Goose52

Duplicate post.

Thanks guys! The combo is just a 7'7" M Tatula rod and Tatula Type R reel. Nothing special but the pair make a nifty open water lipless crank rig. Yeah - I caught that fish back on the 9th but then today I was thinking: "that might be the biggest bass I get this year." So, I decided to finally post it ! Bass candy for some of the folks that will have REAL hard water for a couple more months !!

twocast - welcome to BR ! Just so you know, typing in ALL CAPS is considered to be the same as SHOUTING and is generally frowned upon. To answer your question, I generally use lipless cranks in the 1/2 - 5/8 ounce range but do occasionally toss 3/4 and 1 ounce baits when I want to run deep and better hold that depth on the retrieve.

If this thread had 50 posts...you'd get about 48 different recommendations... You didn't specify a price range, but if price is no object the current model Shimano Antares and Calais DC often get the nod as the longest casting BC reels commonly used for bass. At more affordable price ranges, it's hard to say which among MANY candidates has the potential for longest casts. Notice I say potential. Long casts aren't just a product of the reel, but the sum of the reel, rod, line, bait, and skill of the angler. Sometimes, the best performing reel is the one that has most recently been serviced or has the freshest bearings.

Sounds like you work in a profession affected by massive snowfall...stay safe out there!

Yup - seems like I often reach for that orange belly craw color in winter...seems to work - catch fish...

Thanks! The ice is starting to melt off the roads today so I might be able to drive to a couple lakes today to check the hardwater situation. Based on the weather forecast, I might have open water by Tuesday or Wednesday. Thanks RW !

I actually caught this bass on January 9th but didn't post back then as I still had soft water and was busy fishing! Hardwater and icy roads for me today so I have time to post. First bass of 2016 - 23" / 6.85 pounds on an orange belly craw Red Eye Shad. This fish was caught after a heavy rain in only about 3-4 feet of water, near the outflow spillway of the lake. This 'ole girl was probably holding out of the current, watching for something tasty to drift by. Meanwhile, I aim my cast parallel with the flow, and swim the RES towards the spillway. Shallow water so no yo-yo retrieve, just short pauses. Splash down, start retrieve, about the 2nd pause, BAM. Cold water so not as big a fight as a nearly 7 pound bass would usually give, but the fish hit about 100 feet out so I had some fun getting the fish back to the bank and she pulled drag a couple times. A great start to the year...but if this year is like last year, my biggest bass in January ends up being the biggest of the year so it could be all downhill from here...

$272 shipped. 4.7 ounces BUT the line capacity stated by Shimano is only 80 yards of 12 lb - 20 yards short of the OP's requirement. I have 12 lb Sniper on mine and have no capacity complaints...

First - welcome to BR ! I personally LIKE stretch when I'm cranking so I crank with nylon/flouro/copoly mono. However, there are a number of folks on this board that crank with 20lb braid with apparently complete satisfaction. These folks have also reported that they don't have a problem with line dig-in that is sometimes reported with 20lb braid on baitcasters. The smaller line diameter of braid is a technical plus to achieve depth. I guess it just goes back to personal preference/opinion in how you want your cranking system to perform (stretch or no stretch). Not sure that you will find a board member that has cranked with the specific braid that you mentioned...but perhaps some of folks that DO use braid for cranking will be along to give some more input.

Must be another monster smallie on the end of the line...

I don't usually cast lures into the snow...but I occasionally cast lures into the water while it's snowing - most recently this morning. This photo was a couple years ago:

I haven't seen a book with that scope - it would be an interesting read. If you want to define the "modern baitcaster" as beginning with the Ambassadeur - it wasn't the "'60s"...it was the early 1950s. If you don't have any yet, especially since you seem to be a big Ambassadeur fan, you should consider getting one or more of Simon Shimomura's books.

Depends on the weight of the baits that you think you are going to toss. If you think you want to toss down to 1/4 oz., the medium might be a better choice. If the lightest bait you'll toss is 3/8 oz. or heavier, then the medium-heavy will end up being more versatile, especially if you only have a single cranking rod and want the option of tossing heavier, deeper diving cranks. I have BPS Crankin' Sticks in ML, M, and MH powers and if I could only have one rod ...it would be the MH.

x2. I've sent 5 or 6 reels to him with excellent results...

Plastic craws for me - mostly Chigger Craws and Ultravibe Speed Craws.

Well - it looks like it would be easier to clear the ice out of that t-wing than on the Tatula...

I agree. I only use flouro leaders for a few applications and I use leader material. MUCH more abrasion resistant on the upside, but stiffer, and usually a larger diameter than flouro mainline, on the downside. Since it IS so much more tougher/abrasion resistant, I don't have to replace the leader as often as using flouro mainline as a leader. Since I don't use a lot of it, I have no problems with the additional cost of the leader material.

As "kickerfish1" said in an earlier post, the Sol is based on the Daiwa "Alphas" platform. Sol was the U.S. market model; in Japan, it was the Aphas. So, when looking for parts from JDM sources, look for Alphas parts. Here in the U.S., you might find some hotrodding parts for a Sol/Alphas at Tackle Trap. Perhaps one of the Daiwa experts will be along to give you more info...

I really can't say. I have a whole BUNCH of cranking rods, and they're mostly all graphite, with a few composites, so I don't have any experience with glass. There are advocates for graphite, composite, and glass cranking rods. A lot of it is personal preference in how you want your cranking rod to feel and perform. Advocates of glass feel that the slower action of the rod provides a slight delay to better allow the fish to inhale the bait, and that slower action might also keep the fish pinned better - the advantages of those characteristics then offset whatever weight penalty the glass rod might have. Advocates of graphite might feel that the higher sensitivity of the blank allows them to better feel what's going on with the bait. Advocates of composite want a little of both worlds. These statements aren't absolutes however and there are graphite rods that are pretty slow, and glass rods that are pretty sensitive. So many choices...

IPT is factory rated at 23.6" - see below:

A couple models of the St. Croix Glass Mojo rod are in their Bargain Room for $89 shipped. All that's left is the 7'4" MM that you mentioned as well as the 7'8" MHM. I haven't a clue as to how the glass rods feel...but I do have graphite St. Croix cranking rods in other series and of the two, the 7'8" MHM (which I have in the Rage series - also in the Bargain room) would be the more versatile rod...

Not to change the subject but NICE smallie A-Jay !!

Sure, a pond boat is a great option as well. However, we don't know why Dypsis zeroed-in on a canoe. He might have reasons for favoring the canoe option over the pond boat. For instance, the enjoyment of just paddling and taking a boat ride - great exercise. There's no single small watercraft solution that works for all people and compromises are nearly always necessary. Lots for Dypsis to think about. I considered all watercraft options from a float tube up to a bass boat and ended up with the "pimped-out" canoe as my best option...

I didn't say that the canoe you linked to has stability issues...it may be pretty stable as it's a somewhat heavy boat with a 38" beam. I just can't CONFIRM that it would be stable. A-Jay's boat is only (I think) about 15'6" or so, with probably a similar beam, and is very stable so there's one data point. The Met DC ? Great reel. I now have it on a Loomis Edge 705-1 rod and the combination of the two is very versatile - one of those combos that will usually always be in the boat. My Met DC is the regular model however, not the XG. For you, the XG gearing should work fine with those bottom presentations.