skeletor6

That does help. Thank you very much for putting it into perspective! It is a lot of weight to pull.

Do you think any of its power capability differences has to do with the overall lightness of the rod. I played around with it a little bit, it is ridiculously light. I could see how the weight of the rod would lead one to think it's pulling too much weight. Is the rod itself flexing in such a way that indicates it is being overpowered? Or does it just feel more difficult to move the weight with the lighter rod? I am just thinking, they are making rods lighter and stronger. Some people feel that with the NRX rods, when they go to set hook, they do not have much there to set the hook with or that they may actually break the rod. I wonder if this same circumstance applies with the cumulus rods. I've heard split decisions of this rods upper end capabilities. It is just strange that such highly experienced members feel a substantial difference on its upper end capabilities.And it being able to handle 3/4 ounce baits well is a huge factor in whether I can keep this rod or not. Thanks to everyone for your input.

I'm guessing Elite Tech lol By the way, If your looking for a really sensitive versatile spinning rod the NRX 822SYR is really good. Although your walleye fishing so I can't say much about that.

Yeah they are getting harder to find. I am in the search for a spinning 6'8'' mxf cumara and cannot find one under full retail $219.99. Which I am not going to pay.

You would be rewarded a better rod pending there were none left to replace. I hope there's no abusal of this. It leaves one to wonder how they would replace a cumulus breakage.... :/

Perfect. 1/2 ounce is the cutoff of my NRX 893 rod that I use and 3/4 ounce was as heavy as I was looking to use the rod. There was some speculation from luckyhands about it going heavier, I trust your advice and I am glad it will handle the job just fine. Thank you for your review on it. I am really glad it works well with 1/4 ounce baits as well as being able to go up to 3/4 ounce. That is exactly how I will be fishing it. For jigs, c-rigs, t-rigs, 1/4-3/4 ounce. 99% of my jigs and tungsten leaders are 1/4oz-3/4oz so that's enough for me. And also the waters I fish are not heavy with vegetation. Do you think it will handle and be able to swim a 3/4oz Northstar Flip n Swim jigs with a 5'' keitech swimbait well?

Perfect. Thank you for clearing that up! I got the Cumulus on the way right now. I will put my Curado 200e7 on it and go from there. Glad to know someone else has this rod as it seems difficult to find any current information on it. Seeing that you have two of them must mean they are pretty decent rods. Is there a sweet spot that this rod has in terms of its performance? Would the tip on it be able to throw 1/4 ounce jigs well and also be able to handle 3/4 ounce c-rigs? Thank you so much. As I cannot find enough solid information on it and this will be my first Shimano Rod.

The Lews Speed Spool SS version does not have multi system breaking (msb). You must move up to the Lews tournament to get the mag and centrifugal breaks. The BPQ, however, does have both mag and centrifugal breaking system. Just thought I should clear that up.

On the fall the line will be semi-slack, so there is advantage to using fluorocarbon there. Nothing wrong with using braid though. The idea of having pre-tied leaders is nice. It definitely will save you loads of time. Even if you are not tournament fishing, it is still nice to be able to get more casts and to maximize your actual fishing time. Plus the depth adjustments can be helpful to find out what level the bass are at. Yes, that is an excellent combo. Very light and sensitive. I plan on getting this one myself. A lot of members have given you excellent information regarding this technique. The Elite Tech Smallmouth is definitely an underrated rod and would serve you nicely. You can use a variety of plastics. With the advice of Kickerfish I am going to be making the switch to Roboworm products. I heard they float well and provide good action. Also, the colors are very interesting and unique. If you search youtube for bassresource videos. Glenn has some great tips and advice on the drop shot that puts the style into perspective. Glenn gives an excellent perspective about the types of baits and hooks you can use and he does not push products at all. Also, he shows how to fish the rig. BEWARE though, its envious to see how many fish he catches in his videos. Best of luck to you!

Thank you Hooligan, that sounds like exactly what I am looking for. I need something to compliment the 893c for bottom contact fishing, but yet also overlap some of the 893c's weight ranges while going heavier. The wider range of baits will work well for the lack of great bottom contact sensitive rods at the moment. What range of weights does the cumulus fish well? Also, have you found the cumulus to work well for c-rigs? In addition, what techniques have you found this rod to excel at? Also, I have read some reviews noting this rod to be tip heavy. Have you found that to be the case? Nonetheless, what reel would you find suitable to pair it with; 1.) Curado 50e 2.) Curado 200e7 3.) Chronarch 50mg 4.) Chronarch 100mg Or is there a different reel I should be looking to pair with it? Thank you for your help.

