TNBankFishing

Interesting, if it’s moderate enough to handle lipless that’s a wild range of lures. Might need to get my grubby bait monkey paws on that to try.

I’ve been looking at the Magic stick as a frog rod, how’s the vibrating jig rod? How moderate is the action? I like trying new gear and have been on a made in America kick recently.

I usually feel confident in learning about more obscure brands but I can’t seem to find much on iRod sticks. Does anyone have general information like where are they made, blanks, and interesting facts? Any standouts in the Air lineup in particular? I saw the hook up started carrying them and I’m interested.

With a full sized trailer the X-Bites felt in the zone around 1/4oz, or 5/16 for me. That weight with a spicy beaver was absolute money in the grass. I'm glad you're having a blast.

I’ve owned a MB tomahawk, and still own an Otomat. They are what you’d expect from megabass in terms of feel, and quality construction. My tomahawk was traded away, but I don’t regret it. The Otomat will stick with me until it explodes or I die. I really like the feel of the blank and the versatile nature of the rod. I’ve fished a Croix mojo bass glass rod and it was surprisingly light and sensitive considering the price point. The blade isn’t a crankbait rod, much more spinnerbait or bladed jig. It has too much power to reliably keep trebles pinned. The Z crank is designed for MBs own smaller cranks. I’d never throw anything near 1/2 oz on it. The flat side is similar to the Otomat and is the only “crankbait” focused rod they still make. I would feel VERY comfortable using a legend glass over any of the rods you’ve looked into. The action and power are built for a single purpose and I’ve been impressed with all of my legend x/elite rods.

There are no NRX, or Steez cranking rods. Megabass had one line which has been discontinued, and a few specialized P5s.

Which store do you work for?

I had a chance to fish the X mhmf and it was unique to say the least. Smooth bend but crisp return. Reminded me a bit of my Megabass Otomat. The closest you might be able to sample and with a good discount is the Daiwa 7’4” BLX Limber Graphite. It’s my primary medium and deep crank stick and I absolutely love it. I fish from a yak and it’s the only rod I can throw 18+ cranks on that doesn’t murder my arm and is still sensitive enough. Also a great jackhammer/big spinnerbait rod.

I would suggest mhxf or straight mh if you’re not skipping a ton.

St. Croix normally rates their XF slightly lower than F, and they often have a much softer tip section that shuts off earlier. Their HXF will be a great skipping rod for its weights, similar to my MHXF is amazing for skipping jigs. I guess I need to know what weight range of baits and what type of presentation you’re going for on the new rod. As far as price is concerned Memorial Day is coming up and you can normally find Croixs for 20-30% off. Your gift card will go a bit further. I own Legend Elite/X rods, the MHF, M, H, MHMF, and MHXF. I have not fished the LTB but I would strongly suggest stepping into the Legend line if and only if you can justify it. Never go in debt for fishing gear. I feel like when bought on sale the Legend lines are easily the best value around the $300 price point. I own an NRX+, P5, Steez AGS, and the Legend series absolutely keeps up.

It’s the same old argument against using braid because fish see it. If fish can see a snap they can obviously see that spinnerbaits isn’t 3 fish swimming together or the Berkeley flatworm isn’t really a minnow. They can’t see it, and it won’t make a difference in the number of fish you catch. There is zero imperial proof snaps catch less fish. There is just decades of indoctrination concerning “best practices”. Just because Bill Dance caughtem for half a century without snaps doesn’t mean yourself or the next angler won’t. Every company saves money where they can. Not including a snap when a cheaper split ring works well enough saves them .03 cents per lure. I’ve bought numerous JDM cranks that include a snap, does that mean they should only be used with one? Does that mean they are inferior to the Strike King deep diver because they have one in the package? Clearly no in both cases. A snaps weight has insignificant delta when compared to a split ring. For a 3/8th oz crank the milligram difference won’t matter. The only time I would agree adding a snap could cause a negative action to a bait is when the total bait is in the 1/64oz range. If I’m trout fishing in the Smokeys I won’t use a snap but that is a limited case. If you continue to do anything in life because “that’s the way have always done it” you’re missing out on your own innovation and enjoyment. Telling anyone they will be less successful in their hobby because they choose one viable option over another is gatekeeping. No one is the final authority on fishing, and taking any unmoving stance in a sport with yearly innovation just means you’ll be left behind.

