r83srock

Can’t say on the 200, but the 150 is the same as the 200 with a bit smaller spool and I was pleasantly surprised at its capabilities.

I use a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass 7’1” MHXF casting rod for 1/4oz jigs. It’s discontinued but I’m sure the equivalent in the Victory and LTB lines would be great. 7’1” MHF. I always prefer casting for jigs. I also have the 7’3” HXF victory and really like it for 3/8-3/4 jigs too.

That really a bummer. I like to keep water in my livewell, full, and pumps running with please release me. When I get one I can set her in quick, get my camera ready, set it up on my rear chair, gently grab the fish, hit the 10 sec timer, and snap the shot or two. 30 sec max. I think tournaments are a big one. I’ve had big fish die in the livewell but not in a long time. When it happened it was in the heat of the summer. I got to thinking of this recently. I think I’m going to avoid summer tournaments in the future. Our club started doing fall only tournaments and not only were there less people on the water but the fishing is better and I think the livewells have less of an effect on fish when the water is cool and everything is working correctly. Stuff happens, the fact that it eats at your brother that the big fish died is ok. He will be a better conservationist than most in the future. The amount of big bass that are kept through the ice in my neck of the woods far outweighs that one incident, and would make any of us sick.

The 7’ mh Aird x is my favorite moving bait rod. It can do what a lot of mediums can do but still hit the upper weight range. And when you need to fish a bottom contact bait in a pinch, it’s up to the task. I’d always recommend it and it throws down with rods 2-3 times the price.

I do not have the mojo Spinnerbait rod but have heard great things. I have upgraded to Victory and legend tournament rods but the 7’1” mojo is a rod that can do alot of things well. I believe they have it in 2 piece as well.

I fish a bitsy bug jig with zoom super chunk and a Ned most of the time. I like a wacky and t rigged fluke when conditions are right also. The water temp is 44 right now and a jig n pig and Ned will work until deer season comes (ice). Certain times of the year the smallies will get in the wood so deep, and the duckweed will blow in and Matt up, I’ll use a 3/4oz punch rig with a pit boss. Only thing I do different from punching for largemouth is go from a 4/0 to a 3/0 hook.

I just got home from my best fishing trip of the year! Great day. Air temp was 55 and water temp was 49. Most fish came on a jig today. I did throw an A rig today some and decided to try it with my Tatula 150 on my Falcon EVO “amistad”. Caught 2 on it, one was a good one. Worked perfect!

Sweet post Rick! I’m a long time St. Croix user and was always intrigued by falcon. I needed a frog rod this summer and was in Walmart one day getting a few things. Was checking out the fishing department and saw they had Falcon EVO rods. I remembered handling some original buccos in the store, the only place I know of near me that has falcons. I picked up the 7’3” Heavy Falcon EVO and have been pleasantly surprised by it! For $80 it’s a really good rod. Great frog rod for me. It has the power I expect with a soft tip for accuracy. I’ve even thrown a jig some with it and it’s right at home there too, plenty sensitive. It’s not as light as some rods I have, but balances well with a Daiwa Fuego CT. I would like to try a Tatula 150 also. I can’t imagine how nice the higher end lines are but wouldn’t mind finding out.

I had 1 SLX when it first came out and unfortunately the anti reverse gave out after 3 months. My local shop took great care of me and I traded it for a Tatula ct which I’ve had no issues. I also bought 3 SLX mgls, the first one being a jdm and a slightly shorter handle. I like these reels a lot, very good casters and palm great. I did have a anti reverse bearing separate on 1, causing the reel handle to freely spin backwards. I was able to put the bearing together and it’s been working fine since, strange. It’s got me a little spooked but I still really like these reels. I would consider these reels for general purpose use, but would still chose the tatula 150 for heavy cover situations due to the double bearing supported pinion gear and dual aluminum side plates.

I had 4 Curado K reels and no longer have any. They were nice, but fussy. All of mine needed the plastic piece glued on the thumb bar. I found them to palm nice to me, but I feel the tatula 150 is a better reel overall. It’s a full frame reel but still palms well. It’s a tank, and perfect for frogging/ punching. But I can still throw a senko weightless if need be. Not sure if the Curado M will be an improvement, hope so. I too am a long time user of Curado B reels.

For those jigs I like a St. Croix Victory 7’3”H XF . I use 30lb braid however.