Super tuning involves very intensive cleaning and polishing of many friction areas on the reel. After a supertune you can expect the spool to spin much more freely and easily. Although this can lead to greater distance in your casting, the main advantage it will give you is the ease of spool start up and that maintenance of that speed. This can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing. This depends on your level of casting ability. Nonetheless, if you supertune you will want to practice with more brakes on because your spool is going to be spinning much faster than before and if you are not ready for it, this can lead to many professional overruns (backlashes). Nonetheless, it can be very beneficial as it will force you to improve your casting mechanics and you will need to apply less overall force to achieve the same distance. Mike at DVT does really good work and offers discount to members on this forum. I also know someone who specializes on Shimano reels. Nonetheless, reels should be regularly maintained and thoroughly cleaned to increase their longevity and performance. Sending a reel in to just get professionally cleaned is a good idea if you choose not to supertune. The work they do is beyond what one can achieve on their own. As they are specialist and have the proper equipment to clean so thoroughly.

Hello, I have a NRX 893c which I love and have been using for anything from weightless senkos up to 1/2 oz jigs/t-rigs. This is by far my favorite rod. It primarily has been used in the 3/8oz or less range. I found this rod fantastic for these purposes, but I am looking for another rod to help me out with the heavier baits jigs, t-rigs along with some c-rigging. Sensitivity is my #1 concern in the rod that I will be getting. Right now, I am planning on getting the Shimano Cumulus 7'1'' MHXF casting rod. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this rod and if they could share their feelings for it? I've also heard as an alternative the NRX 873c will work well for these purposes. Can anyone offer a good comparison between the two rods and the pros/cons of each? I have heard nothing, but good things about each rod. I can find more information on the NRX 873c than I can on the Cumulus. What are your guys' opinions and which rod is going to be more sensitive? As of right now I plan on getting the Cumulus unless there is something I will be really missing with the NRX 873c. Thank you. EDIT: Decided on the Shimano Cumulus. Just looking for information and experiences with the rod before I go out and try it.

Best sub $100 rod imho is the Veritas Best Sub $200 Rod is a Phenix Recon or a cumara if you can find one. Powells are great too just slightly below the others imho

For murky water I like going with PBJ, Falcon Lake and Black n Blue. Rage Craws are great. So are the Rage Chunks and baby craws. Depends on the size. I really like the green pumpkin purple gold color. The trailer does not have to be a perfect match. I try to get as close as possible and as long as I am matching at least one of the colors on the jig I'm confident. To match a bluegill I think the New Gill color from Northstar does a fine Job.

Siebert Outdoors or Northstar Custom Baits. These are my favorite and priced well on sale or not. If your looking to only spend a little bit of money Siebert Outdoors has free shipping and you could get a variety of their standard jigs. You could get 8 jigs for $20 bucks. Plus you build the jig the way you like it. I like the brush head, arky head, and grass head jigs from Siebert. Copperhead painted with a falcon craw skirt is my favorite from them. From NSCB my favorite is the flip n swim New Gill...very versatile jig with a very unique skirt and matching painted head. I seriously don't think you can go wrong with either company.

If I were you I would get "Toray Bawo Finesse FC" Instead. Much better line in my opinion. Very sensitive and great for spinning gear.

Thank you I couldn't tell I looked up Nada guides and couldn't find any info on an xl-169 but there were a few 169 models that said those numbers I gave. A 16ft boat is fine for me and I am stuck buying older boats because of how much $ I can spend. Will this boats allow me to move around my inland lakes ~100 acres on average, fish docks troll around and just basically get out there and fish efficiently. I know it's not great but I feel it could emulate what some of the nicer boats do. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Thank you for pointing that out. How can I check for this? I believe it is either 18ft or 18.6ft....definitely don't plan on fishing anything but inland lakes not Lake Michigan lol

