r83srock

7’4” Heavy Fast St. Croix -punching -flipping -big jig on weedlines -frog in heavy slop -A rig In a pinch I’ve thrown 6” weightless senkos and 1/8oz bullet t-rigged beavers and it handles that fine too. It’s a must have rod for me. My next heaviest is a St. Croix Victory 7’3” Heavy XF and that like a strong MH. It’s a perfect 3/8-1/2 jig n pig rod.

Tatula 150 7:1. 50 lb power pro

I received my magazine also. I enjoy reading the list. Im not sure if these lists are good or bad. It does seem fisheries that make the list will get busy for awhile.

You have a right to be annoyed and I would have been too. It sounds like you and I would have handled it the same though. Just let it go. I certainly wouldn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings. I had a Curado K I dropped on concrete. It didn’t ding it up bad at all but left a few small scratches on the top of the reel. I took meguires plast x to it and lightly rubbed with a microfiber cloth, could hardly tell anything ever happened! I’d give that a try. I try hard to keep my things nice, but at the end of the day it’s just “stuff”. I’d use the reel and enjoy it. Go catch a 5 lber and you will forget all about it.

I started on a zebco 202, Berkley bionic rod. Not too bad of a setup for a kid! My next setup was a hand me down Shimano bantam 10xg with no anti reverse and a well used Berkley lightning rod. It was an upgrade and I caught everything on that setup. It was a 6’ pistol grip rod and I used 14 lb Trilene xl. This was mid 90s.

I don’t know anything about the three rods you listed, sorry. I like a St. Croix Victory 7’3” HXF for what you listed. Weights up to 3/4oz. I fish jigs in milfoil a lot.

Straight braid. I like 30lb for most casting applications.

For almost all jig duty 1/4-3/4oz I use: St. Croix Victory 7’3” HXF Daiwa Tatula SV 7:1 30lb power pro I throw anything on this rod in a pinch.

I don’t punch a lot and I don’t have the exact rods you are enquiring about but close. I had the Mojo Bass 7’11” flipping rod and couldn’t get comfortable with it at all. I ended up with a Mojo Bass and Bass X 7’ 4” H and it works great for me. The little bit I punch it works great, otherwise I have an A rig tied on or a frog. Punching is pretty vertical and don’t think you need a super long rod imo.

Coming from a long time Curado user, I feel the SLX mgl is a sleeper. I ended up selling my newer curados for SLX mgls. They are as smooth as any I’ve used in the $200 price point imo and just work. They palm perfectly in my hand also. I wear an xl size glove and I don’t feel the reel is too small.

My cousin used gl3 and st croix avid for years and preferred his avids. I have limited experience with loomis but had many avids myself. I feel the St. Croix victory is a step up over the old avid. 7’3” HXF rocks for jigs. 4.3 oz on my scale.

Slightly different paint, different spool, different handle knobs.

I have this rod and agree it is not a true heavy. It’s a great jig rod, sensitive, strong. It’s got more backbone than a standard mh but a soft tip yet. I like it for frogs, but love it for jigs. I think I could through most lures in my boat on it. It’s light, but a touch tip heavy so I prefer a average weight reel on it, like a Daiwa Fuego Ct. I highly recommend it.

Agreed. The ones I had are what I started on and believe they were 5 bearing reels, made by silstar (pinnacle). Woo Daves had a signature line of extreme rods and reels. Rick Clunn had a signature line also that were quite nice, the rods had sic guides. I don’t know anything about newer bps stuff but anytime I’ve held a carbonlite or Johnny morris rod in store they have felt quite nice.

Good quote! I have sent in one reel over the years and that was a Curado K I sent to DVT last fall. He was great, very quick and professional. Called me at like 8pm his time to confirm something with me. Only time I’ve used him but if I have an issue with a reel again, he’s getting the business.

I love the two SVs I have, one older one new, so smooth! What happened to your 150? I bought one last year for frogging and it’s been a beast, hope it stays that way.

I think what you have covers a lot of bases. I agree with WIGuide that you may want to add a medium heavy fast casting setup sometime, to round things out, but what you have should work fine for now. Definitely look at the back of the boat as a learning experience, but don’t be afraid to throw something completely different than the guy in the front. Finesse tactics can be hard to beat. Treat your boater and his equipment with respect and he will be very accommodating for you most likely, and just have fun!

I throw sk 2.5 and storm arashi flat sides.

I plan on using my 7’1” mhxf legend tournament casting more for 5” senkos this year. I like a 7’ m spinning rod for skipping wacky rigs and a 7’4” h frog rod for heavy cover, especially when using a 6” senko.

For both species I would choose: 5” stick worm super fluke 4” beaver 3.5” tube 5” grub

I have enjoyed my Hank Parker Lews rods. Mine are the silver/orange ones. They are light and strong, no issues with sensitivity. The guides are a bit cheap, but ok for the value of the rod. The Daiwa Aird X are the best value in the $50 price range. The 7’ mh is so versatile, and has a good build. I feel like with Fuji Alconite guides this rod would go for $150. The Berkley lightning rod is pretty good also. For my uses the 7’ medium mod fast makes an excellent crankbait rod. I use mine for traps alot. I had a Curado k on it and it felt perfect. Going to mess around more with a Abu max x I picked up due to slower gear ratio. I will spend the coin on a jig/worm rod if it fits the bill, but I have no shame in using cheaper rods/reels as utility rods.

I use a St. Croix Mojo bass 7’4” Heavy Fast and a Shimano Curado 200k 8.5:1 ratio reel, 50lb power pro. Length is preference, but I like something in the 7’2”-7’4” range. You want a rod that is light and balanced so not to wear you out fishing it all day, a soft tip to allow the fish to take the bait a bit and not pull it away, but a strong backbone. You don’t want a pool cue, but it needs to be strong enough to handle some pressure. A fast reel is nice also, along with braided line.

I keep a two piece in the truck. From the bank I bring 1. Kayak I’ll bring two. I’ve had as many as 15 in my boat, but that doesn’t do me any good. 5 or 6 is fine by me. I have a bunch of unused rods that need to find a new home.

Sweet deal! I like the older bass x rods a lot. I’ve used my 7’1” mh for pretty much anything in its weight range. The 7’4” H is great for frogs/punching/big jigs/a-rigs like a yum flash mob jr. I do not have experience with the 7’11” H in bass x but I have used the mojo bass, it would be great for monster deep divers and big a-rigs/swim baits.

I agree on taking ownership in your mistake. Either way, you got him in the boat and next time I’m sure you will grab the net. Awesome smallie!!