DTack

I like fast reels. I like catching big bass and showing them to people. I don't like doing math. If you feel like you're reeling a bait too fast, slow down. If you don't feel like you can slow down, get a slower reel for the job. I like the fastest reel I can get away with.

Thanks for the info! And sorry to OP for straying this away to another brand.

Looks like this post was made as I was responding, sorry. In that case I would lean towards 10 lb monofilament, as said above, my favorite is Maxima Ultragreen. It does have some stretch to it, but it is darned strong.

I like either fluorocarbon or monofilament/co-polymer for my ripbaits/jerkbaits. For fluorocarbon I use either 10 or 12 lb Sunline FC sniper, and for mono I like maxima ultragreen in either 8lb or 10lb.

I have always used the Symetre reels and absolutely loved them. Quite honestly I've never felt the need to upgrade as far as performance goes. I use the reels a lot for bass fishing and have mulitple spotted bass over 6 lbs on them as well as largemouth over 10 lbs. Don't stress too much if the Symetre model is all you can afford, they have done well for me. I do want to say I HAVE NOT USED the newest model of the Symetre and I don't keep up that well on what has changed on them.

Looks like fun! And that's a man and woman who know how to use technology to their advantage!!!

We get it, you don't like Dobyns. It's loud and clear. I don't blame you, I would be upset too if customers really loved a company so danged much that they had to come out and praise it like crazy (honestly it would get annoying if you hated that company). I'm not here to come down on your opinion. You're exactly right, any rod can break, they do break. They break for many different reasons, no rod company is perfect. You may feel like people are saying that but no one is. May I have you post the store name please? I would like to check what stock they ordered of the GEN 2 rods and if there were certain models that were breaking, that would likely be a lot of drop-shipping to the store.

Make your loop, pinch with thumb and finger, wrap 5-7 times depending on diameter, wet line, put through bottom, put through top... cinch down slowly and eventually hard. Probably my favorite thing about this knot is if I cinch it down and have crossed my loops somehow (nobody's perfect!) it will break when I cinch hard. This knot is in my opinion the best I've ever used.

I want a rod with a softer tip that does eventually "shut off" at some point around halfway down the blank.

Daiwa Samurai braid... it is almost TOO soft at times... I use it in 70lb test... it goes on my frog rods, my heavy flip rods for vegitation, my buzzbait rods, also my spook rods with a leader. I have never used it in the low lb tests so I can't give any feedback there, but the 55, 70 and 80 lb are awesome braid. It is definitely very very smooth but can almost be too smooth in my opinion, with that being said it is still my favorite braid. Let me know if you'd like more detail about what I mean when I say too smooth, soft or limp. Hope you find a braided line that works for you!

plano soft sider 3600. I have the 3700 and it is a good bag. I got mine from Cabela's and it was a bit cheaper as they use their "in house" boxes which I like just as much as plano as all I really care about are the latches!

Typically just downsizing a bait or something that causes less "commotion"... A bait that is quieter or silent, a topwater that makes less noise or doesn't push as much water, a soft plastic that is smaller or doesn't vibrate as much. I try to take the baby steps at times... for example if I am crushing them on say, a buzzbait... and they kinda stop biting it... I will go to a quieter buzzbait before I go to a senko or a slow moving bait.. Now this is completely different if I am just pre-fishing and trying to find out what they prefer to eat but as far as something "subtle" I don't make as extreme of a change.

Old topic but I forget we have a Western board here... If you go for a guide (in the future) Bobby Barrack is who I would recommend going with. As far as baits, for 5 rods... I throw a lot of topwater on the Delta... buzzbait, frog are the main two. Black and white as far as colors go not much more needed. A heavy flip or punching rod whatever you want to call it... 3/4-1.5oz weight, your favorite plastic and a skirt if ya want. A rod for senkos/dropshot, and a rod for a squarebill crankbait. Hope your event hasn't passed and good luck.

I am curious to see how next year goes for him and I can't wait.

I certainly do. I think the OP might just have to look at some other brands and maybe can add some of the powerbait scent to the new worms! Best of luck though and I hope you find a good replacement. I've been known to buy A LOT of something I truly like... Plastics are truly the worst IMO though because you can go through them so fast!

Dobyns Champion 805cbrm, best rod I've thrown for large deep divers. If you're fishing the new largest of the large cranks, the 806cb is awesome.

This is very old by now and you probably don't care... but that bait is a Bruiser Baits Super Swimmer!

