LionHeart

That is the rod I most regret selling

I have the "Moving Baits" Tatula, but use it for small bottom contact. I have owned two other generations of Tatula rods, and the new reel seat doesn't seem to affect sensitivity to me. Personally I think people make too much out of reel seat design being exposed vs not exposed blank. I think Diawa did a fantastic job with the new Tatulas.

I am perpetually on the search for the perfect light texas rig rod. I own the Falcon Lowrider Finesse Jig rod, but lately have been using a Diawa Tatula "Moving Baits" model. It is described as a square bill and top water rod, but I like it very well for light texas rig. I like throwing trick worms, small craws, baby brush hogs, and lizards on it, and it does that well. It is rated Medium Mod-Fast, so it may be too whippy for some. Diawa also makes a "Light Texas Rig" version. It is the same rod but with a fast action tip. I think it would be an excellent, excellent choice.

Falcon "All Arounder" wound be an excellent choice for what you are looking to do. It is a light, and fairly balanced rod, that will do well with everything except really light, and really heavy stuff. For the reel, I'd get a Lews Tournament MB or LFS if you wanna save a few bucks. Love Diawa rods but not a fan of their reels for every situation. Their braking is fantastic, and the cast great. They just aren't as palmable to me personally and the T Wing is kind of a gimmick.

Doesn't it have 15 lbs? Isn't the drag 15 lbs?

Marketing hype can be pervassive, especially for the bass fishing community. For years people used flourocarbon because they were told it was a line with low stretch. Even though it should be well known by now as a false claim, the use of flouro remains popular. Personally I do not use it for anything.

That's a pretty long leader but I definitely wouldn't say it defeats the purpose of using braid. A 30 yard cast is 90 feet. I use a pretty long leader myself, but mainly because the FG knot is a pain to tie.

Yeah man conventionally I'd say people prefer faster rods for t-rig fishing. I find that having a slower rod helps me cast farther and with more accuracy, and keep fish pinned a little easier. Fishing braid to leader lets me get away with using a little more of a limber rod. I have yet to find the perfect affordable rod for light t-rigs. I am am alternating between the Falcon and a Tatula Top Water model if that tells you anything. I would fall a little outside the norm with this I admit.

To be honest, I can't think of a single reason to use braid for every single technique. It has cons of course, like anything else, but they are far overshadowed by the many benefits. Obviously not everyone will agree, but I think braid will always be objectively the best option hands down. Either way, if you're thinking about getting that particular rod you should just pull the trigger. It isn't life changing, but a very decent rod no doubt about it.

The Trap Caster is a phenomenal rod in so many ways. One thing to know is that it is a fairly slowish action. To me this is a good thing, but worlds apart from XF for sure.

Yeah man I think I have to. Thanks for the info

I hope my critique of the rod was clear. When I say the tip is light, I'm referring to the balance of the rod. The power and speed of the tip is just what I want it to be. I fish T-rig with braid to leader so I enjoy rods that are slightly slower and lower power even for bottom contact. Having said that, in my estimation, the rod would do totally fine with mono, or flouro mainline using 3/0 hooks and below. I realize my first post could be taken to say the rod is slow or light in power (which it kinda sorta is), but totally capable for small bottom contact with smallish baits.

That's the rod I have. I absolutely love the rod and it if yours doesn't do it that gives me hope. Just checked Tackle Warehouse and they are out of stock so a return is not looking good. Wonder if I could file a warranty claim with Diawa? Anybody had any luck doing that? Thanks

Why did you have to go and say that?😜

Seems to be a Tatula problem. Got one when they first came out years ago. It did the same thing, and I just returned it for refund. The one I just bought years later does the same thing. Kinda worried if I exchange it, the new rod will do the same. I feel like my options are to put up with it, or fix it.

I bought the Low Rider Finesse Jig rod searching for the perfect light T-Rig rod (3/16 maybe 1/8 weight). It is a great rod no doubt. It handles 3/16 plus small plastic great, and I'd even throw a 1/4 finesse jig on it without thinking twice. Great for a bank fishing rod. Good length, light, sensitive. I will always have a gripe about something, and my one gripe about this rod (besides being split grip) is that it is almost too light in the tip. Usually I want a bottom contact rod to be as light (balance wise) in the tip as possible, but the finesse jig rod I feel like it could actually stand to be a little heavier at the tip. A weird complaint I realize, but it's just a weird feeling and hard to describe using a rod this balanced toward the butt. I guess I haven't really decided if this is a complaint or not, just an observation. Either way, I'd totally buy it again. It is a fantastic rod for light single hook baits, and while I was afraid it would be too short being a 6'10" it totally doesn't feel that way at all.

