PiedmontAngler

Thanks for the response. I am going to do some testing between the 852 and Addermine this weekend and will make a decision from there.

That may be true and some testing may be useful. The 822 is a fine rod and makes it feel like you're fighting much larger fish so I am a little concerned with using heaver weights. If you would have told me months ago that I would have multiple spinning rods and be using them on each trip then I would not have believed you. They aren't power fishing but have been producing while make the fights more fun. It seems like it would be worth it to have multiple dropshot rods that can easily be used in different situations. Either with multiple baits, weights, tag end lengths, etc. The main part of the lake where I fish offers docks where one type of dropshot may come in handy then it gets deep quickly. Haven't had much luck on the deep portion though. Could be due to the weight and wind with me being in a kayak.

Thanks for the recommendations. The Steez definitely looks like it can handle it. I may go with the Steez unless others have recommendations. I have the 852S and Addermine but people say they aren't the best for DS. They also have weight ratings similar to the 822 DSR.

I have been using an NRX 822 DSR and have been loving it. Actually looking to pick up a second mid to high end dropshot rod and have been interested in powershotting. It appears that people use all types of rods for this due to there not being an application specific rod. My question is, has anyone found a nice spinning rod that they use for strictly powershotting? It looks like there are MH Poison Adrenas and Exprides that go up to 3/4. There are some Megabass that go up to 5/8 but that may not be enough. I may just go for a second 822 and max out at 1/2 oz. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I’ve been learning new techniques this summer and drop shot is one of them. It will catch fish when nothing else can. Whether it be 2’ or 40’ deep, under docks, in a lake, pond or river. I start with other things but will end up on the DS if things are slow. The Megabass Hazedong is great and you can usually swim it to you rather than just sitting there.

Asheville is 2 hours from Fort Mill. Many mountain trips can be day trips. I use a kayak in Wylie and the Catawba. Both are completely different but have great opportunities. Was just out on a pond at a local greenway this morning and caught my PB.

Funny, I’m in the opposite position. I still love baitcasters but only used spinning rods when I was younger and held them in low regard. I recently discovered finesse and now have 3 spinning rods. Fun stuff and they have been much more productive in ponds and lakes in this hot weather.

Check out Fort Mill, SC. Right over the border from Charlotte. Many people who live here work in Charlotte. There’s lots of new construction or newer resale homes at prices cheaper than Charlotte. Not sure how much of a concern it is but I heard there’s an area around Norman (Mooresville?) that has reported an uptick in cancer cases. Just something to be aware of. Fort Mill is next to Lake Wylie and the bottom of the dam in the Catawba is great if you have a kayak. Norman is less than an hour away then you have the Santee Cooper lakes a few hours away and Charleston if you wanted some saltwater. It’s also reasonably close to various mountain trout waters if you’re into that.

This one holds 4 3700 boxes plus soft plastics on the top. 2 side compartments plus room on the outside. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-FLAM.html?from=basres

Would you fish these on a weighted t-rig?

Hi everyone, I live about a block away from the Catawba river right below Lake Wylie dam. When the dam is on, the water is pretty fast and there are a ton of rocks. I've gone out a few times and fished from the bank while trying to figure out what I could catch. Lots of people target stripers and catfish right below the dam. While about 50 yards away the largemouth bass fishing starts. I found out they could be anywhere around rocks in the strong current, eddies or even near the bank. I finally caught some over the weekend on square bills and lipless crank baits. I am wondering what others use for situations like this. It is extremely easy to get hung up on rocks here. The defacto lures seem to be lipless, squarebill crank baits and flukes that do not go too deep. People also use plugs for topwater. Would jigs, plastics or jerk baits be handy there? If so, how do you keep from getting hung up? I hear that the bass go crazy for shad when the pumps are first turned on. I was out in a kayak from 6am on Sunday and the water has been on with no stop for days. The bass did go crazy at a certain point with schooling shad. They were breaking up all around me but a whopper plopper and poppers didn't do anything. Any other suggestions?

Only been fishing for bass again the past couple of months but have not had luck on the Senko. I admit that I've only tried 5" in various colors on a weightless t-rig. A 4" Yum Dinger has been working wonder in a local pond though. Green pumpkin with a chartreuse tail, seems to be the only color that works.

I went with the MLXF, we'll see how it is. I ordered a Pflueger President in size 25 for the time being. It does seem a bit lighter than the BG 2000 but I do have a Quantum Smoke S3 I can throw on it.

