TimTheGearNerd

What size are you all fishing ? Curious whether different sizes swim better. I have the larger size. Can’t recall if it’s the 9 or 11. Seems to swim ok. I even added a little Weight to the belly to try and improve the sink and darting action. Didn’t notice bad rolling. It’s not great but cheap enough where I don’t feel bad throwing it into risky stuff.

I really hope folks can share what they think is happening with these fish I’m Fishing a downtown river system Lake in Texas it’s got a dam on both ends and has so much fishing pressure We fish from 7 to 4 And there didn’t seem to be a pattern at all In the morning, the Fish was schooling under a bridge, but they were hard to catch Then they eat the urchin near the mouth of a creek and they were biting minnow style baits under a bridge around noon Towards the end of the day, one fish and one bite on glide, Texas rig and Neko worms through the grass on Big pilings But nothing was super consistent just one or two fish here there why is this happening? They didn’t hide in the thick grass mats and they wouldn’t bite punch What else would you all have tried in terms of a pattern? Between three people, we probably caught 10-15 fish in total. They didn’t bite chatter either. Conditions were cloudy in the morning a light breeze. Towards end if day there was full sun and hot, high 90s. Thick 10ft grass everywhere I about 15-20 fow The day before there were some short heavy showers but not thunderstorm.

I have a tat 200. I also tried working on Tranx 200 and scorpion/Tranx 300md. Tat 200 is like a 250 size Shimano. They do that on purpose to be like “our 200 has more line “ I think the tat is better for glides. The mag breaks are easier to use but you won’t get as much distance as from a shimano or a DC. For distance you can always dump line from your boat. The Tranx is over built for salt. I’ve worked on them, they’re built with seals and rubber gaskets, not really necessary for fresh water. If you can find a Curado 200, you’d likely be better off cheaper and likely smoother. Easier to maintain. You don’t really need 200 size tat for 5 oz unless you have a 8’6 rod or you have a big line like you’re using 25# izor or Pline. I use my tat 200 for 6 oz deps 250 and 8ft rod. Plenty of line left over with 20# shooter fc line. 150 should be good and palms better. Yes the Daiwa 150 is smaller profile frame. 200 is a little longer from thumb bar to level wind. I actually recommend a new scorpion DC MD 200 from digitaka they just stocked and that’s likely a nice stress free glide reel.

If you’re interested in Dobyns, the secondary market is the way to go. I’ve sold about 6 rods of all models, hp champ extreme , xtasy, and xp champ. The used prices are super low due to the sales on Amazon and other deep retailer discount and a general erosion of brand. But you still get the replacement plan on a used rod. People still willing to get these on the used market for the right price. I don’t think the rods are any different under gsm. Still good for moving baits, but it’s not the most sensitive or light. Just well balanced rods. What I have noticed is how staff at GSM handle the rods. Shipping in poor container and new rods breaking into 3 pieces. Likely due to poor handling at warehouse. At some point you ask yourself what you’re looking for in a rod purchase. If you want a good price decent demand for secondary market and average / lightly above average performance. Dobyns is still good. Dobyns has the classic USDM full cork style If you want best in lightness or sensitivity. Cool new rod features or best price, you could likely get it elsewhere. Before I would choose Dobyns over tatula or zodias or alx but now there isn’t a huge advantage to me. Most of my rods are NRX, Shimano, steez, megabass, and kistler. Still have one xtasy 724c.

Been trying out j braid. Long time user of power pro and super slick v8. Never tried 832. My experience. for 10# I love j braid grand. It’s super soft, cast very well Down side is the softness causes wind knots that must be cut out. 50# samurai braid feels very soft as well. 10# super slick v8, it loses color and frays over time. It’s ok overall pick is Daiwa j braid grand or samurai for 10# 50# I like Daiwa samurai. If cost is a concern power pro is fine. Only issue I cannot tolerate is when the line digs into itself and ruins the cast. I get that way more with power pro.

I think it’s great for heavy swimbaits. Anything between 2-6 oz. I got the 150 size. I was hoping it could swap with other Daiwa but it’s bigger than the usual 34 mm.

Had a heart breaking fish loss and I thought about this post. I wish I read all this good advice earlier. I had braid and sadly about 8 ft of grass. I kept my rod tip down so the fish wouldn’t jump but as a result, the fish was able to get leverage by diving into the grass cover and I lost it. I wish I held the rod tip up high for leverage :(

Right now I use 10# fc sniper flouro for jerkbait because I like the depth. When I do top water I switch to a braid on a different reel to tiny 24in leader I believe I have 30# braid to 10# mono. It just cast a bit better. For ease of use I might just use mono for top water though on the whole spool

Live bait to get the skunk out ? I always try a drop shot and need colors that stand out in the muddy water. Maybe even black lures Try to put some scent on there as well. Like JJ magic

If you’re only losing frog fish you may not have any non-standard problems. If you’re just looking for idea then here’s a few. if the fish throw the lure. Maybe keep the tip in the water to prevent jumps. Spot lock can make a pretty big difference on your autopilot. Seems kinda odd your kayak moves that much if you’re locked to a spot. Consider a longer rod to pick up slack faster by keeping rod tip up? In soft Swimbait fishing some folks bend the hook up to get better hook catch on the fish at hook set. GL Also, I fish my popper frog on braid and XH rod. Makes sure when I set the hook it hook connects to bass and I can pull the fish right out of there.

