mjseverson24

I agree that the rod is definitely under powered for frog fishing, but the rod would do just fine for any horizontal presentation, but where I think you might have the most problems is jig fishing with it. in my experience the ugly sticks are a very durable, but highly insensitive rod not a good choice at all for jigs and any other technique that needs a lot of feel. That being said you will still be able to catch fish using this for jigs and rigs but you will want braided line to increase your feel and in most cases everything will just kind of feel squishy so you will have to learn the difference between weed squish and fish squish... good luck with your new combo... Mitch

I also like the low profile reels, the revo toro is a beast reel, it easily throws big muskie baits and handles large fish very well, I would assume big swimbaits would be no different... Mitch

at under 200 get a citica G or E and put boca 7's on the spool or the hawgtech bearings if they fit, pretty decent set up for less than 170.00 Mitch

I would not think that the casting performance would increase very much by switching from mono to braid, both lines have a density less than water, so the mass to get to a 1/3 or 1/2 spool should be relatively comparable(though I would bet braid is less dense), The only performance enhancement I can see is braid takes much longer to break down and loose its strength, mono when wet, cold, direct sun... not so good, so maybe braid if you tie a proper knot, braid would be a more reliable backing than mono... maybe... Mitch

I am not trying to say if you use braid you will break a rod... each person sets the hook differently, my point is that you have a higher probability of breaking a rod using braided line due to the small amount of stretch of this line. and like I said earlier I use braid just not for flipping unless I am using a punching technique then it works much better in my opinion... I have broken a few rods on hard hooksets in the past all using braid and heavy flipping hooks, the rods were in good shape with no damage on the blank just a strong hookset and they broke. I am not the only guy who has broken rods, but I do know that since I switched to a line with more stretch than braid I have not broke any... I also never said that braid breaks rods, people break rods, or rods are defective from the factory I dont put any blame on my rods breaking on braid, its is all on me for setting the hook a little too hard, so to compensate for human error I use the more forgiving lines... Mitch

each person is different, but if I set the hook hard with 50-65# braid on a bass over 5 lbs while flipping especially in heavy cover there is a decent chance of breaking that rod, if the fish is actually a log its going to break, I lock my drags totally down and remove the grease from the drag to increase max drag. I like having the stretch of mono or floro so when I am not thinking and set too hard I wont break the flippin stick... if braid works for you that is great keep using it, but rods really can break easily dont believe me put a 10 lb weight on 65 lb braid and pick it up with your rod ( this wil simulate setting into a log or rock) give it a couple of bounces, you might not like the results... 7' XH/MF or H/MF night be able to handle 10 lbs but setting hard into a solid object will put more than 10 lbs of strain on the rod... Mitch

I have used the mojo bass glass cranking rod as well, great for small cranks like square bills and shallow running baits, but jerkbaits I would probabily use the 6'8" M/XF graphite rod this would also do just fine for small cranks just use mono or floro... Mitch

I use floro for everything except punching... Rods are too easily broken with braid, I also like the versatility of floro, I can fish it in dark water and Gin clear water, the slack line sensitivity is also nice as I believe it adds a few fish throughout a day on the water. braid is not as effective for clear water in my experience. Mitch

a few things I hate about fishing... 1) in MN the lakes are frozen for 5 months(not good for bass fishing) 2) ground striking lightning(I typically will put down the 8' flippin stick when this happens... unless the bite is hot...) 3) people who are novice boaters who go out on the busiest days of the year( not good on the ramp or water) 4) people who keep larger than average bass(here in MN anything over 2.5 lbs should be considered a sport fish not food JMO) 5) lake associations and DNR that allow people to kill weeds in the lake because they want to swim... find another lake don't kill fish habitat so you can swim without touching weeds... 6) people who see you catch nice fish then follow you around to each spot( really annoying) 7) i hate that it is not light out longer in the summer i mean 2-3 hours of sleep is all i really need anyway... 8) that I am writhing this post instead of fishing... Mitch

