smalljaw67

The 6'9" M-XF spinning rod was my first and my favorite spinning rod ever since I got it! The rod has great sensitivity, extremely light, and it is deceptively powerful, I use mine for tubes, light jigs, and flukes but it was going to be a dedicated shaky head rod but it feels so good in hand, at least for me, that I don't want to put it down while using it. Seriously though, that rod is pretty much all-purpose and I'm really happy I got one when they first came out.

The main purpose of a split grip is weight reduction and to give the rod a more modern appearance. The weight reduction comes at a price as it usually makes the rod tip heavy but I prefer tip heavy with my reaction baits. So, if you only fish T-rigs and topwater, a full grip is going to serve you better because it will be better balanced for the most part and balance is better for fishing techniques in which you will lift the rod tip to move the bait.

The RC STX are very finicky, since you have a bait that seems to rise quicker than you like I will agree with Bluebasser86, Owner ST-36. Most of my RC STX baits suspend well in 50 down to 45 degree water and ST-36s actually make them sink so I replace those with VMC 8540s, they look to be the factory hooks. I use 10lb line with those baits and I keep a really loose drag and I seldom have a problem with the hooks, even on big smallies but every now and again I'll get a little overzealous and try to bring a fish in too fast and bend the hook. The RC STX is a direct copy of the Vision 110 from Megabass right down to the light wire hooks, what a lot of anglers don't know is the 110 was designed to be used with medium light to medium power spinning rods and reels with 6lb line, and that is why we tend to bend the hooks out because most of use are using casting rods with 10lb line minimum but if you keep your drag on the loose side it will help. Sorry for rambling on but I hear a lot of anglers complaining about hooks on different baits from jig heads to jerkbaits and most of the time it isn't the hook that is junk, it is most of us are using tackle too heavy for the lure we are using and I'm guilty of this as well as I like casting gear for all my jerkbaits and that means minimum 10lb line.

I don't use them because they don't fit the way I fish a jerkbait. My friend loves the 100sp, you have to work the bait with short twitches, if you get to aggressive with it the bait will blow out, even the Vision 110 can be worked hard than the Duo Realis. These are LC Pointers, Pointers are awesome as they can do well with any type of retrieve but they excel at being ripped, the Duo doesn't like being ripped at all and if you like that type of action you may not like the Duo, I'm glad I got to see it before I bought one.

I agree 100% with Dwight Hottle, I normally start with a larger bait, and that doesn't mean big, I like a Pointer 100 or X-Rap 10, that is what I call "standard" size. If I'm not getting many bites or if I'm getting them on the back hook, I'll drop down in size to a Pointer 78 or X-Rap 08. If the bite is really good, I may try for a kicker fish with an X-Rap 12 or Pointer 128 but the conditions have to be perfect for those and they have to be hitting the standard size baits really well.

There is a difference between the two. If you had both side by side the smallmouth rod is lighter and more responsive, the new one is a little heavier as they seemed to make them more powerful but kept the sensitivity which is a good thing. Overall I like the smallmouth series better but if I was looking at a jig and worm rod for cover I'd go for the bass series because they are geared toward heavy tactics with stout line but make no mistake, they are still good rods.

I use spinning because I don't wacky worm with large hooks or worms as it is a super finesse tactic for me. I use either a 7'ML-F spinning for small, thin worms or a 6'9" M-XF spinning for slightly larger, heavier worms.

With most centrifugal brake systems I turn off all the brakes, meaning pushing the little spring down until it clicks, except for two, turn one on and turn the other directly across from it on and you are set. Then you should be able to just use the spool tension knob to make adjustments.

It depends on where you're fishing for them. If you use braid to fish in the rivers I target big smallmouth, you'll go through a spool a day as it will shred and fray braid like no tomorrow, to many rocks. So fluorocarbon or a good mono but some guys are using leaders that are like 25' to 30' so it keeps the braid out of the rocks but I'd imagine you lose the sensitivity that the brad provides and you'll have some stretch as well but that is the only way without having it frayed. If you're fishing river smallies in a rocky environment it isn't the brand of line, it is the braid as it doesn't have the abrasion resistance fluorocarbon and mono have.

