Fastbee

Agreed Tom...liking FC less and less. OP, I have both reels and prefer the Daiwa to the Shimano for short presentations and skipping. Not to say the Shimanos are bad, they aren't at all (my frog setup for this year is a JDM Scorpion 70 on an Expride 73XH, skips amazing and will cast a mile) but the SV is really nice up close.

Understand...I've wanted to try a Steez SV TW but won't pay that much over and above my tried and true SV TW103s.

Haha...my man! Some of the stuff on here really is funny! I agree 100%, folks WAY over think things and should probably just fish more. My old OG Tatula rods (no idea how much they weigh or what they are rated for) paired up with my Tatula SV TW103 reels (again, no idea about what they are "supposed" to used for) catch fish however I need them to. Is the old 7' MH R action specifically for squarebills and shallow cranks? I doubt it, but it does great. Is the 7'6 H the ideal jig rod? Probably not, but it has caught 1000s of fish from dragging football heads in 20 FOW to skipping 1/4 swim jigs under docks, makes a good frog rod too. The reels have been beat to death flipping, punching, frogging and anything else I've asked them to do. I'd encourage guys to worry less about having something perfect and enjoy the time on the water. Then why not use them or get another one?

I use the 7'7H as my main flipping/pitching rod. It works great for me. I pair it with a Curado 70MGL and 20lb fluoro. The combo is very light in hand. Primarily throw 3/8 and 1/2 oz jigs on it. Great tip allows easy skipping as well if needed. Plenty of backbone and I'd rate it much closer to fast than moderate. I also have the 7'3xh Expride. I bought it as a frog rod but really like it for swim jigs as well. It has the same soft tip as the 7'7H but is a really stout rod. The 7'2 MH is great as well. I loved the old OG Tatula rods and caught thousands of fish on the 7'6H, 7'6 MH and 7'2H but they are showing their age. I've bought/sold so many rods searching for replacements it's embarrassing. The Exprides are awesome rods. The previous posts just go to show how personal fishing gear is, what really works for one guy might not be ideal for another.

I don't think I've ever had that happen when the drag was truly locked down. I've fished with some pretty cheap reels over the years and when the drag is as tight as I can get it I've never had to hand line a fish. I'm not saying the drag won't slip at all, because it has a little, but not to the point you seem to be describing. I have needed to use my hands or the trolling motor to get a lure unstuck (breaking line, pulling part of the brushpile out, etc...) but never to land a fish.

Sounds like you are well on your way dodgeguy. I will warn you that the water isn't as forgiving as the concrete driveway but you probably already knew that. Getting the "stroke" down is the most important part of skipping anything in my opinion. Maybe the skipping specific rods and reels help but there were lots of us that could do it before any of that stuff was around. Keep practicing, before long you don't even have to think about it before you launch a jig into the crack between a pontoon boat's motor and pontoon without fear of slamming into something!

I don't correlate amount of drag available to line size at all. Most of my fishing is up close and personal...flipping brush and laydowns or under docks. In those instances the heavy line ensures I can get that fish pinned and out of the cover quickly. If I'm fishing more open water I use lighter line since I'm not trying to drag a fish out of something that is sawing my line as I pull.

If it's working I'd stay with it. Like I said before my uncle never used casting gear and was a very successful angler. He taught me a lot about fishing and even after I got quite proficient at using casting gear he didn't seem to ever be at a disadvantage.

I like the higher ratio reels to get more drops in. I use the rod to move the fish, not the reel. Bluebasser and I use the same reel, Okuma Helios TCS in 8:1. My punching rod is a 7'11" Okuma TCS Mat Daddy. Like others have said, it's a near vertical presentation. When I hammer one, I can usually get the fish all the way to the surface (or really close) without even reeling. I generally keep my rod around 3 o'clock, so when I set the hook I can move a lot of line, once the fish in on the surface I reel to keep things tight but pull with the rod if I need to keep it coming to me. I don't lose many punch fish that way.

Dang man...sounds like you should be using casting equipment if you're in that deep. I guess whatever work for you though. My uncle never used casting equipment and he did fine most of the time.

Is this your skipping rod? Did you make sure to pair it up with the new Lews Pro SP skipping reel? I find it somewhat funny that guys get so hung up on what a label says. I can skip with any rod/reel combo I own, including the XF ones but I will also NOT recommend XF rods for skipping. DVT is exactly right in that everything must be pretty much perfect with an XF rod, the slower actions are so much easier.

Rod action is the most important part of skipping outside of learning the proper mechanics.

