woolleyfooley

Wanted to ask a question. Like I said, I love my champion extreme, but there are times when I wonder “did my bait just fall off some grass? Or was that a bite?” Combine that with seeing people on various online platforms claim rods like the NRX+, conquest, steez ags and similar are in a “different galaxy” compared to the champion extreme, I’d like to hear from people who have used the champion extreme and rods like the NRX, conquest, steez ags etc. How much more sensitivity can be had going from a champion extreme to one of the “super rods” listed above? Would it really make a big difference in feeling bites for someone like me who keeps the line on my finger?

I was holding a zillion 10.0 the other day and couldn’t fathom what it would feel like having a 10:1 gear ratio. I’ve never used anything over mid 7s.

I could see the caffeine shad working well as a chatter bait trailer. It would probably look similar to a spunk shad. I’m planning on comparing the caffeine shad to the Yamamoto D shad. I guess I’ll also be comparing the caffeine shad and the spunk shad as chatterbait trailers. Thank you for the idea!

What?? 😮

Not trying to derail the thread, so apologies in advance, but you seem like the Daiwa guru on here. What’s the difference as far as brakes between the zillion and the steez a2?

Wow. Got a lot more replies than I expected! Thank you all. As far as braid vs Fluoro, I use Fluoro as I find the semi slack line sensitivity much better which makes it much easier to detect strikes. I love my champion extreme, and I do feel like I can feel everything going on down there. However, there are certain times when I feel my bait do something and I wonder “was that a bite, or was it my bait just falling off some grass?” That combined with comments I’ve seen from some people saying rods like the NRX+, the conquest, the steez ags and other $500+ rods “are in a different galaxy” to rods like my champion extreme does leave me wondering if upgrading would allow me to better interpret what I’m feeling, equaling more hook sets with a fish on the other end. I also believe the fact that I use my finger to feel the line makes a big difference. This is one of the reasons I have some doubts as to how much of a difference the rod actually makes for me. How much of what I’m feeling is from the line on my finger, and how much is from the rod? I think the only way to find out for sure would be to try one of the expensive rods and see for myself. I’m sure it’s different for everyone. Thanks again for all the replies. I’m really enjoying reading all of the feedback you’ve all given me!

I’ve seen this topic come up in certain threads and wanted to explore it further. For a while I’ve thought that I needed the most sensitive rod for jigs, Texas rigs, senkos and the like. I keep the line over my index finger, so I get feedback on bottom composition and strikes that way, but I also combine that information with what I feel in my hand through the rod. I use a dobyns champion extreme 745 and it’s very sensitive in my opinion, but I can’t help but wonder how much more sensitive other rods like the NRX, the conquest, the Daiwa steez ags etc are. I also can’t help but wonder if “upgrading” to a more sensitive rod would help me detect more bites. All that said, how much do you think sensitivity matters? Would it be foolish of me to chase sensitivity and buy a more sensitive rod than what I have?

Will do!

I really want to try that megalo dooon spinnerbait by Jackall. It comes in 1 and a half ounces and 2 ounces iirc.

How do you like that megabass sv3 spinnerbait?

Didn’t we just do this? But yes I do, if you consider the zoom ol monster a ribbon tail. I’m in Florida as well, so that changes things depending on where you are.

I would think having a non biologist removing the tags would be a bad idea. I’m surprised to hear they do that.

Agreed. Absolutely love that feeling!

Definitely agree with this. The D shad is an amazing bait. Basically a fluke that falls like a senko. Only downside is the durability, but it’s a worthwhile trade off for the action you get. Also very curious how the caffeine shad compares to the D shad. I’ve never tried the caffeine shad, but maybe I’ll pick a few packs up.

Anyone try the 6th sense version of the fluke? The “flush 5.2”?

I wouldn’t expect to have any issues either. Japantackle also has a contracted repair shop in the US so you can have repairs done stateside if you need it. I was mainly just pointing out the fact that Japantackle can handle sending a reel to the manufacturer for warranty work if you so wish. P.S. those are some beautiful reels!

Thank you! That is helpful! What power rod are you using?

@George Welcome I live in southwest Florida. I’m curious of what type of bass live here? I assume strictly Florida strain given this is south Florida?

I guess Jun at Japantackle must use his account for shipping reels back to him. He told me it would cost $20. Like you said, honesty and integrity is a big part of their culture. If he says it’s 20 bucks, I believe him. Edit: just checked my correspondence and he actually said $40 to ship the reel to him. Still much cheaper than the 143 quoted by ups.

Maybe the standard champion xp in a 3 power would be a good choice? The dobyns medium heavy is more like a medium but still has a bit more power than a traditional medium.

Eh, I’m not a big fan of that guy. 😉 Kidding of course! On a serious note, you basically said to use exactly what I would have thought to use. Mono for most treble hooked top water baits. It’s surprising to me how many people use straight braid for poppers, spooks etc. I would expect braid to rip the hooks out of the fishes mouth. Anyone care to delve into more detail on using braid for those setups?

With braid?

@bulldog1935 Interesting. When I spoke to Jun about the potential for warranty work, he said it would run about 20 bucks to ship it from me to him in Japan and that he’d pay the return shipping. Not calling you a liar, just relaying what I was recently told. Maybe it’s different if you’re sending a reel in for warranty?

Interesting. Never knew Yamamoto made jigs.

I like japantackle.com. The guy who runs it, Jun speaks very good English and is great to communicate with. He’s always responded to my emails in less than 24 hours and has been very helpful. One other big thing is you get a warranty from Japantackle. They also facilitate if you need to use the factory warranty. Say you buy a JDM Daiwa. You need warranty work done. What you would do is send the reel to Jun at Japantackle. He then sends it to Daiwa Japan so they can make repairs. Daiwa sends it back to Jun. Jun ships it back to you. To me, that’s a big deal.