I don't go by brand much, get your shallow crank box made by getting the best bait you can get for each zone. For the 0-1' zone I really like the Manns Baby 1 minus, for the 1' to 2' zone I like the Manns Baby X and the Yo-Zuri 3DB Square Bill. The next zone is the 2.5' to 3' zone and for me it is a Bomber square "A" and Bagley Rattlin Killer B2 (plastic bait), and than the 3.5' to 4' zone I like the Strike King 1.5 and the Rapala DT-4. For the 4.5' to 5' zone I like the Bagley Killer B (balsa bait) and the 5.5' to 6' I like the Rapala DT-6, that is a complete box of shallow cranks that works for me in all the depth zones down to 6'. I have others in each zone but the ones I listed have been the most successful.

If you want a great prop bait TW has them on sale right now for $4.99, the Yo-Zuri 3DB Prop. I have them and they are AWESOME!!! It has a single plastic prop that has a purple tint, supposed to be UV enhanced but that doesn't matter, the bait moves water and that small plastic prop really throws water. The first time using this my best 5 went 19lbs 7oz and that is in PA where that kind of weight doesn't happen, especially in the middle of July!!!

I'm left handed so a right hand casting reel is perfect but, with a spinning set up I cast with my left hand and switch to reel with my left hand. I know it doesn't make sense but I learned on spinning rods when I was a kid and then I learnd casting with a right handed casting reel so now reeling with my right for casting and my left for spinning, crazy isn't it.

I agree with Dwight Hottle, I have X-Raps, and Yo-Zuri 3DB jerkbaits that have dressed trebles and I'm not sure how much difference they make. I tie my own and have added them to baits without dressed trebles and I didn't see any difference in the amount of strikes or the size of fish. I have said it doesn't seem to help but it also doesn't seem to hurt either, I have X-Raps that caught fish with the dressed treble and had a few fish hit it hard to the point the feathers and flash were gone and the bait still continued to catch. I also replaced the bare treble with a dressed one and it still worked well and because of this I'm not sure but if it gives you added confidence then it will probably help you, for me it doesn't matter, if it comes with a dressed treble then I fish it like that, if it doesn't I won't add one, simple solution.

My local Walmart had 2 of them left and they sold them for $39.99 and I wish I would have been there when they did that. I think the original price tag was fair for that rod, it is rated the same as my Fenwick ML-M and the ratings are spot on, 1/4oz to 1/2oz. If you like throwing 1/4oz to 3/8oz cranks then you'll like the rod, 3/8oz is in the wheelhouse and it is very light, sub 4oz. I was going to grab one but Fenwick introduced the Aetos with a 6'6" ML-M with the same specs and I grabbed that, as I wanted a slightly shorter rod for finesse cranking but the BuCoo will do the job. BTW, my buddy loves his, I was with him the day he landed a 7lb fish on a Jackall Bling 55, the fish only had 1 hook in her and the rod kept that hook from pulling out, it is a decent rod. Before paying the original price for it, go to Amazon or other places and look it up, there is a good chance you can pay a lot less for it but even at $99 it isn't bad because it works great for the smaller shallow diving cranks.

What are you using the rod for? Balanced rods are great for lift and drop presentations but most everything else is tip down for me and I prefer a rod with a little bit more in the tip, not much but a little tip heaviness works well on reaction type presentations.

If anyone needs a Shimano Crucial 7'3" MH-XF full or split grip, now is the time to get one. American Legacy has that model for $89.99 but only for 48 hours......Tick Tock.

Very good rod but you must remember, these are all moderate power rods so they load up and flex through the entire blank, not just the top 1/3 of the rod. These rods are preferred by those who use braided line because the rod has give and fluorocarbon and mono both stretch so you have to take that into consideration.

You really want a faster reel for plastics, not that a 5.4:1 won't work but that gear ratio nowadays is used for cranking, faster gear ratios allow you to pick up slack line faster on techniques that you use the rod for, just some food for thought.

