Poolshark

I personally wouldn't. And that's coming from one of the few that seems to like this reel. I nailed two for half price a couple of years ago. I think they are good reels, they cast well and will probably last. but I'd buy a citica I before I went backwards to a Curado g. I like the I series much better....just an opinion. But it I really depends on you and what you like.

I have luckily never broken a rod. I have purchased rods though and not been satisfied with their tapers or weight for certain apps. If you have a specific rod that you are considering, in a certain price range, it is always a good idea to ask for feedback. That way you can learn from others experiences and hopefully make a sound purchase. There is wealth of knowledge here. As far as brands or rod lines go....we all have preferences. And I'm sure some have had more problems than others. Older st Croix mojos were heavy, older veritas and carrot sticks were prone to breaking, older carbonlites had problematic micro guides, etc. etc. i had a Berkeley amp which handle came loose every other cast. When you have an idea of what you'd like to buy, ask about that model and I'm sure you'll get pros and cons to them.

not trying to sell you against the avid line. But for cheaper rods that I feel perform as well are the Veritas, Ike series and veracity by Abu Garcia, the carbonlite and Johnny Morris signature by bass pro. The falcon Bucoo series. Etc. etc. There are a slew of 100 to 150 dollar rods that perform as well. But wirh that said, the avid ( to me anyways) has the nicest quality of build+ cork is a bonus.

I'm using two rods for pitching pads and flipping grass mats currently. A 76 heavy carbonlite and a similarly powered 711 Veritas. Am I the only one out there who prefers shorter rods? These rods work fine but I'm thinking of upgrading them but choosing a shorter model. I ask because I would like to replace these with a saint Croix legend tournament bass In the 74 heavy fast model. Will this rod be enough rod to pitch 1/2 to 1 ounce weighted plastics into pads with 50 to 65 lb braid? will a shorter rod be a bad move or should I stick to a longer model? This rod will likely get used for frogs and small swimbaits in heavy cover as well. Thanks for any input.

I'm using two rods for pitching pads and flipping grass mats currently. A 76 heavy carbonlite and a similarly powered 711 Veritas. Am I the only one out there who prefers shorter rods? These rods work fine but I'm thinking of upgrading them but choosing a shorter model. I ask because I would like to replace these with a saint Croix legend tournament bass In the 74 heavy fast model. Will this rod be enough rod to pitch 1/2 to 1 ounce weighted plastics into pads with 50 to 65 lb braid? will a shorter rod be a bad move or should I stick to a longer model? This rod will likely get used for frogs and small swimbaits in heavy cover as well. Thanks for any input.

I feel that the avids and e6x I own are in similar ball parks in terms of build quality and overall feel. There are some others rods even cheaper that I feel perform as well or better.

What changes were made to decrease weight? Are the new gear materials the same?

i like the 845 for an all around shallow to medium crankbaits rod. But as I have aged I can't bring myself to spend more than what is absolutely necessary on a rod for that purpose. If these are the only rods you are considering, I'd go with the e6x. It will be sensitive enough and won't break the bank. If you are open to other rods, there are a good many of them cheaper that will will serve you just as well.

I like the smaller profile of the 50 and 70 sized reels for most every bass fishing application aside from bombing heavy crankbaits or swimbaits, in which a larger diameter spool would be an advantage.

Not to sway your decision on a rod...They updated the new mojo series with sc111 blanks. They are lighter, more balanced and fish as nicely as my ltbs and avids. Not that there aren't other fantastic rods for that price, but I think the new generation of these rods are a solid choice.

I have an fh and I love it. Good drag and durable. I've gotten my money's worth for sure. parts are hard to come by though.

I throw weightless flukes and 4 inch senkos easily.

