dcmclassic

I use them on swimjigs a lot. My favorite way to rig then is on a rockport rattler jig head and a scrounger head.

Thank you. Hole shot was affected very slightly but not much. I notice a lot of guys have theirs sitting too low and they drag the water on take off. I have mine sitting as high as the bracket allows, the anchor depth will only be a couple of inches shallower. Mine don't drag at all on take off. They are by far the single best investment I have made on my boat, won't have another bass boat without them. 2015-07-17_04-43-14 by Dustin, on Flickr

I'll check it out. Thanks I'll check this one out also. Thanks

I didn't know they were that low, I was thinking they were around $50. My mistake. Shimano Sellus, Abu Garcia Vengeance and Daiwa Arid X are in that general $50 range. I think they are better rods than the Berkley. But of course that's just my personal opinion, and we all know how those are.

Shimano Convergence with a Sedona or Lews G2. Personally I think there are better rods than the Lightning at the price point, as far as spinning rods are concerned. There's really a huge selection on the spinning side. It's just budgets vary angler to angler.

It depends for me. I really like jigs by a company called The Perfect Jig, their arkie head around docks is deadly. In heavy vegetation the wedge head by Stanley. I'll throw really only three basic colors, junebug/purple, brown/perchish and black&blue.

I use a 7'3" Falcon Bucoo HF 90% of the time. A 7ft MHF for deep, light cover footballs. One of my favorites is my 6ft BPS TS MHF, it's about 20yrs old, it's a close combat deadly weapon. I can't find 6ft MHF through anybody anymore.

Stored them in boxes for a while, the the H2O Express bait bags, now ziplocs in a big container. The ziploc method is by far my favorite.

A 6'6" or 7ft MH Lightning rod with a Shimano Caius would be pretty budjet friendly. For me a do it all line would be braid, probably a 30 lb if you aren't throwing into super nasty stuff.

I pitch 1/2oz the most, and flipping/pitching is 60% of my fishing. I'll go to a 3/8oz if the fish are being finicky, if the forage i find is smaller than average or if I just want a slower fall. Plus for me personally find 1/2oz a lot easier to handle unless you are skipping it. In thick grass I'll go up to 3/4 or heavier to get to the bottom. Buy a couple of each and see what you like best. 95% of my jigs are 1/2oz. Other people only use 3/8 or 3/4, I think its more of a personal preference just like gear and lure brand.

A good tin rig in the 17ft to 18ft range is a great start. On the other hand so is a flatbottom with a tiller handle or a kayak. I've caught fish from all those and the bank too. A good option just to get on the water may be a basic tin boat with a tiller, there are tons of modifications you can do to one. I still find myself fishing from my flatbottom even though I have my Bass Cat. To answer your other question I can comfortably afford a bass boat because I'm blessed to have a good paying job, low mortgage(compared to some buddies), and my truck is on a lease program with work. I had the option to finance or pay cash, I chose to finance for 5 years. The one I have now is my first new one. Started from the bank and bumming rides lol, then flatbottoms then glass boats. Anything would be a start, and you don't have to start with a 35k or higher glass boat. I promise you can catch just as many fish from a yak or tin rig, and probably more fish than me

I just went ahead and sent it back to TW for another Falcon. I'm glad I'm not only the one that thought they were heavy though. I guess I had never put that much thought into the weight until I got that rod. It felt really well built but I just didn't think I would get used to the weight.

Personally they are a love hate relationship for me. I believe they are scented better, and have better action and weight. I fish them every way imaginable. I hate the way they don't hold up. I mean really don't hold up, usually one or two bites. Also working them around heavy cover breaks them down fairly quick. IMO they do catch more fish than other brands, I think it's due to the action rather than the scent. A dollar a bag is a steal, I would have bought every single bag. Good luck with them!

So I've been looking to try out new rods since I've had a little run in with the company that most of my rods are made by. I received a Denali Kovert 7'2" H fast on Friday, I was planning to use this rod for pitching exclusively. I noticed that the rod seems really heavy compared to my previous heavy action rods and much heavier than the rods I'm used to which are mainly Falcon Lowriders. I really want to like this rod but the weight has me hesitant. A Curado 200HG would go on this rod. It seemed to balance very well with the Curado. So the question is: How important to everyone is the actual weight of the rod VS the balance of the rod? Guess I've been spoiled with the Lowriders. I'm conflicted, I've already talked to TW about a return but I haven't decided if I should actually fish with it and see if the performance outweighs the weight. And if the weight ends up not bothering me.

Here are mine. 2014 Bass Cat Pantera II, 200hp Pro XS, twin HB 999 HDSI units, 25p Fury, runs 73 loaded. I've added two 8ft PP Blades since this pic also. IMG_2462 by Dustin, on Flickr 2013 Alweld 1648. This is the skinny water boat, now has a Backwater 35hp longtail mud motor. This one lives at the lakehouse on Toledo Bend. Untitled by Dustin, on Flickr Some previous rides, 1996 Bass Cat Pantera Classic, multiple flatbottoms, and a Wilderness Systems Ride 115.

New here on this forum, I'm on a few others so some people may recognize my user name. Anyways I'm from Humble/Atascocita TX. I grew up in East TX mainly on Toledo Bend. I'm a Bass Cat "fanboy" as some of you would call it, lol. I fish mainly Lake Houston, Livingston, Toledo Bend and a little hidden semi secret gem deep in east TX. I've read a lot of threads here over the years, just never registered. Other hobbies are duck hunting, cooking and making my own BBQ sauce. A few pics, because who doesn't like pics? My boat, the wife calls it "the mistress". Before PP's. IMG_2462 by Dustin, on Flickr Some gear porn. Most of my stuff is Shimano/Falcon. I'm slowly changing over to St. Croix and want to try a couple Daiwas. 2015-09-13_05-15-36 by Dustin, on Flickr My fishing partners, son and daughter Untitled by Dustin, on Flickr 2015-09-13_05-18-27 by Dustin, on Flickr My wife took this on of me when we went to Bull Shoals this summer. Untitled by Dustin, on Flickr