FishTank

I think I have caught bass, bluegill, catfish and crappie on them. I run them just about a foot below the surface, pause it for a split second and start retrieving again. I usually run them around the bank but they will catch fish anywhere. Downside, they can be a snag magnet.

It's tough to pick a favorite but if I could only have one brand, it would be G.Loomis. Warranty, quality, and service have been great for me. The rods themselves have taken a beating and continue to hold their value.

Not totally for sure. I just saw the 7'1" had a solid tip and I wanted a rod that I could use for more than just jigs and soft plastic. I have used the 6'11" for topwater, senkos, and jerkbaits, but my favorite so far has been the free rig. I would also agree that this rod is more powerful than most MH rods. I went pond hopping with it today and caught about a dozen on a free rig. I also caught four on a frog which was the funnest part of the day, different set up though.

You don't want to go by pound rating but by diameter or PE size. 22lb is around a 3 to 4lb US mono equivalent. This would be fine for spinning but it would be a chore on a standard baitcaster. For spinning and casting I like Upgrade. It's pretty easy to use and holds up. I haven't used Fulldrag but it is pricey. It has a coating that adds some durability and makes it easier to cast. I ended up getting some PE 0.8 in Shinji which is crazy expensive but I got it for next to nothing with a work gift card. Best line I have ever used. If you go to casting I would start with PE 2.5 which is around 8lb mono but 3.0 is my what I like to use for everyday stuff.

@ABU is overpriced What application are you wanting to use it for? Some lines from them only come in certain sizes. Also, I would plan on using leader with most of the their thinner sized lines (PE 2.0 and below).

Curious about this rod as well. I picked up the 6'11'' MH and really like it so far but the 7'1'' was on my radar. I chose the 6'11" because I thought it would be more versatile.

I'm afraid so. The RC is so sensitive that it's kind of annoying. I find myself swinging too early and missing fish. Also, it sort of loads weird. I'm not sure if it's the new Steez SV I have, they 15lb Tatsu, or the rod itself but casting distance is not what I would hope it would be. Also, it's not the greatest at pinning fish. Could be the 15-20 I caught yesterday on it were just fired up. It's a blast to fish though and I think i need to spend more time with it.

The Crush City Mayor, 6th Sense Whale, Megabass Spark Shad, and the X-Zone Swammer. All these baits have been doing well for me. I couldn't tell you which one has worked best and in what situation I would fish one or the other except the Whale and the Spark Shad. Both of those I like to fish just under the surface above grass. Both of them seem to draw fish out of cover.

I like the Lucky Craft Gunfish and the Evergreen Showerblows. Next would be the Megabass Pop-x. Spots hit different to me. It's takes some patience and a few casts to get them to commit but the bites are always vicious. Topwater is the pinnacle of fun with these guys.

Zoom Ole Monster and the Strike King Anaconda are my two favorites but the hits on them are not what they use to be.

Some lakes seem to be more windy than others. My fishing buddy hates it no matter where we go. He will complain about it nonstop. It makes for a rough day sometimes. To me, wind is just part of fishing. You adapt to it, change your lure or presentation as needed and fish on.

I've bought a couple of kits from this Amazon store. They are not the greatest quality but they have worked on one my rods and for a few friends. I will admit I am a novice and my repairs look terrible but they have worked. https://a.co/d/bYsmX5T

I've backed down several ramps and some are more challenging than others but one sticks out above all else. Lake Maxinkuckee near Culver Military Academy. The ramp is on a two lane road that is quite busy with a blind corner to your left. You have to pull across both lanes, into a driveway and then parallel park the trailer in the shoulder of the street. It's insane. The lake we currently fish has room for two twenty foot boats with a foot on either side. It's not easy but it's a piece of cake compared to this one.

After a fun day on the water, I saw several people struggling to get their boat either in the water or out. I was one of these people at one time. Then on the way home I randomly came across this old gem on Facebook. It's like it knows my thoughts. Good stuff once again.

It will handle a Karashi just fine. I have a Calcutta Conquest on it and I will probably start to throw the Karashi this weekend. It seems once the grass takes off, I can fish this bait just inches below the surface just above the grass and do pretty well.