I can speak to 3/8 bladed jig bladed jig. I’ve been throwing that exclusively. I think it works well, it can likely handle 1/2 as well the rod is pretty strong. I traded off a bit of bend and fish landing ability, I’ve lost a few fish but I have successfully landed an 8#er and the rod handles no problem. It’s the most sensitive of all the blades jig rods I’ve used, the blade feedback is very strong and of course the p5 rods are very light. I would caution on the lock nut and the trigger is tiny. Both can be deal breakers for some people. It is fine for me.

I feel like I have to highlight some good answers already given. If I could choose again I’d try the most popular 1/2 oz bladed jig rod which is expride mh glass or the Dobyns champion xp 736 cb glass. This is for where folks feel like keeping the fish pinned and landed is most important. Most of the time you’re not going to miss that bite anyway. This is if you want a specialized set up. If you want versatile. Really any 7’2 to 7’6 MH rod will do great.

line first. I kept breaking off jackhammers so I had to up from 14# fc flouro to 18 # shooter. Reel is always a 7:1 since I’m pull through thick grass. Here is where I’ll add a decision model and you can choose your own adventure. If you want better feel of the blade vibrate Dobyns dc xp 734c High end model: megabass p5 Daemos. Not the destroyer USA only p5 Better Landing ratio but less feel of the blade. Dobyns champ 735 cb glass. I use 3/8 oz with spunk shad usually. In a pinch I use my Megabass destroyer p5 tequila Baccarac as well. Not the best but it works.

I don’t think you need a fancy rod, I say that so I can join the bandwagon. I actively went out looking for a broom stick that’s as light as possible. That rod so far has ended up being the expride b 7’3 XH. I had the champion dc736. It’s a bit heavier so when you’re switching the rod you feel the weight more. Not something the famous Dobyns balance fixed in my opinion.

What don’t you like line j braid grand ? I have grand on my spinning at 10#. Cast really nice. I wanted to try samurai as well but I’m sure it’s slightly better.

I use the pacifun speed X as well. Mainly because I’m cheap and try to save my line or move line around among my 10ish reels.

I had the Dobyns SUF700c. The solid tip makes it great for moving bait. It does pretty well on bfs jigs like the ones from Keitech. It will do well with karashi. It’s not great for single hook stuff. I got rid of it because it feels very much like a bass rod. It’s a bit heavier than what I wanted for BFs. I upgraded to p5 megabass siglett. It’s a 6’6 and extremely whippy. But it’s feather light. Still does well with karashi but will be overpowered by slightly larger rooster tails.

I’m a big fan of kistler as well they’re very much alive due to unsanded blank. I’ve had chromium and KLX The best values I’d say are used Dobyns can be had for deep depreciations. Kistler runs crazy deals on the site so sign up for email. Also great value. If you’re waiting search forums and used for NRX, you might find a good deal. But new you may call a shop asking for a discount. You’ll see folks recommend NRX because it’s truly different from all the rods I’ve tried regarding bottoms contact. If you like it, you’ve got the market leader already no need to upgrade later unless you just like trying new gear. Resell value is always pretty good as well. Sensitivity is not a deal breaker and subjective. Not going to eliminate the times where a fish pick up bait and you don’t notice. The NrX feels different in a good way. For line even if you have grass I’d go 40 braids and 17 flouro, you’ll get more distance from bank. Maybe even consider 30 braids and 14 flouro

Cool. I can chime in. Ive fished a few of these options. The rod your want is the NRX 873. The 894 is very stiff and won’t do well on basically any cast and wind technique. It’s super sensitive and powerful. Half oz jig is ideal and balances really nice on a bantam A. 894 Will never balance on a metanium. The Daemos is not very sensitive. I’ve fished the USA destroyer, not the P5. So you may have to look to see if P5 became more sensitive. It’s great for single hook moving bait like swim jig and spinner bait. The rod feels very light and great bend for cast and keeping fish pin. It’s not great for chatter bait, it’s not as sensitive as my glass rod. If it’s your first high dollar, I don’t know if Megabass is the way to go unless you buy new to get that warranty. If sensitive rod is what you need, go NRX. You can get one for 400 on the forums or used with great warranty. a good second is maybe the xtasy. It’s always well balanced and Dobyns always has great tip for moving bait and you can get one for a good deal on used market. You can slap the metanium on it and the balance will be awesome. The replacement/warranty will also be pretty good even after the gsm situation.

