Hook2Jaw

So, I have been planning on investing in some new combos for a while and considering my two Curados and Abu Promax were stolen out of the back of my truck, I picked up two Daiwa products. The first item I'm going to give you my thoughts on is the 7' MHF Daiwa Aird-X casting rod. These puppies can be had for 55 bucks from various sources! Looks : This puppy is gorgeous. The gold accents make for a very sharp looking rod. The foil near the handle and reel seat is beautiful and eye-catching. Sadly, the gold is a poor match for the dark red accents of the Fuego CT. 8/10. Feel : She's balanced, and the EVA grip is a pleasure to hold. I'm sure she is by no means as comfortable and balanced as a more expensive rod, but it gets 10/10 from me. Power : While the rod is rated at medium heavy, it feels more like a medium powered rod to me. She bends with ease, but I've had no problem hauling several fish out of the grass and have even pulled up one with about five pounds of salad attached to it. I put it through the ringer for 20 or so hours last week and weekend, and it's passed with flying colors. 7/10, minus 3 for calling it a medium heavy, Daiwa! Action : She's not a fast action, that's for sure. More like medium fast! 7/10. I can work around the action, but it's not so nice being told it's fast action. Casting Ability : The rod absolutely shines in this regard. It's been stiff enough to handle pitches to several cruising bass very accurately, and I put a hookset on two fish I sighted this weekend. It is by no means a rod built for heavy pitching, but in a pinch, it'll do for a cruising fish. The distance is very pleasing. My Curados were old and the rods they were on pretty poor, and the Abu Promax combo would max out around 30-35 yards on the cast. The Aird-X paired with a Fuego CT is putting a 1/4oz bullet, 2/0 EWG, and 5" YUM Dinger 120~ feet from me on the regular. I checked to see how well it handled lighter weights and it casted a 1/8oz jighead and keitech trailer about 50-60'. I feel like I'm going to cover a ton more water with this rod. 10/10. I'm impressed. Sensitivity : This is the only downfall of the rod. It has thus far been sensitive enough to detect bites, but I've fished similar priced rods with a much more solid report. It's taking some getting used to, but I don't think the handicap is a glaring one and with time I'm sure myself, or anyone who picks up an Aird-X, will be able to differentiate different bottom, structure, and most importantly, a bite. 6/10. Overall, the Daiwa Aird-X is an excellent value and feels and performs well above it's price range and I would recommend it highly to anyone looking for a budget rod. 8/10 overall. I'll be posting my impressions of the Daiwa Fuego CT in this topic later, so check it out if you liked my rod review.

I sent one of them a message plainly asking if it's legit, I doubt I'll get an answer. That's the truth.

I'm seeing Daiwa Tatula CT Type-R on eBay for 60ish bucks, but I'm reluctant to buy because the sellers have no reviews... Anyone got one yet? Should I try it?

Hobie PA14 Pros: Fast, stable, incredibly low draft. I can face sideways, backwards, you name it. I can take my dogs out on it, I can take your sister out on it. The seat is incredible, the storage in awesome and excessive. I could carry most every rod and reel in my arsenal. I have pull-out plastic storage drawer under the seat for all my soft plastics and terminal tackle, and 6 3700 boxes in the crate behind the seat. Cons: Expensive and heavy. Your sister always wants to go out on it. Fellow PA guys, straighten your rudder for cutting tight turns and give your fins enough kick to move you good and forward and then cut the rudder right or left. Congrats on your newfound agility.

Just did some testing in the yard with an Abu Promax combo. Longest cast with a 3/4oz crank was 122', are 40 yard casts enough to deep crank? I can't see a new rod and reel improving my distance all that much, and if that's not enough, I suppose I need to work on my fundamentals. If it helps any I'm tightening the tension a bit past side to side play and the brakes are about 3/4. Thanks for the help so far, guys!

Does anyone get by with a 7' glass rated to 1oz? I'm gonna be throwing Berkley dredgers since they already come with good hooks and I've been having success with the diggers and squarebulls as of late. Will I get enough distance? I've never owned a glass rod but I've got pretty solid distance on my casts, I just don't know what I'm gonna need to be a successful deep cranker, but I really want to excel at firing schools up after graphing them. I've been looking at the Daiwa Tatula 7'2" MH glass, as well as the 7'7" M glass. The other contender is the 7' Tatula-XT MH glass. I'll be putting a Tatula 150 in the 5 speed on it.

7'2" Medium Heavy Moderate action...enough rod for deep cranking?

@12poundbass those are some gorgeous smallies! So dark!

The picture doesn't do this girl justice. She had a lower jawbone like a porkchop. Actually went 9 pounds, 6 ounces on the scale. I think my scale is broken. Gonna test it later.

Your bass is a much healthier looking fish than OPs fish.

I wish I had thought of cutting the line! I'll remember it for next time.

Private. My largest public water fish was around 6 to 7. I don't ever push them towards the camera! Thanks man. Thanks everyone! My guess was between 8 or 9. I've held another 7 recently and she was a bit heavier. I'll measure the three fingers supporting her belly later and get a good length estimate.

Tossing and bumping the Booyah Bankroll Jig with the YUM Craw Chunk in craw again, I slam another stud. Lots of folks guessed 7ish, but I think it was a pound and a half bigger. Next year this picture will escalate to a 12 when I tell the story.

I'm 6'1" and 196 pounds the last time i was weighed in February.

My advice is to run around and ask permission to fish ponds.

Thanks man! I caught a solid 8-9 this past weekend out the same spot but the 13.5 a kid caught last year just won't bite.

I believe that's the knot Gerald Swindle details in one of his videos.

@Bluebasser86 awesome to see you and Lake putting it on some good fish! @WDE I'm a huge dinger fan myself! YUM makes some good stuff.

Vibe makes good, affordable fishing kayaks and they're what I suggest to everyone on a budget. Of course, budget is subjective. Still, they're one of the better more affordable boats. If you end up falling in love with Kayak fishing like myself and many others, go ahead and take the jump into a nice, comfortable boat with features and room for more. It's not unheard of to drop 10k into a fishing kayak.

I tried to come up with an Arthurian joke about pulling the bass out the stone, but it never came. Welcome to Bass Resource!

Have you tried darker shades and gotten bit? The water clarity plays into your color choice heavily.

Welcome! Awesome bass! What was it caught on?

White for movers, watermelon red flake for wigglers, green pumpkin for jiggers. Choosing one color hurts my heart. I try to keep 3-5 different colors available. Minimalist with a little variation.

Did you ask the bass nicely to bite? I've found that actively talking to the fish while I'm fishing increases my chances exponentially. Some big girls like for you to talk a little mean to them, so try that if the first approach doesn't work. Seriously : don't cast right in front of the fish. You probably scared her. Remember, 10' away from your target, it works for structure and it works for sight fishing.