I think these companies getting into the reel market will only benefit us(the anglers) through competition in the marketplace, wether that means that prices will drop or quality of reels will go up, either way we win... Mitch

I am planning on putting a talon on the boat for next year, so I am excited to be able to maximize boat control , and fish specific areas and targets more thoroughly. I am going to try and work on fishing areas that i believe should hold fish more efficiently and thoroughly... Mitch

My next set up will either be a shimano compre 7'2" dropshot rod, with a pflueger president, or a 7'2" shimano Compre M/XF casting rod with a Daiwa T3B for light jigs... (shimano rod with daiwa reel i know it is weird but it just works) Mitch

I f you are fishing frogs/jigs/t-rigs/punch rigs I would not use a leader, 65lb braid should be fine, if you hook into a musky its a coin flip, but if you put a big heavy leader on especially if it is anything other than at most 30 lb floro it will negatively effect your bass fishing. I have seen muskies and pike up to 46" landed on 7' ML rods with 6 lb test and a #8 hook, if you catch them by accident its a lot of fun, but not at the expense of catching the species you are targeting. for moving baits a 30-50 LB floro leader could work and wont affect your presentation too much... Mitch

A lot of people will recommend the BPS Pro Qualifier, and it is a great reel, I would suggest either the Lews Speed Spool ($100.00) or the evercast military or college series reels($60.00-$80.00). another option is getting a used Shimano citica or Lews Tournament MG. Mitch

I would buy a Berkley shock rod ($55.00) in the 7'6"H for frog fishing and put your tatula on it, switch your T3B to your jig rod. Then I would pick up a rod for topwater/ swimjigs like a st. croix mojo bass(or rage depending on your discount) 6'8" M/XF. for the reel lews tournament MG or tournament SS (depending on your discount again.) for the gear ratio either 6:1 or the 7:1. Mitch

I had four delivered to my house 2 for me and 2 for a friend, all came safely all in the triangle box's, but only 2 had packing material the other 2 did not...kinda weird... Mitch

I don't mind the factory handle, for flippin and pitching with the 8:1 gear ratio you don't spend much time reeling... if i had the 6:1 gears and used it as a caster it might be better to upgrade the handle... Mitch

Here are my top three tips to catch big bass: 1) make sure you fish during the prime time for fishing (sunrise and shortly after, and sunset or shortly before). 2) have the right tools for the job.( have a properly equipped rod and reel for the technique you are doing). 3) fish as often as you can (its a gam of statistics the more you fish the better your chances of getting more big ones). Mitch

for casting lighter baits I think the tatula has the one up because of the t-wing system allows less friction and better freespool operation. The choice between shimano and daiwa almost always boils down to solid proven designs by shimano that give very good reliable performance, or new cutting edge technology from daiwa that only time will tell if the design really is better than the conventional. ( i would still go with the tatula) Mitch

T3B for 125 is about the best deal I have seen, especially for flipping and pitching (8:1 gear ratio) Mitch

i have the T3B and I really like it, I have not used the tatula, but it also looks like a great reel. I feel they are designed for two very different situations, the T3B is a better casting reel, with a higher max gear ratio (8:1) which makes it great for pitching and flipping, as well as casting cranks/spinners/swimjigs(the lower ratios like 6:1) etc... the tatula has an aluminum frame and gear sideplate, and longer more powerful handles with an improved t-wing design, i see this reel doing better for punching, frogs, a-rig, big swimbaits, and other big baits where the solid feel of aluminum might give an angler more confidence. two reels for two different jobs, each should do theirs very well in my opinion. Mitch

reducing my options would be very frustrating, because baits all have a time and place, so production would definately go down, but I would still find a way to catch fish. Mitch

I would go with the shimano clarus crankbait rod 7' M rod with a lews tournament MG 80.00 for rod 130 for reel 210 total, pretty good setup for that price. Mitch

I love new fishing stuff, its the best part about the off season... Mitch

i just ordered 2 of the heavy actions. thanks for the heads up... Mitch