I own the USA destroyer Daemos and the drx 724c I throw the 3/8 oz Megabass Uoze underspin exclusively on the Daemos and it’s perfect. Daemos is pretty parabolic and requires heavier lures. I cannot throw 1/4 oz lures well if that gives you a sense of the rod low range. It needs heavier lures but is pretty parabolic which is great for a long cast and keep the fish pinned once you set the hook. It’s 7’2 but feel much smaller and nimble. It’s one of my favorite rods but isn’t very sensitive in my hands. It’s just easy to fish all day. It’s pretty versatile for moving baits. I usually fish off a kayak with 12# flouro. The drx724c is way less parabolic so it’s good for bottom contact but has a good tip and does great with 1/4 oz lures. Both for bottom contact and a small paddle tail. I would not recommend for 3/8 swim jig. It’s also way more sensitive. It has a longer full cork handle so actually feels like a bit more rod if that makes sense.

This is my view as well and I’ll add a few points. I own both reels Met DC XG Steez A 6 speed. Met DC will cast longer especially with braid or light line. I use it for jerk baits. Palms great and I would use for bottom contact as well but nothing too heavy. The Steez is more solid of a reel. The mag breaks are very user friendly with fewer backlash issues. Also Palms low which is comfortable. Great for heavier moving baits. 1/2 and up would be great on this. Even some heavy-ish swim baits would work well, maybe below 2 oz soft baits. Both are smooth on retrieve so hard to choose there. Zillion is great and a bit cheaper. But also has material and paint that wears faster. Antares 70 fishes great and is smoother and cast further, I have used it don’t own it. I can’t justify the added price as I don’t think the different is adding anything in my hands. Feels super solid though closer to steez than the MET. @Magic_Man94 how heavy is your usual trap? Half oz might get you pretty low on the spool depending on how thick your line is? If you’re lighter side like 1/4 or you’re fishing wind a lot. Or throwing that light crank more often Go met. If you’re throwing heavier or those easy to cast traps. Go steez. I also kinda like the T wing for those easy to cast lures like a trap. I just like how the line flows out more. Can’t say the performance is very different.

Could Your research on the 23 met is showing 100 size is 12/120 meters. Not yards? It’s actually closer to 130 yards if try, which leds us to be believe the pages are just wrong. 100 size is 20 yrds or 60 feet more than 150 size? I don’t think that can be true. More likely shimano just take all their 150 size reel in USDM and say it’s same capacity. Then international market they say 100 size is 12/100 and for some reason the met 100 is 12/120? The most likely thing is that the 100 and 150 USDM size is exactly the same. internationally shimano just fudge the numbers so the 100 size and JDM smaller size met show a line difference of 20m for marketing purposes. All other 100 size like the Calcutta 100 is 12/100. Either way the size diff is likely not going to make a noticeable difference. Get the international 100 size. The price on those Met have come way down on secondary market. Whether it’s 150 or 100 size. So either way used is going to be cheaper than JDm or USDM. If you hit fish hard and are fishing a lot I’d find something brass gear. Knobs and handles are cheap if you have a pref of bigger handles. Gomexus has good alternatives if you’re into those.

Only thought that isn’t heavily mentioned is the frog set up I find I have a hard time with top water hollow frogs without 8:1 speed reel with 50# braid. It’s just not a good time missing bites. If that’s good for your single hook and t-rig set ups then you’re good to go. Also my favorite versatile set up is a p5 tequila Baccarac. 7’ it’s super light weight for the power It will throw anything 3/4 oz up to 4 oz so will cover anything your levante cannot. You might even be able to eliminate two rods with that one set up. Including a rig or Carolina rig. Versatile, does good a lot but not the best at any technique.

The OG zillion is honestly one of the best built around. That drive gear is giant and bullet proof. yeah those T3 were on the chopping block for sure. the Chronarch these days fetch such low prices. Market is between 50 and 100 bucks. It’s. A solid caster still. I have a few of Calcutta I’ve been using more. Most of my techniques are basically covered with all these reels gone. im surprised no one mentioned stradic or the Met since I figure those would get picked up fast for a good price. Sorry sir. All right handed

Hey all, I have the following reels and I need to let go of some l but can’t decide which. I just have more than I would use. Seems like it would be better to put the money towards maybe an upgrade of some sort. I appreciate the help. Feel free to choose 5 or more you’d post for sale. If so inclined, share your reasoning. Metanium B DC 8:1 Daiwa T3 1016 7:1 Chronarch MGL 7:1 Team Daiwa Zillion 7:1 Zillion SV 7:1 Metanium B 6:1 Daiwa Lexa 5:1 First gen Tatula 6:1 Daiwa T3 1016 6:1 Steez a 6:1 26 IPT Ultegra Stradic FL 4000