LionHeart

The original Tatula Med/Heavy 7'2" is rated 1/4-1 oz. It throws 1/4 well, and even though I believe it could handle an ounce, about 3/4 is where it starts to get above its sweet spot. Diawa for some reason rated it as a "Regular" action which is supposed to be on the fast side of moderate-fast but if you line 10 guys up and don't tell them the rod rating, they will all say it is a medium heavy, fast action rod. I use it mainly for lighter jigs and texas rigs because it handles light weights well, but is also great up to around 3/4 oz total lure weight. Very sensitive and well built rod. The only thing I'd change is maybe add a little length to the handle but other than that, it's pretty near perfect. Definitely worth some consideration, especially for $100.

I would get the cheapest you can find. Lb test doesn't matter at all.

I'm a Lews reel fan, but I gotta admit the Diawa Tatula reels have a better brake system(magforce), or at least in the same price range. If you can find one for 100, jump on it. As for rods, the original Tatula rods can be had for $100 on EBay. Dare I say you will not get more rod for the money. They are outstanding. What weights are you looking to throw?

+1 on all of this. Check Craigslist and you can usually save $. It don't need to be anything fancy, but a mushroom is really not the best design.

Yeah man, in water with low vis it's always good to have darker colors. I like black and blue flake, but can be any variant of a really dark color (plum is pretty good). This used to not make sense to me at all, but the idea is that the lure needs to be darker than the water, or much lighter (white, chartreuse, etc). If the bass can't find the lure, it can't eat it. Big willow leaf spinner bait, chatter bait, etc. may help because it will put off vibrations to help the bass find it, where as a worm will give much less vibration, so it needs to be easy for the fish to see. It's okay if it doesn't look super realistic because in dark water the bass don't get a good look at it. But if you have a lot of vegetation, I'd stick with something you can Texas rig. You will learn to detest carp. Look on the bright side, at least you didn't get skunked in 110 degrees. I seldom punch, because I it takes gear that is pretty stout, and I almost never bring that type of gear. If you have a fairly stout rod, try punching it with a 1 oz or so bullet weight. Also I'd recommend heavy braid.

I'd say try a darker worm if the water clarity was what you say. Although that's odd considering all the vegetation. I do tend to get hung up less using a straight shank hook, and smaller weight (think 3/16). The other day I was fishing vegetation that I wasn't rigged to punch through. I wound up dragging a trigged worm or lizard over it, and then letting it drop down off the edge. On the way down, it would usually land on submerged salad, at which point I would slowly drag the worm through. Had a great trip. Although, the water was quite clear, so YMMV.

All the time. I'm usually the guy getting waved at.

Wind may have changed? Or the tree moved. LOL

Oh, I get it now. Thanks man.

Thanks for the feedback. Honestly, once an FG knot is properly tied, I see no reason to ever use anything else. I believe it to be stronger than many terminal knots if not most, and I don't think it's up for debate that it is the thinnest.

Not really sure I understand what you're saying but the size of hole on the guides of the rod I own is what I measured since that's what the knot has to pass through. As long as the hole is equal to or greater on the size 5 guides, I expect no issues.

You know what, that's not a bad idea at all. Thanks for the suggestion man. I've measured the inner diameter of the guides on another rod that I know for sure works well with the leader knot, and they came out to just under 4mm. Monday I will stop by Cabelas and measure the guides on the Zolo. I think that should give me a good idea of yay or nay on the size 5's. Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

You feel bad about eating a burger or hot dog? I mean, like, for the animal? Nah, gotta say I don't understand that mentality even a little bit. To answer your question, I don't feel that way about fish either.

Very reassuring to hear. Thanks man.

