BankBasser

Fishing Calendar Pro. I'm still undecided, but it seems to be more hit than miss.

I have a Gen4 Revo S and it is a nice reel. I don't have a Fuego, but have a few Tatula CT's (almost the same). I prefer the Daiwa. There are usually really good deals for both the Fuego and Tatula on ebay.

I have 2 Elite Tech 2pc spinning rods I keep with me in a BW rod case. They serve their purpose just fine and I've never felt handicapped due to them being 2pc rods. One of the first good rods I had I fished for years before even realizing it was a 2pc rod. They catch fish just fine.

Keep the 7.3:1 on the MH/F (weighted t-rigs/jigs). Put the 6.3:1 on a 7' M/M or M/MF (treble hooks). Finish things off with a 7' M/F spinning setup (wacky/weightless). I've had good luck with a Pflueger Supreme in the $100 spinning reel category, 25 size.

Well, poke my toes and call me leaky. This happens a lot, doesn't it?

If I could only have one rod to cover all my bases (species) it'd be a 7' ML/F spinning rod. Gills, crappie, bass, walleye, pike, ned rig, whacky rig, drop shot, neko, weightless plastics, small topwater... it's a pretty versatile rig.

I've had the 7' med/fast Premier, Compre and HMG (no experience with the Convergence). The Compre had a "just right" feel to it and would be my suggestion. The HMG was pretty stout. I never warmed up to the Premier. It was built nicely, but didn't have the feel the Compre did, to me. I think the Compre would work well with the techniques you've listed.

I'm trying 110's this year on an old Lamiglas SR705r I picked up cheap. It's traditionally a deep cranking rod, but I'm hoping it works for this application.

I fished only spinning gear for 40 years with St. Croix and Shimano being my go to rods for years. A few years ago I started experimenting with baitcasters and Dobyns seems to be the road I'm going down for those rods.

I fish almost exclusively from shore and use up to... T-Rig +plastic - 1/4oz Jig +trailers - 3/8oz Spinnerbait - 3/8oz Lipless - 3/8oz Square Bill - 3/8oz Topwater - 1/2oz Frogs - 1/2oz Whopper Plopper 110 A lot of weightless

Thanks!

This years lineup. Some old, some new.

I used to be a Shimano guy and still have and use a couple Stradic Ci4+ spinning reels. A few years ago I was wanting to try something new and bought a Phlueger Supreme XT. I now own 4, one being a standard Supreme (three 30 size and one 25 size). They've been fished fairy heavily and have performed flawlessly and I wouldn't hesitate recommending them. With that said, I like trying new gear and my next spinning reel will be a Daiwa Tatula LT. I may be waiting awhile, though, as the Phlueger's won't stop spinning.

OK, I had a chance to get out a couple times this week. There's a difference, but it wasn't mind blowing. I could feel fine with both rods, just differently. If both rods were a pane of glass that had just gone through a light rain, the Loomis had been squeegeed. You can still see fine through both panes, but the Loomis had a bit more clarity to it. Had I not had the Loomis to compare with I'd have never felt the difference and been totally happy with the Dobyns, in this area. However... After some time with each rod I was more aware of the Loomis while the Dobyns just sort of did its thing without making itself known. Not that the balance on the Loomis is bad, the Dobyns is just better. In the end, I'm keeping the Dobyns and already have a buyer for the Loomis. I bought the Dobyns off their refurbished store page and think it's a great rod, especially at that price. I'll fish it this year (maybe more) and make the jump to an Extreme and have the best of both worlds.

Yes, I've used that reel on a TSR801 and it was a great match. That's a nice rod and although it was used to target gills and crappie it made for some fun fights when bass took the bait.

Usually one rod and reel every year or two. This year? When I build a new house I have enough pvc tubing laying around from rod purchases to do the plumbing myself. :/

It's looking like next week we may see consistent warmer temps. I offered up an old Berkley graphite rod to the gods of fishing as a sacrifice. Here's to hoping for at least a couple weeks of spring before the next snowstorm.

