Jrob78

The choking point is where your running guides start. This all part of a bigger system for aligning guides on custom built spinning rods. There's more to it than just the choking point, properly sized and placed guides along the way are what makes this system work. I'm not sure how it translates to rods that are already built.

It's very possible that these blanks are turned on the same mandrels as the Tatula blanks, only difference is the type of material used.

Any time after payday is the best time to buy.

Cool, Cayuga was great last year and Toledo Bend is always great in the spring, which I'm sure will be when they go.

They said yesterday that there would be another event in Maryland. I'm assuming that would be the Potomac?

Yeah, the Tatula definitely has the better components.

I felt bad for Lowen today. He smashed them but Martens is just fishing out of his mind right now. This was about as dominating a victory as you will see.

That Daiwa DX-Bass Rod that is a TW exclusive sounds pretty similar as well. The only difference is it has full cork grips and an ECS reel seat. They are $139-$149.

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Man, Bassmaster Live on day 4 is greatness.

That doesn't even make sense. No, it's not the same blank.

If I were going catfishing tomorrow and didn't have a catfishing set up, I would use a casting reel that could hold a decent amount of 20lb mono and a longer rod meant for deep crankbaits. As long as you aren't expecting 20lb+ fish, you should be fine.

Finesse reels can handle anything a full size reel can, it doesn't mean it will do it well though. They generally don't hold much line which is bad if you want to use a heavier non-braid line. I also don't like using them for lures that create a lot of drag, like most spinnerbaits and some crankbaits.

I don't have one but a guy I fish with has a couple. They are well built and feel crisp. He really likes the 2 he has and definitely catches fish with them.

I thought the Lexa rods were really nice and the Tatula rods are great, I'm sure the XT is a great rod too.

The XT says "HVF carbon construction" and the Tat is "SVF (super high volume fiber) graphite technology." I assume the reg Tatula is a higher modulus blank. SVF is used in some of the Steez and Zillion rods.

Different blanks, different guides, different reel seat, it's basically a completely different rod. The regular Tatula rods are really nice for the price, I'm sure these are too and I'm sure the actions and powers are similar, but other than that, they are completely different.

I didn't have a great tournament but none of my guys finished below 69th, which actually raised my standings. I'm ranked in the high 300's, hopefully I will finish the season well.

Using flame can, and most likely will, unless you're very careful, break your heart at some point.

I will build them with a rear grip from 9" to about 12" depending on the technique. I measure from the butt of the blank to the bottom edge of the reel seat.

When I see someone not palming a baitcaster, I assume they don't know what they're doing. It just looks so strange and feels so un-natural to me. To each their own though.

I would only use a swivel if line twist was a real concern. With a swivel you have to be careful not to reel it up into your guides.

Strike King Caffeine Shad are saltier and heavier as well. They also sink faster, obviously.

A very tough day 1 for those guys!