Hey guys, I'm having a rod made by ALX and am wondering about what size line guides I should get. The rod is being built on a ZOLO model blank, and I understand that they typically use #5 guide size for the length of the rod. I will be using 50 lb. braid to 20 lb. leader (FG) on this setup and am concerned about the leader knot passing the guides. I plan to run a 6 foot leader so it will definitely go through every guide while reeling in and casting. I was able to see this rod in a local Cabelas and the guides look tiny compared to what I am used to. I sent an email to ALX to inquire about this, and was told that I should expect no issues, however I didn't specify the size line that I use. Anyway, to me this is a pretty big purchase, so I'm being pretty particular. Should I go up to a #6 guide? I'd just hate to have the rod made, then find out I should have bumped up to #6 size guides from the beginning. Any advice at all would be very appreciated.

"Okay just 3 more casts" just before loading back up at the ramp has saved me from a surprising number of skunk days. I'd try cranking and dragging that ledge to the northeast for certain.

Thanks guys! Really close to pulling the trigger on one. Only 2 more weeks of donating plasma.

Everyone recommending the Promise, would I be able to pass a braid to leader knot through the guides? Not trying to thread jack, but have been eyeballing this exact rod for a while now and plan to use it for bottom contact as well.

1/8 oz is a pretty light weight. That will make it fairly tough to keep your bait on the bottom unless you are dragging it really, really slow and there is nearly zero wind or current. Be prepared to drag super duper slow, or maybe go to a 3/16 or dare I say 1/4 oz weight. $20 says you notice a huge difference. If you aren't able to feel the bottom with your bait, you're just kinda guessing. P.S. Sometimes it's just a dang blue gill.

I've been using a boat for the past two seasons. You know what I learned? To fully take advantage, you need some sort of electronics. Reading topo maps and speculating what it looks like below water based on what it looks like above water can only take you so far in my experience. Is a boat more fun? I say so whole heartedly. I've had a chance to see and fish so many parts of the lake that I never would have been able to from shore. I'm talking about an old... real old Jon boat and 15 up motor, so nothing fancy. Do I catch more fish from a boat than shore? Kinda a toss up. I just sold the Jon, and bought one of those 2 man plastic pontoon boats. Had it out a few times and have been having a total blast. No need for a trailer, or a ramp for that matter. I can launch it almost anywhere.

Next time you get snagged, try letting out some extra line and wrapping it around something like a paddle, or a healthy stick if you're on the bank. Using rod and reel to free a snag may come around to bite you. Not trying to tell you how to free a snag, just offering a suggestion. Glad the knot is working great. I have thought about giving it a try but am hooked (no pun) on the FG.

I assume you're talking about spinning gear here but may be wrong. I use braid to leader on ever setup I have and the knot reaching my spinning reel doesn't bother me or cause problems. Feel free to make it as long as you want. With casting gear I typically make the leader just long enough so that the joining knot doesn't go into my reel when I cast( 5-6) foot leader. I've tied longer leaders, and the knot goes around my spool a few times. Meh, doesn't really cause any problems. After a few retires the leader is short enough for that not to happen. Then again, it takes some time to tie a leader knot, so I don't like to do it any more often than I have to.

I said the exact same thing. In fact I kinda expected to hate the foam handle. After using it for a while I gotta say I don't mind it at all. It has a dense premium feel and gives decent grip. Would I rather have cork now? Kind of a toss up. Winn grips are still my favorite.

Yeah man, it retails for $150 on a lot of places but for $100 it's a no brainer. I couldn't decide between the heavy and medium heavy so I got both. The medium heavy is the one you want. The Heavy is pretty dang stout, more of a frog and heavy jig rod IMO. The medium heavy has plenty of back bone and a tip that is just right.

I own a Bass X med-heavy in moderate fast and absolutely love it. I have used it for just about everything and it is super versatile. If 100 bucks is your budget, I'd highly recommend a Diawa Tatula (original, not XT model). I use the 7'2" med-heavy for Texas rig and jigs up to half ounce plus trailer. It is labeled as a 'Regular taper but is a fast to moderate fast rod all day, and would be considered fast action by many. IMO perfect for these baits. Can be had brand new shipped for $100-$110 from EBay. Very sensitive as well. On the low end it tosses 3/16 bullet weight and trick worm quite well. I say easily your best option.