DTack

So you flipped when everyone else tule dipped? I bet you SPANKED EM!

Is the reel a Gen 2 or Gen 3?

Much of the time when flipping or pitching my number one concern is drag slip. I get it a lot for some reason. My favorite reel I have used to this day is probably the Curado E overall. At some point I did something to all of the ones that I own and the drag slips on all of them. They work fine for ripbaits, open water jigs and some other lighter techniques where I don't have the drag locked down, but because of that I don't use them for flipping or pitching heavy cover. A couple of my favorites that I've used have been a Gen 2 Revo premier, a Daiwa Zillion, a Daiwa Tatula (type r and standard). I picked all of these because they had a nice free spool and the drag was strong on all of them. Your SX should be fine, I believe there is a way to internally adjust brakes on that reel as well. If this doesn't make sense or you need specifics just ask, I can look it up or one of the current reel owners could probably explain where to open it up. Either way, you already have a reel that will work, just adjust it and have fun!

LC bds3 and bds4, kvd 1.5 and 2.5. Shad colors and craw colors.

I look forward to them, they will cost me less when I crack them in half against a dock or some cement vs. a LC Skeet Reese mag haha

What type of jigs are you throwing and where are you throwing them? Before going into comparisons this will help with providing an answer more specific to what you may be doing.

Hahaha, not %100 sure this was a joke but I'm taking it as one!

Due to the techniques you've listed which you'd like to use the reel for, I would say AS LONG AS IT IS COMFORTABLE IN YOUR HAND, go for the Tatula in 7.3:1. Great casting, solid retrieve and my favorite part of the reel is the drag, smooth and is VERY strong. As long as it is comfortable for you I don't think it can be contested for these techniques in the 100$ price range from the auction sites.

I have not handled an *** rod so I won't comment on that, I believe there has been a lot of context about those rods here. When it comes to Powell/Dobyns Savvy I will take the Savvy every time. There are a lot of people who will disagree there and that is fine. I am obviously a fan of Dobyns. I still fished Powell when the generation 1 series of Dobyns came out. They were not priced as strong as the Powell (at the time), although slightly better overall including balance, build quality and materials that for me did not justify the price difference. (Reason I understand people's concerns with price difference). Once the generation 2 Dobyns came out THEN I was fully convinced that the price difference was worth it. The generation 2 Dobyns blew away the generation 1 and even the Generation 1 extreme rods in every aspect. At this point Powell was no longer a rod I would consider putting against a Dobyns. When the Savvy series came out I was truly curious how it was going to compare to the Powell Max line. With a fresh memory in my head and plenty of Powell models to be able to compare the rods to (since I sold all of mine to my buddies) I grabbed a couple of savvys and took a couple different buddies out (on different occasions). We fished the rods basically side by side and kind of traded back and forth. I was happy with the overall results of the savvy and my friends were a bit upset about the fact that they were too haha. These results come from fishing the rods feeling multiple baits, hooking fish on the rods and putting fish in the boat. They are not results from things like casting, feeling it in a store, putting the tip on the ground then putting a cell phone on the ground on vibrate to "measure sensitivity". My favorite rods in the savvy lineup are the 734c, 735c, and 766c. The actions on these rods are a bit different than say a Powell Max. The Dobyns feel just slightly slower overall. I think this is where some of the "sensitivity" issues come from. From what I have experienced most people will feel a stiffer rod or a faster tipped rod and it will feel more sensitive to them. We all want different things from rods I believe and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Casting is a popular concern with rods... For me, this is what I rank last. A rod with a nice soft tip can be a compromise I don't want to make depending on the technique. I am more concerned about a rod putting a fish into the boat as that is what I fish for. I don't fish to cast, I fish to put fish into the boat and that is all there is to it. For what you have let us know you're wanting to fish I would recommend a 734 savvy, it won't be as perfect for cranks but if you upgrade to heavy hooks on the cranks (like the KVD short shanks from Mustad) I truly think you'd be find throwing cranks on it as long as you're not using braid as well. If there are more specific questions that you have, feel free to please ask. I hope you enjoy fishing whichever rod you choose! As many have recommended check with Ron at Valley Sports as he does a great job providing fantastic prices and service for the board members and he deserves the consideration for your business!

Personal favorite knot. Use it for really everything. My number one knot for Fluoro!

Sure has, fished a dx745 for about 30 minutes befor having to put it down. The Duckett feels and fishes much better. Quote from: SenkoGuru on March 09, 2014, 11:14:45 PM I'm upset with duckett over the treatment of Valley Sports but Duckett is a MUCH better rod than the Dobyn's are imo. I fished with a Dobin's DX 745 for about 30 minutes before I had to put it down and pick my Duckett 7'3' Heavy White Ice back up. To me the Duckett just feels and fishes much better. To each his own I guess.

See, here is a post which MAKES SENSE as to why this person feels the rods aren't worth the price asked. I don't agree with what is stated and that is just fine. I won't bother to reply to what is stated here as it's not important! He gives specific reasons why he didn't like the rod! Do I agree with some of the opinions? No way! But they are stated in a way that can be respected! Once again, don't agree with some of the facts but, great post!

This is going really sideways really fast. In my opinion they are worth the $169 amount. You have a lot of good options out there at this point truly. I'm not going to sit here and tell you one brand isn't good then drop one word about a brand I'm "recommending" to tell you that is the one you should buy. We all have our favorite rods that's rather obvious. Try to find a rod that fits you and a brand that you trust and agree with the actions. I don't feel the need to sit around and constantly push a brand or say that another brand is garbage including things like "we lost another". Some brands have earned a vendetta against them. I'm not really sure why aside from some very happy customers. The thing about the Internet is you have thousands of people telling you something they "think" or "heard" without much you can do to validate what they are saying. I would be a happy guy on a few techniques with the savvy series... There are some that the actions aren't great for. I just love that people keep bringing up things like sensitivity which is one thing that just isn't lacking to me... But to each their own!

