gilkeybr

I would want a 7' MH/F casting, a 6'6"M/F casting, and a 6'10ML/F Spinning. I could do 90% of my fishing with those 3. If I were adding a fourth it would be a 7'MH/Mod for crankbaits.

+1 on this. The 611M+ is a very flexible rod. I got mine for $242 from ALF ebay auction. Hard to beat at that price

This! High end gear holds its value much better. If you're smart about when you buy your stuff, you can often sell it down the road for at least what you paid for it (or even make a few bucks). Low end gear is more disposable, so you have little chance to recoup your initial investment.

As I tell my wife, its not about how much your gear costs. Its about how much you saved from retail price when you got it! Xtasy 754 during 40% off sale: -$220 JDM Antares 70 instead of USDM: -$180 Total: -$400! I never tell her how much I spent. Just how much I saved from what I could have spent. PS, yes she sees right through my rationale. But she realized I was delusional a long time ago. And fishing gear is a lot cheaper than motorcycle racing...

My best success with a ned rig always comes swimming it. Slow, steady retrieve gently shaking the rod tip to get the lure to bounce along. Fished like this above grass it can catch huge numbers, for sure!

Lots of used Chronarch MGLs on the auction site for less than $200. The Curado DC is a fine reel. Very sturdy and very smooth on retrieve (at least for my 6.3:1 version). However, IMO, it doesn't cast lures less than 1/2oz (or really 5/8oz) amazingly. And the DC system is a fun novelty, but not very impactful to your fishing. If I were getting another Curado, I would just save the money and get a non-DC version. How about a Scorpion MGL? In the same price range, but I think a bit nicer overall? Just have to order from abroad.

Of those two I would use whichever one I had handy. Either way its heavy line!

How do the next Extremes compare to an NRX in Power/Action? Does the 74H Extreme have similar power to an 894 NRX? Or is it more like a 895 is such a thing existed.

I would say overall TW has comparable or better prices to all of the typical places you would get tackle like Dicks/F&S/BPS. If you wait to get your supplies until one of the sales like Memorial Day or Thanksgiving, then its substantially cheaper. Also the selection is significantly more broad both in terms of number of lures and colors within that lure than most other places that carry fishing gear. They will definitely carry more high end rods/reels than most of the stores will, as well as more "exotic" lures like MB and Lucky Craft, etc. Does TW save me money? Heck no, they cost me a heck of a lot of money because I buy way more gear than if the local places were my only options! But thats part of the fun.

I've occasionally used a Rage Toad as a jig trailer. I didn't notice a difference in quality/quantity of bites. Was a good way to use up a bait I probably wouldn't have otherwise fished (soft toad)

Got a NRX 901S this winter thinking it would be the ultimate finesse rod. Started fantasizing about selling it pretty much the moment I took it out of the rod tube and put a reel on it. I was expecting a light rod with the same action as my 852/854, but that was not the case. Lesson learned from dipping my toe into the very light rod realm.

If you are fishing a jig in open water the MH would do fine with up to 1/2oz. I got the 7'6H Expride last fall with the plan to use it the way you're describing: Frogging and heavier jigs. I think it will cast a 3/8oz jig pretty well even and fit the frog/heavy jig need great. Long and short having a 72MH and 72H, I think you'd have your bases covered pretty well. After holding the 76H I don't see why you'd need an XH for frogging unless its REALLY heavy stuff

A couple times a year I like to grab baits, some familiar and some that I rarely use, and try to do my own "slam". Go to a body of water and see if you can catch a fish on each lure. Its a fun way to spice things up and can be extra fun when doing it with a partner either as a competition or as a team effort.

Broke a +1 when I cast it straight into the trolling motor head. Those ball bearings fly a long way when they aren't slowed down by the rest of the lure! I've never had a bill break, and some of my bills are pretty chewed up from banging into rocks. I'm also one of those people that slaps the lure against the water to get weeds off. Still no failure. Have had the stock hooks bend. But I figure thats the price you pay for them to be such light wire hooks. My only complaint about the MB lures is I had a few puff up, presumably due to heat/sun exposure in a tackle box I left on the dock. Sent them in under warranty and they were replaced.

I spent many years fishing straight 30lb braid on both spinning and casting. I could go back to that and still have pretty high confidence. Only place it might be lacking a bit would be for ultralight spinning applications like Ned rigs.

If you wait until Memorial Day, TW will have 15% off and you could get a Tatula Elite for less ~$150. That would be hard to beat. Or find a quality used rod. Champion XPs can be found for $150ish pretty often. Finding used equipment in good condition is the best way to save money fishing. Someone else absorbs all the depreciation. Brian

My first really big bass was caught on a Firetiger Glass Shad Rap size 07. That lure will always hold a special place in my heart. If i'm throwing a shad rap profile bait, it will almost be a GSR.

For me, when I read jig weight, its just the weight of the jig alone. Not including trailer. In my case id be fishing a 3/4oz jig with trailer. I have cast it with a 1/2oz jig with trailer and it does fine. But I have other rods that are better suited to that weight range.

My 7'6H/F Expride (similar length/action) will be used for Frogs and jigs over 3/4oz

Sounds like a bit of hyperbole to me, like many fishing stories are prone to be...

I made this rack this winter. Openings for rods are lined with foam and the retaining strip is plastic from the top of a tupperware container. A better craftsman than me could make one pretty enough to live inside and look good. But this looks nice in a garage and keeps things tidy. Room for 21 combos at least.

Have a 610M and 611M+. They're nice rods. Very cool looking, to be sure. The reel seat and handle feels great in hand, to me. They aren't NRX level light/sensitive IMO. But they are pretty darn good. Especially the 611 feels like a really good do it all rod. No experience with the longer/heavier rods

Seems like there has already been a decrease in the sale prices of used auction items on Ebay. That trend could persist for quite a while?! We'll see...

Definitely my favorite lipless. Just ordered a set of 62mm versions for hopping this spring.

For a long time it was just 30lb braid, preferably in a green color. Now its almost always....30lb braid. Just with a FC leader tied on.