So the place you bought this stuff from couldn't tell you what else you needed?

Is the only place you've tried this on the table? Without a transducer in the water you won't get much...

The XF tip is most likely your issue, not the length.

The Tatula Elites I've owned were amazing (Jig Skipping rod and the Omori Pitching rod). The Omori was great for dragging jigs in 5-15 FOW. It also made for a really nice moderate cover frog rod. I sold both because I just couldn't get past the silver color...it was distracting to me but that is purely personal. My experience with Dobyns is hit or miss. I had a Sierra 703 spinning rod and a Champ XP 734 casting rod. Both felt totally dead. Some guys say the Champ XP 744 is really good for jigs but I've never used one. I will say that the Champ Extreme DX745 is absolutely amazing for jigs. It's my current jig rod and I couldn't be happier with it. I also have a Champ XP 736 for frogs and I'd have to say it is the best frog rod I've used so far. I'd also recommend the Expride series, the 7'2 MH I have is a really versatile rod. The 7'2 H and 7'6 H are really nice as well.

Mbirdsley - glad your feeling better. Hopefully the fish will cooperate now that you're back in action. ironbjorn - I'll respectfully disagree. I had COVID, and if not for a positive test wouldn't have known it. Your experience isn't everyone's. CAN it be bad, absolutely, but of the 100 or so folks I know personally that have had it over the last year it has been very mild. The experts don't know either, they just keep moving the bar.

What is this app?

I've got one. I've used it for everything from flipping to frogging to finesse jigs. It's a strong performer for its price point. I will say that it'll skip a frog WAY up under stuff if you need it to. I like the size more than anything. Right now it's on a 7'2 MH Expride throwing finesse jigs and small swim jigs. I like it on that rod so it'll probably stay there but don't be afraid to load it up with heavy line and get into some close quarters combat!

Yesterday I was skipping 3/8 jigs on a 7'6 H Tatula... I've tried MANY rods over the years for skipping and I understand rod choice is very personal but I just keep moving back to the 7'6 H as my go to. I used a 7'2" H OG Tatula as well as the Tatula Elite 7'1 jig skipping rod last year and while they were very good I went back to my old favorite this year. Wish I could recommend something shorter but I don't own a rod less than 7'...

I have the MH. It's a really good swim jig rod or smaller bottom contact bait rod. I haven't used it for shakey heads or smaller t-rigs yet but plan to as the situation arises. I'm sure the rod can drive heavier hooks but so far I haven't tried it for that, only thinner diameter hooks on the jigs I've used (mainly open water so far). It's quite sensitive and very light. I actually picked it over a couple of much more expensive rods because it felt so good for the money.

All the rods in stock at my two local shops are not things I'm looking for but I've been able to handle rods from the GLX, NRX and Conquest lines (the 844MBR I mentioned earlier was gone before I got there). I like them all in the store and don't anticipate any problems with any of them that I'd purchase. Both shops say more stock is coming but they aren't sure when. The Tackle Trap is the only place I'd order from online and they are out of all G.Loomis. I just really believe in supporting my local shops even if they are a few dollars higher. I had thought about buying used but can't seem to get clear direction on warranty coverage should I need it on a used rod. The more I read, the more I lean toward the GLX 844MBR. I was able to handle a GLX 854JWR and liked it. I'd really like to see how the GLX 894JWR feels as well. I kind of bought into the longer rod philosophy a while back but am not sure I see much benefit on most tactics...7' was my max rod length for years and it worked just fine.

I've found several used rods that are of interest. Having never owned anything Loomis, how do they handle the warranty if I were to need it? One of the rods is supposedly a couple of weeks old and hasn't been registered online yet. Others are a little older. I've read the stuff for the Xpeditor program, but it appears the rod would still have to have been registered for them to even do that. I think the Xpeditor program is pretty good if I could use it. It says "no questions asked" but also leads you to believe they actually ask some questions...

I don't really mind the ACS reel seat, but I feel you on having the right taper! We all have different ways of doing things, and so far I've preferred that more moderate taper. I made a similar post on another forum and someone commented about the benefits of a faster taper to allow better feel. I agree with that, but to me x-fast rods are harder to cast so it's a trade off on most anything I suppose. In that same thread Shimano Poison Adrenas came up...anyone have any first hand experience with them throwing 1/2-5/8 oz. jigs?

That GLX 894 FPR looks perfect on paper and your description of the taper might be the ticket. I'm going tomorrow to see what all I can get my hands on. The demo rods are gone, so I'll either have to buy new or look around for used.