Big Hands

I fished Saturday night and caught 11(3 others sawed me off on rocks on the hookset), with over 20 bites. I could have taken the tackle I used in the cargo pocket of my shorts: 1 @ bag of 5" Senkos #297 6 @ #4 Mosquito hooks Leader material Scissors Needlenose pliers Scent I had my daughter with me and was trying to keep things simple. I used one rod; the "Senko Cannon" (didn't ever touch the other four I had with me). Even though the water had dropped over six feet since the last time I fished, I didn't even turn on my fish finder (that's a first).

Transporter

Weightless wacky rig 4" Senkos are a challenge to throw for distance. If distance with a 4" WW Senko is a priority, then a 7' Medium fast spinning rod would not be my choice. I have four medium action spinning rods and none of them are my first or even second choice for throwing WW 4" Senkos (which I fish with often, along with 5" WW Senkos). As for line, and this again could be different for you depending on the conditions you fish in.

IIRC, it is the gel cell batteries that can be mounted in all sorts of positions. AGM batteries are not gel cell batteries.

I guess that since we don't actually know each other, you can still claim not to know anyone that does that, but I run two Group 27 12v AGM deep cycle batteries for everything (the 40 hp outboard with electric start, 24v trolling motor, and two fish finders; a Garmin Striker 5 and a Humminbird Helix 5). The 24v trolling motor runs off of both batteries. The outboard runs off of one of the batteries. The fish finders, lights and anything else runs off of the same battery that starts the outboard. I do keep a NOCO jump start battery charged and stowed just in case, but IMHO, everyone should probably have one of those regardless of what setup you have. The 40 hp Mercury four stroke is super easy to pull start, should the need arise. I do sometimes, but not always, get a little interference on the Garmin if the trolling motor is operating on the absolute highest speed. I also had a 19' Ranger with a 200 hp Merc many years ago that I bought when it was a year old. It had been set up by North Hollywood Marine (a very respected Ranger dealer BITD here in SoCal) with only two 6v Trojan golf cart batteries run in series. I had a Lowrance x-15 paper graph and a Bottom Line LCD graph up front (as well as two built in flashers) on it that operated with no problems in conjunction with the 12v Mercury Thruster trolling motor that had a whopping 42 lbs of thrust LOL. I could run everything all day on both rigs with no problems. No issues starting the outboards, and batteries would last many years.

With a 99 kg star drag no less. Beefy! I wonder if it's pronounced "deewah"?

Bait Monkey dislikes negative thinking and is motioning for you to join him for a cocktail at the Admiral's Table.

I was listening to a podcast with Dave Mercer (Elite series emcee) and Jake Latendresse (Elite series cameraman) from June 8th and they were talking about this very subject. The point they were trying to make was that the sport may be going through a transformation in that respect. They have been observing that many of the newer anglers from the ranks of the college bass fishing scene have considerably more techniques that they are VERY good at. They opined that having been on these 'teams', they have spent considerable time on the water with various anglers from all over the country, and that the culture of the teams is that they truly share amongst each other, and that gives many of them a lot of confidence with a lot of different baits and techniques, and that the old maxim that held true for those in the top echelon of the sport for so long may be changing. As for the rest of us mere mortals, well, I think it will take a while longer.

Since I think you fish from a kayak, this may not be relevant to your situation as I find many kayak anglers seem to like shorter rods. I have been looking for extra casting distance as I think it helps with the highly pressured fish where I live. I fish with 10# braid with 7# fluoro leader and find myself throwing the WW Senko a lot and felt it was worth investing in something that works really well for that. I already have three M/F spinning rods that are 6'10", 7' & 7'1" and I feel they are all way to stiff and short to get the distance I want with 5" Senkos. 4" Senkos were something I also want to explore, but haven't been able to get anywhere near the distance I want, so I haven't even used them much. I have also tried a Zodias 7' ML/F and an Expride 7' L/F which were pretty good for me, especially the Expride. I was originally looking for the Daiwa Tatula 7'6" ML-M/F rod, but only could find one at a store that is 90 miles across the heart of Los Angles away and they won't ship it to me. So, I picked up a St. Croix Mojo 7'6" MLXF a couple weeks ago in my quest for the ultimate weightless Senko rod. I haven't said much about it as I wanted to fish with it and see what it's strengths and weaknesses were. After a few outings with it, I am really liking the results. It is definitely giving me the distance I was hoping for. Along with the distance, I am having no trouble hooking fish, keeping fish pinned, and getting them into the boat. As with my other ML/F and L/F rods, I know the fish are there long before they know I am there. I am using #4 Owner Wacky Hook Camo Green, or #4 Mosquito hooks with either O-rings or VMC Crossover rings to hold the hooks. I have missed very few bites with this setup. The best part for me is that now I can cast a 4" Senko as far as I used to cast the 5" Senko which works well even if it isn't as far as I can throw the 5" Senko. Being that I fish at a lake known for finesse fishing, I am liking that I can now cast a 4" weightless plastic far enough to present it stealthily. The only downside I have come across so far is that even though I am not lobbing the cast, it takes an extra couple of seconds for the line to settle and since I am casting to within a foot of shore, it's not unusual for the strike to occur very quickly. As much as this seems to be working well for me, I have also come to realize that I fish a deep canyon reservoir with steep walls and sparse cover, so I have much less need to horse a bass away from wood or vegetation and such a rod may not work well for others, but thought I would share that in my experience in the environment that I fish in, a ML/XF can easily pin and land bass with WW plastics (as can the L/F Expride that I have).

