War Eagle 44

I was wondering the same thing, I would think it'd be very difficult to cast them effectively. My fishing buddy has that same rod (8' XXH) that he also plans to use for rigs, he's suppose to be picking up his first one tomorrow to use when we go out Sunday. We'll see how it does. He's going to be using a Quantum Energy and 50# PPS8S.

I know there are a few guys here that already have these baits so I was just curious to see what trebles you're using with these. Surely you aren't going to fish with stock hooks (gasp!!) . I picked up my first one this afternoon and decided to go with 3/0 Owners. I don't think they'll effect the action but I'll have to wait until I fish it to know for sure. Pay no attention to the DD22 in the pic, I took the pic to show a buddy how big the 10XD's are. He hadn't heard about them yet.

There is nothing wrong with making due with what you have. Just as long as you're happy while you're fishing and catching fish then you've got it made because that's the whole point of fishing in the first place, to have fun. It doesn't matter if your rod says "umbrella rig" on it or not. Good luck to you on your A-Rig. That's the same specs (7'9" H) as my Cumara A so I think it will do you a good job, as will the Winch. I've never fished one but I know there are to many guys saying to many good things about them for them not to be good reels.

I believe it does. It lets the bait rock side to side more than if you tie direct.

I finally gave the new combo a good workout this afternoon. They were crushing baitfish today so it turned out to be a great day to fish an A-Rig. I got between 18 & 20 bites and caught 8 or 9 (I lost exact count). It was a super fun afternoon on the water. I got that many bites in 2-1/2 hours fishing, hopefully I can get back out again tomorrow. Nothing big but they sure made the day fun.

Wow, nice box'o baits you have there. I just wish I had one or two of those to fish. I'm just staring to get into big swimbaits and don't really have much as of yet, but I plan to change that soon.

This is the exact rod I was going to suggest. I haven't fished one but they sure do feel nice playing around with them in the store.

I just recently picked up a 301E to use for umbrella rigs ans swimbaits and so far I really like it. I think the D series was the best series of Curado's in the 200 size but the 300's are a little more "beefy". I think you would really enjoy the 300 if you were/are happy with your DHSV. What pound test was on at the time and how big do you think it was?!?

No, these hooks do not come with split rings. I read somewhere a long time ago about putting one through the eye on hooks that are going to be used for "swimming" type baits because it lets the bait have a little extra movement in the water as opposed to tying directly to the hook eye. The split ring is a Bass Pro brand split ring, fairly cheap and easy to get. They've performed pretty good for me though, nothing bad to report.

The MSRP was only $179.99 from the start. The D series were $199.99 though. The only differences are the color, the small drag washer in the Chronarch E's are a slight upgrade, and the drag star on the Curado is metal while the Chronarch is plastic. Everything else is exactly the same parts, made in the same factory. I don't own nor have I fished with either a Core or Chronarch D but I think the old B series Chronarch's are pretty good reels to. I also love my E series reels but feel the best Curado to date was the D series. I've never fished with a reel I thought was even close to my Calais DC and my Calcutta TE DC isn't to bad itself. There are a few Shimano reels that stand out in my opinion, others may disagree. I will say for the record that the weight of a reel is pretty far down my list of important attributes. The weight of the D series and of the DC reels don't bother me at all. I know some guys value light weight above anything else and that's ok but to me being light isn't what makes a reel good or not.

I haven't caught a bass on one yet but I have thrown the 4" a few times. I think it has good action and I fully expect to catch plenty of fish on them once the water warms up. They have a more subtle action than a Basstrix type bait which is good IMO. The water in the lake I normally fish is a lot more stained right now than normal due to lots of rain so I don't think this is a great choice due to the more subtle tail action but I will be right back fishing them as soon as the water clears. I've only rigged one so far and it's on the same hook already suggested, Beast 4/0. It has good action rigged this way and I have a lot of faith in these hooks so I'm happy as of now.

Calais DC Cumara A 7'2" MH X-fast Stella FE Cumara A 7'2" MH fast A person could do a lot of fishing with just these two.

For umbrella rigs and swimbaits.

I don't use a Bitsy Flip much but I do use a different finesse style jig that's pretty close in size to the Bitsy and the baby Rage Craws work great. Here's a pic just for you to kinda get an idea of how it would look. Both these are 1/4oz just different companies.

Right along with most others, no rattles here. The only time I use them is at night and even then not always.

I agree, the RC 1.5 is still the best square bill IMO. Although the Strike King isn't bad either.

I just started using Power Pro Micro Braid 5# test last summer and it's fantastic. I can now cast all my ultra light lures about 20-25% farther. I can't say enough good things about this line, I'm super happy with it. I picked up the white color and I've not had any trouble at all getting bites even in clear water. Bream, Crappie, & Bass all have been more than willing to take my lures with the braid tied straight to the lure. The only real downside IMO is a spool will only fill a 1000 size Shimano once. The upside being braid lasts a really long time. I use a Stradic FI 1000 and the line works great on in.

I'll pick up a couple the first chance I get, I'm fairly excited to try them. I'm not a huge Rapala guy but I really like the "idea" of these baits and I hope they work as advertised. If they do in fact have the hunting action to them I think they will be killer cranks where I fish. I'm right there with you on this one, I've enjoyed good success on their DT20's but I've had quite a few of them "blow up" on me as well. All I get back is the bill.

X2, sounds very interesting.

At the present moment it would have to be my Powell Max 703C. Although the Loomis IMX rods are great as well.

I have 5 Powell rods but none of them are M action. I have a 703C that I use for jigs in the range you're asking about and really like it's performance. I don't think I'd want to go with any less "power" than this rod for jigs though. I've only used one new Crucial rod, a spinning model, but they didn't impress me as much as the older cork handled Crucials I've owned. Nothing at all wrong with the new ones, I just prefer the older version better. The old Crucials and Powells are about the same IMHO but I'd take the Powell over the newer Crucials. I just want to add that I'm a huge Shimano fan, didn't want anyone to think I'm just trying to "bash" Shimano. This is just my honest opinion.

No there isn't a GLX Mossyback. They are two separate lines. They are just very similarly colored.

I'm sure it is a heavy action rod I just didn't want to post that it was when I'm not 100% sure due to it not being listed on the rod. I do know this rod is meant for big weights and heavy cover. Good luck in your search.

I want to try the new Gamakatsu trebles that are "copies" of the KVD Mustad. I've not had a single problem with the Mustads though, just because there's something "new" out I want to try it. I'll agree with you here, these hooks hook and hold fish very well.

It doesn't mention its power rating