Tried taking a 2p travel rod as check luggage. Ended up with a 4p. ?

IIRC there are a couple Abu and Dream colabs I’ve seen on various JDM sites. The elite 8 and BF8 are newer models. The major issue with Abu JDM is they have few unique bass lines, or if they have them finding them in stock is nearly impossible. That said I’m pretty sure they are still manufactured in the same place. Doyo is love, Doyo is life

You don’t see a snap because they can carry 19 different crank bait rods on their deck if they so choose. The cost of their gear is negligible compared to the boat, travel, etc. For non professionals they have other priorities and zero sponsors. I hate seeing the absolutist mindset. When someone says using a snap is losing you fish I have an image of two guys standing together about to hit a round of golf. One turns to the other and let’s him know because he’s not wearing both driving gloves, and didn’t swap his cleats out to account for the slight dampness in the grass, and didn’t come out 3 days early to pre-golf he’s going to lose. The man continues by explaining his irons have been updated in the last six months and the .25% increase in distance was worth the $100 dollar bump on each iron. He also invested in new lithium batteries for his golf cart so not only is it lighter but he can mention it each time both of you sit down.

I personally love Lews products for their price points. I own Metaniums, Bantams, new Zillions, and I still think the best value reel in my lineup is the Lews Hypermag. The LFS for $80 (which you can find all day) is an absurdly capable reel. Yes their made in the same factories as Abu, and other brands. I own some Abu reels and like them, but I prefer Lews. There are some reels I won’t really get behind. The TI is too high priced for what you get, and the plastic framed reels over $100 are a non starter. The LFS, Tourney MP, and Hypermag are superstars in my mind. Daiwa and Shimano just have a more even field imo. They don’t make bad reels in my mind. Everything from an SLX to a Met is well built and performs as expected. Getting a discount is more difficult and their warranty is so-so. Daiwa just makes some of the easiest to setup and go reels I’ve ever used. They also haven’t had issues when I needed warranty work. I don’t think you can go bad with any major manufacturers now days. Ive never tried a Quanum or Kastking reel but I bet they function just fine.

I’ve not handled one, but I’ve been tempted. I use a tatula elite p/f for those techniques and I don’t see why the Lews would be any different. Great build quality and I love Lews products for the price. I bet you can snag a %20+ discount come Memorial Day weekend. I actually love the SLP profile reels they have, and I personally think the Lews magnesium reel is on par with my aldebaran. And I picked it up used for $200.

There is no argument here and I totally understand the good points of the DC system. I think they are fantastic tools, especially for people who need to change baits a lot without messing with the internal brakes. My personal experience is my friend and I started bass fishing again after years of just throwing live bait. He went with a DC reel as he had a lot more funds than I did at the time. What happened is when it came time to branch into other brands or different techniques he had to start over to a limited extent. Things like skipping, pitching, and long distance bombing deep divers without a DC reel requires more skill and experience. While he spent a lot on the first reel, a Met DC, when he picked up a Bantam he had a learning curve he wasn’t expecting. He had a habit of not feeling the line or spool start up, not just end. He had trained himself to snap cast because even at full open the DC settings helped prevent backlashes. He couldn’t skip properly because as he put it he had “a numb thumb”. When he finally tried Daiwa reels around the same time I did his first impression was it was just a simpler setup. They aren’t “better” than DC reels, and they aren’t worse. They are different and have different strengths and weaknesses. He has now followed in my footsteps a little, but he went more down the Abu road than Daiwa. For a beginner I believe in the long term training of your thumb and saving the extra cash will benefit in the end. As always do what makes you happy, it’s your hobby and I hope you just have fun.

Ya know, I’ve found the best feeling reels to be Mets on my Steez BC2 and Heavy Cover special. Don’t feel bad The Adrena is a great rod. I’ve used the 7’2 Heavy for a couple fun fishing outings. My buddy swapped with my St. Croix H and I was super impressed. Light, sensitive and powerful. Megabass currently does not have a football jig rod. It will come December but that is forever off. I would suggest buying whatever you want and just use it. Sooner or later you’ll fall in love or sell it. I used to think I had to find “the” rod for whatever techniques, and now they are just sticks. I’ve bought and sold 30+ in the last two years at least.