If I am fishing for fun, I don't have to be the absolute most efficient angler possible. That's probably why I rarely fish a tournament. I don't want every trip to be about pre-fishing or being in a tournament. Tried it and didn't care for it. Some people love that type of fishing. More power to them, but that's not me. I take one satchel that holds five 3700 boxes, and that holds all of my tackle that I will use on a given day, plus my tools, scale, sunglasses, license, etc. I will take anywhere from 3 to 5 rods, a landing net, and an anchor (and any required safety equipment). That's it. If I can't catch 'em on what I have with me, I'll enjoy trying with what I have with me.

Very simple. Super simple even. But I have tried it and it wasn't nearly as good for me as a 7'6" ML/XF hair jig rod, or my Expride EX270LA, and as much as I like them, even those have some tradeoffs. Casting distance (actually a lack thereof) is a deal killer for me and 7' MH/F spinning rods didn't give me enough for the conditions I fish. It was actually my least favorite rod for this use. Even straight medium power rods weren't what I was hoping for for this particular use. I have the following spinning rods, and have tried them all for fishing weightless wacky rig Senkos: 7' MH/F 7'2" M/XF 7' M/F 6'10" M/F 7' ML/F 7' L/F 7'6" ML/XF Three of those rods I bought with tossing weightless wacky rig Senkos as it's primary function. I have also tried a half dozen various casting rods. It could be something I'm not doing as well as I could too, but casting them weightless wacky for distance and accuracy with a 7' MH/F spinning rod wasn't happening for me. But I have seen enough folks (whose opinion I absolutely respect) state their preference for the setup you describe to know that this is probably wonderful for them and the conditions they fish in. That's actually what really drove the point home for me.

We had this exact poster at my house when I was a kid, and yes, I really wanted a BSA Victor Trail Motocross just like this one. I wouldn't say that I ever come close to being the poster child for living the sentiment that this poster uses sarcasm to invoke, but it has absolutely stuck with me and has occasionally been my guiding light when I really want to do something . . . like taking a fishing trip to Texas (which I have done eight times in the last 25 or so years). I haven't regretted any of them. A couple things other posters have hit on that resonated with me are: 1) The weather in those southern states in the summertime is (how can I say this respectfully?) a force to contend with. If I wanted to mostly fish at night (and I do LOVE night fishing), that make a summertime trip there a better choice. My suggestion for some outstanding (but occasionally not outstanding) weather AND fishing, would be sometime between the last half of September and the first half of November. Kids are in school (most years anyway) and many of the sportsmen and sportswomen are off in the woods deer hunting. JMHO and you can't always dictate when the time is right on all fronts (pun intended). 2) As much as I LOVE to fish a famous body of water like Lake Fork or hopefully one day in the future Toledo Bend, I also know that there are some outstanding smaller bodies of water that you possibly never knew existed, like Lake Naconiche for example, that could make for a better kayak fishing experience. I have five bucket list bass fishing road trips on my list (in no particular order): a) East Texas and Louisiana (retirement may find me living in this area) b) Florida (and adjacent states) c) Minnesota (and adjacent states) d) Tennessee (and adjacent states) e) Mexico While extensive planning has it's merits, but I will also say that some of my best road trips have been spur of the moment, throw our stuff in the hoopty and hit the road with no reservations and lets see where we end up type of excursions. I love road trips.

