dk2429

I got two Lowriders on clearance about a month ago (Amistad and Dragger). I was going to trade them into Falcon but decided to keep them and try them out. Well, this past Christmas I bought myself a Cara HCJ. Unfortunately, after using this rod more and more for some time now, I’ve spoiled myself to the point that the Lowriders just don’t feel that nice for bottom contact. That Cara is an unbelievable stick…. I most recently used it for 4 days straight on Caddo Lake throwing t rigs at cypress trees and I absolutely love that Cara I called Falcon and they agreed to let me trade the Lowriders in at retail value for an upgrade(s) to Expert or Cara I’m thinking to trade the Amistad in for a Cara Amistad, but I don’t know if that’s even necessary since the HCJ is a pretty similar rod (at least I think it is…) I use the HCJ for Texas rigs, mainly 1/4-3/8oz and it does that perfectly. But I always hear how the Amistad is a “must have” in the Falcon lineup. If the Cara is anything similar to the Lowrider, I see that as a good 3/8oz+ jig rod, maybe a Carolina rig rod I guess. Im just curious in this situation what y’all suggest I do. What other rods in the Expert or Cara series are “must haves”?

Now you have me jealous. I’ll get me one of those nice JDM reels next time I get a high end rod

Daiwa Tatula SV TW

Tatula 100 or Tatula Elite. You can get the Elite on Amazon for $168 right now

Straight braid on everything for me except flurocarbon for Texas rigs/jigs and deep cranks

Y’all talk **** but I absolutely love my BB1 Pro on my deep cranking setup. That thing is butter smooth and slings a mile. Feels well built too. I prefer Daiwa and Shimano but I’ve never had an issue with Lews reels. Lots of guys use them down here on the coast for saltwater and they run them in the ground

Get them as a 10 pack on Amazon for $12. I just ordered those so far and they work great. Just as good as the Rod Glove brand

Just an update for anybody that cares, ended up switching over to 16# Sniper and so far I love it. It seems like it casts nicer and is just easier to manage than Invizix. Best part, no break offs yet! Been up here fishing Caddo Lake dragging my bait around cypress trees all day and haven’t had an issue. As of now I’ll be sticking to this stuff

Thank y’all! I’ll spool it up with some light line and put it on a ML trout rod. See what it’s about

He doesn't need to know that. I'm always happy with new gear I inshore saltwater fish trout/reds too from Galveston Bay all the way down to Port Mansfield. I don't see how this reel would be practical for that. It looks like it holds maybe 40-50yds of line lol. Plus I'm using 30# braid for inshore I have a Waterloo HP Lite I'll put it on and try for bass fishing. Who knows, I might hop on the wagon too! Heading up to Fork in a few weeks. Will be a good time to try it

Thanks for the info. I have some medium light trout rods that I could use and see what it's all about. I'm not after big fish all the time, I'm just saying that it sounds like a bad time to hook a big one with that light of gear lol.

Thanks for the info. What is the point in the BFS gear anyway? If I hang an 8lb+ bass on 4lb test and an light rod that just seems like a recipe for diasater

Long story short, one of my buddies acquired a KastKing Kestrel and gave it to me since he’s a saltwater fisherman. Never owned a KastKing but it seems nice. I’ve never bothered with the new BFS stuff but since I got this reel now, I don’t mind stepping into it. What kind of rod/line/lures do y’all do this with? It has a really shallow spool on it. I’d prefer to not get some super high end rod for this just yet since I’ve never fished like this Thanks

I use a Lews Mach 1 rod my buddy gave me for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. 6'10 MH/F. Works great! That should be a good choice.