There is a reason I don't suggest custom rods to anglers such as yourself. I don't want you to take offense, but you are using an Academy rod and you seemed to be pleased with them and that is great. Custom rods are for someone who wants something different from the mainstream either as a status symbol or because there fishing is dialed in to the point there isn't a factory rod made that will work. I have 2 customs I had made for me in the mid 90s, both are spinnerbait rods, one is a split grip with a cherry wood split grip and is 6' in length, I had it made to sling spinnerbait under overhanging trees and the split grip makes it just a tiny bit tip heavy which helps me with roll casting. That rod is one you can't buy off the shelf and I had it made for a specific purpose, my other custom is also a spinnerbait rod, it is a 6'6" made the traditional way with a full grip and a fore grip, I had it made because I needed a longer rod than my 6' and I wanted a specific reel seat that I couldn't find on any factory rod that I liked at the time. If I was able to find the rod I needed on the shelf, I would have bought it but there is a lot of other things to consider. Most custom rod customers are normally fishing high end factory rods and they may want a certain length that isn't available or perhaps they like their St. Croix Lenend Extreme blank but don't care for the reel seat, well they get a custom builder to build them a rod with the blank and reel seat that they want. In other words, if you aren't picking out the reel seat, the blank, the guides and the type of handle then you really aren't getting a custom rod, you are buying a rod that the guy has the blanks and components for and he is offering to build you a rod with the stuff he has for a certain dollar amount, and at $120 you are getting low quality guides on a cheap blank with a basic handle kit, and so you're better off with the rods you are buying off the shelf. Now, if you get more serious and get more experience, you may find that a custom rod will benefit you but right now it isn't, especially at that price.

A lot of confusion so I'll try to make this simple. if you are using a lure or technique in which you move the bait more with your rod than your reel, like jigs and worms, you will want a high speed reel as you will need to pick up slack quickly and also keep big fish out of cover. For baits with heavy resistance like spinnerbaits with large Colorado blades or deep diving cranks, a slow retrieve works better as they normally have more torque. If you really want to make it easy just go with a 6. _:1 and you'll be fine. I use 7.1:1 for almost everything anymore, it is just easier for me as I don't go much deeper than a DT-16 and those are the only baits I use a 5.4:1 reel anymore. Get yourself set up with reel in the 6 bracket and don't over think.

No, it doesn't work that way. Lews has a new Tournament Pro reel, so the old stock gets priced at a discount and it has actually been on sale for a little while. At the end of the year, all of those that didn't sell will get a heavy discount and this is where the good buys come in, so unless Lews introduces a new TP model at next years ICAST show, you aren't going to this reel or that price again with new models. If you want to get great tackle at really good prices, pay attention to ICAST in July, you'll see which companies introduce new version of their rods, and that means the old version has to go, American legacy was selling Lews HM85 rods for $80 a few months back, when the rod came out it was $199.99, that is something you will see if you know where to look and when to look. Get a list of online retailers of fishing tackle and subscribe to all of their news letters, you'll get every sale right to your email but more importantly, you'll get in on the really big sales and if you happen to be in the market for a good deal, you'll eventually get one.

I caught my first ever largemouth in water under 40 degrees on a 1/16oz shaky head with a 3/0 hook and a 4.5" straight tail finesse worm. I've caught a lot of smallmouth in water that just above freezing but largemouth have always been tough for me when the water gets down to 38 degree or so. I now use it every year in winter as long as there isn't ice on the lake, I start with a hair jig and if I can get any takers I'll go with the shaky head and it has paid off a few times for me. The only advice I can give you would be to go a light as you can,you aren't going to work it much so you want it to fall slow and then let it sit, dead stick style. Once it sits for like a minute, I'll give it a small movement, not much and have a light head forces you to move it slow.

The only ones still available are left handed retrieves or I would have told him to add a little more and grab one.

I still have yet to grab one but I have used them. My buddy claimed his were bad so I used it and it worked perfect, so I gave it back and watched him use it and that is when I noticed the problem. Most anglers having problems are using it wrong, they start out reeling too fast and it causes it to blow out, my buddy would go at a moderate pace and then he would speed up to get it to track off center but instead of slowing back down, he kept the faster pace going and it was long before it blew out to the side. That bait needed to be constantly changed from slow to fast and back to slow again, the lip makes it unstable at a high speed and that is what makes it behave like it does but then you have to allow it to get back to stable otherwise it will blow out.

Right now Cabelas has the Daiwa Exceler reel on sale for $79.99, it is the new model that was $100 and got a good review from Tackle Tour. These tend to go quick so if I were you I'd grab it now. They have the Verano on sale for $99.99 but only the 5.4 gear ratio and the left handed model.