kstephes033

At one time I owned 3 743c. They are awesome rods and great balance, but the sensitivity wont be anywhere near a loomis.

Daiwa has some odd ratings for some of these new models (Walters jerkbait, both Cory Johnston's 7'5" rods, Chris Johnston's hair jig). That being said, the Feider rod is too light or action for me. It felt like it would be best with a tatula 70sv and used for 110 jr's and the like. I had one for a short time and it just didn't feel right with a standard 110 or anything above that in weight, so my vote would be the new Walters rod.

No, balance on most NRX's are nowhere near a Dobyns balance and that is a well known gripe with NRX's, however the 843 should be short enough that the balance is fine.

So here is my setup/thinking on each. Frog - casting setups. 7'2"-7'4" MH to H, fast... This will depend on cover thickness, MH if in sparse or H if thick, i run 50LB braid no matter what. I personally like the MH better because it is easier to walk a frog, but i do have a H for when it is needed. 8:1 reel for picking up slack and skiing those fish across the surface if possible. crankbait (shallow, medium, deep, lipless) - casting setups. 7'0" M Moderate for squarebills with 12 or 15lb floro and 6.#:1 ratio reel. 7'3-7'6" MH Mod for anything mid again 6 ratio and 12lb floro, deep i dont get into much but use a 7'10" H Mod with 12lb floro and 5.5:1. All are graphite as it is easier to rip from grass up here. Lipless i use my lighter T-Rig setup jerkbait - casting setups. 6'6"-6'11" M fast or mod fast, length will depend on what allows you to jerk down without slapping water, 12lb floro, and i like a 6 ratio reel as i tend to pull too much slack up if i use a faster reel and move the bait which is a no no. buzzbait - casting setups. 7'2"-7'4" MH F and 50lb braid 8:1 reel, same as my lighter cover frog rod. tr worm (beaver/craw/etc) - casting setups. 7'1"-7'6" depending on weight and cover. Lighter stuff (1/4-3/8) i run a 7'2" MH Fast 15lb floro 8:1, 1/2oz 7'3" H 20lb floro 8:1. dropshot - 2 spinning setups, 6'10" ML fast or M Mod fast 15lb braid 8lb leader for lighter weights, nose hook, and vertical dropping. 7'0" M Mod Fast 15lb braid 8 or 12lb leader for bigger weights and plastics and casting. ned - 6'10"-7' ML 15lb floro braid to 8lb leader. spinnerbait - 6'10" to 7'3" MH Fast 15lb floro and 6 ratio, shorter for target casting longer for covering water/long casts/etc. jig (football, swim, finesse) - Flipping jig, 7'3" or 7'4" H Fast 20lb and 8:1 reel. There are not a ton of great jig rods and i am always on the search but something in that range will always work. I fish a jig in heavy deep weeds so very particular about my rod as it is much different than fishing in sparse weeds or rock/wood/etc. Rock/Football, 7'4"-7'6" MH F 15lb floro to get longest casts and i use a rock jig that has a little lighter wire hook so i dont go up to a H. Finesse or compact 7'3" MH Mod Fast 15lb floro and 8:1. flipping/punching - 3/4-1oz 7'6"-8' H to XH Fast or mod fast all depending on rod brand and i run 50lb braid and 8:1 (you are going more reaction or breaking through heavy cover where braid will "blend in" with the surrounding weeds so no need for floro). Chatterbait is another specific setup - 7'2"-7'4" MH or H Mod (composite) depending on brand, i like the rod rating to show 1.5oz for the high weight end as that gives you the proper stiffness for ripping from grass. 15lb floro, 6 ratio reel.

You can pick up a tatula 100 and get a rays spool and be in it for around 150ish total and that would give you the BFS style spool for throwing light baits on a great reel and for not a ton of $. Same spool will work in a fuego as well, in which case you would be sitting around 120ish probably going that route. You will need to get a rod that will load properly with the lighter weights as well.

For the techniques you explained and the weights of them I would highly recommend going to a casting rod and not spinning. Spinning will lack in a lot of areas for those size baits, and you will be much more accurate with casting gear as well. You will get better hooksets, more accurate casts, better line management, better gearing for those techniques, more power with the reel and rod not being overloaded, etc... I can’t comment on either when it comes to spinning gear, have had or have both in casting and both are nice rods, light, well balanced, comfortable. Spinning wise if you are stuck on it I personally would get the ark strictly because of the handle, much more comfortable for me to have the full grip with the way I hold spinning gear. But again I would recommend casting gear, either of the rods in the 7’3” MH versions with something like a Daiwa Fuego, Tatula, Shimano Curado k, SLX, or whatever in a good all around 7.*:1 ratio would work for all the mentioned techniques.

