SFL BassHunter

My fat head seems to like the Strike King S11 Okeechobee sunglasses. I also find them to be just as good as my Wiley X's for visibility. The Wiley's just don't fit right, and after a few hour of fishing the top of my ears start to hurt

You might be right. I know Daiwa makes their Arachnid reel, its basically a Tatula with different colors. I am pretty sure Okuma doesn't advertise Toray blanks either. *** does indeed use Toray blanks, and they also do a combo of EVA Foam, and Cork on their handles much like the arachnid has. I've never used their rods before, so if they made this one, I am very impressed with it and wouldn't have an issue getting their rods in the future.

I got one on sale and have been using it paired with my Tatula SV. I LOVE the rod. It is made by Daiwa. The blank is very sensitive, the rod is very light. I really like the components on it as well. I think it is a great purchase when on sale.

The Daiwa Tatula 7'4" Frog Rod is fantastic. I really enjoy using it. 4.0oz, so it is light! Though its a little tip heavy with my 5.6oz Lews team lite on it.

It's good stuff in my opinion.

I understand. Just wanted to make sure no one got the impression that the DIY spool is comparable to the SV.

I don' think it is going to happen since they came out with the Tatula SV. Which is an amazing reel by the way. I wouldn't put the Ray's DIY anywhere near the same category as the SV spool. I have the DIY and its a good spool. The problem is the brake system. The brakes are nowhere near as good as the brakes on the CT spool, and don't hold a candle to the brakes on the Tatula SV. It holds less line than the SV as well. Don't get me wrong it is a decent alternative if you are planning on throwing some lighter lures on it. But I wouldn't put it in the same ball park as the SV.

Thanks for the report Geo G!

I've been using the SV Tat for quite a bit now, and I absolutely love it. Casts better, more accurate and farther than the Tatula CT and that is hard to believe. It's hard to backlash the reel and it really is great for skipping baits. I was casting into 20mph winds the other day with a 1/8oz T-Rig and had no issues. Excellent reel and very comfortable to use.

I've got the Helios spinning reel and it's phenomenal! Of course there is a HUGE group of fishermen that would try to steer you away from Okuma products. But hell if the baitcasters are as good as the spinning reel, they are worth the money.

One of my favorite baits is the Menace. I have not only been catching good numbers of fish, but I've caught some better quality fish with them as well. It's already small enough that a 3/0 hook almost takes up the entire bait. I'm guessing the smaller one will require a 1/0 or 2/0 hook. The smaller one would be perfect as a trailer on my bitsy bugs probably.

To piggy back of TH-Outdoors, I would recommend the 704 or 734 as well. Reason why is their rods fish 1 power lighter than advertised. Meaning the 703 or 733 is more like a Medium. The 704 or 734 is more like a MH even though it says Heavy. I have a Savvy 734 and it is an amazing all round rod.

Sportsmans outfitters is a reputable online store. I have purchased several items from them. 2 rods and a reel. The reel I got was the Lews Team Lite last year. Everyone was selling for over 200. They had it for 179. The reel hasn't had any issues, the packaging was perfect. I got 2 tatula rods recently, for 109 each. They came brand new, and in perfect condition. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from them. Also they ship fast.

Good to know. Time for me to do the same lol. Thanks

I use them, they are cheap, they hold up well to fish catches, and they perform well. Only Havoc product I haven't been a fan of is the swimbait. I don't think it has the best action. It is serviceable and I like that they have clear swimbaits with glitter. That is what caught my attention. The pit boss and different size variants are my favorite of their products though. Ugh, are they going to put that stink on the pit boss? Only reason I don't buy powerbaits is because of the smell.

No idea what the benefit of putting on a lure is. The only thing I can think of is to protect the paint? No clue. Never even thought of putting on a lure.

I use KVD Line Conditioner. It doesn't smell, it doesn't gunk up, its kind of like water, it leaves behind no residue. The conditioner goes just on the line. Some people take a towel and spray the towel down then spool their line making sure the entire spool has got some conditioner. I personally just spray it onto my spool the night before fishing, or at least 30 min before going fishing. It makes the line more manageable and helps coils, and backlashes. I spray it every trip. For me it is well worth the money. It saves me from headaches while fishing. The spray doesn't hurt the reel or spool. It is not necessary. But it is VERY helpful. Here is what I recommend, buy the line, and spool it up. Fish with it and determine if it is necessary to you. I use it on all lines except braid.

I think a stiffer tip could help you out. When I first started using swimbaits my hookup ratio stunk. But I was "setting" too soon. I noticed my best hookup ratio came when I started doing a hard sweeping hookset. Not the kind you would do with a spinnerbait. I also fish them weedless so my hook is not exposed. 1- Wait a two or three count before hookset 2- Try a HARD sweeping hookset. 3- MH Fast rod works for me. 4- Make sure you've got a good hook that is big enough. On an EZ swimmer a 4/0 or 5/0 will work. On a big ez a 5/0 or 6/0 5- Braid will help especially if you are going to continue using a ModFast tip.

It's great line. Has rarely failed me, and the times it has usually it's been my fault. I get it at Walmart where I've found it to be the cheapest.

Nice fish Wurming! Wind was terrible this weekend, it's good to see Lox is producing some good sized fish! Also that was real nice of you helping that guy out with his boat. Too bad it sounds like he hasn't learned his lesson since Boca helped him out, and now you had to help him out.

Yeah that was my concern with them types of swimbaits. I use the gambler swimbaits currently. I was thinking bout getting the bigger ones like the 6.5 inch but man they are expensive.

Fantastic with a 1/8 trig. I throw 1/16oz trigs. Weightless senko no problem at all! The reel is phenomenal. Casting on Monday 1/8oz against 20mph gusts and it was a breeze!

Monday and Tuesday I used a 7 usually. No issues. But I throw 1/2oz jigs usually. When I throw smaller jigs, they generally aren't swimjigs.

^^^^ What fishnkamp said.

I love the VMC hooks. BUT I don't use the swimbait hooks. I use the Drop Dead weighted hook. It has a slender weight, and gets through vegetation very well. The swimbait ones with the triangle shaped weight is just annoying. Also the hook is longer than most swimbait hooks. On a 5 inch swimbait I use a 5/0 but a 4/0 works too.