Citica and Curado Es. Either way as long as the Tatula is comfortable for you and you get familiar with the brakes, it's an awesome reel.

I like braid when I'm around heavy grass using a squarebill or lipless crank.

I would assume this is just happening here and there because you are still "pretty new to a baitcaster". Just keep practicing and things will smooth out. Casting takes a lot of getting used to. Even those who consider themselves great casters and "never backlash" still use a rod based on "it casts well" so just practice and things will iron out with time. There are some good videos and posts here about adjusting your reel so that backlashes are minimized, also WRB has a great post above!

Here's my thoughts on perception of the savvy not being very sensitive. The tapers on the rods are a bit slower than most other rods out there including the other lines of Dobyns. I think that with the slower actions people feel that the rod isn't as "sensitive" or "responsive" since it doesn't bounce back immediately with an extra fast tip. The savvy for me are very versatile rods that can be used for multiple techniques with great success. When it comes to getting a rod for a specific technique I tend to lean towards a Champion or an Extreme. For your technique I don't think you'd be upset with the extra power of the 735 for your main use.

Fluorocarbon and those new to a baitcaster do not mix. I have a good friend who was having the same problem with small "kinks" in the line. He would reel over them, then make a long cast again and break mid cast. Maybe try some inexpensive copolymer or mono while you're getting your casting down. It is more forgiving to backlash and such, also if you do end up backlashing bad you can cut it out and not be out so much money. Until then, just keep practicing and your backlashes will decrease with time like everyone elses!

Reaction Innovations Vixen, Snag Proof Bobby's Perfect Frog.

I hope I remember later to post some pictures of some Stripers caught on this hook and a flipping stick with 70 lb straight braid. The hooks don't bend or rip out if you have a drag set decently.

That's awesome! Nice fish! Glad it went well!