BrianMDTX

Just an FYI as I started this thread. After finding out Kistler was 18 miles from my house and getting some advice from Trey, I decided to purchase a Helium HE-TCJ-70MH at a great price. Thanks for all your suggestions. I appreciate it.

This thread was great for three things. 1- I learned that Kistler is 18 miles from my house 2- I e-mailed Trey about what type fishing I’m looking for a new rod for and he recommended the model I was interested in- a Helium HE-TCJ-70MH for Texas rigs 3- I just bought a $400.00 rod for $238.42 with 10% veteran’s discount!

Welcome! I’ll second the nice boat!

Wow. I’ve heard of Kistler, but that’s about it. Never fished with one. Never seen one. Just happened to look in this thread and saw they are in Texas. I’ve been looking at upgrading my Texas rig rod and was looking at Falcon Caras, but to get my hands on one before purchasing is nigh on impossible. So I Googled Kistler. Texas is big, so they could have been hundreds of miles away. They’re 18 miles from my house! I’m going to be stopping by soon!

I really don’t care who’s going. I’m just glad the Bengals ain’t! ?

I would hold the line taut about a minute before I started reeling it in slowly. It really seemed to get rid of the twist for me. But in all honesty I vastly prefer braid-to-leader on spinning rigs. No twist at all.

My go-to rain gear is the couch and TV.

As a fan of an AFCN team, I can tell you the Who Dey fan base is an insufferable as they come.

I don’t fish braid-to-leader on my Lowrider, so I can’t answer that truthfully. But looking at them, and at other rods I do fish with leaders, I would think so.

I am 100% braid-to-leader on my spinning reels now, but when I fished mono, I screwed a small hook (like a picture hook, not a fish hook lol) into one of my trees, tied on a hook and put one end of a ball bearing swivel on the picture hook and the other on the fish hook. I’d walk back about 50 yards of line, pull the line taut and reel it back onto the spool as I walked along with the rig. Most times one pass removed all the twists. You can also take some line and tie it around a tree and tie on a swivel on the tag end.

I like the way my Fury 705CB fishes. But I’d buy another Lowrider over another Fury.

No issues with guides. My only criticism is that compared to my Falcon Lowrider (same price point), the cork grips look very cheap. There’s no comparison whatsoever.

Might not have gotten the snow amounts annually that you see, but we can get some awfully deep snowfalls in MD at times (about 10 years ago we had back-to-back Saturday blizzards with 30”+ each winter storm). To be honest, I never saw anyone have a problem as long as they cared for their gutters properly. It would be interesting to see if there’s any research on which states tend to have gutters vs. those that don’t. Yeah. It’s a Sunday. It’s pouring. I just spooled 12 lb. YZH on my last baitcaster that needed line. Almost 2 hours before KO. What the heck else do I have to do? ?

Out of those two, I’d opt for the Headturner. Anything over 7’ 2” is difficult in my small boat when trying to land a bass. A 6’ 10” would likely be good. Most of my casting rods are 7’ (except the Fenwick HMX HF which is 7’ 6” and not a rod I use often), so a 6’ 10” is pretty much the same. I just wish there was a dealer close by with Caras in stock.

What I throw the most are 5” Senkos, Zoom Tricks, Mann’s Jelly Worms, Fat IKA’s and Neko Machos. On either a 3/0 or 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG. I may toss a few other creature baits like Rage Tails or X-Zone Adrenaline Craws, but the others listed above are my go-to’s.

Congrats! Yeah, it’s got a tad more room than a canoe!

lol. Second time today with simultaneous posts for me. One more for the hat trick!

I used to use my pressure washer. Both make a mess!

Good point. Just looking at specs and not lure recommendations, either the Finesse Jig or Swim Jig rods (both MH/F and 5 Power) would likely suit me best. The Finesse Jig throws 3/16 to 5/8 oz. A little shorter (6’ 10” vs 7’ 2”), but the Swim Jig is only weighted to 3/8 oz. That would take bigger worms off the plate. We replied at the same time. But as you fish the Finesse Jig, your opinion carries weight lol. I think that may be the one. What reel and line do you have on your rod?

Not counting inflation, but after we moved to Texas, we noticed the cost of having gutters cleaned was way higher than we paid in Maryland, and with much less linear feet of gutters. Why I do not know. After getting gouged once, I figured I’d bite the bullet and do them myself. OMG it’s nasty! I used to clean my own years ago but haven’t done so in almost ten years. But…as it’s pouring cats and dogs right now, I’m glad I did it yesterday. The leaves are bad, but the pine needles are the worst. They decompose into muck. I’ve often contemplated gutter guards or similar, but for the price I wonder how well they truly work.

That kinda jives with other reviews, etc. I’ve read. Seems like many like the Amistad. As a heavy, how is it as far as balance and weight? I’m not a big fan of most heavy actions due to the large blanks. But as they also have XH rods, maybe their H are sized like most MH?

So, it sounds rather strange to be asking for power/action recommendations for certain presentations we all fish regularly. Such as, Texas rigs are pretty much a standard MH/F or maybe a M/F (depending on the actual rod’s true power and flex vs. what it’s rated, as one manufacturer’s MH/F doesn’t always match equally with another’s). But looking at Caras and what Falcon is recommending, I don’t see that. If I wanted a rod for Texas rigs, it looks like Falcon’s recommendation is the Amistad (7’ 3” H/F 7 Power). I have a 7’ 6” H/F for frogs and I can’t see why I’d really want or need a H/F for Texas rigs when 90% of the time I’ve used a MH/F with much success. But I have zero experience with Caras and their H/F may be more in line with another’s MH/F. If you fish Texas rigs with a Cara, what model do you use/recommend)? I mainly fish ponds no more than 8’ deep, with possibilities of catching bass between 7-8 lbs, fishing 5”-9” soft plastics with 3/16 to 1/4 oz. weights.

I just bought some items that needed replenishment (Fat IKA’s, Neko Machos, hooks, bullet weights). Other than that, I’m pretty set. Have more more baitcaster to respool (either Big Game or Yo-Zuri hybrid) and I’m ready for spring (still fishing now, though). But I do think I’m going to buy a new baitcasting combo. Looking hard at Falcon Caras and Daiwa Tatulas. Only thing I can’t decide on is what presentation I want it for. As it would most likely be my most sensitive rod, bottom fishing with Texas rigs or jigs would seem like a smart choice.

Get a two-stage. And get non-stick snow blower spray. It helps keep the slushy mess from clogging the chute. Left my behind in Maryland when I moved to SE Texas. Thank God!!!

That’s a good point. I think reels are more of a known factor.