Both 3 power and both using the same reel with the same line. It kills me, too. I'm not sure if throwing some weights across the grass is a great indicator of a rods performance, but, the IMX just seemed to have slightly more going on. Nothing earth shattering and probably negated by the Champions balance... which is hard to ignore. This one isn't one of the newer IMX Pro rods. It looks to be the same rod I've seen in a lot of the promo videos from around 2014. I had an old LTB (serial number had it at 2006) 7' mh/f that was like a broomstick I traded for it. I'd never fished a Loomis and thought "Why not"? Good to know. Something more for the ocd to dwell on. Even though they're both a 3 power rod the Champion seems to have an ever so slightly softer tip, which combined with the balance may be what wins out for where and how I'll be fishing it. Ultimately, getting out and actually fishing them will tell me what I need to know. I've learned a lot on this site and like asking for others opinions as I think the discussion brings up points that may not have been considered. Thanks tons for the input, all!

I thought I was all set with a new Champion XP 703c ready to go for weightless and small t-rigs. Then I came into possession of an IMX 843c through a trade. Now I'm all confuzzled. The weather here in Iowa has been a bit off (to say the least) so all I've had the chance to do is toss some weights in the yard. My conclusion with dragging a weight across the yard is the XP balances really good, but the IMX is probably more sensitive. Would this be the general consensus as well? I'm thinking mostly bottom contact in the 1/4oz - 3/8oz max range. When does the madness stop?

I fish from the bank and usually just take 2 setups with me, but have more than two to choose from depending on where I'll be and the conditions. The 5 setups I anticipate getting the most use this year are: Spinning... SC LTW 7' ML/F... Shimano CI4 1000 w/6lb Fireline Crystal SC LTW 6'8" M/XF... Pflueger Supreme XT 30 w/8lb Fireline Crystal Baitcaster... Dobyns Champion XP 703C... Tatula CT 6.3:1 w/12lb Yo-Zuri Dobyns Champion 734C... Lew's LFS 6.8:1 w/12lb Yo-Zuri SC LTB 7'4" H/F... Lew's MB 7.5:1 w/50lb Power Pro

This is the yellow Skeet Reese model. It has a cool vibe to it.

I've been considering adding a Dobyns Champion 705CB to the lineup then came across a Lamiglass SR705R on c-list for a price that I figured I couldn't lose whether or not I liked it. Does anybody here have experience with both the Lamiglass and Dobyns that could tell me how similar they are (or dissimilar)? I fish from the bank so it will need to fill multiple roles, I'm thinking most treble hook lures. A little time with a magic erasre and the cork cleaned up nice. I've never used a glass rod and am hoping it works out.

When I first started fishing it was with spinning gear using left hand retrieve reels. I fished that way (gills,/crappie/walleye) for a loooong time before getting into bass fishing. When I bought my first baitcaster I didn't think about which side the handle was on until I first cast it and realized it was on the "wrong" side. I went with it and even bought some additional reels with right hand retrieve. I could never warm up to them and eventually sold them off and bought left hand retrieve reels. They feel much better to me. I think it has more to do with what you're used to and what just feels right. There isn't a right or wrong answer.

I got a great deal on one (dealer getting rid of a 2017 model), one from the SC sale page, one used, one using the SC upgrade program (car windows and rod tips do not mix) and one new, so, it was almost a wash after selling my Avid's. It didn't sting too much. I've heard it's a smaller jump, but it satisfied that "monkey".

A few years ago I decided to get into some nicer rods than I had been using for what seemed like forever. I liked what I saw in the St Croix line, especially the Legend Tournament series. But, the cost... so I went with a couple Premier rods. I noticed right away how much nicer they were than my old rods which got me to thinking, "I wonder how much nicer the Avid series rods are"? A couple years later I'm replacing the Premier rods with Avid rods. "WHOA!" I say to myself. Big difference! I wonder if those Legend Tournament rods are even nicer? So, here I am a couple years down the road, again, with a few Legend Tourney's and a Dobyns or two thrown in the mix (thanks in part to this site) waiting for the weather to finally warm up to see if my latest purchases have the same "WOW" factor the previous purchases did. Is this rod/reel (or whatever) WORTH buying? In my case, YES! If I'd just gotten what I really wanted to begin with I'd be way ahead money wise. But, I enjoy this sport and the people I've met participating in it so it's all been worth it.