dk2429

I’d personally roll with a 6:1 for that

Yep

Depends. Deep cranks, a 5:1 or 6:1. Shallow cranks, 7:1. There’s no better reel than a Shimano SLX XT for $129. Get it cheaper on Amazon or look for a sale.

I’ve only owned and used 13, Shimano, and Lews. I bought an Abu Revo ALX ($249.99 when they made them) and returned it the same day. I just couldn’t for the life of me get it dialed in. Too much brake, wouldn’t cast far. Knock it off a notch, it was backlash city. I wouldn’t mind trying an SX or STX if I found a hell of a deal on one. I recently got my first Daiwa (Tatula Elite). I think all I’m buying now is Daiwa. I didn’t know what I was missing out on.

I use a 7.3:1 for square bills and a 6.2:1 for deep divers (5XD/6XD) The 7:1 for shallow divers is perfect IMO. But for the deep divers, I honestly wouldn’t mind a 5:1. 6:1 works fine but man it can get tiresome.

Finally was able to get out and use the Cara today. I paired it with a Tatula Elite (officially a Daiwa fan by the way, that thing is awesome.) I really like it! I was mainly throwing 1/4oz tungsten Texas rigs and a 3/8oz finesse jig w/rage crawl. Sensitivity is great; I could feel just about anything when dragging along the bottom (as opposed to the Dobyns Kaden I had and returned the same day.) Fit and finish is awesome!! Looks don’t catch fish but it just has that sleek, classic look to it. It works a lot better with the 3/8oz I’ll admit. The 1/4oz t rig was fine, but I personally think it’s a bit heavy for that. It might just be something I need to adjust to, but it was a bit hard to get real accurate cast to the bank with the lighter weight. It has quite a bit of tip to it, which is not something I expected based off my research prior to purchasing. The Dobyns Sierra I purchased at the same time is better balanced. The Cara HCJ is a little tip heavy in my opinion. I noticed this same thing with the Lowrider HCJ. I figured the Cara would be better balanced but it’s the same deal. Overall I like it and plan to keep it. I will continue to wait for a sale on the Heliums though. Will likely make the Cara a C-rig/jig rod and get a lighter Helium for the Texas rigs. Do note, this is my first bass rod over $200, so take that as you will. Also, this is the first and only time out with the rod, so my views may change over time.

I'm looking for a used LVS32/black box for sale. I already have a UHD 93sv to pair it with, but I've also been seeing some decent deals on the Active Target 1 setups. Would just need a Lowrance FS9. Does anybody have a preference on these? Anything else I should know about these before I buy one?

I never could figure out how to register an account but I did sign up for the newsletter. I recently got one about a clearance sale on the KLX rods.

Will do! I can already tell you, handling in store, those Cara’s are SWEEET. There’s a tackle store about 10 mins from me that sells Falcon from the HD up to the Cara. They didn’t have the HCJ model but had a few others I could use to get an idea of their feel. As soon as I picked one up I knew I had to have one. I’ve only used the Lowrider and Buccoos (which are still great rods), but that Cara series is in another world. I ordered it straight from Falcon with 10% off. Going to put an Lews Tournament Pro on it. Also took advantage of the TW sales and ordered a Dobyns Sierra 735 for frogs/moderate punching. I was close to driving up to Kistler and snagging a Helium, but I figured I’d just wait til he does another sale/deal on them (since that appears to be somewhat often.)

I ended up ordering a Cara Heavy Cover Jig. Gonna wait til Kistler does another one his sales/deals to get a Helium

Sorry, I skipped over that somehow Does this apply for the 7’3 too? I’d prefer that over 7ft. I figured the extra length on the 7’3 might constitute the regular medium heavy rather than the light MH. Not sure though, never have had a Kistler in my hand.

Thank y’all for the replies After the recent news on what happened at Dobyns yesterday and the comments on this thread, I’m going to go pick up a Helium or Zbone. Just need to take off work a little early to make it up to their shop before they close. Y’all think the 7’3 MH/F is a good option for those lighter trigs?

Going to get myself a late Christmas present. Rod for lighter Texas rigs, 3/16oz up to maybe 5/16oz with a Zoom plastic (baby brush hog, 6" lizard, trick worm, etc...) Pairing with a Lews Hypermag 8.3:1 I'm hung up on a Kistler Helium 7'3 MH/F or a Dobyns Champ Extreme DX744. Does anybody have experience with both and can tell me which one is more sensitive? I'm not looking for versatility or anything like that. I want lightweight and the best sensitivity for the Texas rigs I specified.