I have been grinding through several threads regarding the search for the ultimate Senko rod and it occurs to me that the ultimate Senko rod (for everyone) doesn't exist. That's because they can be fished so many different ways, by so many variously skilled anglers, in so many different situations that I believe the one true answer is "it depends". I think that in order to get the best, most thoughtful responses to 'the question', you'll get the best responses FOR YOU if you include more detail and context. If people can't take the extra time to consider that, perhaps they should think twice about responding. It's like asking "what's the best car?" It may exist for us individually, but I doubt it exists universally. So long as it's built well and performs in the way that the owner wants and needs for their particular situation, then it could be the best for them. One angler's sweet dream is another angler's nightmare, or not. It depends. And, for the record, Bait Monkey is such a good listener. Thanks buddy.

Bingo

I run two 12v Group 27 AGM deep cycles for my Tracker 1648 with a 24v 65 lb Minn Kota Edge and a 40 hp outboard. You can easily tap 12v off of one for electronics. Just hook it up to the terminals of whichever battery you want to use. I have my outboard and all other electronics running off of one of my 12v deep cycle batteries. They are wired in series for the 24v trolling motor. No issues. I have had a 14' Valco with a 45 lb Minn Kota Edge 12v trolling motor and a 15 hp outboard previous to this boat with a single Group 27 deep cycle. I have a Humminbird Helix 5 in the back and a Garmin Striker 5 up front, both run off of the same battery that starts my outboard (and half of my TM). I also have lights run off of that battery too when night fishing. There is a significant difference in how long I can run the TM between the two boats. If at all possible, I highly recommend going with a more powerful 24v TM. They are more efficient at lower speeds, and will move the craft faster when you need it. If you run two Group 27 deep cycle 12v batteries, you can run your electronics, trolling motor, and whatever else you might want to. The only thing I couldn't comment on is having to battle current. I have wind to deal with and that can be similar on some days. If weight is an issue, and money isn't, you could go lithium. That would grate some skin off of your undercarriage the day you buy them, but you'd probably love them every day after that. . . . until you have to replace them several years down the road.

This seem like it could be a very specialized rod. . . or not, which is why I am curious about this rod. The design constraints. The selection of materials. Should I assume weightless Senkos (do you differentiate)? I find myself fishing 5" Senkos A LOT, more often than not, weightless and wacky. The conditions I fish them in might be something you don't encounter much if at all. I am generally tossing Senkos long distances to precise targets. I usually want to hit within 6" to 12" from the water's edge. If it's two feet away from the water's edge, I'm not thrilled. I'd rather it hit the bank and drop in gently than land too far out in the water. I don't like lobbing it because the wind can do all sorts of bad things with the line while waiting for it to settle, and the strike often occurs within a second or three so I want to be ready for it. Nor do I like bullet casting as it's harder to be precise and can be hard on the bait. And it just feels dorky and spastic to do it. All these things may be contrary or meaningless in the way you fish the Senko, but I'm just curious to hear your input since you went to the time, trouble, and expense to have a custom Senko rod made.

They last quite a while if you just stick to cutting braid.

I was hoping it would end with you seeing them (on your camera) step in Fido's fecal matter as they sprinted across your lawn.

When I was down at the local fishing pier one night, a kid had one like the one in the pic you just posted, and was learning to cast it. He was having trouble backlashing, so I offered to adjust it for him. I took one cast with it to see what was happening and it easily launched out there quite a ways. He asked me what I did to it. "Nothing." Showed him how to use his thumb over it and he was off to the races.

If you're going to spend that kind of money on a nice combo, I suggest you go to a tackle shop to put hands on the hardware before plunking down. Lots of fine rods mentioned here, any one of which could work great for you. Sounds like you either have an Ultegra spinning reel already, or are pretty set on buying one. If that is the case, I would try to get to a shop or shops that carry the rods that are at the top of your list so you can feel for yourself how they balance with that Ultegra spinning reel, and how the rod feels otherwise in your hands. I have gone into buying rods and/or reels thinking I knew what I wanted, and ended up with something completely different. Lots of small details can be outright deal breakers, or even just mildly annoying to the point that it changes your perception of it.

