Lead Head

Beginner baitcaster in your budget- Daiwa Fuego, the magforce Z breaking is very simple and user-friendly. Something a little nicer- Any SV spooled Daiwa. They don't typically cast quite as far as a centrifugal braked reel, but close. In my experience, they are the most user-friendly reels available. Even superior to Shimano DC reels when it comes to ease of use. My daughter learned on a Tatula SV TW and was casting with confidence in about 20 minutes, I was very impressed.

I have no practical experience in the type of water you are describing, but it sounds like ned rig territory to me.

@dodgeguy and @CrashVector, you guys have any cottonwood trees where you fish? I don't have a problem with weeds, but my #5 guides do occasionally "clog up" when the cottonwoods are in bloom. I would imagine anything smaller than a #4 would be unfishable. Line type probably plays a role here as well, braid likes to bring in way more than straight fc or mono. I'm in no way saying you guys are wrong, just pointing out region and water conditions can play a role in regards to debris fouling small guides.

S22 aThe Tat is marked down nearly 40%... I would get that. When you are ready for a second baitcaster (and you will be, much quicker than you think) check out the defy. I suggest this because finding a Tatula xt for $60 is way harder than finding a defy for $60. If nothing else it let's you experience a $100 rod while staying pretty close to your budget. Info gathered with this rod will help you decide if you want to go up, or down for future rod purchases. While I'm at it, my reel suggestion is a Fuego CT in 6 or 7 speed. The magforce Z breaking is great to learn on. Either way, pick one out and hit the water!

I had an older tourney special combo. I caught hundreds of fish with it, but I would never recommend it to a beginner. That reel was super finicky, even when "dialed in". Maybe the newer version is better. Generally speaking, people keep suggesting $100 reels because that is the mark where most reels tend to be consistent and user-friendly. Plenty of good stuff cheaper than that, but they tend to be a little wild and more difficult to dial in. It's not that you can't learn on a budget friendly reel, they just typically come with a little steeper learning curve and don't usually last as long. Keep in mind, this is all "generally speaking" based on my own experience, nothing is absolute. Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to give some explanation as to why many of us immediately started suggesting casting reels that were a little over your original budget.

@MN Fisher just described me 100%. When I was younger, I could cast with either hand. Major wrist surgery forced me to use only my left for over a year. When I tried to go back to casting right handed, it was like starting completely over, and there was a major lack of strength as well. Since I was doing just fine with my left, I abandoned the right.

I can't speak on the rods specifically, but I will suggest that you get one rated at least 1oz on the top end. A 3/8oz jig + trailer will weigh around 3/4oz depending on the trailer (a rage bug + 3/8 jig is just over .8oz on my scale) I have used several different rods rated at 3/4oz for 3/8 jigs and didn't really like any of them. When I realized I was maxing them out or exceeding the weight rating by using heavier trailers, I switched to rods rated to 1oz and had a far better experience.

Bottom contact

I recently read (on the internet) that his highest net worth was around 25 million. His current worth is around 2 million. It was suggested that he lost more to divorce (3 of them, if i remember correctly) than he did gambling. This came from a Google search so it could be totally inaccurate, but it sounds like a large chunk of that 50 million was house money.

John Daly, that guy is a national treasure... WPS

I'm not a fan of the CRB blanks, not even for moving baits. Rainshadow makes great blanks, but for moderate-fast I absolutely love the Bushido CB rods.

If I wasn't on vacation, I would go get the weight on that cheapo rod. It definitely isn't overly heavy, and balanced very well with a older cheap reel (the reel is probably heavy and maybe that made it balance well). Having said all that, I totally understand wanting a nicer rod. After a year with the budget setup I committed to building a ned rod with a rainshadow immortal ml blank.

I caught A LOT of fish (including multiple 4lb and 3lb) using a ned with a $15 Academy brand rod. Basically the cheapest 7' ML rod I could find. Neds don't require a great deal of sensitivity to be effective. I believe I have read on these forums that Ned himself typically uses cheap Walmart rods, but I can't confirm this. As to length, the longer rods typically cast farther and shorter rods are more convenient when storing/transporting, or if casting space is limited.