For sure. I use a Dobyns Sierra 735 for frogs. I got it somewhat recently but love it so far. As said above, get it on ALF for cheap. May also try another site, they had 25% off all Dobyns rods as well. I wouldn't ever buy a Fury series for full retail price. At $129.99, you can get a Falcon Lowrider which is a much nicer rod at that price point. If you find them in your budget, I'd recommend stepping up to the Kaden or Sierra series. I was going to get the exact 735 Fury as you for frogs, but decided to order a Sierra after feeling the Fury in store. NO regrets. Much nicer rods. But, nothing wrong with the Fury if that's what is in your budget

You dodged a bullet. Good choice. I'm a recent Daiwa fan and will never mess with that 13 **** again

What is the proper process of doing this without creating a giant mess?

I called Falcon and talked to Adrian. He said I could trade in to upgrade. Since the rods are new he can put full retail value of the Lowriders toward the upgrade. (I also picked up a Lowrider Amistad for the same price at a different location on Sunday) I don't know if I should trade them both in for a Cara Amistad or not. Or maybe just trade the Amistad in for an Expert Amistad. I guess it kind of depends, are the Expert/Cara Amistads a significant step up from the Lowrider? Love my Cara HCJ so far. Wouldn't mind trying an Expert. OR just keep my Lowriders

Exactly the reason I decided to not buy anymore of their reels. I was trying to get a drive gear for a gen 1 Concept C and Rapala told me the same thing. Only way to get it is to send it in for $40. That is asinine. I wrote them back a nasty email and sold that reel for $50 as-is. Before the Rapala buy out, I got a few parts from 13 and they were great. Sent me a new handle for my KP and the level wind pawl for my TX free of charge.

Possibly. When I got my Tatula Elite that thing was dry as a bone out of the box. Oiled up, greased worm gear, good to go.

Yup, got the Lowrider Cranker II for 5XD/6XD. Actually picked up a Lowrider Lizard Dragger and an Amistad for $49.99/piece on clearance yesterday at Academy. Got them up for sale already to try and make a little profit to put toward another Cara, but if they don’t sell I’ll keep em. Great rods When I was big into inshore saltwater trout/reds, I had no problem throwing down $350 for a nice rod. THOSE are worth every penny to me personally. Super nice rods. Still have them for the somewhat rare occasion I do go chasing trout and reds. I just haven’t seen spending that kind of money yet on a bass rod. I got the Cara recently and only have had it out one time (yesterday.) A really nice rod. It’s definitely a big bump up from the Bucoo and Lowrider, but I’d have no issue with a full arsenal of Lowriders and Bucoos.

I have 12# red label on my 5XD/6XD setup. Only problem I’ve had is it fraying up by the bait.

$549 is just asinine for a rod. Sure, I can’t realistically afford one. Even if I could, that’s just nuts. It was hard for me to pull the trigger on my $250 Falcon Cara lol. This is especially true to me since I caught my 10.5lb PB on a $99 Falcon Bucoo BUT, now it’s gonna be super hard for me to buy anymore rods under $200. Once you hit that price, it’s a big jump in quality IMO. I can’t even fathom a $500+ rod and likely never will Still want to add a Dx743 to my lineup. Pending another sale

I checked the rod with a q-top and it’s fine. This is likely what happened though. I did backlash it a few times throughout the day trying to get that reel dialed in. Nothing terrible but I did have a few where I had to pick through some loops and what not.

Yep, all mine are the first generation reels, including the TX. It was the first “limited edition” one they sold with the camo box for $300. As I said, that thing really has been a tank in the grand scheme of things. Only thing I’ve replaced on it was the pawl for the level wind (typical wear component if you ask me, no big deal). I used it like hell in saltwater for trout and reds. I dont saltwater fish much anymore so it’s on my squarebill setup now. The first gen reels were awesome. Like I said though, I had a C AND a Z that both stripped the main drive gear last year. I repaired the Z and sold it (didn’t like it since the day I got it.) Had trouble getting parts for the C, so I sold it as-is and decided to longer buy their reels. Only ones still kicking are the TX, two A’s, and one C (it’s on its last leg though). I wouldn’t touch the new reels with a 10ft pole