Largies4Life

I will say the Daiwa Tatula SV for the lower end in the price range the OP mentioned, and the Daiwa Zillion like J Francho mentioned. I have the Tatula SV and it's very user friendly when it comes to learning how to skip baits...But in the end, it all comes down to practice!!!

I'm in the same exact boat my friend (except hearing so much on the LTB's)! There's a fishing expo near me this weekend and St. Croix will be there so I'm hoping I can get a good show deal on one!

If you are wanting to possibly spend more on the reel, I would suggest taking a look at the Daiwa Tatula LT. Can be had on eBay for around $130-$140. If you do go the St. Croix route, I would suggest getting into your local Cabelas/BPS, etc. and putting these reels onto the rods and then seeing how they feel before you make a decision either way.

My top 3 would have to be Ned Rig, Drop Shot, and Shakey Heads. We all can see the pattern here, I'm not great at finesse fishing! I love to throw a wacky rig around, but never branched out from that because it always worked for me! I got all the right gear for these techniques for Christmas, so I'm ready to try these out as soon as these giant icebergs melt off the lakes up here in the Midwest...

Thank you very much for the info, I've never been out to Tackle Trap so it's great knowing I have one more website I can buy tackle from! I ended up looking on Ebay this morning and they had the 7'2" model so I bought that and cancelled my order from TW. He didn't blame me for not wanting to wait either. These rods are quite hard to come by! I got lucky!

That's why I ended up buying one because of all the great reviews they've been getting. I've heard about people having the same issue as you. The latest shipment for the rod that I ordered was supposed to be two days ago and now the next shipment says April 26th. I'm going to call them to see if they missed me like what happened to you. The only problem is that these rods are never in stock besides the really short or long rods like the 6' or 9' ranges. Just out of curiosity, what two Expride models do you have?

I agree, I just don't know how these are always out of stock for how big of a company Shimano is...I might have to cancel my order and go with the 7'6" MH/F because I found one available elsewhere. I'm primarily going to be using this for jig fishing, but never have bought a bass rod longer than 7'3" so I am a bit hesitant.

I ordered a Shimano Expride (7'2" MH/F casting) off of TW back around Christmas time. I know that the waiting list is quite extensive for these rods, but was wondering if anyone waited the full time and how long it took? The next shipment TW has on their website is for April 26 and I'm just not sure I want to keep waiting for the rod. Is it worth the wait? Am I able to cancel my order on TW if I don't want to wait? Does anyone have any recommendations to other rods in this same price range around 7'-7'4" MH/F is what I'm looking for. I will be pairing it up with a Chronarch MGL. Thank you all in advance!

My recommendation was going to be a swim jig for you. I fished swim jigs quite heavily this past summer and whenever I got around some thicker vegetation, out came the swim jig. Do you have a MH rod to throw it on? I use 15lb. fluoro so I'm sure your 12lb will be just fine!

I have the Daiwa Tatula SV in the 6.3.1 gear ratio and had no problems throwing the Zman custom chatterbait around all day this past summer. In fact, I used this reel for swim jigs, spinnerbaits, t-rigged plastics, etc. and performed great for me all year around! Totally personal preference I would say. If you are looking to burn your chatterbaits, then you may want to bump up to the 7.3.1.

Snagged a snapping turtle in the tail with my brand new whopper plopper that I was catching a bass every couple casts so I was quite determined to get it back. Spent about 5 minutes fighting this turtle and then managed to grab its tail and unhook the plopper. So much adrenaline pumping through my body! Will I get bit or will I get my lure back?!

I will only ever consider sharpening my hooks if I get caught up on rocks. This definitely isn't as popular in bass fishing anymore, but I'm big into musky fishing as well and I never leave my house without a hook sharpener!

I completely agree. Stick with the Mojo!

Last year I used green pumpkin with gold/purple flake when it was sunny out and then when it was cloudy I switched over to black/blue. I was in the back of the boat and I still out-fished my old man and brother combined!

Not only larger bass, but also I've noticed myself hooking into some very large northerns as well. Lost one this past summer that I would've put in the 35"-40" range. Definitely keep the chatterbait tied on!

Thank you all for the informative responses! I don't have many specs on the Gander rod as it is around 10-15 years, but it still works just fine so I'd like to keep it around while it lasts. So if I went with a 7' M/F, that would be best suit for shakey heads, wacky rig senko, light t-rigged plastics? Any other finesse options that would work on my lighter setup vs. the heavier setup?

I currently have a 6'8" Gander ML/F rod with a Shimano Sienna 2500. I am looking to get another setup to help cover all of the finesse applications if possible. I am looking to throw shaky heads, ned rigs, drop shots, weightless senkos, etc. on these rods and am currently very confused on what type of gear I need to cover these. Would a Medium power rod be a good rod to partner up with the one mentioned above? I would like to stay under $500 for the combo in total. I am looking at a Shimano Stradic or the Daiwa Ballistic LT for the reel, but am unsure as to what to look for in a rod given my situation. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Not too many people utilize this underrated program but TW offers a Demo Program where you can try out these higher end Shimano reels for $20 (shipping charges) unless the reel does end up in the bottom of the broad river again. If you are having serious doubts on some reels I would give this a shot, or find a local store that carries the Chronarch MGL or other reels you are eyeing up and go test them out for yourself. I personally just bought a Chronarch MGL and it just feels buttery smooth, but I will have to wait a couple months until the ice goes out up here in the north woods to put it to the true test. The 150 reels will be your right-handed reels, the 151 will be your left-handed reels. The HG stands for the 7:1:1 gear ratio and the XG stands for the 8:1:1 gear ratio.

I can't say much on the carbonlite as I've never owned one, personally. I've heard good things about the johnny morris rods, but haven't heard much on the reels. In my own opinion, if I were to spend money on a lower end rod/reel, I would stick with the name brands like the Shimano's, Daiwa's, St. Croix. etc. to possibly get some of the higher quality features in those lower end reels. Again, that's my own opinion, but I'm sure the carbonlite would treat you just fine!!

The Teckel Maracker frog.....I used it this past summer and although I would catch bass on it here and there, I missed too many fish with it compared to all my other frogs. My theory is that the bass are hitting the shiny, noisy part of the bait, which in this case, is the back end of the bait so I think they are all just striking it at the back and missing the hooks.

Are you specifically looking only for the paddle tail style trailers? I would vote for a rage craw if you have a lot of craws in your lake, I've had my best days on the lake using the rage craw as a trailer. One unique thing that a lot of people do know about, is twisting the rage craw so it sits perpendicular on the hook rather than rigging it up like a normal craw. This will give plenty of "thump" in the water, clear or stained.

Spro is for sure my go to, but I would also look at LiveTarget which doesn't get much love, but I've had great success using them!

Very cool and best of luck finishing up grad school! This will be my first time going to the Milwaukee musky expo. I go to the Madison expo every year and also the Minnesota musky expo as well. Would definitely recommend the MN one, but it is a haul just for a weekend. I primarily fish up north as well, but when I have a free weekend in Madison, you can find me on one of the bodies of water there!

Does anyone know of any storage places in the Milwaukee area fora 14-16' Lund? I'll be searching for a boat this spring, but being in an apartment complex, raises some issues on storage. Thank you!

I'm also big into musky fishing! I came from Madison and fished the Madison chain really hard over the years, and now I have to start all over again! I have heard good things about Pewaukee Lake as well. Will you be attending the musky show next month?