raoka

Just curious what people have to say. Still looking but is there a rod around 7' with a fast enough tip to walk a 3/4 oz ish walk the dog topwater, but more parabolic when hooked up. for some context i have used the an old 6'10" shimano MH crucial great soft tip, but hit the backbone too quickly and not parabolic at all. dobyns fury 705cb way to flimsy, dobyns sierra 703c i did like how it loaded up, but just the taper was a bit too parabolic so couldn't walk the bigger topwaters well, sierra 704c worked the bait well loaded up decently, but at close quarters when the fish surges the graphite does not flex as well and hooks can be pulled... maybe i am searching for something that cant be found, but curious to hear the collective knowledge of you all! to add i have a 6'6" medium fast avid and plan to get a 6'11" megabass levante jerkbait special that will fulfill my smaller popper/walking type topwaters...i do like how the avid loads up on my jerkbaits and smaller topwaters...its the larger topwaters im "struggling" to find a good fit

actually either wanted to see how it stacked up against both lines

seems like this is a case of i get what i pay for...

appreciate the insight into that. its good to hear about the feeling when it loads up cuz a smooth transition is definitely what i look for!

thanks for the input all! im curious after selling the 736cb what you ended up with?

Looking at a glass bladed jig rod to try out...wanted to hear people's opinion. I do run braid to a short leader and I have been fishing on a dobyns champ 734. I have no complaints for setting the hook, but near the boat i have lost a few due to them shaking them off...i do fish a lot of grass so i do like to do the ripping it out of grass deal. curious to hear the collective experience around these rods. i also realize the dobyns is 100 dollars more but would be willing if its worth it of course.

Hi all, Hoping to see who has had experience with both these rods. Thanks in advance! Looking for a rod for squarebills and sub 10ft cranks.

all that ive tried dirty jigs strike king picasso nichols 6th sense have all run true...i think making sure the trailer is straight on makes a difference

haha i think people equate that crispness to sensitivity, but i think its just a different feel. also i have fished it and caught half dozen bass up to 3lbs on it. in agreement with what everyone has said...i dont mind the hook keeper though haha but i wish they put it in a different location

just one person's opinion...had it for a week or so. unique handle and i do think it transmits vibrations quite well. i unfortunately have not used the older zodias as a comparison. i dohave the last gen crucial, dobyns champions and sierras as a comparison. i have the 7'2" MH and I will say the dobyns balance a tad better, but the blank is "crisper". it loads up like a MH F, but a tad softer than i had anticipated. champ xp sensitivity is a bit muted compared to the zodias... not less sensitive, but a different feel.so i guess if you like that high strung type of sensitivity i think its good. overall great rod at the 200 dollar price point and will consider more. some people don't like the skinnier nature of the handle, but i think it makes palming a reel much easier.

my vote would be to try a suspending jerkbait

the new tatula 150 is the older tatula size so the tatula 100 is even smaller, you might like that. the new tatula sv 103 is also smaller. but all things to keep in mind is that not metal sideplate. doubt you will notice in most things bass fishing, but just something to consider. i have used the older lews tournament mb and tournament pro and i really like their palm-ability, but i have found my daiwas to go through the grinder much better. i have used original tatula, tatula ct- type r, tatula sv, coastal, and coastal sv...

another thought is to look into the 733 sierra line. i run a lot of my treble hook baits on that line of rods. slower action on those blanks compared to the champion. actually gary suggested that a lot of people use the 733 for their topwater and i figure it would do just fine for cranks too.

i want to think that too...but i usually see beds every year in certain areas...i went today and i think they are shutdown. there are weedbeds close to shore...did the usual reaction stuff, but once i slowed to a senko i got a bite small ish one and then interestingly when i was pulling a small branch with my lure i saw a 2.5 lber lazily swim away...i think the recent weather has gotten them in a funk and they are hunkered down in the weedbeds that have just started to be visible from shore.

i think not quite yet. usually i can see when the bluegills bed. i am pretty sure the bass are now spawning or soon to spawn.

so ive been fishing this local pond from the bank for the past month or so. boston area. early to mid may it was on fire. prespawn up very shallow aggressive and feeding. past week have started to see bluegills in the shallows and i expect the bass to be spawning, but i don't see them. the bite has also become very scarce (fishing 2-4pm) earlier in the month it seemed they were feeding all day especially in the muddy water. now the water has started to clear up, stained, not fully clear. my thoughts are now that the sun is stronger (if they are not on beds yet) that they are less active during the day and probably would be able to get them more in the morning and evening...just want to hear the collective thoughts and knowledge of others. thanks all!

thanks for all the replies everyone. will be taking all suggestions into consideration (also wanted to add i do braid to mono leader. i can definitely cast this super far...probably further than i need to...haha

Hi all, So i have been trying very hard to find a topwater rod i like for my medium ish size walking baits 1/2 oz ish some a little under and some a little over. I use to use a 6'10" old full cork crucial that looks like it was billed as a light texas rig/jig rod so it was a MH xf lure weight was up to 3/4oz. so i really liked how on a far cast that xf fast allowed me to work the bait, but once it got close there were times on a short line scenario it just did not have enough of a bend to keep the fish pinned and the hooks came out... now this year i tried a 703 dobyns per recommendation. i hooked into fish and as with all my dobyns rods...once the fish is hooked up i really like the action of the rods. the sierra series has even slower graphite than say the champion xps so the fish stays pinned and surges are not so scary. unfortunately, i can barely walk any of my baits at the end of the cast and it just does not feel crisp, the tip action. i need to get about 1/3 of my retrieve in before i feel i can effectively work my lure... dilemma...and i wanted to pick everyone's brains about what rods come to mind that fits the criteria i like...maybe not an xf tip but maybe something fast but with a crisper graphite so that i can work a lure, but then has some bend to help keep the trebles inside a fish...hope this makes sense and thanks again all.

good feedback. thanks again. will also check out that osp...looks amazing...haha and i imagine it would be effective when bass are targeting yearling fry in the fall...aka now

dropshot is my go to for a lot of my tournament fishing. while i have had a lot of success with it, i am trying to expand my repertoire so that when bass are even more finicky i have a choices to choose from. i am a fan of the bubbling shaker on a neko too

Was wondering if anyone else have fished this dopshot lure and also what other brands have this similar style , pin tail, holographic sheen insert, eyes, etc. Thanks again.

got shipping confirmation for my tatula sv haha

i think that either one i decide on will be okay...just wish i knew which one is slightly stiffer to help walk/twitch baits better.

lol why you make this hard haha

appreciate that feedback. i definitely will throw a lot of topwater so i like to hear that the mb is more versatile. i also see that it has a higher lure weight range so i feel like i can work my heavier topwaters easier. i definitely favor faster action than a slower action hence why i ruled out the flatside