tbone1993

I would say 702. The reason the round ball suck is because they fall over way more than the flat standing heads. The round ball are good in rocky situations but your best presentation is with a standup head so that bait floats up and doesnt lay on its side.

Please do not spend anything north of $2000 for that car. It will get the job done just do not make the mistake of paying too much because with that mileage you are going to run into some problems. Do not do what my friend did and pay $4000 for a jeep cherokee with way to many miles , bald tires, bad brakes and much more. If they ask for $2000 say $1500 and go from there.

not so pro tip: The round ball shaky heads have their time and place and most of the time they are garbage. I like using the custom cast closer shakey heads found at TW. Go champion , awesome rod series , wait for some of their pro staff on the forum to chime in on the best rod for that application my suggestion would be the 702SF or the 703sf depending on the type of sensitivity and power you are looking for.

I am stuck between getting the tournament pro in 7.1 ratio or the super duty in 7.1 for jigging and frogging. But also not sure if i want to go with the abu revo stx. too many decisions to make.

Working on cranking and spinnerbaits will be beneficial to winning tournaments. Living in the midwest most lakes are fairly shallow compared to down south. Fishing deep is something that can make or break you in some tournaments. Try learning more about crankbaits and spinnerbaits especially around cover and using cover/ deflections to your advantage. I feel that those will be fairly easy to pick up rather than learning to fish deep.

I would throw a small abu garcia cardinal on it or a plfueger president with a 6-8lb test line for light presentations and nothing you need a hard hook set or heavy weight for.

Honestly like the stx a lot more than the s had them both in my hand. I like the new gen revos better than last gen, they are based on the mgx frame which makes them a lot smaller and lighter IMO

My stx broke not sure if it was my fault or just heavy use. It does not matter because it is being sent back for nothing.

From what he is looking for this will be too light for him, he can go with the St. Croix Mojo Glass Crankbait Cast Rod 7'4" Medium if he is only looking at that rod and be happy with it.

I like the mojo series but have not used those two rods. I know that a glass rod is necessary for the deeper diving crank baits but not sure for shallow running crank baits. What action/ power are you looking for?

They need a receipt attached to the warranty claim provided with the rod . I believe if you do not have a receipt you can explain that it was a work gift/ purchased from work and they will except that. We will see if my theory pans out, I was told that over the phone and my reel should be on the way there within a day or so.

You can throw them in open water and it can be effective. I like throwing them on top of surface muck or even in lilly pads. It is a versatile topwater because it is essentially weedles.

Why do you right these upside down? Just curious. Wouldn't a stand up jig head work better if you are trying to get a shaky head style presentation?

Any sort of texas rig or heavy weighted plastic I throw on a bait caster . The only time I use my spinning gear is for lighter presentations like shakey heads or wacky rigs.

donde?

I have a buddy that throws chatter baits ( bladed jigs) in that situation. Strike king makes a heavier spinnerbait that works pretty well it has an oversized head on it. Never used them, normally use boo yah jigs or cheap clearance jigs. I like how they have combination hair/silicone skirts on some of the models. Any model and color suggestions?

The self life of line depends on how you store it. It can last forever essentially if you store it properly, if you store it in a moist environment i feel that it will deteriorate faster also if it is left in the sun. As for replacing line I do it multiple times a year depending on how much line is left on the spool and the abuse I have put it through. For the amount that I retie I end up clearing a spool before I get to the point to where the line has gone bad.

I am not a fan of that weight.

Honestly I have thrown a black frog on heavy cover and thin cover and have gotten hits on both. I have thrown a black frog on clear and cloud days. I honestly have not seen a difference yet.

If you throw a frog above a mat or scum the fish will only see the outline so how much does color affect top water lures? It is a random though I was having. If I throw a stick bait like a zara spook I feel like the fish is more interested in the action on the surface and sound rather than the color. The same applies with the actions of a pop-r or similar popping bait or even a buzz bait. I just dont see color as being as much as a key as it is with finesse fishing. What are your thought on top water colors?

I believe the test rating is due to line size but do not hold me to that assumption. Honestly you do not need a skirt it just adds to the bait. a punch rig is a texas rig with a heavier weight , different hook and pinned weight. I would suggest watching videos on punching and see where they throw the bait for comparison.

Try out the missile baits d bomb, I prefer candy grass. Punching is productive in summer and anytime you have lilly pads and similar vegetation on the surface . I have also punched through leaves during the fall to catch bass that are in cover that is covered by leaves that hall fall off the tree. With leaves a heavy weight is not necessary but for big heavy lilly pads you want to use something in the 1/2 to 1oz range. I have punched on a 7' mh rod, it is not ideal but it works. If punching is something that can be productive in your area invest in a flipping and pitching rod along with a high speed reel. TW has an entire section dedicated to punching products but the short list would be: punching hooks, tungsten weights, craw/tube/creature/soft pastic of your choice, bobber stops, heavier lb test line . A punch rig is basically a heavy duty texas rig that has the weight pinned to the bait.

Use a palomar knot , you can also double up on the palomar knot for added strength.

I read the site wrong it's up to 1.5oz the website just has it kind of off, especially TW.

Go with the STX if not having both brakes is going to be an issue. There are a few gen 2 models up for sale in the flea market for $115 a piece. The vendetta rods are a lot stiffer than listed, the medium action preforms a lot stiffer IMO. Honestly go to BPS and put these rods and reels in your hands and see how they feel.