Grantman83

They seem to run more specials and deals than TW. That being said, I got a great deal on a DX 743 but it took 2 weeks to get to my house. Since it's winter it didn't matter much but it was still a longer wait than I have ever had with TW.

Got my dx 704 and 746 at a great price.

Just....wow

1. Havoc craw fatty as a trailer or Texas rig when skipping. It's so flat it helps a novice like myself skip much easier. 2. As a straight T-Rig, Chigger Craw and Zoom speed craw. 3. Regular jig trailer, almost any will do IMO

I got into bass fishing later in life and as such had no preference either way. I simply started with spinning tackle because it was easier to fish with in the beginning annnnd I caught a ton of fish with a simple senko lol. Wacky rig baby!!! However, as I got into more, I forced myself to only use casting gear for a season so as to teach myself. I bought reels from almost every company in order to get an idea of what I wanted. 3 years later and I have 1 spinning setup left. I even went so far as to spend a ton on finesse casting gear as I just prefer it. Northern fish also aren't as large most of the time so spinning gear can be used very easily in many situations. Take that gear down to Florida and you would be screwed. That being said, I wouldn't say spinning gear is just a northern thing as guys in the west use finesse gear a ton and last I checked, western and northern guys do just fine at the highest levels.

Dobyns 734. Technically a heavy but this rod can do almost everything.

DX 746 baby!!!!! Can't wait to try this rod out this year!

The 7mh veritas would be my choice but it is a stuff rod. I'd recommend using invizx so as to have some stretch to compensate.

I haven't really had a bad experience with cranking rods in almost any price range. The DSG tec-spec (original black series) can be had for like $30 if you can find them and it is a great rod even for it's normal price. Mojo glass and veritas cranking rods have a good rep in the lower end your price range as well. Higher end rods are going to get you better guides, better components and more specific actions depending on who you go with. You also need to know if you want glass vs graphite. If you are going to have one rod go for a 7ft Mhm and that should handle a wide range of treble hook baits for you. If you can get a deal from Ron at valley sports, I would suggest the dobyns champ 705cb as it can throw almost anything and is my primary cranking rod. It is at the high end of your price range and you could probably get 2 of the other choices for that price is you wanted to diversify

Line - Viscous Fluoro was the springiest POS line I have EVER used. I never had a problem with Vanish, this stuff was total useless junk that I wouldn't wish on my WORST enemy. Even my guide (A former FLW Pro) had issues when using my rod because the stuff was so springy. It makes me mad just thinking about it lol. Reel - A $40 BPS reel that's gears stripped simply working a topwater. Anti-reverse went too. 1 use and done. I didn't know anything about reels but this one is my fault because you do get what you pay for. Rod - Nothing really terrible. I have had success with all the rods I have used from tec-spec to skeet reese up to Steez rods. The most disappointed I have been was in a Steez Ouchita Flipping/Frog rod because it was heavier, more tip heavy and less sensitive than my champ 736 and almost double the price. Ardent Line butter was just that, butter. It is the worst thing to put on your reel as it would just make everything slippery and greasy. Rod and reel get dirty and so do your clothes.

Can we just say that quantum seems to be more polarizing compared to shimano, daiwa, Abu even lews? Those 4 seem to receive almost universal acclaim whereas quantum has a rep which falls on both sides. 1.I have owned 5 quantum reels at one point. The smoke 100 I used for one season and it performed well. However, the sideplate was d**n near impossible to take off. It was also finicky on the cast. The smoke 150 was loud and geary out of the box and got returned. 2. I had a tour pt (old silver finish and $300) and it was okay. Nothin get to write home about. To give a comparison, the chronarch d's I have were 300 and are vastly superior, ditto to the $300 zillions I have. No contest. 3. I bought a smoke spinning reel which I returned THAT day for a stradic fj which also was much smoother and quieter. 4. A DSG shaw grigsby accurist that was my first "nice" reel. Heavy but it was solid. Big props to this reel. Overall, not the best in my book and I won't buy again. I also found the bulge to be very uncomfortable for me. To show I'm not a fanboy, I sold my tatula the day after I got it because I found it uncomfortable to hold so I do apply the same standards to other companies. Same reason I wouldn't buy a new revo because of how the gearbox sits. Regarding sponsorships, you can just throw it out the window. They are salesmen for their product. KVD can get a new reel any time he wants and doesn't have to worry about longevity. Ditto skeet reese with his reels/rods. I don't buy into sponsorships even with guys who are sponsored by brands I use. They could outfish us with any rod, reel or line because they are THAT good, regardless of gear. Look at Edwin Evers who uses pro qualifiers and carbonlite rods vs Ish Monroe who is fishing STEEZ rods and reels. One guy may do well once and awhile, but the other guy is always near the top.

