dk2429

If y'all don't keep your mouth shut about them JDM stores, then they ain't gonna last much longer for us. Get enough people ordering from Japan tackle stores and someone is gonna change the rules before you know it. I mean this in both a joking way and a serious way, as selfish as it may sound.. lol

Right, I remember you commented on my post. I got the reel taken care of, was gonna go Dobyns KD713SF for the rod but I realized I can get an Expert spinner for d**n near the name price. It’s hard to find much info on Falcon spinning rods. Which BFS rod are you talking about? I don’t see any BFS for the expert

Any of y’all have any experience with their spinning rods? The Expert Finesse Jig to be specific

Falcon is lacking in the spinning rod department from what I’ve seen. I actually just got home from checking some out. The way the grip is designed is asinine. Terrible idea in my opinion. I also checked out the St Croix Black Bass that was mentioned earlier in this thread. I thank whoever that is for their input, I just can’t figure out how y’all like St Croix rods. They all feel like a giant fiberglass whipping stick On another note, do any of y’all have a Daiwa Kage? The tackle shop I just got back from had the 2500 Kage LT on sale for $165. Felt like a nice reel, just can’t find much info online about them.

Ready to make this purchase, just one thing I ran into.. For that JDM Stradic several of y’all suggested (the 2500SXG to be exact), am I reading the line capacity correct at 8lb mono for 76yds? I plan to use braid/fluro leader but that doesn’t seem like much line capacity at all.

Thank you all for your replies!!! One more question, about the Ultrex actually. With the Ultrex, I wouldn’t have to do any of that crazy cable rigging to put a Garmin transducer on the bottom like you would on a Terrova, correct? Mount a GT52 on the bottom just like you would any cable steer/hand control?

Same way for the transducer on the bottom? You got them running in the same sleeve?

Is the 2D sonar good with that built in transducer? Also, what about the LiveScope transducer? I’m guessing on a separate pole..

The built in transducer won’t do down imaging though correct?

I used to be a Daiwa hater too. As of recently, Daiwa or nothing. I got a Tatula Elite to try because it was on sale and it changed my mind. Every real purchase since then has been Daiwa and I plan on snagging a JDM Zillion soon. That Tatula 100 is superb reel and definitely nicer than my SLX XT. Can’t speak for the Curado though

I currently have a hand controlled Minn Kota RipTide on my boat. 97% of my fishing is bass fishing the lakes here in Texas. That small 3% I’m chasing trout/redfish on the gulf coast. Im ready to move on to a new trolling motor with spot lock and foot control capabilities I’ll start by saying this… As much as I would like to get an Ultrex, it just isn’t a feasible option for my boat. I run a 22ft Majek Xtreme. It’s a fantastic bass boat/bay boat, but the front deck simply isn’t configured to realistically permanently mount the Ultrex foot pedal. Plus on top of that, I’d like to be able to remove it on a quick release mount that I can reinstall my Riptide on if I decide to go hit the bays. That wouldn’t be possible with an Ultrex. With that said, I do believe my best option is going to be a Terrova with the foot pedal. I can get a Riptide Terrova that I can use in both fresh and saltwater. Im just curious if any of y’all on here use a Terrova for bass fishing. My main concern is steering with the foot pedal. I haven’t used a cable steer TM a whole lot, but I have heard that the Terrova isn’t nearly as responsive to steering commands as an Ultrex. My biggest concern is coming in hot up to a bank/dock/stump and not being able to swing her around in time. Wondering for those that use the foot pedal on the Terrova how well y’all can run a bank line. Is it something that’s just terrible no matter what, or is something you adjust to? Also, I do have an echoMap up front with a GT52 transducer. I’ve seen that absolute mess of wiring people do on the Terrova to mount a transducer to the bottom. Is there a better method of doing this yet? I do NOT want those ridiculous aluminum bracket things hanging off the ends of the shaft. Trying to mount a transducer to one of these things just looks and sounds like a giant headache, especially with spot lock engaged. Sorry for the long read. I’d just like to hear y’all’s experience with bass fishing on a Terrova before I ultimately made a decision on one. I put a pic of my front deck to show the current setup. That trolling motor is already on a quick release puck.

Yup, Dicks has a good selection of Dobyns and Academy has some as well depending on location. I was going to get a Fury 735 but after handling one at Academy, I went back home and ordered a Sierra 735. Sure glad I did too, much nicer stick. And the only reason I did was because they were on sale for $120 at TW. I’m not completing bagging on Dobyns at all. I’m actually actively in the market for a KD713SF…. Just waiting on a sale. I’d never pay full retail for Dobyns. Plus, they have a nicer selection of spinning rods than Falcon does. Simple as that

Skip it. Get a Falcon Lowrider for the same price and a better rod than the Fury. You’d have to hit the Sierra line and up to get on par with a Lowrider in my opinion. Plus, an American in Oklahoma will answer the phone if you have questions/have a problem. I like my Dobyns and will buy more, but I’d only buy them on sale. Falcon is the winner though if we’re talking normal retail price and customer service. I think the Lowrider Lizard Dragger would be a good one to check out for your uses

Haven’t used the Shimano. I will still vote Tatula Elite, and it’s not even close. That reel made me join the Daiwa bandwagon.

