Grantman83

I have a boo ya pad crasher that I call old faithful...that thing has no eyes left and most of its brown color is gone

I also got the same rod...was able to also use my 600 extra points so I ended up with it for like 20 bucks...only problem is the rod is crazy tip heavy. My zillion didnt even balance it out lol... Also, it is more like a mag heavy. That tip is harder to bend than my 736c champion...seriously, it's a broomstick so I assume it would be great for big swimbait and a rigs

I have fully upgraded and painted 2 reels....Way too much money lol but you can truly make the reel unique. I fully upgraded my liberto pixy to a pixzilla which included. Gear swap to 6.3:1 Carbontex Drag stack TDz line guide worm gear bearing upgrade upgrade to orange seal bearings steez drag star click drag star conversion Zillion type r handle clear cork knobs zpi knob caps As I said, way too much free time and money but boy does it look sweet and work great...

Another cheaper lews option is the Wally Marshall crappie baitcaster...still has the line capacity you need...

Havoc grass pig jr Havoc devil speak sideways with tail section cut in half

My first loomis was a mossyback and I was less than impressed unfortunately. I have several dx's but they were got through shrewd deals and watching used boards. The 745 as mentioned is a beast.....

You can throw a frog anywhere. Dean Rojas says he prefer to target fish with a frog, not just use them on pads. Under overhanging trees, in shady areas along the shore, under or between docks, near laydowns. I have had fish hit frogs everywhere. Walking the dog just takes practice. I would say use a rod with a soft tip otherwise it is alot tougher. Its also easier to learn on a medium or medium heavy rod. Not necessarily to use it as a your frog rod, but to practice getting the cadence down.

Well I have owned a smoke and didn't have have any problems with it so that is a Quantum that I can recommend. I have owned their tour burner PT as well but the smoke was superior IMO. Regarding the MG, I would say wait until the reviews come out before buying one. If you look on the *** site, they have comments for all the products they sell. you can look at the EXO and read the comments if you wish

Just wanted to give a shout out to their customer service. I only own one of their rods currently. but have owned several of their reels and rods in the past. However, I know their Veritas line especially has a rep for breaking. Today we found out why. A friend of mine has a Veritas spinning rod and loves it. Today we were fishing, he sets the hook and snap. Rod breaks right after the first guide in a magnificent explosion of white and blank shards. He has had this rod for a year. We take the pics you see here and email Abu. Within 5 minutes we have a reply asking for pics of the rod and receipt. He goes home, emails the info and in less than 20 minutes has a new rod shipping his way under warranty. Also, they let him switch the rod to a medium heavy spinning (the original was the medium version) free of charge. Gotta give props to a company that will stand behind their product and provides good service. The whole process took at most a half an hour. I may not prefer their rods and reels, but they do stand by their products.

Several Reel companies offer lightweight options if you are going that way. Abu Garcia's G3 revo's are all much lighter than their previous iterations. Lew's has the Tournament Pro or Team Pro Quantum has the Smoke Shimano has the Core 100MG7. Okuma has the Helios. All are lightweight options which I am sure you would be happy with.

Couldn't have picked a better general purpose stick. A MH will let you do everything you have stated. I would suggest 40lb Braid as your base line and attach leaders when necessary. Braid floats like mono but is more sensitive. Attach a fluoro or mono leader as needed and it will last you longer as well. As for the length, you will get used to it. You will find that a longer rod will really help you with line pickup and hook setting etc. Once you get used to it, you shouldn't have any problems.

I would suggest contacting quantum specifically with your question. The Tour has been discontinued and they didn't make a deeper spool version like they now have with the 100 EXO, 200 EXO and 300 EXO. Perhaps a 150 spool from the Smoke or KVD will fit. Again, email or call Quantum for definitive answers.

I feel that drag strength is alittle overrated. I've flipped with a zillion that only has 8lbs of drag and haven't had a fish peel off any line. Figure a heavy rod and heavy line make it much hard for a fish to peel line. That being said, make sure your rod balances well. You listed three lightweight reels and though that may seem good, if your combo is very unbalanced and tip heavy, it will actually be more of a drain on you.

Great reels. You won't be disappointed with whatever one you choose. They have a reel for every application, in every speed and for every technique.

What I respect about Kistler is the article on the website where they go through their entire ordeal about breaking rods. I'm glad that they are up front about the issues they had. Also, it's great to see a company make a comeback by working through a tough times by creating an excellent product and standing by it. Kinda the opposite of Carrot Stix lol

My favorite all round bait. This week of fishing proved their versatility to me. I was using green pumpkin down on buggs island in North Carolina to flip and pitch and Carolina rig. Came back home and on a small pond caught a 3lber swimming it and then on the same bait caught a 4.5lber in vegetation. It literally caught fish no matter what presentation.

^^^^^^^^ They look great I was merely mentioning hollow body frogs

The only limits are your imagination lol. I was just down in North Carolina and we were using them with a 10 purple ribbon tail worm. I imagine almost anything will work

Booyah pad crashes are the best bang for your buck. I've used many major brands and I get the best response with the booyah by far. I think that I get such a good hookup because they are smaller than most frogs allowing for the fish to swallow them better. Great in open water and light slop but can be used everywhere. When there are big fish and thick pads, I prefer koppers because they are heavier and soft.

Great reel and covers the main aspects you need. High capacity for large amounts of heavy line, a high speed line pickup and a robust drag. Rods will come down to preference and many suggested some great rods

You can use almost anything. I bite down things I've used as a Texas rig and use them as a trailer so my assortment varies widely lol

Isn't there a saying that you can bring use any color as long as its grape/plum

Dobyns savvy 703 with a lexa 7.1 and 30lb pp. this is my all round setup and does everything from spinnerbaits, chatter baits, buzzbaits. I have found that spooks can be worked with a heavier action rod compared to say a popper. Generally they have bigger hooks People say dobyns rods are generally underrated for their power so this MH might be more like another companies medium action. However, I feel they are rated correctly, just they have a softer tip that most. The true power of the rod is in the backbone, so I can get away with using a heavier power rod while still having enough give to play the fish out and not dear him spitting the lure. Also, I mostly use the spook jr. It still casts like a bullet As was mentioned, you can cast a spook a long way and braid and a longer rod will really help you out.

Line Diameter 6lb 8lb 10lb 12lb 14lb 17lb 20lb Inches .010 .012 .014 .015 .016 .017 .018 Millimeter . 254 .305 .356 .381 .406 .432 .457 Tackle warehouse has it listed at .18 for 20lb. So they are all equal I apologize for being wrong. How's this, it was a much springier line for its diameter and rating. It is tough line no doubt but IMO much less manageable than siege which I love

It has a very large diameter for the lb test. I think I read that it's breaking strength is like 50% higher than the rated test...I used 20lb and it was too big even for what I wanted it for. tough tough line