jtesch

I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure B.A.S.S. elite Banned them for a time when they first hit the market

Lets not forget that professional bass fisherman make their real money marketing products and getting endorsements from tackle manufacturers and retailers. I to have heard Clunn windsock all over the place about rod choice. My guess would be if South Bend gave him a bag of cash and put his name on a product line the next thing you would hear is how they are all a bass fisherman could ever need. I have nothing against TS lines, I buy a rod based on action and how they feel. A good example is my Kistler mini MG small swimbait special. Great rod for any kind of reaction baits with a soft tip and a lot of backbone.

At 79.95 the Daiwa T-rod 7'6" heavy telescopic is a great rod. and looks pretty cool also. It's a perfect "starter" flippin rod. I happened on it by accident as I needed a rod to throw A-rigs and had about 2 hours to find something. Local shop had it and I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised

I started the thread and just thought of a couple more. The A-Rig and the Chatterbait. Oh wait they really work, and so well they were banned in tourneys. Funny thing is they are 2 baits that when you first saw them you might think GIMMICK

I have the Croix LTB tube rod and the Elite tech and I feel the Fenwick is a little better suited for the size of the smallies I get in Lake Michigan. I also have a Crucial that's 7'2" and mh xf and love it when using 1/2oz or more weights

Avid for sure, in my opinion both the Loomis rods are good but way over priced. You could get a Legend Tourny for the same as the Mossyback and it's a WAY better rod. Nothing against Loomis I just think you have to get to the IMX line or above to find the true great rods.

Shimano, Crucials and cumaras. 2 Daiwa Tatulas waiting for the ice to thaw in July here in chicago

I do think high dollar equipment does help make you a better fisherman to a point. An example is,I wasn't able to pitch nearly as well until I bought casting reels in the $200+ range and For light weight (1/4 and below) lures the $300 range. As for rods, a few techniques may benefit but I think a $100 rod is just fine

Check out the new Abu Garcia Volatile musky rod. Rated to 4 ounces I think and quite light. I was looking for a swim bait rod also and handled it at BPS.Felt a lot better than the Mojo and the Cucial

great rod, light and sensitive and over the counter replacement. I have a dozen or so and you will be happy with it. I have broken a couple (my fault) and no problem with replacement.

I have the premier, Avid, Shimano Crucial, BPS carbonlite and signature and Fenwick Elite Tech smallmouth. I'll take the Fenwick all day, Great blank but the handle takes a little getting used to. Equal to my Cumara in my opinion

X2

great reel

Any Ideas for a rod to throw the new lucky craft skt 110 and 120 crankbaits. Specs are 2oz and 3oz and close to 5 inches long. Under $200 would be nice. I'm thinking a swimbait rod might be the ticket.

Shimano makes a Crucial "spinnerbait" rod that I believe is 7'2" and I know you could throw a jig or worm with it. It has a little softer action than the w/j rod but isn't a moderate action like a lot of spinnerbait rods

Yup, TD-Z 100 spool and boca bearings and you will have a tank of a reel that will also cast lighter lures fairly well. I liked my Zillions before but now I love them and if you got it for $250 you can put these upgrades into it and be and still only pay around what a Zillion usually costs

I have that Crucial and love it. It truly is an xf action which I prefer. Nice and light and very sensitive, might be a little fast for spinner baits. I use it for lighter jigs and texas rigs. The over the counter rod replacement is something to consider as well. I have a bunch of Crucial's and Cumaras and have broken a couple (both my fault) and had no problem getting replacements no questions asked.

Revo Premiers (heavy stuff) Revo MGX's (light stuff) but as of late I have been buying some old Team Daiwa X's and Z's with the clutch trigger on top and cleaning them up and replacing the bearings. Great reels and easy to work on, but ugly as can be. You can tune one up and make it better than new for around $150-$175 with bearings and a carbon fiber handle and a good cleaning.

I've never liked any Floro's on a spinning reel except the super premiums. Way to much memory and casting problems for me and the smaller the reel, the worse it gets.

Daiwa Aird is as good as any for well under that price

Help me with this one. I can get either a new Tatula type R or a TD-Fuego used but in like new condition for around the same price. I like to tune reels so the Fuego would be a good choice but the Tatula r is a great reel also. Give me some suggestions everyone.

I held one for a couple of minutes and checked out the brakes which are Infini, same as stx and gen2 premier. Just not sure if I like the over all feel of the reel. Not as solid and refined as the Premier. Of course the MGX feels that way and is one of my favorite reels

Anyone have a Revo Rocket, like to here a quick review on this reel. Is it basically a geared up stx?

great article. I've upgraded bearings in a couple dozen or so reels, using Boca orange seals, Boca lightnings {abec 5}, ZPI and a couple other brands and I can tell you the following things 1. After market bearings are an improvement 2. Boca Lightnings are about as good as any and are reasonably priced 3. Rippin-lips is dead on with the fact that it's about less effort needed to cast. 4. If you PITCH a lot, I strongly advise a bearing change. It can make a HUGE difference {I have a few Revo MGX's and with Boca bearings in them I gained 10-15 feet of distance that I could comfortably pitch without pushing the issue. the draw back is the faster spool speeds now can give me backlashes on lob casts when the lure slows down and the spool doesn't} 5. I feel that the better the reel, the more benefit you will get from quality bearings. I've tried it on a couple of cheaper reels and found no gain. I think the quality of the spool and other parts is the culprit here. 6. I'm dying to try the Hedgehog studio bearings. They have different bearings for different techniques. Great idea or Marketing Ploy?

definitely gonna be a Crucial vs. Tatula battle going on out there