Awesome guys. So a 7ft+ medium/fast or medium light/fast is what I need to be after? I know Dobyns has a few in the Sierra and Kaden line that’ll fit that description like mentioned above. I’ll likely get that Stradic from Digitaka that was linked and mentioned a few times. The reel my buddy has is the Vanford. Little bit out of the price I want to stick around for a first time setup. That JDM Stradic fits the bill nicely

Guess I should have specified in my original post… I am talking about weightless wacky rigged senkos. I can see how a Texas rig senko could be tossed no problem on a baitcaster.

Thank you all for your comments, I read through every one of them. I’ll take all of this and make a decision based on that. Kind of a counterintuitive question to my original post.. Does anybody prefer using a light baitcaster setup for the baits I’m wanting to throw? I’ve done both and understand the obvious differences, just wondering if there’s anything I might have not thought about or missed between the two. I didn’t use his spinning setup a whole lot but I was terrible at accurately casting it at first. All I know is that I really enjoyed the overall feel of it when using those wacky senkos

My buddy and I have been fishing Lake Fork all week and he brought along a spinning rod setup that he was using for weightless senkos. I used it a bit, and now I’ve gotta get my own spinning setup. I hadn’t used a spinning rod since I was a young kid. I really like how they work with those senkos. I also don’t fish senkos often, which is why I never considered a dedicated rod for them. With that said, where do I start and what do y’all recommend? I’d like one to do a few things… Senkos, drop shot, flukes…. I never really use a drop shot but I’d like to have that ability with this rod. I like Falcon and Dobyns rods, but I’m open to others. Shimano or Daiwa reel would be good. Would like to stick to the $150 +/- range on the rod and reel each. Will splurge a little bit if it’s worth it. Thanks!

Castaway has fallen off the planet tbh. I live here in Houston where they used to make them. Still have an old 6’6 medium heavy that’s a broom stick. The Invitica used to be a popular rod down here for reds/trout on the coast. For $200 I’ll go to Falcon Rods. Maybe Castaway has some nice rods still, I could be wrong!

I used to use Lucas reel oil until I lost the bottle. Now I’ve been using the Lucas gun oil for the past few years with no problems at all. Same **** tbh. I’ve also used Rem Oil. The reels don’t care.

Junk. Fins Windtamer, Sufix 832, of nothing.

I never pay full price for rods and reels. If I’m getting brand new, I gotta have a discount code or catch a sale. I’ll buy used for the right deal and if in excellent-near mint condition

True, didn’t even think to notice that the Head Turner is a 6 power heavy like my HCJ. I was a little skeptical of it before I bought it using it for 1/4 t rigs but I was wrong. The tip on that rod is what makes it great

I can see that with the HCJ for sure, but I’ve found it to be a sweet Texas rig rod personally. I’ve been throwing 1/4oz tungsten with a rage craw, trick worm, lizard, etc… It works great for that. I’ll definitely get the Amistad then for that heavier stuff. The Lowrider version I have is okay, just as I said, the Cara done got me spoiled me now. The sensitivity of the Cara is what really got me. I’ve never owned a bass rod over $120 until I got that thing. The Cara is just very crisp feeling and lighter. Interesting that you like 1/8 Texas rig on a heavy 6’10 rod.

Yeah I’ve read most of your post and was going to post this there, I just figured I’d get more traffic making a new thread. So sounds like trading the LR Amistad straight up for a Cara Amistad might be a good choice for me, because I don’t have any rods for real heavy cover work. I have a Dobyns Sierra 735 (Mag heavy/ex fast) I use for frogs, but it’s honestly a bit moderate for punching or working a plastic in heavy cover. I’m curious if you think that Cara Amistad would also make a good Carolina rig rod? I also saw you moved from the Expert to the Cara. Do you have any experience with the LR Amistad and how it compares with the Cara? I was using the LR Amistad with 50# braid using a 3/8oz flipping jig with a beaver at Caddo Lake. It worked fine, it just doesn’t feel as a crisp as a Cara does. For the swim jig rod, you say that it’s good for swim jigs and lighter Texas rigs. How do you think it would fare would weightless stuff like wacky senkos/flukes/etc…? Is there a better choice for that?