The first gen mojo was introduced in 2009, I actually got my hands on one in 2008 before release, and wore that thing out! It was a 6’6” jignworm. These rods were some of the first rods made in St Croixs Mexico plant. A lot of rods in that $100 range were introduced during the heart of the recession, and anglers got a lot of bang for the buck, especially with these. These were made up until 2016 with the 2nd generation mojo using sc3 graphite.

I have seen this myself. Underneath certain light conditions I can see flouro easily. I think bass see line but don’t think it makes a difference. I was recently experimenting with flouro again but it’s back to mono and braid for me.

I started taking wrb advice. I like 6lb yo zuri hybrid and 8 lb Trilene xl on my Daiwa 2500s.

Just a good all around spinning rod for bass fishing. It’s all I use when it comes to spinning rods, anything from a Ned to a wacky worm.

I agree. Also, put a bit of pressure on the fish, just pull into them lightly, sometimes they will really clamp down onto that jig and get it even better. Then take up slack and reel/pull all in one motion, and keep reeling.

Use the Spinnerbait to locate fish. Once you find them slow down and pick the area in general. Of course in the spring or on a cloudy windy day I could throw a Spinnerbait all day. This would apply if I’m fishing the bank or from a boat. I would give the chatterbaits to a kid.

What techniques are you using? What is your budget? You can find the previous model Mojo bass on sale right now, many places online.

Straight braid. If fishing open water rock I’ll go straight mono.

I struggle with: Drop shots (rather throw a Ned or grub) whopper ploppers ( buzz baits are better) carolina rigs (I don’t crank much but I’d prefer it over a c rig) bladded jigs (spinnerbaits or swim jigs all day) My strengths: Jigs T rigs Frogs spinnerbait

I have the victory 7’3” HXF. To me it feels like a strong MH. It’s a good all arounder as well as jigs, plenty sensitive to me. The 7’4” H is a rod a use for heavy frogging and flipping/punching. But I like to fish braid on a lot of setups and prefer a bit softer rod for jigs/t rigs anyway.

It’s about the “pistol” grip design in the big swimbait rods. The reel seat issues are true. My club is all St. Croix. Lots of issues with latest Bass X and early victory. My local shop agrees. St. Croix changed the seat design in the Bass X for a reason, because the previous design didn’t work. St. Croix also makes it right if you have an issue. I had a seat fail on a early Victory, the company made it right and I have had no issues on the latest version. I have another friend who has had issues with the new legend tournament seats, I have not had an issue with mine. I believe the issues were/are more of an adhesive problem and not so much a problem with the seats themselves. Either way, St. Croix knows what’s going on and has and will make it right, they are still great.

I throw a lot of 1/8oz bullet weight t rigs, it’s my preferred weight even in heavy cover, just drop it in holes. I can go from a beaver bait to a senko to a small swim bait and never have to retie, very versatile. I have the Fuego ct, Tatula ct, Tatula sv, Tatula 150, SLX mgl (3 of them). I also have a fleet of b series Curados(200s and 100s). I like all of these reels but I would pick the SLX mgl everytime. It’s capable from light to heavy and is the most comfortable reel I’ve ever used. The tatula 150 is a better palming reel to me than the ct frame, and really surprised me for light baits also. The tatula sv will cast light lures with ease also, great for skipping, but it isn’t “better” than the mgl. I had the standard SLX, nice reel at the price point but I would spend extra and get the mgl, it’s a smoother reel to me also.

My essential list, 4 casting and 1 spinning. This covers my style of fishing on any of my local lakes and rivers. I usually keep 8-12 rods in the boat with dedicated top water and cranking rods, and an extra spinning rod, but these five I can live with comfortably. - St. Croix Bass X 7’4” heavy fast Daiwa Tatula 150 7:1. 50lb power Pro - St. Croix Victory 7’3” Heavy XF Daiwa Fuego ct 8:1 30lb power pro - St. Croix Legend Tournament 7’3” MH fast Daiwa Tatula SV 7:1 30lb power pro - St. Croix Legend Tournament 7’1” Medium heavy XF Daiwa Tatula SV 7:1 16lb Yo Zuri flouro - St. Croix 7’ Medium fast spinning rod Daiwa regal 2500 6:1 6lb yo zuri hybrid

This is how I approach docks too. I absolutely do not want to damage someone’s property in any way, or give the impression I am. There’s some Karen’s, but there are plenty of nasty fishermen who won’t think twice about snagging someone’s boat cover. Gives the rest of us a bad look