FishTank

I called G.Loomis to use their Xpeditor Service and had to fill a form out online to get an email on payment. They said it would be 3-5 days before I would receive the email. It's been two weeks and no email. So I called them back and paid over the phone but the rod I broke (my fault) was a 803S NRX. They are going to replace it with the new NRX+ but it will be December before I get it.

Albright knot is the ticket depending on the which micro guides the rod has. What is the rod in question? Also, I looked through a couple of rod descriptions on TW... most have what type of guides are on the rods. If it was me, I would forgo the braid to leader and use either FC or mono but for frogs I like straight braid.

Just a guess..... Most out of the box Daiwa reels I have seen have been bone dry. It could be a good clean and lube is all you need. Also, I have taken a couple of Black Max and Silver Max reels apart. They are not bad reels but the ones I have seen aren't the greatest casters. Unfortunately, I have not worked on a new Fuego so I can't say how it performs.

My preferences....Topwater, ribbon tail worms, and wacky rigged senkos. But on the other hand, most of the lakes I fish have about 3 feet of visibility or less so it really doesn't make much difference.

Lately, I like Owner's offset worm hook, 5/0. It has a bigger bend but not as big as an EWG.

Tried them and didn't care for them. In a ribbon tail worm, Berkley Powerbait is still the king, followed by...... Zoom (any of them), Ragetail Anaconda, Culprit and oddly Biospawn (good as any of the previous).

The 783GLX has been my favorite rod for the past 12+ years. I also the 7' MH Legend Elite and it is a souter rod than the 783. Great rod though. But for what you are wanting to use, the 783 GLX would be my choice.

I have one of these that I bought at their Spring Sale. I got the 7' Heavy and its a beast of a rod. Well made but not very sensitive and somewhat heavy. I use it as a general purpose kayak rod for bigger stuff. My thoughts on getting four of these..... they are an exclusive rod which generally means exactly that. You get it at a select store, they make a limited run, and when they're gone they're gone. St. Croix would probably replace it with the regular full grip if you needed to warranty the rod. Since you are buying them one at a time, I would go with Avid instead. Much better rod.

Just topwater. Braid to leader for jigs and worms.

They are the $1.99 gold ones from Walmart. I think they are 2/0 straight shank. I can break one with two fingers I have fished with the Lazer Sharp and Trokar versions and they are not bad. The Trokars are some the sharpest hooks out of box I have ever seen next to X-point.

Oddly, a 6in wacky rigged senko.

One that I avoid and I have tried for years to get my fishing partner to stop using is Eagle Claw worm hooks. He doesn't tend to loose them much and so once he catches a fish or gets hung up the hook is dull and he refuses to retie. I have seen him set a hook on a fish like he's swinging a murder axe back and still come up with nothing or even (and on several occasions) break a hook on a hook set. My latest complaint on this hook happened this weekend during a tournament. He laid into a 4+ pounder, swung hard and lost him because the hook wouldn't penetrate. Oddly the fish came off more than once and hit it again. The hook wouldn't pull through. This cost us a spot in the money. Bottom line don't buy cheap hooks > buy good ones on sale.

Amazon has a 25 pack of Gamakatsu EWG 4/0's for $14. I also like BPS hooks. They are $2.50 a pack. They don't last as long as far as sharpness goes but otherwise I have been satisfied with them.

I tend to find the computer board lips hold up pretty well. Do they catch more fish? > I don't see much of a difference there.

Check out the fanny packs for fly fisherman. There are tons to choose from but they can get pricey. They are well organized for fishing.

The guys at TW......

I have a 6'8'' G Loomis GLX 803C and this my favorite rod for skipping. Somehow it just works for me. It allows me to keep the bait low without dinging something on the boat.

It's hard to say for sure. My thoughts though, if there are no visible cracks, you are probably good but I would just fish it anyway. Those dings do look pretty bad though.

I would invest in a better rod for those techniques, unless you're dead set on it. I have the Curado DC and it's a great real but it looks like you are building an arsenal, not adding to it. The DC reels to me are a nitch reel, great for specific situations. So based on what you stated above..... a St.Croix Avid 7'MH Fast and a regular SLX.

I have been using a G.Loomis 844C IMX for about 15 years with 50lb braid. I like the taper of MBR series rods. I have tried a few Mod. rods and didnt care for it with. topwater.

I like using straight braid for topwater only. I have been using about 10 feet of leader for most techniques when I am using braid. For 20lb, I try to go one size in bigger in diameter when it comes to the leader. For actual leader material, I use Seaguar Premier or whatever FC I left over on a spool.

You should post a pic of the damage too, for everyone to see. It is hard to assess without it. I also have this rod as well. It is fantastic. It maybe my favorite of the NRX rods. As far as repair from G. Loomis, more than likely it wouldn't be warrantied but you might be able to use their, sort of, no questions asked Expeditor Service. I would call to find out. Just keep in mind if this is the route you go, it may take months to get it taken care of.

Is there anything a DC reel can't do?

I have a couple of new ones that i picked up this year and a couple of old ones. The old one work great but the new ones seem to have a different hook. In any case, I haven't been able to land a fish with the new version. I have missed several fish as well.