LionHeart

Ahhh, Croak I hear what you're say'n and I'm really on the fence. The piece of mind would be nice but 60 lbs is a lot to hump to some of these remote places. Academy has a decent sale on batteries. Gonna go today on lunch break and check them out. If I feel that the 60 lbs is manageable, I'll go with the big boy. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks for the reply man. Going to look at a 50 lb thrust tomorrow. It's a deal I can't pass up. Now to batteries. Since a trolling motor will be my only propulsion, I want plenty of power without having to buy a battery that weighs 60 lbs. I'm thinking about buying two 40 AH batteries that weigh 20 lbs each. That way, if I know I'm going on a short trip, I only have to bring a single 20 lb battery, and for longer trips I can bring both. Also if one goes down, I will have a spare. In your experience, does this sound like a plan? Or should I just suck it up and buy a single massive battery? 60 lbs sounds pretty rough to be dragging through some of the areas I plan to fish.

Hey guys, I just got a really sweet deal on a little 8 ft Sun Dolphin plastic pontoon boat from Bass Pro. If anyone is thinking about getting one, I can tell you how to save a bit of cash on it. I'm trying to decide on the right trolling motor for this thing. Is this one of those "get the biggest you can afford" times? I'm kinda stuck between a 40 and 55 lb thrust. Would a 55 lb be worth the extra $? I'm super excited to fish this thing. Thanks.

In that case what you have there is a very versitile reel. IMO it would be too slow for jigs and texas rigs but would be excellent at almost literally everything else. Not to say you couldn't use it for jigs and texas rig, of course you could, but I believe a faster reel to be ideal.

Depends on the gear ratio.

I also have the 7'2" Tatula MH. It is good for a lot of things and quite sensitive but IMO 1/2 jig plus a trailer is as heavy as I does well with. Anything over that and it starts to feel a smidge over powered.

Gonna be tough to find a rod that can do all that honestly. I own a Bass X 7'4" med/heavy and it is a very versatile rod. IMO, it has a unique action that allows it to do many things well. 25 ft. Crankbait? If you mean I 10XD, I wouldn't recommend throwing a 2 ounce lure on it. A Berkley Dredger would be fine though. As for jigs, I've thrown plenty of 3/8 and half ounce jigs on this rod and it does well. There are more sensitive rods of course, but not necessarily as versitile. It does have a moderate fast tip, which some don't prefer for bottom contact lures, but I do. I like a spinner bait type rod for jigs and IMO that is what St. Croix had in mind with this rod. Never tried it for lighter top water lures other than buzz baits. It may not be ideal for lighter stuff like 1/4 ounce poppers and such.

May be in the minority here but I'd see how it fishes. Odds are just fine. I'd find something else to worry about. How much did you pay for this rod?

One sweet looking reel.

If I could only have one reel to do it all, it would be a 7 speed (or around 30ish) inch per turn. Have never tried any of those models but read great things about them all. From my findings, the most universally well reviewed would be the Curado.

I like your style. I am quite harder to please when it comes to rods than I am with reels. I typically will not buy something if I can't get some kind of deal on it. To answer the posted question though, 25% is 25%, don't see how it matters much if the saving is on a rod or reel.

The other day I was fishing a cove in mid afternoon and really started to feel it. Stripped down to my undies, climbed over the bow of the boat, and lowered myself down into the water. What a relief. Also, good to take plenty of cold water (more) than you think you will need). Heat injury is something to take seriously.

I own 2 original Tatula rods, a 7'2" MH 'Regular'and the Heavy Fast version. Great rods. I find the MH to be more sensitive, and use it for mostly Texas Rigs 3/8 ounce to 3/16 ounce weights but it works great with 1/2 ounce jig plus trailer although I personally wouldn't go heavier than than by much. To me it is a perfect medium heavy with a responsive tip. Not sure why Diawa Doesn't just call it fast action. Some people have said that means it is somewhat of a moderate tip, but I'm here to tell you it ain't. It is excellent for single hook baits. Perfect amount of flex and backbone. The Heavy version is a bit more stout of course and the tip is quite fast. I'd like to see it with a smidge more give but it throws 3/8 ounce baits well and 1/2 ounce baits great. It is a fairly sensitive rod but not as much so as the Med/Heavy. Love it for pitching jigs. If I had to nit pick these rods, it would be that I'd like a slightly longer handle. The tip of the trigger to the handle is 10", but that's just a preference thing. I also wouldn't mind the handle being slightly larger in diameter. To my surprise, I kinda like the foam grips, they feel solid and high quality, while being quite comfortable to hold. Absolutely love the guides on those rods. Hope that helps.

Sportsman's Outfitters on EBay is $99 shipped. Ordered my Dad one for Father's Day, and I own 3. So I am kinda a fan of the MB.

Push the tip against the carpet and decide for yourself. I'm guessing it hasn't been delivered yet? The Veritas rods are historically pretty stout. May not be that way with the 3.0. I'd just wait and see.

Go with MB. 100 bucks on Ebay

Black. No contest

IMO a Dobyns 735 is a great choice. A Dobyns 5 power to me, feels like a slightly stout MH with plenty of tip action. Maybe you were only skin hooking the fish that you were losing at the boat? I'd evaluate your technique as well, I think the rod is about where it should be.

Will be tough to get a decent rod and reel for $100. If it were me, I'd wait for a sale and get one or the other. Or do like Lead Head suggested, spend it on lures, line, etc. This is typically what I do. "Mind power?"

Have it fixed no doubt about it.

Hey guys, I'm trying to decide between a Dobyns Fury 734c or a Falcon Bucco SR 'trap caster' for kind of a vesitile rod that can handle square bills, poppers, 3/8 spinner and chatter baits, medium crank baits, and lipless crank baits. I've handled them both but cannot make up my mind. Anyone with experience using these rods willing to help me out would be much appreciated. I plan on using 30-50 lb braid to leader and a high speed reel. Don't plan to go much over 1/2 ounce lure weight.

What you need is a contraption to do this work. Attatch a dowel or some like object to a power drill or something? Walking it off sounds like no fun. Let us know what you end up doing. Or you could just cast it. It's only 500 yards. ?

The other day I lost 3 jigs in under 4 hours. I can't tell you how many 10XD's I've lost. I refuse to even use them now. It happens. I probably get snagged 10 times per trip.

$108 Is a good price. Heck, full price is a good price IMO. If you can't tell, I'm a fan boy for this reel. Gonna force myself to buy something different for next one

I own 3 Tournament MB reels. Solid choice and are only $99 from Sportsman Outfitters on EBay. If you are looking for versatility, I recommend 7.5 speed (31 inch per turn) or 6.8 speed (28 inch per turn). Either of those will take you far. 7.5 is better for jigs, Texas Rigs, and lures that don't produce massive drag while retrieving. 6.8 IMO isn't quite as versatile for the lures I fish, but still a phenomenal choice. Gear ratio just means for every full turn of the reel handle, the spool will turn that many times. 7.5 will turn 7.5 revolutions with each full handle turn, and so on. Higher numbers will generally have higher retrieve speed, while lower numbers will give you more torque or leverage while retrieving a lure, or if you're lucky, a fish.