I’d shy away from the SLX DC as the DC won’t make learning any easier and might train you to have bad habits. Select any of the major brands, Lews, Daiwa, Shimano, Abu Garcia and look at their ~ $100 dollar aluminum frame reels. Try a couple on your rod at the shop (no decent shop will stop you from doing this) and choose what feels best. The positive with choosing even two different brands you’ll see what you like best over time. I started as a Shimano guy, never even tried other brands. Now after 2 years of serious tournament use I’ve fallen in love with the simplicity of Daiwa/Lews/Abu on a number of my rods. I still run high end shimano reels, but they live on rods with a certain job that don’t take much adjustment on the water. With a Daiwa I can change from a 1/4 small crank to a 3/4 whopper plopper with a couple turns of the brake dial. I suggest 7.1 speed for all techniques because for me personally I tend to reel to slowly when I’m not super focused. The only time I drop below is deep diving cranks, and above is jerkbaits and punching. As others have mentioned the MF might serve you better being stepped up into a MH for the techniques you want to throw. Line ratings never matter to me. I use the lines I feel confident in with the techniques I use. You don’t need 25lb flouro to flip trees. 99% of my line is between 10 and 15lb. The only time I lean into the heavy stuff is punching and serious frogging. You can frog on 30-40lb braid all day in the majority of locations. If you’re starting out, buy inexpensive line. You’ll blow up reels more often in the beginning and won’t have the experience to fix them quickly. Try to find a sale on a bulk spool of 10 to 14lb line and use it up. If you want to frog, I’d use that technique when you get your fist heavy rod. Frogging is really just topwater in slop.

After getting the new NRX+ 893 out for a couple trips I have a few thoughts. Total time on the water with it in hand is ~6 hours. Pros: Light, sensitive, handles 1/4 to 3/8ths fantasticly. Fishes smaller than 7’5”, which makes you feel more confident with pitching and moving around in a kayak or on the bank. Pitches well, doesn’t cast distance great but is alright. The rod sticks to its guns and is an amazing bottom contact stick. Cons: Value isn’t there. Yes it’s 0.1% more sensitive in my hands compared to my xbites or BC2, but not enough to warrant the price. A rough feel in hand compared to my St. Croix Legend Elite/X is more telling. The NRX is just a bit more sharp, but I can still feel all of the same bottom composition using the same line. I don’t think you’ll see a huge difference in bite detection between the 4 rods. The cork is absolutely terrible. I cannot accept a rod with an MSRP over $600 has that much filler. Neither pro or con: Solid lifetime warranty with a no ask expiditor replacement. While some folks really dig the warranty if a rod lasts more than 3 years of heavy tourney fishing I call it a win. Others feel differently. Ergonomics are fine, handle shape is good and the light weight means being just a bit tip heavy doesn’t matter. Finding discounts is more difficult than MB or Daiwa, but doable. Final thoughts: Finally decided to see what all the fuss is about with Loomis sticks. I really wanted to try a NRX+ for bottom contact, and they do live up the hype. If you’re on the fence and can swing the cost, do it. I love trying gear and don’t expect any rod to be “the best”, and I’m happy when I find stuff that’s fun to fish with. Don’t expect it to blow your skirt up if you’ve used other high end gear, and you’ll be super happy. I don’t think I’ll need another light jig/t rig rod for the next decade. Cost breakdown of gear I mentioned and what I paid: Xbites - Bought with 20% discount $400. Steez BC2 - Bought with 25% discount $412. Legend X MHF - Bought on %25 discount $337. Legend Elite MF - Bought on %25 discount $330. Nrx+ 893 - Bought with %20 discount $500. All rods are fished with a 20 JDM Met with braid to flouro leader.

This stick felt heavier in power than my St. Croix heavy. I feel like the mod fast is totally correct, but you can punch an oz and a 1/2 in gnarly cover. Id not do that on my Croix.

893 would fit the bill from what I’ve researched. Weightless 5” senkos, 1/4oz Trigs, etc. Just pulled the trigger on my first Loomis stick and it’s an 893 so I’ll try to remember to update this with initial impressions.

Crankbaits that are mid divers. Can catch them 3 feet and 15 feet below the surface but somehow nothing in the middle.

I second the local shop consignment plan. I’m always happier to buy a used rod from a neighbor than an online shop. If not and you just want the cash you can trade to an online shop. Normally they will give you x amount of credit/cash, and you’ll only be shipping rods once.

Megabass Javelin by a mile.