12lb BG was my go-to until I started regularly grinding my cranks through sharp rocks. I now use sniper, and I'm considering shooter. If you aren't concerned about abrasion, mono will treat you well.

If you are wanting a high end rod, consider custom. You can get as much, or as little bling as you want, and match up to the color of your reel. Of the two rods you mentioned, SC sells blanks, and there are others that are just as good (or better, largely depending on personal preference).

Its a personal preference thing, I'll bet the blank can handle it just fine. I don't like a super soft tip for bottom contact. I hate blanks that load too much when I hop a jig (very common with x-fast blanks). Many people are ok with it, but it makes me feel like I'm dragging a sock on the bottom.

Ahhh... now I remember when you built those. I would guess that 6'9" would be a really nice senko/light t-rig rod. While I can't confirm yet, I suspect the pb731mhxf will get too mushy in the tip for me with anything heavier than a 3/8oz jig + rage bug (nearly 1oz total weight right there). While I still prefer my NFC x-ray SJ-736 in chunk rock (because of its slightly stiffer tip), the PB really shines everywhere else, especially in brush. To me, the PB is more sensitive, but not by much. I'm mostly braid to leader (because of the chunk rock I mentioned earlier), so straight FC or mono might give a more noticeable difference in sensitivity, but I can't say for sure. Thats a screaming deal you got, over $350 worth in blanks alone!

Use channel locks to just tear the cork off if you really want it gone. I would suggest just finishing the build and fishing it, stripping a blank is a delicate process and that is way too nice of a blank to be learning on. As to the 731mhxf, I have this blank and love it for 3/8oz jigs. Haven't fished anything else with it yet but its tip is amazing. This is the first xf rod I have ever liked. Its rated 1/2-1oz but the light tip should let you go lighter without too much hassle. As far as sensitivity... I would very much like to hear about any rod you have fished that you would consider more sensitive than this blank. Its very impressive. Not that you couldn't do it, but it would be a waste of a top tier bottom contact rod to throw frogs with this thing. Be sure to let us know how you like it and what your opinions are on it when you get it finished up. If you are new to building your own, do a lot of dry fitting and practice wrapping before you finish these up, they are very nice and high-end blanks.

The CB is for crankbait... that one will be moderate. I have a SJ736 built into a casting rod that I use for 3/8oz jigs. Its great for that application, in the 2 years I've owned it, I have never tied anything else on. Like you, I have read that the SJ (spin jig) blanks are a little faster and stronger than MB (mag bass) blanks, but I have never confirmed it myself.

I always recommend people first trying FC to go with Sniper or invizx. These are two of the most user friendly FC lines in the $25 and less price range. If you love it, stick with it or experiment with some of the more expensive, or cheaper stuff. If you hate it, move on from FC. It is my opinion that using FC cheaper than these for your first time isn't really giving it a fair chance. As far as lb test goes, if you feel like your 12lb hybrid is stronger than you really need, then look to 12 or 14lb FC. If you feel you need all the strength and toughness you are getting from the hybrid, you want FC in the 15 to 16lb range (at least). Most FC will break MUCH closer to its stated lb test than mono, and that's not taking into account the strength you will lose in your knot.

3/8oz Siebert dock rocker with a rage bug trailer. This is my preferred jig for pretty everything, but especially skipping. As to picking a trailer specifically for skipping, in my experience, it does make a difference. Bug/beaver type trailers (anything fat with flat-ish top and bottom) skip noticeably better for me than traditional craw or chunk trailers. Noticeably better, but not so much that I will rule out other types of trailers.

S L O W D O W N

T-rig is zoom baby brush hog. Jig trailer is rage structure bug or pit boss. I favor the rage bug because it has the most pleasing smell of any soft plastic. I like it so much I might spray it in my truck if they sold it in a bottle. Pit boss just smells like powerbait... cheap fish food stink, I hate it. It will catch fish though.

Heddon spitting image is my favorite, especially for covering water or fishing schools. It can be walked super fast.

Hmm... I see what you're getting at. How about.. Braid doesn't make a rod fish any stronger, but it gives you the hook setting power of a rod 1 size (or more) stronger.