Usually after prefishing and getting a good idea of what’s going on I’ll have 3 or 4 identical setups on deck with the same bait in the same color. For instance if they are going good on a beaver in green pumpkin then I will have usually 4 setups with same line, weight, color, and bait setup ready to go. That way if one gets bit off, plastic stolen, pincher bit off, frayed line, whatever... all I have to do is own and grab another and fire right back in there. Tourneys are about maximizing time with your bait in the water. Having one setup and losing the bait then having to go into the box to get another out and either retie or just put another plastic on takes time, 2 casts minimum and if you have to retie that could be 10 or more casts missed out on depending on how proficient you are with tying. I will usually have other options on deck as well such as that same situation I would have a couple of jigs out in similar color, maybe a smaller t-rig with lighter weight, and something finesse to clean up an area like a Ned rigs or dropshot. If it is something where I’m cranking all day I’ll usually have 2 setups with the same thing since you aren’t having to remove or replace Plastics, just the occasional retie. Now that’s all if you are a boater. If you are a non boater the ideal situatoin in s to either prefish with your partner or get the info ahead of time to be able to rig up on a couple rods then have a few alternates, in this case I’d probably have two identical setups and then 3 or 4 different offerings that you could use as double duty for something else if it pops up.

I have 3 of them and love them, great drag when you adjust it for those fish that are pulling (not so great when stated you forget to lighten the drag when fighting fish which we all do haha), super smooth still after a lot of use the first year, light, durable, still looks like new... no complaints for me and will be adding more.

7'6" is fine, if you are up close range and target casting though it makes it a little tougher, thats where the little shorter rod comes into play. 7'2"-7'4" will give you the best of both worlds and be the most versatile.

that weight range is pretty vast for one rod with the right line and being able to really handle the baits. You really want a little heavier, mod fast action IMO for the topwater and swimbait, and really a MH Fast for the senko. I would look at something in the 7'2"-7'4" range length wise, helps with hooksets on long casts for all baits mentioned, probably a MH Fast as it will be able to handle both, but again not ideally for the larger baits. The same lineup has the Tatula Elite 7'3" Ehrler MH Fast. I have used that rod for weightless senkos, trigs up to 1/2oz, swim jigs, swim baits up to 3/4oz head with 4.5" swimbaits so it can handle those duties. with a fast action i would say start with mono, something like sunline super natural 16lb and that should be able to handle everything. you will want mono or braid, something with decent diameter for keeping the WP up and running properly. Mono will work better for the waver though.

Casting combos are for sure something that can be learned, everyone struggles with them at first, but with some mono and some heavier weights like you are fishing it should make for an easier time. They are much more suited to stuff like this as stated. It would be well worth trying again. One thing to keep in mind is cheap casting reels are much more prone to backlash, a decent reel like the tatula ct or fuego ct would be the lowest i would go, and they are very good reels especially for the price. That would allow you to get into a lot better tool for the job for the rod, and opens up a lot more selection. That would be my suggestion truly. The only think i throw 1/2oz on a spinning rod is dropshots, and thats only with major wind to keep feel on the bottom. Otherwise i wouldnt even consider using anything like a jig or texas rig in grass with is spinning combo, you just dont have the power or control like you do with a casting combo. You can get into something like a daiwa fuego ct for 75 and a pretty legit rod for 80-100 and be able to handle everything much more efficiently after a couple outings and practice in the yard.

I guess I will ask why are you looking at spinning rods for these techniques? All of those are much better suited on a casting setup.

What are you looking to use it for? I have the 7'1" Ehrler spinning, the 7'6" ML Feider, plus a few of the non ags in spinning also. They are all great rods, the AGS is a bit more sensitive, balance is better for sure. The 7'6" I bought for using for deep water drop shotting, honestly wasnt a huge fan for that, but it has now become my Ned rig rod, as well as a great neko rod when im using that. The 7'1" is awesome for 3/8-1/2oz drop shotting, as well as shakyheads, jig worms, heavier neko, tube jigs, etc. really a well rounded versatile rod. I have mine paired with a newer version Fuego 3000 for the 7'6", and it balances very well. I will be getting a 3000 or 4000 tatula when they are released though to replace that, as i tried my Luvias 3000 on it and it balances very good as well, especially for being a lighter reel.

I would jump up to the 3000 or 3012 size. A 7'2" rod is not going to balance with a lightweight 2500 size spinning reel, plus you will get better distance, faster line pickup, and less line twist with the larger size.

I would get a mix of the Daiwa Tatula Elite, Cronos, and original tatula rods. They are all very nice, light weight, good balance, great sensitivity, and comfortable to fish with. The AGS series in the tat elites are nice as i do have a few, but not sure if the warrant the additional cost on top of the regular elites or the other 2 mentioned. All rods mentioned other than the AGS version of elites can be had for under $200.