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http://mikeiaconelli.com/ike_live.php?show=16 didn't know about this show, just started watching. A little silly but not in an annoying way. He has Casey Ashley and Bobby Lane on the show to talk about the Classic

I use pretty much the same..

I am definitely not the best person to offer this advice since I am only now buying my first baitcasting combo. However, I have been asking a lot of questions and have been doing some research lately. I would think a top water would be a little different than a rod for jigs and soft plastics unless you are maybe thinking frogs. For jigs and soft plastics in heavy cover, I'd recommend a reel with a faster gear ratio (7.1:1, 7.3:1, 8.1:1), although something in the 6.4:1 would be more all around though. For a rod I would imagine medium heavy or heavy depending on how heavy that cover is and how heavy the lures you want to throw are. An XFast tip is nice imo for jigs and plastics but a Fast would be a little more forgiving for other applications. I would get something between 6'9" and 7'6" depending on what you are comfortable with, but 7'-7'2" is a pretty good range imo. For specific recommendations, rod-wise: - *** *** Black is a rod that has a lot of good feedback, however you should get your hand on one first because the handle and trigger are uncomfortable for many. - Abu Garcia Veritas also gets a lot of love and the 2.0 seems to have overcome most of the quality issues of its predecessor. - Tatula can be found around $100 if you look online and for what it's worth, it's the one I've personally settled on. For reels: - Lews Tournament LFS seems like a sweet reel and it was my personal runner-up - I picked up a Tatula which can be found online again around the $100 mark. - A lot of people enjoy their BPS Pro Qualifier reels which can be had under $100 on sale and could free up some of your budget. Note that your all-around combo will definitely be better suited for some applications over others. First of all, rods are built to throw lures in a specific weight range so be sure to find a rod that matches what you will be throwing most of the time. Secondly, a fast/xfast tip is often good for bottom contact baits as (I believe) they are typically a little more sensitive and they transfer into the backbone quickly. Where as you would want something more like a moderate for crankbaits since the softer tip will keep better pressure on the fish when you are fighting it with only a little trebble hook in the corner of its mouth. I think moderate action also allows the lure to work a little better in the water. Moderate-fast seems like a good action for moving single-hooked baits like a spinnerbait or a bladed/swim jig. The line you select for your combo will also be better suited for certain applications. If you get a fast/xfast tip, consider using a copoly or fluoro which has some stretch as opposed to say braid which does not. I'll end this like I started it: take my comments with a grain of salt, I'm not nearly as experienced as most of the anglers on this forum so if someone points out that I've made a mistake in my recommendation, that person is probably right and I am probably wrong Having said that, I only have two rods at the moment, one is fast and the other is xfast, and I have caught fish on a crankbait with that and was able to bring them in.

I don't many jigs yet, that's my goal for 2015, but I've had a lot of success skipping soft plastics with spinning tackle. I think the b/c might allow you to get more casts done in a shorter period of time and might help with heavier baits, but for plastics, skipping with spinning tackle was pretty easy to pick up for me.

flip focus feel fish on! fight

First of all, congratulations OP! I have a 2mo old daughter and a 2 year old boy and all I can say is while it can be tiring, kids are absolutely a blast!!! I just can't wait for my little guy to be old enough to come fishing.... That "I hooked daddy's heart" onesie is awesome! I'm going to have to get my wife to buy one now

jtesch thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with me! would you feel comfortable fishing submerged weeds are fallen timber with that 7'1"? I currently get away with it on a 7' MH spinning bps extreme, I'd be surprised if the tatula didn't have at least as much back bone if not more than that?

I have a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth and I absolutely love it, but I don't think they make these anymore,

I am assuming us Canadians can also work you over at DVT? either for reels or custom rods?

I have 2 Supreme MGX reels and they have served me very well, I'm sure you'll be happy with this combo! And don't worry guys, I have photographic evidence that spring is just around the corner http://i.imgur.com/7IIh5y2.jpg

Would you say the 7'1" MHXF performs well for its entire weight range (1/4oz to 1oz)? Thanks guys for your valuable insight! I have indeed read the review at tackletour and it's the main reason I'm looking at a tatula rod to pair with my tatula reel. However, there are other rods in the same price range that also look fantastic. I figured if I got some first hand accounts of happy owners it would help a lot in sealing the deal on this decision. If a lot of people would have come here and said they would have bought something different if they had to do it over again I would have certainly been open to their feedback. So far your responses have been honest and mostly positive and I am feeling more and more comfortable with this choice. I was considering the 7'1" MHXF or the 7'2" HF. I mostly throw under 3/4oz and don't flip any heavy mats so I was already leaning towards the 7'1". Not sure how much more distance that 1" would give me on a pitch but I doubt it would be much.