Q1: How should the reel be set up to avoid birdsnests? The advice given about putting a piece of tape at the most amount of line you are going to throw out is a nice little trick so when you do birdsnest it wont get so deep. Also, I'm not sure what reel you are using, but having more brakes engaged and tightening the spool lowers the possibility of getting a 'birdsnest'. It does come at a cost for distance. Maybe engage more brakes and slowly back off on them as you gain more confidence. Having the right rod and reel really helps. For instance, RoadWarrior's setup the Loomis 893c and the Curado 50e, that is a senko machine. The rod and reel throw senkos so far and with ease. It is extremely difficult to get a birdsnest with that setup. The point I am making is the right rod a reel will make a huge difference. Many members are telling you to use spinning gear because this eliminates the possibility of a birdsnest. If you do get spinning gear, I like a 6'8'' MXF rod. St. Croix Avid and Shimano Cumara are some great spinning rods in that category. Q2: Can I throw a spinnerbait on a m/m rod? You can, but I do not think it is the ideal rod for spinnerbaits. MH/F is usually what is recommended for average sized spinnerbaits. Note, most spinnerbaits listed weights are not their actual weights. You throw a trailer on it as well and you are looking at an under-powered rod. Also, I would like a faster action rod than moderate. If you want one rod dedicated for spinnerbaits and one rod dedicated for senkos. I think your best bet would be to Keep the MH/F veritas, use it for spinnerbaits. Then get a 6'8'' MXF Spinning outfit and use it to throw the weightless senkos. Those are two great rods to have that will be versatile for you. You will find out you can do many things with that spinning rod. Also, skipping those senkos under docks and such will be so much easier with a spinning outfit. If you are set on using casting gear for your weightless senkos, then you absolutely can. People have made some good recommendations. Make sure you get a rod that is not too stout and does not have too stiff of a tip. You need something that is going to load the weight of that senko well. The Loomis 893 does it very well, I am sure there are others that are cheaper that do too, certainly not as good as that rod though. It is the best senko rod IMHO.

That's a good point of reference. I might opt for a longer rod than 7' but a lot of that is personal preference. If you could help us out with the equipment that you have and how much you are looking to spend, then we could give you more specific and better advice. Plastic worms are on the lighter end of the spectrum and umbrella rigs are on the heavier end. Also, what type of swimbaits are you looking to throw? soft or hard? What size? Some more information would be nice!

***UPDATE*** This is now the boat I am pursuing. http://lansing.craig...3355797434.html How about this boat? It is listed for $2500.....is that a fair price? I really only want to spend $2000, but I dont know if this boat is worth the price. I know from other threads what I should check and I bought a compression tester and it does not seem hard to check the compression. I read that they should be 3-5 pounds of each other. I can find specifications on the 1989 Johnson GT 100 motor, but I cannot find any on a 1989 Kingfisher XL-169. So I am lost when it comes to pricing and such. What do you guys think as far as this boat. It is being sold very close to where I live and I could go check it out in person. I am going to give the guy a call today and see what he says. I just would like some input from experienced members on this forum. Would this make a good fishing boat for Michigan lakes sized about 100 acres? Also, how big of water could I get this boat in? Any comments on this specific boat would be nice, because I am going to purchase it soon if it checks out okay from you guys. Thanks!

Thank you guys all for the responses. If I were to go for it how much should I pay for it? There is some $150 fee on top of that price. it is listed in the details. It is under bidding at eBay so the price will grow, I haven't been able to find any boats locally that are worth the ticket and this one depending on the price could be perfect for my first boat. I like the lighter aluminum frame. I know that it will not be good for bigger waters but it should be lighter to drive and move around which all works good for saving me $. I figure I could put a nice fish finder on it and be good to go for next spring.

http://cgi.ebay.com/...#ht_7046wt_1064 Would like your opinions on this boat. Looks like a nice starter boat for someone on a budget. Will be used for fishing and trolling 100 acre Michigan lakes. Thanks! EDIT: Decided to check out a new local boat, see my post below

The Loomis 893c and Curado 50e is a great combo to toss light baits. I can throw pretty much anything with it with ease. It just launches baits. If I had the Curado 50e on a rod that was not suited for casting lighter baits It would be more difficult. Generally, as others have mentioned, Daiwa by far makes the best "finesse weight" light line baitcasters. It can get pricey though, the cheapest option are the Sol and Alphas. The key theme here is a smaller spool and lighter spool. Thus, the spool requires less inertia to get it moving. This all does not matter if you do not pair it with the right rod though. You need something that is going to load and toss those light baits well. The key here is consistency, any type of overruns and you are looking at losing your efficiency and having to deal with a mess. People have offered some good advice as to what rod and reels are good for these purposes. Just note though that generally you are looking at spending more money on a 'finesse' baitcasting setup than if you were to just get a spinning outfit. Using casting equipment for tossing light baits is fun, challenging, and will help you improve your casting abilities. But spinning equipment will cast these light baits without a problem or worry about overruns.

The first two digits are the length the last digit is the rods power. 734 = 7'3'' rod that is 4 power 4 power is usually considered heavy, 3 considered MH and so forth. I say either get the 733 or the 734. I've heard good things about both. The 735 does have the XF tip, but I have not heard from anyone who has used it. You can go froggin with a 7'3'' rod. So in my opinion get the 733, 734, 735 depending on the power you want.