willt

Have you found Shimanos in general, or the Exprides at least, to be true to their power rating? From what you've seen would you go with the 6'8"MH (3/8-1oz) or the 6'10"M (1/4-3/4oz) for what I'm looking for? Considering a M action rod for a jig rod seems crazy lol, but that's a strong rated medium

I wondered if that's what was going on in the review section for the Stunner HD on TW. Has basically perfect reviews, half of which say it's a perfect jig skipping rod, but when I looked closer about 80% of those reviews were in 2015-2017. I know Fitzgerald isn't the most popular, but if the rod is as good as they say why'd it fall off for reviews

That's pretty much the exact review I hear on Dobyn's if it's not the A+ review everyone else is giving. There's not much middle ground it seems

The Poison Adrenas are beautiful. That's more than I can justify spending though. One day maybe

Do Shimano rods run a bit lighter than they're rated then? I noticed that 6'8MH is rated 3/8-1oz which made me a little nervous about stiffness. That's a lot of power for a short rod

Hi Everyone, I'm looking to get a nice jig rod for this season, pretty much exclusively for 3/8-1/2oz jigs around docks, shallow brush, etc. Obviously sensitivity and backbone are huge. I'm also looking for it to make a good skipping setup. (Fast Tip? Extra fast?) In the past I've only skipped with spinning rods, so I'm open to any feedback on that part itself, too. I've read a lot about the Expride A's sensitivity and rod weight, but that's about all people have to say about it continuously. In anyone's experience, is this a good option for what I'm looking for? I've been looking at the Zodias, Champion XP, Sierra, and Fitzgerald Stunner HD as options as well. I've never fished Shimano, Dobyns or Fitzgerald rods, and with this stay at home order in Michigan for COVID, I can't get my hands on any to test their feel in person. I'm obviously far from brand exclusive so let me know what you've found to be successful setups for this scenario!

Lew's Speed Spool LFS is a perfect reel. I'd mess around with a left handed reel in a store before buying one, for most people it just doesn't feel natural - especially once they feel it on a rod. The learning curve you're worried about won't take more than a day or two to overcome.

Shall do. I'll try and say something other than every rod review ever made in the history of rod reviews - "sensitive tip with plenty of backdbone!"

I think I'm sold. Thanks guys I appreciate the feedback

Thank you sir. Also they're down to $90 on TW, which is what held my attention on them

Make it 6 penguino

I'm looking to replace one of my Daiwa rods in the near future, I'm pretty happy with my Abu's, and even more so my MH BuCoo, but it feels more like a M in my opinion. I'm not big into fishing anything much over the 6'6" mark. The 6'8" H Okuma sounds pretty appealing, but theres not many reviews on it. I watched a Scott Martin Challenge where he pretty much strictly fished those and they looked solid. Just curious if you guys have had any experience or opinions

Interesting, out of all the reviews I've read no one mentioned this. They all said it's light but I guess I didn't make the connection. Sounds like I'm back on the hunt based on the lure selection you listed it for

Do you know what the taper is on the 6'8" MH? Doesn't say on TW. I throw a lot of stuff in the 3/8oz range, does it have a hard time handling that?

How do you like it? Really contemplating on buying it

They work best on windy days. People say silver blades for sunny days and gold for overcast, never noticed much difference myself. I usually like gold always or one gold one silver, (also seem to have more luck on one willow and one Colorado blade). Skirt color is a huge factor too. Not sure if that helps but those are some basics. Other than that, running it subsurface with some twitching should get the job done. Eventually you'll figure out what brands and color combos work best for you, just like anything else!

Success on color patterns will vary by region. Can't beat the Booyah Golden Shiner in my opinion. Also Revenge look good in and out of the water, they really pay attention to detail. Terminators as well. Always 3/8oz - personal preference. More forgiving when you throw them for hours. Surprised to see so many people loving War Eagles. I've never had a bass interested in them, only pike.

Thanks for the insight guys, helped a lot. Can't imagine it'd bleed any more or worse than regular green but you never know, figured I'd check before I spent 20 bones. Cheers

Thank you sir. I'll give it a shot then! And yeah that'd be v weird

I just like switching it up after so long. Also I've used red mono and thought it was great so I was going to test its luck on braid

I'm a huge fan of Power Pro's braid (green), but lately I've been interested in the red. I like switching things up every now & then. Some reviews say it's great and some say the red dye bleeds and drips a lot, etc. Curious if you guys have any other input. I tend to not trust certain bad reviews for some reason

Check out Z Man's frogs on TW. They have the Pop Frogz version and another. It's rated at 4" & 6" but in the video I watched on them I can't imagine they're less than 7" or 8" with the legs extended

If you happen to remember it shoot me a post. Never opposed to trying new lures

They didn't produce without the head skulls either?

Besides early and late season, the weeds usually break the surface or reach about an inch below. I was going to change my approach depending on what you thought was better - which sounds like the hard bait. With that I'd have to throw it along weed lines 80% of the time. With the soft I could swim it through as well as over which I'd prefer. But I did watch a review and I agree that there's no free gap on the soft