If you're ok with spending the extra money, I believe the 745dx would be what you are looking for. It would solve what you report being a problem with the tip of the rod in my opinion!

From what you're giving as far as what you do and don't like, I would recommend the Champion 735. It is a bit slower than the 745dx but I believe you would still be pleased with the performance.

Looks like it may be some type of generic, The lil suzee had some type of ribbing on the back half of the tail and wasn't fully smooth. Lil suzee looks real close though.

My problem is I don't stop throwing it. I just make better casts and stick it out typically. Usually I will have a heavy flipping set up and go with that for a while.

Personal preference here I have always been really impressed with a Shimano Symetre, I've never been able to justify a higher cost on a spinning reel personally.

Typically when I go in the back of a buddy's boat or just plain not in my own boat, I don't take much tackle at all... Generally I have an idea of what I will be throwing or what situations I may run into... I carry a backpack whenever I go on a buddy's boat. There are slight exceptions maybe 1/10 of the time where I will carry a "tackle bag" with 4-6 plano boxes. I generally only carry 1-2 3700 size boxes in the backpack which have my mixture of hardbaits... I will then take a gallon ziplock bag and put all the plastics I might use for that day in it... This works for me because of how I have things set up at the house to go in the boat... I have everything divided up into techniques in each plano box for hardbaits, then each "plastics category" in ziplock gallon bags... All I do is start with an empty 3700 box and an empty ziplock gallon, from there I will just pick and choose what I need from my technique boxes... I just keep going until I have everything I need. If I fill the first box, I will just start in on another. It's worked really well for me so far!

Honestly, when I take my girlfriend out on the boat she only uses a spinning rod. I just put braid on it and call it done... yeah we would probably be in a bit of trouble if she hooked one over 5 but it would still be fun haha. It's not going to be ideal but if you put braid on that spinning rod you would be able to cast and hook fish (not with premium efficiency) pretty well. From that list, buzzbaits, frogs, horny toads, spooks, poppers, prop baits... You could definitely fish ALL of these on a spinning rod matched up with braid... once again it's not THE BEST way to fish it but it can be done and you can get some bites before you decide if you wanna buy a new setup.

Please post your review when you get the rod! I know these have been popular since their release!

From all experience that I have the highest priced pre-rapala warts are the craw patterns. Other patterns still take a high premium but pale in comparison to the craw patterns.

Depending on the lake, a spook, or a frog.

As far as reels in that price range, with you being a Shimano fan (as am I) the Curado I seems like a great choice. I have not personally used the reel yet, however I do trust the company and the new model recommended by many. Another great choice if it is comfortable for you is the new Tatula reels. They can be had at very good prices and I personally love the performance. My initial responses for your T-rig, spinnerbait and topwater rods may change depending what types of water you primarily fish, so if you'd like to share that my choices may change slightly. For spinnerbaits, my favorite rod is a Dobyns Champion 734c. This is my go-to rod right now for Spooks or other walking baits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. If you're fishing lighter cover or near open water, you can also use the rod for buzzbaits as well. This rod is actually an outstanding "all-purpose" rod. Depending what line you pair it with it can do multiple different tasks. I am lucky enough to have multiple different For topwater, since that can mean a couple of different things I will try to cover a couple options: If you fish around heavy cover and are looking for a rod for things like buzztoads, hollow frogs and buzzbaits (heavy cover) I would consider a couple of different rods. My number one around heavy to even light cover is a Dobyns Champion 736c. If I am throwing a frog or a buzzbait I will often have it tied on this rod. In open water you don't "need" as heavy of a rod but if I am going to be throwing in a mix of open water and heavy to moderate cover (which 90 percent of my days look like on the water) I will have my baits rigged on a 736. Some might feel this is not necessary in open water as in it may not be as easy to work the bait and I understand that concern. Personally, I'm more concerned with what the rod is going to do once I get my bite and hook my fish. I would rather learn to cast, pitch and retreive my bait correctly with a heavier rod and have confidence knowing that when a big fish bites, I am going to get my hook in her the way I need to, and also that my rod is going to do it's job in keeping the fish hooked. I am more concerned with this over making it easier to walk my frog or cast my lighter frog, with a little practice I believe anyone will get used to a slightly heavier rod. If you are talking about lighter cover or open water "style" baits such as spooks, poppers and propbaits. My all around rod for these is a Dobyns Champion 734c. In my opinion this is the best rod I've ever used for spooks. I run it with braid a 6-7 ft leader of 10-15 lb mono with a high speed reel. For the T-Rig, this can really depend upon the cover you're fishing it in. Most of the times I have a bait t-rigged I'm pitching or flipping it. Usually it is with a heavy weight of 3/4 to 1.5 oz. If you're fishing light cover or basically open water with 1/8-1/4 oz being primary weight used, I would look into the Dobyns Champion 734c and go up from there... as you get into say 1/4-1/2 oz as your primary weights, I would look at the 735c or 764c depending which length you like better. If you're planning to go 3/4 oz or up I would look into the 765c flipping stick. If you have any type of more specific questions please feel free to ask. Hope this helps and have fun with whatever you purchase!

You've made some smart choices on gear so far. Do you have any type of price range for new rods and reels at this point? Is there anything particular you like about current rods and reels that you own? Are the 6'6" rods long enough for you still? Only reason I ask that question is after using 7' plus rods 6'6" seemed so short to me. You have a lot of good choices available now at a lot of prices. You have very solid reels and the rods look good as well. The only ones I am ignorant to are the BPS Woo Daves rods, however if they are holding par with the other two models you have they sound good!