Jrob78

This thread is funny. Don't pretend like you know what percentage your drag is set at if you haven't actually measured it or if you don't even know what it means. I set mine by feel and adjust on the fly. I rarely catch a fish large enough to put too much strain on 12-20 lb fluoro or copoly.

If you're the type of person who gets upset when they lose a lure or won't fish a lure in the best spots for fear of hanging up, Megabass (or any other high end baits) aren't for you. You need to be able and willing to fish an expensive bait in the same cover you would fish a cheap bait, otherwise the bait is hurting you and you aren't going to catch as many fish. Plus, if losing a $20 lure is going to ruin your day, what's the point?

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing-gear-tips/

Yeah, not even close, but that's obvious if you've ever casted one. A 5" GY Senko weighs right around 10.8 grams, or just a hair over 3/8oz.

I didn't say anything about not believing your answer. An average weight would be a good idea if this was for anything important. I weighed several Ol Monsters and they were all a little different.

A 10" Power Worm weighs 11.6 grams, or a little over 3/8oz. A 10.5" Ol Monster weighs 11 grams and a 10" Rage Tail Anaconda weighs 14 grams, or 1/2oz.

I'll pull some out and weigh them on my digital scale when I get home.

That's the key for me too. I like the looks of custom cork grips better but I'm cool with either for fishing, as long as the eva is hard.

A cranking stick is completely different than a mag bass casting rod. The weight ranges change from rod to rod. It really is a non-issue. The only thing you can really judge by the power rating is the M is going to be lighter than the MH and the MH is going to be lighter than the H. Don't get too caught up in what the numbers say, they're just estimates given by the manufacturer.

Agree, you can always buy a CI4, they're still making them!

Most people don't have a moderate rod that can handle that much weight though. Instead of buying a new rod, some people try to make due with what they have. Many times that's a swimbait rod, an A-rig rod or even a flipping stick.

A lot of guys are using their A-rig rods to throw the 10xd. I would hate to throw it on a traditional crankbait rod.

I meant you should get a Tatula rod and a Tatula reel. They should go together perfectly and will fit in your budget.

I would check out the Daiwa Tatula rods and reels. I got to play with them the other day and I came away very impressed. It would make a sweet combo and not too expensive.

I'm a big fan of the Roboworm Rebarb hooks.

X2 You can make a fluke skitter across the top or dive down when twitched. A heavier hook, like WW2 mentioned, will help act as a keel and add a little weight. Weightless Flukes are one of my go to baits in the summer. I prefer 5" Bass Assassin's though.

Looks good man!

I've got 6 and 8 pound fluoro on my Sol and Alphas Ito. I have 10lb copoly on my 50E but I don't use it to cast light baits. I've never tried to cast a 2" Rapala, I don't know whether or not the reels could do it but it would take a very light rod, which I don't have. A bait like that has pretty high wind resistance, it would be pretty tough to cast very far.

It's not just where you live. Most places in the country don't carry exotic live bait. It isn't cost effective to keep a bunch of live crawfish for the 3 people a week that might come buy them. Bass fishermen don't use live bait as much as fishermen of other species.

I use a palomar most of the time. I like the San Diego Jam knot with fluoro but I waste too much line tying it.

Cool, they're nice looking rods, they felt great too. The Tatula rods are even nicer for another $50. Both rods seemed great for the money.

What model Lexa rod do you have?

Yep, Ryan is right. Oval split rings are only used on the line tie, not on hooks. I put them on all my hardbaits that come with round rings. I hate tying to round rings because it's easy for your line to end up in the split. If you want to buy aftermarket split rings to put on your hooks, Owner Hyper Wire rings are probably the best.

It's really more about materials used and much tighter tolerances in how the parts fit together. The majority of combo reels are built on graphite frames while more expensive reels are built on aluminum frames. You can definitely tell a difference in a $40 reel vs. a $200 reel. There is no comparison.

The reels that are sold separately are normally much higher quality. Someone willing to spend $100+ on a reel is going to want to pick out their own rod to go with it. The pre-made combos are aimed at people who might not know or care about the intricacies of powers and actions of rods. They want one general purpose combo, the pre-made one's are fine for that.