Chris at Tech

I have a handful of these rods...Champion 683C, 703C, 704C, 705CB, 735C and the Extreme 703S. I throw weightless plastics and T-rigs on the 683 and 703. Lately, the 704 has had a lighter C-rig on it. I find the sensitivity on mine to be very good. I will not say that the sensitivity is that much greater than other rods in the range, but for me, the combination of sensitivity and balance makes them extremely comfortable to fish with for extended periods of time. My only Extreme is the spinning rod, and that's mostly for shaky heads, split shots, slider heads and small scrounger heads. By all accounts, the Extreme line has been VERY well received by many, especially for contact baits like jigs and plastics. I may consider picking up a 3 power or 4 power sometime in the future, but my Champions are getting the job done for me now. As mentioned above, the closest to the DX 744 in the Champion line is the 734. Just one inch difference in length. FYI, I've never held the Savvy in hand, but for that price range I'd find it hard to beat St Croix Avids

As a Georgia Tech alumnus, I'm right there with you.

You're free to feel what you want, but you can't justify your argument by throwing figures out there. In Mass, there's not really any big-time college football so I'm guessing you haven't had the chance to attend many college games. The atmosphere, the passion, the fact that you can be in classes M-F with a guy who is a college All American on Saturdays all lead to a totally different feel than the pro game. The quality of the players is no doubt higher in the NFL, but that doesn't always mean the fan enjoyment must be higher in the NFL. And I'm sure you feel differently, but I'm not a terribly big fan of the prospect of a lockout because the billionaire NFL owners are complaining about the millionaire NFL players, and vice versa. I would love nothing more than seeing fan attendance down significantly if there is a 2011 season so these jokers remember the ridiculously privileged they have to make their income the way they do. In an economy like this one, I think the American public should be insulted by the crap the NFL players and owners are pulling. But the fans will come back regardless, unfortunately, and the owners and players won't make a nickel less than before.

Hey Snook -- UM didn't do to a Bowl in 2008 or 2009 so I think you can consider that bowl streak snapped

At that price, Avid.

You'll need to go as far north as you can. I think Blue Ridge and Hiawassee have some SM.

I'm sure they'd work, but something like a Zoom Ultra vibe worm would be a better choice.

Start with a few basics.... 1) walk the dog style (Zara Spook, etc) 2) popper (Pop-R) 3) white buzzbait The popper and buzzbait are relatively straight-forward to work, but getting the cadence on the walk-the-dog bait takes some practice. But I assure you the practice is WELL worth it

To further RoLo's comments, use your rod tip to control the depth that the bait dives to. To keep it shallower, raise your rod tip and lower it as you want your bait to go deeper. Obviously you need to pick a bait that dives to a depth appropriate to the situation you're fishing, but the rod tip height can help you make some minor adjustments that can help reduce the weed snagging.

I like it. BR Official 2012 roadtrip to El Salto...

A mod action crankbait rod would be preferable fishing in open water situations but I think a MH/F rod is a better choice for ripping out of grass.

Does Suffix make a sinking braid?

I was just watching Shaw Grigsby tear up some redfish on an inline buzzbait and was thinking about this. You may have some luck searching saltwater tackle websites.

Spinnerbait, crankbait, swimbait

The 5.5" inchers in Ayu have done me well. I picked up some of the Owner Beast hooks that I'll try soon but in the past the 6/0 Bass Magic weighted hooks BPS sells have worked just fine. I'd slit the belly open along the seam, and this made rigging and hooking easier for me.

Hey all, After resisting for whatever reason for many year, I'm forcing myself to throw jigs this year and I'm actually having good success. Next step is finesse jigs. What trailers do you guys use on those? Somehow I get the idea that a Rage chunk may overpower a 1/8 or 3/16 oz finesse jig Anyone use small shaky head worms for this? Seems like a way to combine a jig with a worm for the best of both worlds.

I'm getting in the car now. Be there in about 15 hrs

Pondboss -- what are you fishing with? Bottom contact baits like jigs and worms, or moving baits? For moving baits you're likely to not notice the difference as much. But the different should REALLY become apparent for bottom contact baits.

Is missing fish on a jig a pattern you've noticed in your fishing, or was it just a one-time thing that you feel about because it was a big fish? If it was just a one time thing -- sometimes, crap just happens regardless of how well you prepare. The fish bites, you swing and in an instant it's over.

Just so you're clear, the TFO rods are NOT under the "G Loomis" brand. Yes, Gary Loomis is supposedly involved with TFO. I haven't fished them myself, but I haven't seen terribly glowing reviews either.

A St Croix Avid 68MXF would be a great choice. I have a 3-power Dobyns spinning rod and it just feels a bit underpowered to fish 5" senkos to me.

You say that you "just don't see the difference". Does that mean you've fished more expensive rods, but you don't feel any difference over your $25 rod? If so, then good for you. If not, you should try to get your hands on a higher-end rod to fish with to see how it feels to you. I think you'll be amazed.

In that price range, St Croix gets my $$$

Freakin' squirrels...

X2 on Roostertail