LionHeart

Both of these tips are good ones. I use the FG on every set up I have, and will say the finishing knot is now the biggest determining factor on how many fishing trips I get out of the same knot. Have been using rizzuto finish lately and it works great. The knot now lasts until I retie lures so many times I run out of leader. There are a few different versions from what I can tell, but I tie a single square knot, cinch down the FG (using a lot of force, I mean a load) then tie one more square knot, only I wrap the tag of braid through the loop 4 or 5 times before pulling it tight. Kinda takes a bit of effort to find a good rizzuto finish video on YouTube but well worth it. Will solve your problem. I wasn't crazy about having to apply super glue to a knot, but that method works quite well also.

Eats out of your hands and does tricks for food huh? Maybe you wanna reconsider keeping it.

Thank you for your contribution to this thread.

What rods are you guys using for those lighter weight lures? Trying to decide whether it's better to get a med/fast bait casting rod, or just stick to spinning gear for lighter Trigs.

5.9? I'd kill for your problems

Don't have a pet technique or lure. You must be willing to throw what the bass are biting even if it means using a technique or lure you Don't enjoy.

Med/Heavy fast is excellent for those lures and weights. Dobyns rods will be a bit more moderate than the Tatula rods (Original version), which is honestly just a matter of preference. Either would do great.

I don't necessarily think time on the water is the best teacher. You can spend all day on the lake tossing lures and reeling them back in, and still have no idea what you are doing or why you aren't catching fish. I think seeking instruction is a fantastic investment of your time. I'm describing myself in the first paragraph btw.

I own that rod and to me it would be great for swim jigs. I use it for 3/8 and 1/2 oz jigs exclusively, if the handle were an inch longer it would be nearly perfect. It will cast 1/4 total weight lures just okay, but adding a trailer helps a bit.

No offense taken at all man. I knew it was in good fun. I grew up going to flea markets and yard sales. I learned to haggle by watching my dad. It's in my blood now. Still haven't learned his patience.

Not saying you aren't correct. But still, if I'm buying a rod or reel that has been used (and this rod clearly had), I aim to pay roughly 60% of the new cost. When I sell fishing gear, I price it the same. On a $100 dollar rod I'm shooting for 60 bucks. In the bargain cave this rod was tagged at $80 which is what they go for new on sale from time to time. My frugality is matched by my impatience (bad combination). I could wait a month or so for the rod to go on sale and get it for $80 new, but told myself "If I can get it for $60, I'll jump on it now." As luck would have it, all it took was to ask.

Not sure what you mean by that exactly. I almost always haggle, not lowball (well sometimes), but when all it took to save $25 was to ask..... well.

I work one exit from a Cabelas. Just got back from there on my lunch break. Handled all the ZX rods and in my opinion, the frog rod would be great for frogs and even jigs and a few other single hook lures but may be a little stout for lighter stuff, and I wouldn't want to use it for treble hook lures. I also handled the Jig and Worm along with the Spinner Bait and Swim Jig rod. I the the Jig and Worm would do quite a lot well, within it's weight range. I'd keep it. Definitely wouldn't throw a 110 on it though. On a side note, I was able to get a sweet deal on the Spinner Bait/Swim Jig rod. Did you guys know the Bargain Cave will negotiate? I had to try, and they came down an extra 30%.

Depends. The frog rod may not handle lighter lures well, and you'll be right back where you started. If it were me, I'd stick with the rod you have and just keep the lures to 5/8 or slightly, slightly above. That still gives you a wide selection of lures to throw. When the time comes, buy another rod for the heavier stuff. Do you live near a Cabelas? Go handle the frog rod and see how the tip feels.

IMO, lure rating is just that. If you add a 1/4 oz trailer to a 1/2 oz jig, your lure is now 3/4 oz. Having said that, I doubt you'll get many nods on exceeding a lure rating on a regular basis, especially by nearly 100% of the max rated weight. Not trying to burst your bubble, but I wouldn't do it regularly. Many rods are under rated with respect to weight. Is yours? Who knows? I've thrown a 10XD on a Tournament Zx Crankshaft which maxes out at 1.5 oz. Handled it just fine. Would I recommend doing that? Nope. Best to get the right tool for the job. This is one of the reasons my wife often asks me how many fishing rods do I really need.

At the end of a long cast, a 5 speed (lower 20 IPT) can get mighty slow imo. Most people will recommend either 5 or 6 speed but I feel like 5 is a little on the slow side even for massive deep divers. I say go with something around mid to upper 20's in IPT, whatever gear ratio that happens to be.

Lake Lewisville is 30 minutes from DFW, Eagle Mountain is about 45. Ray Roberts is about an hour and the only one I fish since I live about a mile from the boat ramp. A blessing and a curse.

St. Croix Bass X has a MH Mod Fast rated 3/8-1 1/4 oz. It works well for lures 3/8 all the way to 1.5 oz honestly. If you plan to throw lures 1/4, it will not do so hot. I have found the lure rating to be a little optimistic on the low end, but under rated on the high end. For 1/4 oz lures, I typically use a medium power rod or spinning gear. I also have a medium heavy regular Tatula, to me, it is a bit too fast for cranking. It is by all rights a fast action. The Cabelas Tournament ZX Crankshaft is also a very good cranking rod. I wouldn't go below 3/8 oz with it though.

Academy sells a combo version. It seems to be well reviewed.

Had a chatter bait for years but really only started throwing it last year. Swapped out the dark skirt for a white and chartreuse and put a little dippers on as a trailer. Have gotten quite a few fish with it. Just got a few different sizes from TW and looking forward to experimenting. Also, not a second chance, but as always I plan to work on jig fishing. I never realized how much there is to it.

Wow! A spreadsheet for tracking your gear is going a bit overboard.... I like it. Hopefully the ice melts soon for you.

Is higher priced gear better? I feel safe in saying generally yes, even though the price to quality/performance increase is far from linear after you hit the $150 range for a rod or reel. Does using better gear make you fish better? I'd have to say again, yep, to a limited point. But to say you can buy your way out of learning fundamentals would be the same as thinking the new pair of Nike's will add 3 inches to your jump shot. It don't work that way. For this reason, I would never recommend someone new to fishing to buy the cheapest setup possible. Cheaper gear truly doesn't fish as well as gear at or above $100. Just like anything else, start with lower -mid range gear.

Old style of Tatula rod can be had for $109 if you shop around online. The 7'2" Med-heavy "Regular" rod is a phenomenal rod for so, so many uses, and for that price everyone should own one IMO.

Braid as backing? Never heard that one. I use braid for main line on every setup for 2 reasons. I want the 'give' to be in my rod, not my line, and braid IMO is much easier to handle and cast due to no line memory. Typical leader length for me is 5-8 ft.

I will say the impact is not drastic, but to me it is noticeble in casting distance. I usually run them on a bit over half way, with spool tension knob almost completely loose and cent. brakes 2 in and 2 out.