Having to do a deep dive into 'battery world' every so often has revealed to me that the the landscape is constantly evolving. But generally speaking, there are two major battery manufacturers in the USA. Those are what used to be called Johnson Controls and has somewhat recently been purchased by a brand now known as Clarios. The second major manufacturer in the USA is East Penn, There are others like Exide, but their market share is much smaller than the two aforementioned manufacturers. Optima started out as an independent brand, but eventually sold out to Johnson Controls (now 'Clarios') and manufacturing was moved to Mexico. Once you start researching the 'big two' you begin to notice that you can see just by looking who the manufacturer by the case on the battery. What I found interesting is that, even with 'deep cycle' batteries, the various brands that slap their own label on these batteries often use different ways to rate the output, making direct comparisons a little fuzzy. Prices can vary significantly for what appears to be the same battery depending on where you purchase the battery, and in some cases the warranty may more . . . generous. A decent case can be made in favor of going with the Ever Start flooded deep cycle batteries from Walmart. The cost of acquire them is certainly hard to beat to put it mildly. In most locations, they are from Clarios (although I have read reports of people finding East Penn batteries at Walmart, but I haven't personally seen them there). Of course, longevity is dependent on many factors, one of them being how well they are maintained, stored, and charged. Many people get several years out of them, and if you have one go bad, there is usually a Walmart close by to get it replaced. For me, the other best option would be to go with an AGM manufactured by East Penn. Their house brand is Deka, and they also supply AGM's under the Duracell, some of the Super Start AGM's (sold at O'Reilly auto parts) and several other retailers. With some retailers like Napa, they will sell a certain battery in one area made by Clarios, and in another part of the country sell the same 'size/spec' battery made by East Penn depending on what distribution channels work best for them. For my boat, I needed to use Group 27 deep cycle due to size constraints. I initially replaced a failing Interstate flooded battery with a (East Penn made) Super Start AGM (from O'Reilly) that sold last summer for $209 (currently $219.99) with a 12 month warranty. A few days later, I decided to replace my other battery that was also over 4 years old, and found the same AGM sold at Sams Club with a Duracell label for $50 less and came with an 18 month warranty. Since AGM batteries are sealed, they do not require you to add water to them and in that sense are considered 'maintenance free'. AGM batteries also have a better reputation for longevity, and that has been my experience, however anecdotal that may be. So, my conclusion is that the two best choices for the money for me would be to go with either: a) Ever Start Group 29 deep cycle (flooded) rated at 845 MCA @ $89.97 with a 12 month warranty or b) Duracell Group 27 deep cycle (AGM) rated at 900 MCA @ $168.44 with an 18 month warranty

My favorite is between 80° and 85°. That's because that is the most comfortable water for me to take a swim in. Other than that, I don't worry about it too much as I have no control or even influence over water temperature. I just need to figure how I am going to catch fish on the plastics I end up throwing at least 90% of the time.

A little over a year ago, I went down to the 24 hour fishing pier at Castaic Lagoon at around midnight, as I occasionally do just to toss a new lure where I can see the action well because there are lights shining into the water. As I was casting and cranking, a guy eases up on me and asks me how the fishing is. I look over to see a warden right next to me. I normally fish out of a boat and have a tackle satchel loaded with my gear for that, but occasionally go down to the fishing pier late at night and have a backpack that I can toss a few 3700 boxes into and strap a couple rod/reel combos to for shore/pier fishing. I keep my license in my main tackle satchel, and forgot to transfer it to my backpack. He asked for my driver's license and told me he could check with that. He left me there and went up to his truck and returned a few minutes later stating that he couldn't hook up to their system (my cell service was fine. . .). To make a long story even longer, I offered to leave two $300 combos there with him along with my driver's license if he'd let me drive a mile and a half home to get it. He said he couldn't do that and wrote me a citation. He told me that I should receive something in the mail about when I needed to appear, or at least go before the date he wrote on the citation (90 days from the date of the citation). I didn't give him any flak about it, and we actually chatted for a good 20 minutes after he wrote the citation. A week before that date, I hadn't received anything, so I went to the courthouse hoping I could reconcile the issue as he had instructed me to do. After jumping through the flaming hoops needed to speak to a court clerk without an appointment in the middle of a pandemic (in Kalifornia), I did manage to use their online appointment system to make an appointment for that same morning since I had taken the day off of work to try to get it taken care of before the deadline. The clerk told me that my citation had not yet been entered into the system so she had no way for me to provide proof of having bought a license before the date of the citation, and she suggested that I report to the courthouse once a month to check if the citation had been reported so that I would not get a failure to appear notice added to my case. She said that if he hadn't entered the citation into the system a year after the date of the infraction, that he wouldn't be able to file it after that date. He hadn't filed it for 90 days, so I figured he must have decided not to file it. It's been 14 months and I haven't gone back. I have a pic of my citation and my fishing license that shows the date of purchase stored on my phone, and I have proof that I tried to appear before the date on the citation, and I guess that if they want to hang an FTA on me for that, I'll have my day in court and see what happens.