Mich. St8 Spartan

Best: If you think you can you will, if you think you can't your right!

Does copolymer sink?

I have a Powell Spook/Trap rod 7'0". I like being ale to choose to throw a lipless crank or going with a hard-bodied top water like a Zara Spook, With that in mind, what line would you suggest? I was using 20# spiderwire but was thinking of going to something more "invisible" Because fluoro sinks I will not being using that. Is mono the best choice here since the lures have treble hooks?

Getting a new reel for a flipping/pitching rod. What are your opinions on the Accurist PT?

I was working on my trolling motor today and I damaged my transducer. Here is a picture of the head and the damage. Do you think this will affect the operation of the unit?

Well I was in a store today and I found a Dobyns Savvy 735c on sale ($20 off). Because I am new to flipping and pitching I decided to take a chance on one. What the heck, was not that much money, seems like a nice, sensitive rod, and I can always upgrade. So for $140 I think it was a good deal. Now I just have to decide on a reel. Glad I am easy at making decisions Thanks for all you help!

What reel are you using?

For those of you who like the Dobyns 735c, is that the Champion series or the Savy? The Champion is $80 more. Is it that much different than the Savy?

I am going to really focus on flipping and pitching this year. I have very little experience and am virtually new to this technique. I want to get a rod I can do a little of both with. I know that there really is not a perfect rod made for both. I am looking at getting a rod around the 7'4" length until I decide which technique I prefer. I know that most people prefer a longer rod for flipping and a shorter one for pitching. Is there a rod you all might steer me towards to start out? I am not to worried about price but I do not want to pay $300 for a rod. Any help is appreciated!

+1, I am a big Powell fan

Was looking at some of their rods. Anyone like or dislike them? I do not know anything about them, they look nice, are affordable and seem to use good quality parts. Opinions appreciated.

I have nice things about the new Diawa Exceler. Nice gear ratio of 6:2:1 and only weighs 9.7. Nicer part is they are only listed at $109.00.

Thanks for all the feed back. Still undecided between the Powell and Dobyns rods. Leaning to the Dobyns but prefer a split handle rod. Guess I got some time until the ice comes off the lakes

Here in Michigan I fish a lot of heavy weed areas in the summer. I have always used a spinning reel and rod for frogs and always did fine with it. I broke my reel and am looking at getting a BC Reel/Rod to replace it. I have tried to narrow things down but am not sure what to get. I am looking at the following rods: St. Croix Slop-N-Frog Dobyns 736C Powell 735 Quantum Dean Rojas Frog Rod I have read a lot and all seem to get good reviews. IYHO's, what would you all suggest? I do a lot of frog fishing so I want as comfortable rod as possible. Also, what type of reel would you pair with it? Looking to spend up to $200. Was looking at the new Quantum Smoke. Any thoughts?

Very much agreed but I feel I am doing the wrong things and I do not want to pick up bad or wrong habits that will keep discouraging me. I feel that a good lesson or a good demonstration would go a long ways in helping me. I am a wreck with jigs

Getting a new set-up for frogs. After getting some good opinions on frog rod selection in another post, I was wondering what type of reels you suggest for frogs. Price is not a huge issue but why spend the $$ if you do not need to? I own some Abu Garcia, Quantum and Bass Pro reels and to tell you the truth, I like them all. Not a stickler for an specific reels so I am open, just looking for the "best" product. Thanks for the assistance!

After fishing this year I have come to the realization that I suck fishing with jigs. I need to get that type of fishing down if I want to become a good, competitive fisherman. Can anyone out there suggest a good video that not just talks about how to fish with jigs but actually shows you both the rod movement as well as the jig movement in the water, if there is even one out there? I thought I understood what to do but after not catching a d**n thing with one I know now that I am useless with a jig. I appreciate your help and look forward to your suggestions.

Funny how one guy loves a specific line while someone else does not. I guess to each his own. I love braid and hate Fluorocarbon, just had bad experience with it. Either way, if you like something and it works for you why change?

Never thought about that. Good point.

hey f&p, do you have both? if so, you can share how they compare? there's lots of rumors that the blanks are the same and so i'm curious. Yes I own both. I have not seen the Excel glass rod built and don't work for Lamiglas. BUT, I did mic the blanks as best as I could and would you believe they have the same diameters at 30 inches, 48 inches and 66 inches. I placed both rods side by side and did a press flex check and the arc of the flex is as close to the same as I can tell. The placement of the guides is slightly different and the guides them selves are different and that will or should alter the flex slightly I would think. I honestly cannot tell the difference between the two blanks even though the SR705 has a fore grip and different guide placement. I have fished the Excel ( I have two ) since March for all my cranking and like them just fine. I have not tried the glass for spooks because I have an older Certified Pro XC704 that has worked really well for me. I'm open to experimentation though. That's the fun of this sport. I hope the OP shares his thoughts after he gets his Powell. Powell makes a very fine rod and I hope he likes it and the benefits of glass. Well I finally got to use the new Powell rod today. I have to say I absolutely LOVED it . The rod took very little to get used to and it handled better than I thought. It is light, comfortable, accurate, sensitive, I did not lose one fish, and I felt very little fatigue after an 8 hour tournament (used it almost the entire day). The rod is nice for ripping the bait out of grass and weeds (good backbone) and you can make nice, long casts. If you are in the market for a new fiberglass rod I would suggest this one. I was throwing a 1/2 oz. sexy shad today but have not used it with a spook yet (the rod is made for throwing spooks and traps). The only thing I do not like about the rod is that it only has 2 double footed guides (out of nine) but that is something minor. I have teamed the rod with an Abu Garcia Revo STX. What a great combo.

I appreciate the responses. I purchased a Powell Max Spook-Trap Glass rod (CB705ST) but have not received it yet. I love fishing with a Spook and 1/2oz red-eyed sexy shad. When I use it I will let you know what my opinion of it is. The only concern I have with having not used a glass rod before is how will I react with a more "spongy" rod. I assume it will take some getting used to.

I am thinking of getting a glass rod for crankbaits and spooks. Never used one before, is there a major difference between a glass rod and a graphite one? I know they are less sensitive, thus better for treble hooks, but is there a learning curve with one? Thanks for the help.

Sometimes you just cannot figure them out. I have noticed in the damed lakes I fish that they also turn off when the water is dropped. The only other thing I can think of is changing your colors and trying a different time of day like early morning.

What is the water temperature, what are you using and what time do you fish? I have noticed the same thing at times when the water gets real warm they move to deeper, cooler water or just get fussy. Sometimes they just want a different presentation. Try using more fiinese techniques and letting the bait sit on the bottom like a jig or throw a slow sinking bait like a tube or sinko worm.

Have the same rod and absolutely love it. I had a Pflueger Trion laying around the house and it works great on the rod. My advice is to get either the rod or reel first and then take that into a store and try different combos of the reels/rods you think you want to see what feels best. If you will fish that rod exclusively make sure it is comfortable and light JMHO.