90% of my plastics are Zoom. 6” lizards, baby brush hogs, trick works, etc… Currently using braid but I think I wanna change it up and go to like 17lb Invizix After this thread and some more reading I think I’m settled on the Cara, now just gotta figure out if I really want an Amistad or the HCJ. The only Falcon rods near me are Lowriders and Experts. I don’t have anywhere to put a Cara in my hands. I’ve never even seen one. I do know I really like the feel of the Expert Amistad. It’s noticeably better balanced and lighter than the Lowrider. So if the Cara is even nicer than that then I’ll think I’ll be good to go. Only HCJ I’ve found is the Lowrider. I can see how it would be a bit better for those lighter t rigs. It’s feels a bit slower than the Amistad

Tackle Warehouse shows them both in stock?? I know the Falcon website has been out of stock for a long time. Is there much quality difference between the two? I have a tackle shop near me that sells Expert’s but I’ve never even touched a Cara. They have an Amistad Expert at the store but I prefer ordering rods if I can. Means no one has touched it and banged up against a wall or anything.

I’m going to get an Amistad for my 1/4oz-3/8oz Texas rig rod. Tried a Dobyns and don’t like it. My only Falcons are the Lowrider and Buccoos, which I use for moving baits. I’ve never used a Cara or an Expert Do y’all have a preference on which one? I don’t mind the extra $50 for the Cara if it’s actually worth it. I’m more concerned about which one actually fishes better in the real world for what I’m going to do with it. I just want some good backbone with great sensitivity Thanks!

Okay gotta come clean Went to Academy to grab some stuff for tomorrow. Turns out they’re carrying Kaden series now Wow, that is a FINE rod. They didn’t have any of the models for football jigs/Carolina rig unfortunately or I probably would have bought one. It was just so light and perfectly balanced. VERY nice rod

I need to get a rod that’s good for C rigs and football jigs. I’ve been pretty partial to Falcon, so was going to get a Lowrider Amistad Think I may want to try a Dobyns Fury though for the same price point. Do y’all have a model y’all would recommend for this? Thinking maybe a 734C or 735C. Never have owned or used a Dobyns so not sure how they fish Thanks for any help

Anybody here use a Lowrider Cranker II for deep cranks (5XD-6XD)? How does it work out?

Does anybody use one of these for a deep crank setup? Just curious how y’all like them. They’re on sale right now for $79 and thinking about snagging one for my new deep crank rig (5XD-6XD). Probably in 5.6:1 Thanks

Yeah it takes some time. I'm surprised you couldn't get them to hit on the texas rig. Like I said, I'm sure most can agree when I say if nothing else works, that texas rigged worm will. But like the other guy said, at least your catching them. It's really trial and error. Watch youtube videos, and just get out there and start trying different things. Matter in fact, I'm in your same boat right now when it comes to saltwater. I used to have a bass boat, and I've grown up bass fishing. But I recently got a bay boat to go after the trout/reds in the salt and I'm still trying to figure them out.Just takes time man!

And because you don't have the $100k Ranger of course! jk

They do pretty good! I fish the coastal bays down here in Texas with it, which can get rough at times. I can cruise it pretty easy in a 2ft chop no problem. Anything over that though can get bumpy, but it does stay dry. It does have the V hull, but the only thing is that it's not a very "sharp" or "deep" V. The main reason I got it was because I can use it to fish the saltwater bays/flats for trout/redfish/flounder in a foot of water one day, and then the next day I can drag it up to Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend for bass fishing. Great all around boats! Currently pushing 64mph trimmed out with the hammer down

Had a 1997 Stratos 201 PE with a '96 Evinrude 225 Vindicator. Sold that boat last year with around 900-950hrs on the motor. The ONLY thing I've ever had to do to that motor was put a new fuel pump in (and regular maintenance obviously.) Now have a boat with a 225 Optimax Pro XS. Bought it 172hrs, now have just over 300hrs. My main thing I like about the new motor vs my old one is the fuel injection. I get MUCH MUCH better fuel economy with the fuel injection. It's also a lot quieter, and it starts up first turn of the key no matter what (the ole Evinrude was a little cranky on a cold start.) It also has a better hole shot most likely because of the fuel injection instead of carburetor. What do I miss about the Rude? I don't get that early morning, cold start smell off of that Merc like I did the Evinrude. I loved the smell of that old 2 stroke. lol

There's a couple of lakes here in Texas that are electric only. You can use the boat in the lake, but you have to put like a trash bag on the lower unit on the boat to prevent any thing from leaking in the water.