fishking247

for bass fishing i've basically narrowed it down to 4 rods. 1. finesse (senkos, jerkbaits, rapalas, grubs, light texas rigs) 2. topwater/spinnerbaits 3. frog/HEAvy texas rigs 4. crankbaits

fish what is comfortable for you. i know some guys who never go lighter then 30lb braid and others who won't fish heavier then 10lb braid or 8lb mono. the way i bass fish i don't judge my reel rod and line on how "big" the fish are i adjust accordingly to the structure and baits i fish. if i could get away with using a light action 6'6" rod with 6-8lb test and a 1000 size reel i would do it all the time!

Why not just do the exact same thing you did to catch the 7.6? a 7.6 is a great fish anywhere let alone upstate NY.

what are they downgrading? looks to me like they raised the price on most of their new upgraded reels

some reels don't pick up slack very well, especially mono or fluoro. no way to really fix this

I have not found color to make to much of a difference. i generally stick to natural colors (watermelon seed, pumpkinseed, green pumpkin, and black)

i recommend the st croix premier they are around $100-120. how much are you looking to spend?

can't see it working any better then the usual bass stuff we use.

i have pulled quite a few 5-6lb fish on 8lb mono through some of the thickest cover i have ever seen the reason behind this it was the most effective line for throwing the small bait i was using...

not sure if i would need ten but here are what i prefer: 1. 7" berkley power worm 2. 5" senko 3. zoom finesse/ trick worm 4. 3-4" grub

magnum rebel pop-r!

it depends on the rod. a fast action st croix is different from a fast action vendetta. i recommend a fast action for fishing plastics. a moderate fast tip flexes further down the rod. your 6'6" vendetta that you bought should be fine. good luck!

i like 7' but most of the time i am wade/ bank fishing tight to the shoreline and a 6'6" or 6' is ideal when you need to duck under trees and cast into tight spaces.

frogs are overrated. sure they catch big fish but it's like any lure. you miss more fish then you actually hook no matter how good of a fisherman you are. it has its time and place. give me a soft plastic over a frog any day

shimano stradic if you can afford it. if not a shimano symetre

Use gamakatsu's

the bucoo does not have a faster tip then an XF rod. the bucoo has a moderate taper. my friend has one of the spinning bucoo's and the rod nearly flexes into the handle. not something you want when you're fishing soft plastics in my opinion. i personally do not like extra fast rods, i prefer fast action. most of the rods today designed for wacky senko fishing have a soft extra fast tip with plenty of backbone in the middle to lower section of the rod.

Daiwa makes some great stuff. they are right up there with shimano. the old daiwa ss series is probably one of the best spinning reels ever made as far as durability goes.

i'm not to big on color choice. just give me a 3/8 or 1/2oz spinnerbait with double willow (good for burning them right under the surface) and a single colorado blade (good for slow rolling)

topwater of your choice. don't be afraid to throw it in the middle of a 90+ degree sunny day

i'm sure it will work but my texas rig rod is a lot different then my frog rod

pflueger does not have the spool washers like the shimanos have. i have returned the president and got my full money back and put that money towards a new shimano. i repeat myself once again, you may think a TOP END st croix is better then a $50 rod and some may not. it is all personal preference IMO. by stating you find it hard to believe a $50 rod is better then your "top end" st croix is your opinion and what works for some may not work for others.

i have owned probably over 50 reels. maybe i got a dud reel. just did not like the feel of it and the line lay on the reel was terrible both braid and mono. the line created a "cone" shape on the reel where most of the line gathered towards the bottomg of the spool. i know how to properly spool a reel too.everyone prefers something different. i am not here to argue which one is better i am just stating my opinion. as far as putting a stradic on a $99 rod. you let the price of a rod dictate what type of reel you put on your rods? i own some rods that are $50 and find them better then my higher end st croix rods.

i fish strictly spinning tackle (never really liked the feel of a baitcaster). my goto frog rod is the 7'2" MH shimano crucial "worm and jig" rod with 30lb power pro. i find it to be the perfect rod for the areas i frog fish...most of the time. if i am frog fishing super heavy cover i will use an inshore rod like sirsnookalot suggests. i use my 7' MH 10-20lb st. croix tidemaster with 40 or 50lb power pro with a 4000 sized reel. with a spinning rod you may not have as much power as a baitcaster but you can skip that frog under trees a lot easier. most of the time i bank or wade fish and fish some pretty tight areas where i would not even attempt to use a baitcaster

why not just fish with 12lb fluoro or mono then? lol you still have that lighter leader on the end of your line which is a lot more prone to break then the 65lb braid