The rod you need to checkout is the P5 Z-Crank Elseil. Best jerkbait rod I have ever used. It's perfect for the 110jr and 110jr +1. It can handle up to a regular 110 but sort of has a hard time with the 110 +1. I think the depth and the soft tip maxes it out. For lighter jerkbaits like the X-70 and X-Nanahan, I use the Kasumi Six Eleven. This is my favorite rod in the P5 line up. I use it for small BFS cranks and topwater as well. Just one of those special rods.

Going to guess that the 3/8oz bait you are trying to throw will not let that rod load correctly. You will probably end up using more arm than rod in order to get the bait out there. That to me is a heavy rod. You would probably need a Med or ML to cast that balsa bait. They are like casting a kite. A 3/8oz balsa bait is like casting something that is around 3/16oz or less. To me it is the most difficult hard baits to cast even under the best conditions, with Rapala Shad Raps coming in second. My advice is to find a different bait to throw or a different rod.

@IYAOYAS What rod are you using?

I wasn't really referring to the ones I own as much as the multitude of Tatulas I have worked on. I would say maybe 25% have had the same issues I have. I always advise people on them to go one or two settings higher than what they think it should be under the best circumstances. It's was the number one complaint with them. I can't speak for the new one though. I heard it's exceptional. The 300 has intermittent backlash issues. It's on a Megabass Valkyrie XX-heavy. I fish up to 4oz glides and swimbaits on 22lb Defier Armilo. Daiwa reels I have no issues with braking that are my own..... Steez SV TW, Steez SV TW Limited, 24 Steez SV, Steez CT, Zillion, Zillion HD, and Steez AII x 2. I also have a Millionaire CT. I'm not sure how to categorize this one. It's so so most of the time but I recently replaced the spool bearings and the bearing under the spool tension knob. So far it's been fantastic. I'm using YGK PE 1.0 on this one. All my Shimanos have FC except one. I have no issues with them on backlashing. The Shimanos I have cast well consistently but the 16 Steez SV has been great in that regard. I also replaced the spool bearings on this one with ceramics recently and it has improved the distance somewhat. Just in case I'm always in the camp of matching line, reel and rod to the bait I'm using. My casting is dependent on the conditions I'm given and not one particular style.

I have the same braking issue on multiple Tatula platforms including the 80 and 300 I have. I work on reels from time to time. A lot less in the past few years but I have tried what you mentioned above (it's kind of a standard Daiwa thing to do) and on the 70 BF it functions correctly. Daiwa said it's in the spool itself. I also have the same issue with the braking on a Zillion Silver Wolf. None of the other Daiwas I have, have this issue. Can't explain it and neither can Daiwa. Sent this to Daiwa. It's on the max brake setting and it still backlashes.

I have tried two Tatula 70 BF's and one Steez. All three could be set to zero and it would still engage the brakes. The Tatulas were my own. I purchased one and sent it back to Daiwa for repair twice and the second time they sent a new reel. It has the same issues.... Unpredictable braking, grinding noise on casts, and a gap between the spool and the frame where the line gets caught under it even with the spool tension tight. The line in the pic is 7lb. So I'm definitely going to say the Aldebaran in this case. It is a little finicky at first but once you get use to it, it's great. When you set the brakes, set them more to how the rod loads and to your casting style, rather than the Lure. Seems weird but it works.

My two cents..... start with a good line and don't go over 12lb to start. I would suggest using either Invizx or Sunline FC Sniper. Tatsu is still the best in my opinion but there are others worth trying like R18 LTD and Daiwa Samurai (the camo version). It may take some getting used to but if you look at it as another tool to use rather than canon, it will be easier to adjust.

I caught over 100 fish on that thing last year. I finally retired it last month.

Bassday Mononofu 50s. I've only been using this BFS lure for a few years but it works in every lake in Indiana. Its the top one just in case. I think I'm on my 8th one of this color. The fish beat it up pretty quickly. I can throw this thing and the fish just get angry at it. It doesn't matter if I burn it in or do a stop and pop retrieve. If I just want to have some fun and catch whatever, this is my lure.

I was just on a 10 day vacation and I fished a spinnerbait ever day. 4 of those days were on big bodies of water and the other 6 were pond hopping. I used a spinnerbait every day and it was the only bait over the course of my vacation that didn't catch a fish. Also, I went out with a buddy on his boat two of those days and he too was blanked on a spinnerbait. Crankbaits and pretty much everything else was working.