My advice unless you have some type of a gift card for walmart, maybe take a look around for some used tackle? See if you can maybe find somewhere local to look for a used set up? It may take a little patience but I know when I was young I got some great deals on stuff just because people saw that I was excited to fish! I hope this helps and as others have said, just go fishing an have a LOT of fun!

Yes! No one throw it! It's a jerkbait with no action. Fish a jerkbait or small swimbait instead. I will comment though, the bait has for some reason earned a LOT of defense and also I can't figure it out but a lot of the swimbait only crowd seems to like it!

Thank you very much for the recommendation. Honestly I love the way the reel feels and it sounds like it does have something up with it, I've been planning to get it sent off, just haven't gotten around to it yet. Thank you for the recommendation on spool, I am thinking I will send it out to DVT for some help and get it tuned up! Thanks again and hope you enjoy your new purchase. Just wanted to acknowledge your post and tell you thank you, gonna send it out soon hopefully!

This isn't what you're asking perfectly but the Snag Proof Bass Kicker frog is kind of a mix... it has kicker legs and is hollow body, but it does float and has "swimming" type legs. Not sure it would be what you're looking for but would be the closest I know of.

I use a 7'3 rod for walking baits, I use as fast a reel as I can get, not to work the bait but to catch up to a 4-6 lb spotted bass once it does eat.

Are you trying to stay at or under $200 retail cost or are you willing to go that high with a rod on sale? The rod I throw with the right sale could get to that point but I don't want to make the recommendation if it doesn't apply.

For the price I think it's a great reel. I just got my 2nd Type R and have a standard Tatula as well, all in the fastest ratios offered. I own a fuego that I can compare to and I really think mine has some things wrong with it because aside from the reel being the most comfortable to hold that I own, it is the worst performing. I guess I will just list what I find to be the strong points of the reel. When I speak about the tatula and the type r they are basically one in the same to me as the differences (to me) can't really be felt. Tatula/Tatula Type R - Best features for me: Extremely strong (won't slip at all locked down) smooth drag, great powerful handle, retrieve is smooth, good caster. Really the only thing I could list as a concern would be making sure it fits in your hand well. For me I palm the reel in a way that the wide front doesn't effect me after long days of fishing. The reel isn't as perfectly comfortable as my Curado or Citica E, but it performs awesome. Long casts are great with the reel and I feel it really shines when making backhand or roll type casts, might be ENTIRELY mental and I admit that but the reel seems to cast with lest effort on these types of casts. The drag is probably my personal favorite part of the rod, which is great because that's about the only place my Curado E were lacking. The reel really excels for what I intended to use it for which is heavier cover or heavier work... stuff like frogs, large buzzbaits, heavy flipping, punching. With that being said it still casts light baits with ease as other members have mentioned. Basically overall, I love the reel and there is a reason I have 3 now. I have limited experience with the Curado G and to me I just wasn't overly impressed. I guess I just expected Curado E or even Citica E performance and I just didn't feel I received that. I don't have too much to say on it as I didn't spend a long amount of time with the reel but I don't think it compares to the Tatula even at the discounted prices now. I have a Fuego which I am not very happy with overall. The drag was extremely weak which could work for some techniques but others it wouldn't get anywhere near cutting it. I even replaced with a carbontex drag and it still has some slip to it. The reel is incredibly comfortable in my hand but overall it is just lacking. It casts great about 5 casts then the brakes will run wild, then the next cast will be back to normal. One day I hope I can get it nice and smooth because I really feel it'd be an awesome reel. The zillion is about the only reel I would say is "better" in some ways than the Tatula... it is a solid reel and slightly more comfortable overall... However the price is an obvious large diference. I hope this has helped a little. If there's anything I'm not clear on please let me know. Hope you enjoy your new purchase whatever it is!

I go back and forth on this one... WRB has great points and there are definitely times that it DOES matter... He may also be correct that it is just due to confidence really. Much of the time I would say color doesn't matter much in the big picture as long as it's "near" what you're imitating when it comes to a crankbait. I will say I've run into multiple scenarios where a custom or specific color WILL outfish another color 5 to 1 or even greater. At that point it just kind of depends how much do you fish, how much money do you have elsewhere and what is it all worth to you. Honestly, I have no problems paying good money for a hard bait. Once your knot tying becomes good and your casting is a bit more accurate you don't think about losing it or breaking it as much. The way I see it, I have a smaller boat and still spend $30-$50 just in boat gas when I go out... I don't think about spending $10-$20 on a hardbait that can last 2-10 years. It's all different for everyone and I can still side with the person saying it is crazy to pay more than $8 a bait. I have plenty of $7 and under baits that catch the snot out of em, but I like to have the "niche" ones if they're better in that category too!