Yeah man, of course it matters. The only thing I have to add is that a high gear ratio real is a "higher gear ratio." This means if you try to use an 8:1 reel with a moving bait with a large amount of resistance (like 10XD or even a big spinner bait) you will absolutely notice the difference of torque your reel is not providing (meaning it will wear you out). Obviously this isn't a problem with a little squarebill. In my opinion, a 7, or maaaaybe 6 'speed' is right for a square bill. I can't think of anything I'd use a 5 'speed' for except possibly a 10XD if I didn't have a 6 'speed' available.

I am using one of the newer Tatula Top Water rods for small T-Rigs and while I love so much about it, there is something that drives me crazy. If you own one, you may have already guessed what I'm about to say. There is the tinniest bit of flex, or movement where the cork handle meets the reel seat. I thought I could ignore it, but I can't. Such a beautiful and otherwise well made rod is made to feel so Mickey Mouse ever single time I feel that movement. I have really tried but cannot tell whether this movement is coming from the cork, or the reel seat. At this point I'm prepared to drill a whole in the offending piece and inject some epoxy or general purpose adhesive goo in hopes of filling whatever void is allowing this movement. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Did ya do anything to fix it? Did it work? Thanks

I'd go with 40 LB. mainline for general purpose. Anything less than 40 and with some techniques your line will dig into itself on the spool if your hook set has authority. 30 isn't too bad honestly, but 40 is even less so. For the leader, I'm a mono leader guy. I have tried all kinds of flouro and just not personally a fan. I swear by either Trilene Big Game or Andes monofilament. Andes is a little stiffer than Big Game. Are there better monofilaments out there? sure, but not better enough to justify the price. I use 12-15 Lb. test for leaders and have always been very happy there. As for leader knots. No matter what anyone tells you, don't listen to them, listen to me. Learn to tie the FG knot, and tie it well. Don't think you are tying it well, know you are. When this happens, you will know what I mean. It is the thinnest and yes, strongest line-to-leader knot there is. It can be a bear to tie properly, but if you do it right you won't need to do it often. Hope this helps man.

Lots of insight so far. Thanks guys. Not to sound like a noob but should I not be concerned about scaring fish if I idle over them? This would be one of my reservations about mountind side scan on the back.

Hey guys, so I've got two different 'fish finders,' and I'm trying to decide the best location for each. One is a Lowrance Elite 9Ti2 (which has side scan, and the other is Lowrance Elite 5HDI (downscan only). My thinking is to put the 9Ti on the front trolling motor as forward facing, and the 5HDI on the transom as rear facing. My line of thinking is that I typically select spots by looking at charts, and then fish them the next day. I don't typically spent much time idling and looking at imaging. Mounting the 9Ti would allow me to get the most from side scan capability of the 9Ti, while still having down scan at the rear of the boat. I'm fairly novice with sonar, so any suggestions or insight would be very much appreciated. Thanks

Should just be able to do it. Click on Forums, then Flea Market. What is happening instead?

40 lb Power Pro braid with 15 or 20 lb Trilene Big Game leader. Learn the FG knot and learn it well. This is the way.

Had some of my reels for 7-8 seasons and haven't touched the drag since I first set it. Haven't seen any difference in performance. If you like to loosen your drag, I can't see any harm, but in my experience there is no reason to. I'm the type that would forget to reset it until I tried to set a hook.

Guys I'm looking to replace a full bearing kit for one of my Lews Tournament MB casting reels. I've had the reel for a few seasons (about 6 years), and have been noticing the casting distance isn't what it should be, and has been getting worse over time. I'm really thinking it wouldn't do any harm to give the reel a new set of bearings while I have it opened up for servicing. Can anyone recommend a good bearing set for this reel? I have never personally replaced bearings in a reel, but am comfortable breaking them down for service. Thanks!