I could care less where a reel was built so long I will be able to find parts later down the road. The design tolerances are so tight in modern reels that the performance should be good with anything at a certain price. case in point, I needed a pinion gear in a Calcutta 200 a. Tackleshop had it. Fixed. wether that Calcutta was built in Malaysia or Japan didn't matter. I try and stick with familiar models and models that have sister models like Curado/citica so that if I need a part it will be attainable somehow when needed

I own both and they are both great casters. they both have a free feeling. the bb1 is smoother to me. The mb is slightly lighter. They both cast light lures with ease

For me 3/8 ounce and up is a sweet spot, though it will cast 1/4 ounce baits if you want it to. Mine are all 6:1 gear ratios. So I used them for anything in that weight range

I have had mine for 14 years and mine are still flawless. I retired them because of their weight recently and thought about selling them. I decided not to part with them. I am going to keep one in service and use the others for spare parts if I ever need to. These reels were once the reel to buy for the serious bass fisherman on a budget. No frills, just keep working. There are lighter reels on the market now, but mine continue onward usefully. As said above, get it cleaned and serviced. It should last a casual fisherman a lifetime.

It shouldn't matter with 50+ lb braid and a 2x4. You can use a lower speed reel for all of your bass fishing if you'd like. I can. Id just have to reel faster. A good Frog setup is fairly stout with line that allows you to pressure the fish to get them out of heavy cover. I like a faster reel to keep up with slack line

I am traveling to east Texas for the holidays. I will have access to two private lakes about 5 to 7 acres in size about two hours from Dallas. I fished these lakes last April and landed two double digit bass on a 1/4 ounce charteuse blue spinnerbait and caught about a dozen smaller ones. The water has poor visibility and is fairly deep in some areas. The water is stained light brown and is fairly murky. I'd like to bring a travel rod and some lures to fish these lakes in late December. What lures are popular in this area and what colors seem to work best? The lakes go anywhere from 4 to 20 feet deep. Any ideas?

I personally use a medium moderate for both in open water medium heavy moderate for both around cover medium heavy fast with lipless cranks in heavy grass. Im like you, most water around here is shallow, so I do not do a lot of deep crankbait fishing. A 6:1 to 7:1 is fine, slow down or speed up as needed. I've used slower gear ratios but they wear me out with lipless crankbaits. This may be my inability to play the fish, but If I fish square bills with a fast action rod, I tend to loose them fairly often. (Even if I back off the drag) Unacceptable for me. Rattle traps not so much the case for some reason.

Thank you all for the info. I'm going to be ordering this online as I have no retailers who sell them near me. Is the Sierra series any good? Or should I consider a different series?

I've never owned a dobyns rod before and wanted some advice before making a purchase. The techniques I use most are t rigged 7-10 inch worms, 5" senkos, fat Ikas, spinnerbaits, 3/8 to 1/2 Carolina rigs and horny toads in and around grass and Lilly pads. I'll probably throw an occasional 1/2 ounce rattle trap as well. The specific rod I am looking at is the Sierra series 734 7'3 Mhf. To you dobyns users out there, is the 734 the right choice? Or should I go for the 733. How is the Sierra line vs the others?

I own two avids that are now 14 years old that look over glued at the guides. Never really cared. Still great rods

Im a fan of aluminum framed reels. I'll bet you can find a citica at a discounted price online somewhere. If I could do that, than that's the route I would go. That doesn't mean I'm saying that the casitas is a bad reel. An aluminum frame for me is a must. I'd rather pick up two pro qualifiers for the price of one casitas. If you wait until they are 59 dollars it's a no brainer. Just my opinion.

I own the 71 mf. It is a good all purpose spinning rig. I use it for plastics of all types and lures under 1/8 ounce. BONUS- if you ever snap the tip off, you'll be left with a 6 8 mxf. kidding aside I love the 71mf for just about any fines application.

Any one of those rods will perform well for you. But for me st croix is where it's at. A few years from now if you'd like to upgrade to a nicer rod, st croix has a program to do so at a discount. I used it to purchase my legend tournament. But in all honestly, the sc111 mojo gets used with all my other st croix stuff indescrimately and doesn't skip a beat. I will end up owning a dozen of them soon enough. With braid they are both similar. I've never used the dobyns or the crucial. But I've heard good things