SNK

What are you looking to spend?

I want to get into fishing lipped crankbaits, but without having to buy and try out every crankbait, how do you classify the make and models of crankbaits you use in regards to having a wide or tight wobble? I have read that the "rule of thumb" is tight wobble for cold water, wide wobble for warmer water. (I understand that it is not a hard and fast rule, but it is a place to start.). So if you could list some of your favorite makes and models, and if you consider them as having a tight or wide wobble, that would be great.

7'3" mhxf casting - jigs 7'1" mhxf casting - t-rigs 7'3" mhf casting - weightless t-rigs 7'3" mf spinning - wacky, shakey-head 7'0" mhmf casting - crankbaits 7'3" hf - spinnerbaits

X2 on the 705CB. If Dobyns is not your cup of tea, then any MH Mod Fast would be a good choice, sort of the best of both worlds. Otherwise, as others have stated, go with a MH Fast and loosen the drag some when throwing crankbaits.

Flipside gave you good suggestions, if you can buy 2 rods on a 120.00 budget. Otherwise, if you wish to go with one rod, then perhaps a medium fast action would be a good compromise for the 2 techniques you mention.

x2 on this. Hate to be the one to recommend a 200.00 rod and it snaps again. Next thing you know, you will be thinking a 200.00 rod is a cheap rod. So what was the scenario when you snapped your current rod? Do you think it may have been a mfg defect? If your dead set on getting a new rod, then I would suggest St. Croix Avid, Kistler KLX, maybe take a look at ALX rods also.

Thanks for the responses!

I am looking for a rod whose primary purpose is to fish 3/8 oz - 1/2 oz spinnerbaits (mostly 3/8), but can also in a pinch be sensitive enough to fish T-rigs up to 3/8 oz and maybe a light 1/4oz jig & trailer. I know, that is quite the range of lures. I think I have narrowed it down to 3 rods that may be versatile enough to do this, so in no particular order. 1. *** Black MF - 1/4 to 3/4oz - (some claim it fishes closer to a MHF than a typical MF.) 2. Kistler Helium 3 MHF - 3/16 to 7/8oz 3. ALX - "Deputy" MHF - 1/4 to 1oz looking for any opinions or considerations from those of you who have fished one or more of these rods for the applications I listed above, it will be much appreciated. They all run around 250.00 (which includes shipping on the ALX rod if ordered thru their website) and is in the range I am looking spend. I am not overly concerned about warranty because if it is a mfg defect, I typically discover that sooner than later. Thanks everyone.

Bomber, Bandit, Rapala - billed crankbaits Strike King, Bill Lewis - lipless crankbaits Lucky Craft - jerkbait

I care to a certain degree. I usually research and shop for Performance and Appearance first, if I cannot find that then it is Performance over Appearance, but never, ever, Appearance over Performance.

Jmac lures carries one that is Black with gold fleck but with Silver willow leaf or colorado blade. You would have to change out the blades.

Have a Chronarch 50e on the way.

I'm not a big believer that bass are line shy. I catch just as many fish using white as I do red.

I agree with fishballer06, spend an extra 10.00 and get the HMG.

I've learned that the rod is most of the equation, but line and the type of reel can help. I have been in a similar situation, so I went to a 10lb mono and picked up a Curado 50e. Now I can sling lighter baits much, much better than before.

I prefer cork overall, but at times a little EVA/Cork combination has a nice look to it.

x2 on the Berkley Spooling station.

That is all I have seen too. Read a couple of posts by guys who got to hold them (@ the classic I think). One liked them, the other did not. Not enough to go on up to this point. Need to wait and see when a lot more people get their hands on them and time on the water to get their opinions. Unfortunately, no one carries Dobyns in my area, so reviews are my only go to, to help me determine if I should buy or not.

Going to try to get into jig fishing. Decided to go with Sieberts jigs in the Dredge series. But, being new to Jigs, not sure where each, the arky and brush jig, excel. I fish clear water, no "brush" per se, or a lot of rock. Mainly weeds, from moderate to thick, but not so thick that you would have to punch. Did drop a line to Sieberts on their site for their input, but always like to hear from the guys on this forum to. So if you have used both or either one, let me know how you you decide when to use one over the other, or if just one of them would meet my needs and not the other. Thanks!

Me, personally, feel the champion seres is a great rod for moving baits, but feel there are better choices in and around the same price range for bottom contact baits (13 *** black, kistler helium 3.) Never fished the DX line so cannot comment on those. However, from what experience I do have and from my research, any of the Dobyns lineup can arguably be said, are some of the most balanced rods out there.

Dobyns Champion 734 with a lower gear ratio reel (23 ipt).

X2

Another good app (IMO) that I found is My Fishing Companion. Just downloaded it this winter on my tablet, so I have not used it other than for it's Gear section where I keep track of all my stuff and my setups. But it appears to allow you to enter information about the fish and technique, auto populates the weather based on your location, can enter water depth and clarity, and has GPS which shows your location on google maps (can switch between map and satellite), and you can mark the location of where a fish was caught. You can also create a "Fishing trip" which you can rate and keep notes about the trip. Also links to your media, camera, video and audio. Does a lot of stuff, might be a bit much, so we will see how it works once winter is over.

Heard back fro Gary.... I've been fishing the rod quite a bit since introduction and it's a really fine stick. Extremely versatile, has good backbone, good sensitivity, and will have no issue at all with the jigs you've described. The tip is somewhere between fast and moderate fast. It's no impediment when fishing a jig for me, but the added versatility is great. I've fished down to a 1/4 oz jig/trailer with it, no problems at all. It's also a great spinner bait and chatter bait type rod, among many other uses.