Thanks for the additional feedback. Sorry to hear about the chemo. I had a friend go through chemo recently and he is back to his old shenanigans again. I am going with the Avid X, initially picked it up last night with 15% off at TW. Still had the chance to swap it because they don't get them back in stock for a couple of days. I will just buy the nicer rod now and add the 703 at a later point. I see that Dobyns has a refurb Sierra 703 for $120 so I can hopefully add one down the road.

Have you tried the Mojo line? Do you think the jump to the Avid X is worth it? It appears they both use the same blanks. I see a lot of people mention that leader knots can get hung on the micro guides. Are they that much smaller than typical bait casting rods? I run braid to FC leader on a bait caster and have no issues with it hanging up. The Avid X does look interesting though. I am going between just getting that 1 rod or getting a cheaper finesse rod and the 703 I originally planned to get since the price will be similar. Just not sure if 2 cheaper rods would be better than 1 expensive rod. Possible less expensive finesse options include: Major Craft Nanoace 6'6" ML / XF Lews TP-1 Speed Stick 6'7" ML / F Dobyns Fury 702SF ML / F (works well according to Dobyns) St. Croix Mojo 6'10" ML / XF Do you typically fish from land or a boat? Although I am trying to keep it at 4, I can definitely see the need for a 5th :).

Thanks for the link @Angry John. So it doesn't have to be a ML rod? I realize different manufacturers powers may feel different. I was just looking at the Abu Garcia Ike finesse rods and none of them have an XF action.

Do you think any Quantum or Daiwa rods will suit finesse setups? I get a discount on both of those brands so it would be nice to get one of those. They both have some ML/XF spinning rods. Daiwa has one they call a finesse that is MH/F which seems strange.

Now I think I need a finesse rod in addition to the 703 I was already looking at. I have been looking into finesse fishing over the weekend, specifically the Ned rig and it looks like fun. I think a ML/XF spinning setup will be my first addition before the 703. After trying to cast some bread to a carp with a bait caster, I think a spinning setup would work a lot better for lighter presentations. I setup my wife's spinning reel on a rod over the weekend to test if I would like casting plastics on it and found that I didn't like it very much. It seems like a spinning setup would be great for finesse as mentioned above but I would enjoy a bait caster more for anything heavier. Beyond that, I actually caught some bass on a topwater frog over the weekend and decided that I need a flipping rod too. I was using my 705CB for frogging and it seemed to work well. Too many rods!!! It would be great to have 4 at most. More than 4 would work if I owned a proper boat but I am bank fishing for the time being then a kayak in the near future. Don't really want to go above 4 even when I have the yak. Maybe I continue using the 705CB for frogs because I don't have a lot of cover around here.

What types of baits would you fish on on of those? I see differing opinions when it comes to finesse. It seems like some people consider finesse as weightless plastics then others think that it’s downsizing lures. I admit it that I am still not familiar with all styles of bait but have been happily adding new ones every day.

Thanks for the tips. The 734 feels like a great all around rod while the 705 handles crank baits great. Can’t say I know how I set the hook yet since I haven’t had good luck. I do well fly fishing though and I wouldn’t say the hook sets are to hard.

Thanks for all of the suggestions @Angry John. I think I am going to try a spinning setup for these baits.

Thanks again for the great feedback. A spinning rig does seem practical but I find bait casters more fun.

Thanks for the feedback @Angry John. A spinning rod has been a consideration. When you say 20 or 2000, would 25 or 2500 work? Also see a 200. Do you typically use leader with the braid?

Thanks for the tips. There may be a lot of pressure in the spots I go to. What # braid would you use on the 703? 30? Do you use leaders too? I was thinking of something in the 8-10# range for a fluoro leader.

Hi all, looking for some guidance on my current rod selection and setup. I never looked at the types of rods I was using before so am newer to all of this. I currently have 2 rods and plan on adding a 3rd. I fish on lakes and rivers in the Carolinas and mainly target bass. There is little to no cover in the areas I fish. Mainly fished saltwater in Florida and fished freshwater as a kid. I am still learning what to use and where to use it but haven’t had any luck since moving to the Carolinas and starting freshwater fishing. Setups: Dobyns Fury 705CB with a Lews Mach I, 12# fluoro used mainly with crank baits and heavier spinner baits Dobyns Fury 734C with a Quantum S3 reel, 40# braid to 12# fluoro leader used for everything else I recently started using weightless senko, whacky rigs, shakey heads and flukes. It seems like they would do better on a lighter rod. I was thinking about adding a 3rd rod which would be a Dobyns Sierra 703C. Would this rod work well for those baits? Not sure of the line choice yet. Do you think the other line choices are right? My bad luck so far may be related to fishing from the shore and heat. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.