Lead Head

I guess I should note that my previous comments were in regards to casting rods. I don't actually touch the handle side grip at all while fishing bottom contact (obviously I do when casting). I do however touch the foregrip a little, and use a carbon fiber sleeve on a cut down kdps up there. Spinning rods are pretty similar for me now that I think about it. Usually a Aero seat with a carbon fiber sleeved foregrip, and I don't think I touch the rear grip at all, even when casting.

I decided to try the NFC carbon fiber grips on a recent X-ray build. Only fished it one time and it seems ok. I've heard people say "softer" grips like Winn dampen feedback and hurt sensitivity. If true it still shouldn't affect me much with bottom contact retrieves. The only time I'm touching rod grips is when casting, during the retrieve my hand is is 100% on the reel/reelseat with a finger under the line. Because of this I lean the way of Winn grips most often, they are by far my preference for feel/grip when casting. As far as the weight of grips, I try not to get too caught up in it as long as something doesn't jump out at me as unusually heavy. Most of my rod builds come out a bit tip heavy and a gram or two extra weight in the grip just helps balance things out. I'm still pretty new to rodbuilding so keep in mind this is all just the personal preferences and opinions of a newbie.

If you can swing it, go 14'. The extra room will be nice and in my experience they are more stable than a 12', especially with a casting deck. If it was just me fishing electric only, I would go with a bassraider 10e. Haven't ever been in one, but there are several videos of them with casting decks and foot controlled trolling motors. Those things look super stable.

I would go 30lb. I use that on a few setups and it is very versatile for me. Braid lasts a long time (for me), 3000 yards would keep me good for over a decade! When using a leader on 30lb braid its 14-18lb fluorocarbon, or 12lb mono (topwater).

Wow, 3/8-1 1/2 is a more common H rating than MH. Are you sure that isn't a heavy rod? Either way I personally wouldn't go heavier than that for my 3rd rod. I would get far more use and versatility from more of a traditional MH (topping out at 3/4-1oz) rated rod. Keep in mind this is just my personal opinion based on my waters and how I fish. I would have straight braid on the 3/4-1 1/2oz rated rod (for frogs and heavy jigs), and probably 12-15lb mono on the new one. I say mono instead of floro because I would use it for smaller topwater, spinnerbaits/chatterbaits, lighter t-rig and pretty much anything else I wanted to try.

If you plan to frog and pitch into heavy cover a lot then yes. If these are things you just occasionally do then you might be better served by another MH. I don't know what MH rod you currently own, but they don't all fish the same. Most either handle lures up to 3/4oz or 1oz. Maybe look into a second MH that handles a slightly different weight range than the one you currently own. Just some food for thought.

1) Grab you a cheap ($15-$20) medium power spinning rod at Walmart. 2) Get some Z-man TRD (standard, small size) and 1/15oz Z-man ned jig heads. 3) Catch fish!

Amazon reviews... ugh. Click on 1 star reviews and look for multiple complaints about the same issues. This is usually the truth about what your looking at on Amazon.

Texas is definitely a good choice for fishing. If your wanting something a little more low key look into Lake Ouchita in Arkansas. It should meet all of your requirements and its pretty central as far as exploring the rest of the U.S. as well.

TRUTH!!!

Amazon often offers $100.

@Luke Barnes Yeah, I had a shot at it with the net but he didn't like the angle or timing and told me to wait. About 10 seconds later that 10" bass shot about 5' up in the air with his hook still in it. It was heartbreaking.

I did the same thing. I had a "plug knocker" years ago. As far as I know, it is still stuck in a brush pile next to a Excalibur fat free shad where I left it the second time I used it.

Bass are cannibals. Ive seen a buddy stick a 10" bass and get crushed by a 8-10lb bass on the way to the boat.

Motoroil is absolutely solid. That and bloodline were all I used back in the day. I still break out the bloodline on occasion. I haven't had any motoroil colored plastics in my bag for 10+ years. That stupid monkey is now insisting I get some because the reason I don't have them anymore is "the fish ate them all".

I love checking out new/different colors in baits, however I rarely purchase them. I try really hard (and sometimes fail miserably) to limit my colors to dark, light, and natural. I'm in dirty water mostly, and probably wouldn't see a significant difference in fish caught if all I used was black or white, but thats no fun. To your question, my daughter likes wild colors often using pink. Pink jigs, worms, and crankbaits (I'm still not sure where she found pink cranks). To my surprise, she has little trouble catching fish.

@Spankey Yes, I'm pretty sure it comes in c10 and c15 (cloud 9).

@Spankey 6th sense Mudgill. Plan on giving it a workout this year to see if it can be my new river squarebill.

@FishNTell typically, a heavy is better. Frog hooks are large and require quite a bit of force to set. I don't know if you plan to fish pads or weeds, but a H is usually required to handle that stuff. You can get away with a MH that has a max lure weight of 1oz, but braid is a must and you might struggle around cover (especially vegetation, fish go down into it). Again, this is all just my opinion based on my experience.

@ironbjorn I will defer to your knowledge here, my experience with them is... dated.

In my opinion, the lightning rod, arid-x, or any other H rod mentioned (nearly any H F or MF) will work fine for frogs. The big trade off is going to be when you have something other than a frog tied on. It comes down to if you want to pay extra for versatility, cosmetics, and comfort.

@A-Jay I never considered using the less dense sinkers to try to sit on top of goo... thats genius!

My winter/Christmas additions. Some more line still incoming, and some unskirted Siebert jigs/fogy not shown.

I usually only have skirts on a few jigs. I also only have a handful of skirts pre-made. I keep jig heads of various designs, weights (almost all 3/8 and 1/2oz), and colors in a standard 3700 box. I bring my "on the fly" skirt making kit with me. You can fit way more skirt making materials than you will ever need in 1 trip in a zip-lock bag. I've only had to get the kit out 1 time on the water, but it makes me feel better having it along.

I have a similar situation. I own rods built on Rainshadow, NFC X-ray, Rodgeeks, and MHX blanks. My favorite rod... an old BPS Extreme that I stripped and rebuilt.