mjseverson24

I have a few triumphs, I really like them for the price, the premier is not much of an upgrade (if any), i would go with the 7'M/F with a pflueger president... total cost is around 140.00... Mitch

pro's----> lighter than aluminum and just as strong... cons----> can easily be damaged in salt water... Cost is higher as well... because of how light they are, most rods do not balance very well with them, so choosing a rod to pair with MG reel can be difficult... Mitch

I have a few of them, I love them, they are especially great for pitching lighter baits... that being said i do have one of the 6:1's that is a great all around casting reel... the only thing i don't like them for is heavy duty applications... Mitch

I would go to at least 20 lb floro for the leader... I personally like to t-rig mainly on floro, or mono, for abrasion resistance, visibility, and slack line sensitivity... but a lot of people like the braid with floro leader option... Mitch

I am not sure exactly how far i can cast squarebills, as i typically cast them to specific targets, but if I had to cast long I could easily cast a kvd 1.5-2.5 40 yards with my skeet reese glass cranking rod with my Quantum kinetic pt... but typically i cast them 20ish yards... Mitch

i fish them till they die... up to 30-40 fish when using o-rings, 3-4 fish without the rings... Mitch

I trow them all at the same stuff, and situations. I let the fish tell me which one is their preference... more often than not spinnerbait gets the job done the best for me... Mitch

I think sensitivity in a rod is extremely important for bottom contact presentations... i personally like to fish the same caliber of rods for all of my bottom contact rods. I dont use braid unless i have to (ie. punching , frogs, jigs in the slop etc...) i much prefer floro, a hybrid, or even mono. I have not used rods over the 250.00 mark, but i can say that for the ones under this that i have fished, the biggest difference is balance and warranty, the performance has not been a large increase. they are more fun to fish with though...(i might have to check out the dobyns someday...) Mitch

great fish, congratulations... Mitch

great fish... the best thing is that he released it... Mitch

I only use braid when it is absolutely necessary, and when I do it is typically 50-65 lb for casting and 10-15 for spinning... I typically only see braid dig in when it is on a set up that i pitch with, a cast and retrieve type set up typically doesn't dig in, at least not in my experience... Mitch

the T3 is definitely a better casting reel for lighter baits, but like tywithay said you wont see much of a difference in baits over like the 3/8 oz... That being said if you upgrade your T3-B with hawgtech or bocas it will cast lighter lures much better than stock... Mitch

spinning) 6' ML/F st croix premier for skipping docks, and vertical jigging walleyes casting) 6'6" i have about 4 of them all different brands, i use them for jerkbaits, topwater spooks and poppers, as well as close quarters spinnerbaits and swim jigs. Mitch

I dont do it, not because i dont think it will work, but i think location, depth, action, speed and base colors, are more important. if you dial in all of these other things first you will most likely be catching lights out... if you do all these things and still want to tinker with the bait go ahead it sounds like fun... Mitch

Awesome catch, i am probably going to pick up a few of these this year as well... Mitch

i believe it costs 30.00 to replace using the W&M warranty program, but DSG( which is where i am assuming you got it) should replace it for you... Mitch

3 for me 8' Mojo bass flippin stick-----> big jigs/punching 7'6" abu vendetta -------> hollowbody frogs and punching 7'6" BPS graphite series -----> hollowbody frogs I dont like the H power rods for anything other than getting fish up about out of super thick cover(i dont swimbait, or throw A-rigs otherwise they wold be on a H as well)... Mitch

tatula for 103 ish, and an abu veritas, or st. croix triumph... otherwise the quantum kinetic pt can be found on line for 60 ish, good reel if you are comfortable with casting reels... Mitch

i throw weightless plastics on spinning gear for the most part, a 7' ML/F St. Croix premier witha pflueger president, but i also use casting every now and then, and it is a 7' M/F abu Verdict with a daiwa t3-B with hawgtech bearings... both work really well, i think the spinning works better for me though... Mitch

I would probabily go with the shimano on this one, that being said the tatula R might be a little more balanced or versitile as compared to the 50e, the breaking system is pretty easy on both, casting distance should be better with the tatula, with the t-wing and the dynamic breaking system as compared to the linear cintrifugal on the chronarch... the other nice thing is you can get the type r new for <140... the lews in the 200 dollar range would also be a good option, maybe even the curado I... Mitch

first for your questions: 1) Was it just luck that my Blackmax lasted six years?----> No i have some black max's that have taken quite a beating and are still going strong. six years might be a stretch, but three to four is not... 2) Are more expensive rods and reels really worth it?-----> yes if you love to fish, and do it quite a bit, No if you dont do it very often, or it puts unnecessary financial stress on you... 3) Will cheap reels last as long as more expensive reels if maintained?----> they may last as long, typically they will not, but they might. The performance of them is what you are really paying for, the durability is great, but performance is the key... here is my suggestion for a set up... rod: Fenwick HMG (new one) for about 100 the M/F is a great all around rod... otherwise a shimano clarus for like 80 is a good rod, or the veritas for 80... reel: evercast horizon (ebay) for like 50.00 its a 6:1 ratio, good for about everything, and quite a bit better casting reel than the black max... Mitch

I would go with the lightest best balancing rods you can go with... the *** and the duckett will be your best options on your list... Mitch

Its a great fish for sure, using your hand as a reference it looks like 20-22 in long... at that length it would need to be mighty fat to break 7+ but i think it looks really close to 6.5 lbs... nice catch... Mitch

I have not used the cabelas rod, but the compre is a great rod... other suggestions are the veritas, and st. croix mojo or triumph... Mitch

downsize... more erratic retrieves work too, i try and think like a crawfish trying to flee from a bass... Mitch