r83srock

I had some of the old extremes, and xps rods, as well as the rick clunn signature series rods and reels. I basically started out on these and some 80s vintage hand me down Berkley rods. The extreme series was ok, but I liked the clunn stuff better. The power hump wasn’t my favorite and some of the rods were heavy in my hands, but I did catch plenty of fish on em! The extreme reels were very similar to the pflueger Trion reels of that time. They performed well, however after 5 honest years they were flat worn out. I don’t think that BPS gear is all bad for the average fisherman, but I think now I’d rather strap a black max to a lightning rod shock and call it a day, or pursue some of the cast king stuff.

6’6” medium heavy fast works for me. I’m 6’.

I agree with this.

Agreed! Also, the havoc pitboss floats, which is a feature I like. When I get hand on the power bait version I’ll try em to see if they do the same.

A lot of good advice here. I too fish both interchangeably. I use a t-rig a lot to dial in the bite. I could go from a swim bait, to a buzz frog, to a worm, to a flipping creature, in short order, until I get some idea of what’s happening. If I’m catching them on a flip bait or worm, I’ll very likely give the jig a shot. If I get a single good bite on a jig, I will stick with it, until I’m confident that’s not the deal. If it’s a super tough bite, a jig is what I lean towards.

I am hoarding pitbosses like crazy. I expect the price to go up, but not bad. I think tackle warehouse has them listed for 3.99 per 8. They are now in the powerbait line. I believe the havoc line is gone. Havoc and others came along when the economy was hurting, it’s sad to see it go away. I’m still thankful that Berkley kept the pitboss, it’s my favorite flipping bait.

I just got a Fuego CT, for my dad and me. I got the 8.1 ratio reel, it’s my first Daiwa and I’m pretty excited about it. It’s going on my 7’1” mh mojo, still tossing around whether I want 30lb or 65lb power pro on it. I have a ton of Shimanos, and got the 7.1 Casitas last fall. I love that reel too, but I’m going to dedicate it lighter baits, as it casts a mile with a weightless senko. You can’t go wrong with either from what I can tell, but I can only recommend the Casitas as I haven’t used the Daiwa yet. I’d lock one of each down on your rod and pick the one that feels best.

I have my pumps running all day when I derby fish, on auto, not recirc. I’ve used G juice and please release me with great results.

The original PT rods were awesome, I own one and like it. I think they make fine gear.

Thanks for sharing this, and nice research! My dad and I are both big on shimano, but Daiwa has been putting out some impressive looking stuff. I just ordered a Fuego ct100h for my dad for his birthday and a Fuego ct100xs for myself. I’m excited about them, they feel very palmable, much like my old curado 100b’s. I have a Casitas, great casting reel btw, a good finesse reel, I just cant seem to get too comfortable palming it, but I like it none the less. I am anxious for our new reels, anxious to try an 8:1.1 ratio reel for bottom contact, I have high hopes for the Daiwa.

Baitcasters: 30lb power pro, jigs and frogs 65lb. Spinning: 10 or 20lb power pro

Sweet! I have some of my dads bantams from the early 80s. I will use his favorite one for grins from time to time. We have both moved on to newer 100 and 200b reels. That’s a cool reel, looks to share the same handle and star drag as the curado of that era. Enjoy!

Like everyone I have many different frogs. My favorite and go to are the scum frog trophy in 5/8, white or chartreuse

I think a lot of that is personal preference, some may not agree. I like a 6-8 or 6-10, 7’ max for a lot of my jig fishing. I do think the longer rods move more line quicker on the hookset but it won’t give you more power over a shorter rod. If it were me, I’d go 7’.

I like HMGs, but I ended up with an HMX instead, I like it! I didn’t care for the longer handle on the hmg, but that’s me. Don’t have a bass x but I like how they feel. I have two of those mojos, love em. One of my favorite rods. The sc3 gens are softer in the tip and better balanced. I’m also a fan of the tried and true ecs reel seat.

I have confidence in any of them. The senko is hard to beat, but I think the softest is the wave worm tiki stick. I use dingers, old gander house brand, just tried the shim e stick and like it too. I probably never need senko style stick baits again as I have a large Rubbermaid full, but when I do buy them now I try different brands, usually the cheapest I can get. I use a couple basic colors and that’s it.

Sorry about that. ?‍♂️ Yup bullet style for me.

That rod balances really well, I enjoyed mine.

I don’t really think so. Maybe the top guys, maybe. I know one guy in FLW who uses factory St. Croix, nothing different.

No, I wouldn’t worry.

7’mh Avid X.

I use a c-rig as a search bait, locating bottom and stuff. It can be hard to get a good hookset on a c-rig at time, especially with a heavy weight. I use a smaller split shot a lot more because it can be easily adjusted, and is pretty stealthy. I fish a t-rig the most, pitching and roll casting at specific targets. Lol ya beat me to it.

Lots of options. The premier is a very durable rod, one of my all time favorites. I got a vendetta last year I liked, but unfortunately it broke on me. I got a Fenwick HMX recently that I like. Bass x feels nice, much like the old mojo but maybe a bit better balanced. A 7’mh from most manufacturers will handle jigs fine, just dial your drag back when fishing cranks.

I use 1/8th the most. 1/16th, 1/8th, 1/4, 3/8th, and 1/2. Punching I use 3/4 and 1 ounce.

Finnz922, you bring up a good question and some valid points, I also agree OkobojiEagle about balance. I think your wrist is constantly “fighting” an unbalanced rod, and it may cut down on what your brain may be able to tell you your hands are sensing. Line is a big one as well. Good dense copoly or braid will level the playing field. Sensitivity varies by user, but to me some of my sub $80 rods are my most sensitive ones. We can talk about “graphite” and weight, and modulus, and stiffness to weight ratio. Give me some braid, on a balanced modern day rod built by whoever and I’ll forget about all that. I’m very mechanical, I like the thought of a technical high dollar rod, I just don’t think it usually matters much from a sensitivity standpoint. Just my two cents.