Thanks for the honest opinion! Any others?

Wondering if anyone has used a Tatula for bottom contact baits, and if so: - Which model? - How is it? (just your opinion, if you have other rods to compare to that may help) - How much did you pay for it? - If you could do it again, would you buy the same rod or something else? If something else, what would have in mind? Thanks!

Hey! I bought a "new (open box)" tatula on ebay. Cosmetically the reel looks 100% brand new, I can't find any blemishes at all. It feels very smooth, the tws is work perfectly, everything seems to be in order. The only "imperfection" I can find is if the reel is tilted towards the handle side, there is a very faint grinding sound. If it's tilted in the other direction, there's no noise whatsoever. Is this normal or should I look into getting it replaced? I can't feel the grinding at all in the handle, it's just a very quiet grinding sound and having never handled one in store, I'm not certain if it's normal. If someone with a tatula could let me know I'd really appreciate it! Cheers

d**n now that you mention it you're right, I do know that murky water fish will be tighter to cover. I was trying to quote from the Bob Izumi's Fishing Seminar that was recently posted to the forums. But I misquoted it... he was basically saying bright sunny blue bird day, bass will be tight to cover, but if it's windy and blowing, the fish are not tight to cover and it's a good time to use a moving bait. I guess I erroneously extrapolated that "high visibility = tight to cover and lower visibility = roaming". I'll go ahead and edit my original message. Thanks for pointing it out!

great tips! Some good fishing tips and some good tips to make sure it's a good day of fishing. Here's my fishing tip (you've all probably heard this before though seeing as I learned from you guys to begin with): (edit: this is all wrong!!) High visibility (clear water, sunny days), bass will be tight to cover. Consider pitching. Low visibility (murky water, overcast), bass will be looser to cover and could be roaming, moving baits like spinnerbaits, crankbaits, buzzbaits, swimbaits (edit: it should be if fish are tight to cover, consider pitching, if they are out roaming, moving baits. Here's my good day of fishing tip: Know how to get a hook out of your skin in case something happens. Here's my "have another good day of fishing" tip: Always pitch in for the gas when a buddy brings you on his boat

Nice review thanks! You said it was the best rod in the $150-200 range that you had fished. What others have you used?

Curious what people will be recommending. I am personally thinking of getting a tatula rod, I can get one for CAD$124. Good review on tackle tour.

Another vote for fenwick or ***

Thanks a lot for sharing your first hand experience and helping me decide. I am assuming you are happy with your Tatula?

This community is awesome. I noticed a few people were offering to send that beginner bass fisherman some tackle in another post I read earlier today. Very touching.

I was told the Daiwa Tatula 7'2"MHR would make a good spinnerbait rod and that's in your price point. I also heard iRod Gen II have a decent rod for that application but I can't remember which.

Hmmm I do enjoy my braid quite a bit, that might work. I also love my Fenwick elite tech smallmouth spinning rod, maybe I should check out their casting offerings.

Not sure I understand this statement, I'm sorry for my ignorance. In my mind something that flexes closer to the tip like an xfast or a fast would transition into the backbone faster than something that flexes further down the rod like a mod-fast. I am looking for a rod that I would use mainly to pitch t-rigs, jigs, jika rigs and the like. It would be nice if I could also use it occasionally for c-rigs as well but if not, I can live with that. I was thinking something around the 7'2"-7'4" range so that I can get a bit more distance while remaining fairly accurate with my pitches since up here the water is usually really clear. I want something with enough power to fish in moderate vegetation since our lakes are also fairly weedy, however I'm not planning on punching matted vegetation very often (if at all). I was hoping the 7'2" MHR would fit the bill, especially if I could also use it for moving baits like spinnerbaits and bladed jigs, but the most important thing for this rog would be sensitivity. I could go with the 7'2" HF but I'm worried it would be a little stiff and kind of a broom stick. Maybe tatulas aren't the rod for me... maybe I should look at the *** Blacks, the iRod GenII, a Fenwick, Okuma TCS or something like that. I really like everything I've read about the Tatulas though, although I've also read great things about all these others (except the Okuma which I haven't found much info on). Well, I guess there's no rush. There's still a couple feet of snow out there. I'll just keep reading for now. Thanks to everyone for your insight. edit: or maybe I should just go with the Tatula 7'1"MHXF

In the video's description it says it's a 7'2" Medium-Heavy.