Nothing better than customizing your reel. Makes it feel like if is truly yours

What was your guess for the gear? I entered it too lol

Figured since I finally got all my hawgtech handles and anodized parts back. Figured I would show all them off. These are some great guys to deal with and I recommend them for anyone who wants more torque or a smoother retrieve. The anodized parts are a vanity thing but they are cheaper than aftermarket parts and match perfectly to the parts that either came stock with the reel or the custom parts I ordered. The reels/parts are as follows. 1. Shimano Chronarch D7 with anodized gold star drag and cc cap. 102mm swept Hawtech handle with matching nut retainer and knob caps on a dx744 2. Shimano Chronarch D7 with 102 swept handle and purple parts. Drag star and cc cap will be anodized purple soon. On a custom rainshadow rod bout from Tim off this forum. Purple/Black and white go together great lol. Purple avail spool and line cap from hedgehog studios match perfectly with the hawg parts. 3. Daiwa zillion 100p with swept handle and blue/silver accent parts on a champ 765cb glass. 4. Calfish Custom td-ito in joker colors. Hawgtech purple cc cap and star drag. Matches the stock purple perfectly. The purple on the Frame had to be darker so it wouldn't turn pink. Reel is on a dx 703 and in the right light it matches the green/gold of the ito amazingly. It is going to be a good year. Hawgtech products can be addicting lol.

Great guys. I was gonna post my fully hawged reels both handles and anodized parts soon. This thread may spur me to action

C rigs are usually longer and I prefer a heavy power. A cranking rod probably isn't want you want because the bend in the rod will be a hindrance to hooksets. Figure, you are going to have a large amount of line out (most of the time) and as such you are going to want a rod that can pick up slack quickly. I would need a price range before recommending a brand but I would say you want between a 7'2-8ft and between a MHF and HF. Line wise, some guys prefer braid with a leader but I like fluoro and a leader. C rigs are usually thrown into rocks and braid doesn't have the best abrasion resistance. I use the dx ml jig rod which is a heavy powered 7'8 rod meant for deep water football jigs and c rigs. Great great rod for this application

If your main use is going to be feeling based presentations, go dx. If you are going for an all purpose rod including moving baits, go champion. I have mostly dx's because I have been lucky enough to get good deals and because many of my rods do double duty and I don't mind paying for the extra lightness and sensitivity. The champions are no slouch in the sensitivity department. Just because they aren't DX Level doesn't mean you won't feel every rock, pebble and twig. Some of the extra cost is the painted reel seat, some lightness etc.

I think each side gets worked up by the "extremist" in each side. I love to trick out my reels, buy expensive rods and have good equipment. I don't have a boat yet, but hope to one day. I feel that the better stuff helps me because I don't consider myself to be that good of an angler. Therefore, the better rods allow me, the less experienced angler to detect things that a MORE experienced angler would probably feel or notice even with cheaper stuff. As I have stated multiple times, there are guys here who could outfish me 20:1 with an ugly stick, mono and a zebco reel against my daiwas and dx's. What gets guys like me (Those who like expensive stuff) angry is when people speak as if buying expensive gear is a fools errand and a waste of money. That rods over $150 are a scam and catch fisherman yadda yadda yadda. If you don't believe in spending alot of money on a rod or reel, that's fine. However, don't bash those that do as either snobs or fools for how they spend their money. I don't have a wife or kids, I work hard and choose to put my money into gear as opposed to hunting, cars or any other number of hobbies I read about people here. On the reverse side, those who spend less get angry when they feel they are looked down upon by tackle snobs. There is a certain forum where this is entirely apparent. Terms like "refined", "smooth" and "crisp" get thrown around when speaking of high end rods/reels but not with moderately priced gear. I can see why this would get people upset especially when they are good anglers lol. It also is wrong to imply that only those who use high end gear can catch fish. Maybe it's because I have used a wide variety of brands and price-points, I find it very hard to bash anyone as I have been there at one point. On one hand I can appreciate the guys who spend a ton on gear I could only dream of having. On the other hand, I can appreciate guys who can catch fish with anything they use. In my mind, it is only when one side bashes the other that I get annoyed as I feel it is entirely unnecessary. Last comment, conflict also seems to arise from two differing points of view on fishing. One group views catching fish to be the only goal. Lines such as "the goal is to catch fish, bottom line" etc are what I mean. This comes off like a tournament mentality to me, which is fine. Catch fish using whatever you can in any way you can. The other view seems to be the joy of fishing both in the ACT and catching. Namely, the feeling of using a great rod, great reel, great line and the experience associated with it as well as catching fish.

734/735 IMO. Dobyns rods are are usually considered to be under powered for their rating. I have 4 of their 4 power rods because they are ao versatile.

I use a champion 734c. It still has enough flex IMO. I think a bigger difference is that guys were using heavy braid and a heavy rod. Switch to a softer rod or heavy mono/fluoro and I think it will help

I spent way too much buying lots mid range stuff to try it out. I've slowly sold, Consolidated, and added again with higher end stuff. You don't need high end stuff to catch fish, I just prefer it. There are here who could outfished me 30:1 with a zebco reel and ugly stick. That doesn't mean I would want to fish with them.

Pit boss, pit boss and oh yea, the pit boss

My experience isn't as deep as most but the newer composites sure seem to be plenty strong enough. Heck, the Core series is super light magnesium and yet many people use the core50 for flippin and pitching. Heck, the 100mgfv and 100mg7 were made specifically for the heavier stuff. I have aluminum reels and prefer them not because I feel they are that much stronger, but that the metal gives them a more solid and fluid feel. Case in point, I sold all my core series reels but will NEVER sell my chronarch d series. Same shape, same gearing, but the aluminum of the chronarch just makes them feel smoother to me.

The savvy is sensitive, just not as sensitive as the champ or champ extreme. If you are using braid or fluoro, the savvy is a good rod. I also use the 734 but this is more expensive than the other rods you mentioned. I would go at least a MH. Of what rods you mentioned, the perfecta I supposed to be a great rod.

Loved the super duty