rangerjockey

The FSS wouldn't be my first choice for a spinnerbait rod. The Spec R works fine if you don't mind the length. The Witch Doctor Surman 50G is about as good as it gets for spinnerbaits and moving baits in general.

Gary Loomis sold to Shimano around 1997. He stayed on as a consultant for 10 years or so but he gone before 2012. I believe Steve Rajef was behind the NRX.

I think your reliable source is confusing Ark rods in Florida which are made in China and Ark Rod of Harrison Arkansas, a blank manufacturer .Arc rod in Harrison used to make the blanks for falcon and I believe they also assembled them when they were made in the U.S. I would say call Alex at a Alx and ask him.

Give Kistler a call and talk to Trey. He's a great guy and will get you set up.

The Destroyer is superior to the GLX and I own a bunch of different generations of it as well as several NRX.

The Destroyer FMJ if you can swing it. It's equal to the NRX in sensitivity and it's build quality is head and shoulders above the Loomis.

Didn't you say the Fury was better than the Tatula .?

I wouldn't worry so much about the rod as I would learning the technique. The majority of the time they get it on the pause anyway. The stickbait is a religion here in the Ozarks and I think the best stickbait fisherman are here on Table Rock and Bull Shoals but you will find different rods , reels and line being used.. The rod won't make someone good at fishing the bait.

Yep It's a WEC. Since Ed Chambers has passed away they have gotten pricey. There is usually some on Ebay.

You thought the 734 was too stiff for a spinnerbait or buzzbait ?

Which model Levante have you fished ?

Steve Rajeff had something to do with the success I'd bet.

It's over budget but the Witch Doctor Surman 50G is about as good as it gets for walking baits and 1/2 oz poppers like the Yellow Magic. The beauty of the rod is it works for most any moving bait, spinnerbaits ,buzzbaits stickbaits ect. super versatile and great craftsmanship. I have the 6ft 10 MH.

I would agree with being up the rivers. my place is up the James river in Cape Fair and normally during tourist season the lake is calm until 11am or so. The down side is there's not much choice in places to stay except Shadrack Resort . Nice place and once owned by Gene Larew. Unless you want to camp at the state park. Cape Fair marina is a great place and has a nice restaurant and store as well as a tackle shop. If you go up the White river Campbell point or Baxter would be 2 areas to look at.

I've fished the 5 lb. sniper on spinning reels for years..Zero issues and I've never owned a spray or conditioner.

Sounds like the spool may be too full. Also are you closing the bail by hand ?

I throw the 1.5 squarebill a lot in the Gizzard shad color. The Curve 55, which is kind of a wiggle wart deal, I throw in the craw colors. The Provoke stick bait I like in the Ozark Juice. Really comes down to where and how deep you fish.

Well, I have a place on Table Rock so it's my favorite. With that said , I think LOZ is a little easier to fish, but personally if I never fished it again I'd be ok with that. Table Rock is more fickle and This time of year will have a lot of boat traffic but not as bad as LOZ. If you stay around Kimberling city or the Dam area the traffic will be worse. But it's still a beautiful place and the bite has been really good this spring. Depending on your budget I would consider hiring a guide, Table Rock can change so quickly that you may spend more time looking than catching for sure.. I know some guys if your interested but I would be calling them soon as we are in the vacation season. What part of the lake are you looking at ?

I believe it's been discontinued.

The 2019 Levante is hard to beat it the $200 range, heck it fishes more like $300. Looks like the Patriot has gone away to me as well, I've seen a few spinning rods left. It uses a NFC blank and they just don't seem to be able to supply the things. I'm surprised it doesn't seem to effect Kistler.

ST36 or the Daiichi death trap.

Your just rolling up slack and the last thing you want to do is drag the bait with the reel. I like something in the 6:1 range.

How did you test the " Advance has least stretch of any mono line " part ?

Lew Childre was the designer of the original BB1's back in the early 70's. The company never did manufacture the rods or reels. They were farmed out to Shimano and Ryobi and I believe there may have been a third. They were about the only competition Abu had at the time. Mr .Childre was killed in the late 70's in a plane crash. Today they are Lew's in name only . I will say they do a great job of marketing but I've never been overly impressed with them. I would buy a Daiwa or Shimano personally.

I was afraid the Cara was going to be discontinued when I saw the reintroduction of the Expert. The 2 are just too close in price point to keep both.