swhit140

I have Daiwa reels & service them myself, rods I like trying different brands/actions/models. Sometimes I'll try different brands of rods and sell some that I don't like as much as others. Never ending cycle of things to try

I have a 7' & 7'3" KLX casting rods, the 2 I have are the older NFC blanks. The 7'3" KLX weighs 4.2 oz on my digital scale. I've been pretty happy with mine, they balance a little ahead of the bait keeper compared to some other brands I've used. I did have to warranty one of them and the replacement was only $19.95 to cover the warranty replacement rod, which is cheaper than many other rod companies. With that being said I ordered mine when they had a 40% discount so I would order when they have that going.

I'm in

You did a great job, this just makes me want to build my own rods now.

The XT looks like similar reel seat like the Fuego rods, it looks like you have more rod specific actions with the Tatula and the full cork grip. I would wait to purchase towards the end of the month for holiday sales, then you can buy a few extra lures too..

When I put any new soft plastic trailer on any swim jig or bladed jig I always put a couple dabs of super glue on the bait keeper and then slide the bait up. You will definitely go through less soft plastic trailers when you do that. I'm just using Loctite Super glue from Wal-Mart to secure my trailers on my jig style baits.

I tried one Quantum bait casting reel once many years ago, I believe it lasted maybe 6 months. After that I've only used Daiwa & Shimano, so Quantum left a bad taste in my mouth.

I just started using swim jigs last season with just a couple of them, now I have a dozen of them. I always have one rigged on my rod when I go to the lake, it is one of my top 3 baits that I use.

I have the 7'4" Defy Black Crankbait rod I found on Wal-Mart for $56.54 w/tax. I'm using it for Chatterbaits/Bladed Jigs & Rat-L-Traps, I've been happy with it so far, but I like to use something for a good season worth of fishing to give a full honest review. I can tell you it will handle a few 7+lb channel catfish on a Chatterbait ?

When your wife ask you about how much tackle you have.

Good lure for the lower price range, install a good pair of quality hooks on their and you're good to go.

I always find more garbage at the lakes then I produce when I go fishing. I keep a couple bags in my tackle bag so if I find stuff while I'm out on the water I'll take it back to the ramp. I also keep a bag in my boat for scrap line that I find or produce, a majority of our lakes have line recycling bins. Unfortunately too many people decide to put their trash in them too since they can't walk another 20 feet to put it in the actual garbage.

Certain crankbaits etc. that I know have low quality hooks I replace immediately out of the package.

I used 7'3" Med Hvy Rod spooled with 15lb Copolymer on 110 Whopper Plopper catching 7-9lb Wiper's a few weeks ago, I just backed the drag off a bit and had no problems losing any fish.

I'd say if you're catching sunfish and smaller fish your probably fine with a spinning setup. I don't think you would need to spend $200 for what you're planning to catch.

I always ship rods with USPS, shipping cost usually anywhere from $10-25 depending on rod value/insurance. I had a Daiwa Tatula rod that one of the guides came out of the wrap/epoxy, I shipped it from here in Nebraska to California to Daiwa Corp for under $10.00. I also use Pirate Ship for a majority of my shipping so I usually get discounted prices, I always keep a few rod tubes around just in case or if I decide to sell or try something different.

River2Sea Bully Wa 2 65 size.

TW has some Z-Man Jackhammers on sale and use the 15% off code you can pick them up for $11.54 each.

Powell Diesel 705CB is a pretty good rod for the price under $100, I have a couple of them, I use one for crankbaits & the other one for bladed jigs/chatterbaits.

Bomber Square A with new hooks.

I'm heading out tomorrow to get my 6 month Brain MRI. The large black hole in my picture is where the tumor was located while they were only able to remove 50-60% of it safely and went through radiation and chemotherapy. I'm blessed to continue in life

I have a plastic storage container in my boat of ripped/torn baits for my future re-melt bait making.

Lucky Craft Sammy

I don't have the money like he has though..?