jimanchower

I have the DC705c and I would say that it does have a soft tip for its overall power, but I also don't have any similarly-spec'd rods to compare to. I recently [impulse-]bought a Levante Perfect Pitch, thinking that it would replace the Dobyns, but just based on handling them at the house I think I'll let the Megabass rod go to a new owner.

The best example of a "soft tip" that I have in my arsenal is a St Croix Bass-X 7'1" MF. It feels so whippy in the tip section but is still somewhat of a fast action. I use it for 1/2" poppers along with some other topwater and it is a ton of fun. Last spring I fished it on 12# mono and between that and the soft tip I felt like a hero landing 3 pounders.

I'm saving this post to show to my wife. "See?! I knew all that tackle was a great 'investment'" I laughed to myself earlier this year wondering why I'd invest in I-series bonds at ~7.5% interest when I can get 10% on my Tackle Warehouse gift cards.

Love it I've caught 200+ fish out of this lake and this is the biggest by far! Caught it on a Owner flashy swimmer + Keitech 3.8" If you have the means, I highly recommend it.

6'10" Expride with an Aldebaran HG spooled with 30# high-viz braid to 8# or 10# mono. I've tried straight fluoro but I like the feel of braid. The Grils can definitely throw a jerkbait well, and I do it frequently when I use that rod. Daiwa reel (can't remember which) with 10# or 12# fluoro.

Sorry- I tried it with an SLX MGL and SLX DC. I haven't even run line through the guides. This is just a first impression. The best basis of comparison I have is my Dobyns DC705c. It's two inches shorter, but similar in power. It feels much more balanced. The Orochi XX would probably be a closer peer based on my other rods, so that's got to be part of it. And I'm not well-versed in longer and heavier rods in general. I will probably fish this one for a bit and then find a new home for it if it doesn't stick around. But from past experience I know I've gone from "what am I going to use this for?" to "I'm never getting rid of this rod." edit: it also just hit me that the handle of the perfect pitch is relatively short

Sorry for resurrecting this thread, but better than posting a new one, I guess? I recently bought a Levante Perfect Pitch over the Inter-Net, and now that it's in-hand I can't help but feel that it's tip-heavy. I did a few searches and this doesn't seem to be the prevalent opinion. Have Exprides and Loomises ruined me? Do I need to quit worrying about how they feel at the house and concentrate more about the feel on the water? Or should I give a friend a good deal on this new rod and look elsewhere? ?

I have a DC705C that I use primarily for frogs (I don't fish a lot of really nasty stuff). I don't see a lot of love for that one compared to the DC735C, for whatever reason. I'll echo the sentiment that Sierra is a big step up over Fury.

It's fair to say: if you need it quickly, don't look to TW right now. I'm not complaining. In fact, I placed an order today that I don't expect to receive for at least two weeks. No big deal. In non-pandemic times they were amazing, and even in these rough times they're still really good, albeit a little slow.

Unfortunately not. I even reached out to them to ask if Shimano would be discounted after the fact and got a "sorry, but no."

I have hobbies other than fishing and I see people succumb to the FOMO effect, and I just smile to myself because I'm more measured and restrained than them. "The mind recoils in horror, unable to communicate with the spinal column, which is interesting because you can see yourself behaving in this terrible way but you can't control it." - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas I dutifully bought my TW gift card at a 10% discount to set me up for tackle purchases over the year. I stocked up during the black Friday sale so I should be set for a while. Then, I got a 20% off code from TW. Then I heard about Megabass price increases - snapped up a Levante. And Shimano price increases - snapped up a Metanium. I convinced myself that I could actually slim down my rod collection by buying a G. Loomis MBR. Is it spring yet?

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. The feel of the clicks is certainly less noticeable when drag is set to normal levels. I can definitely still feel it in the line. If you blindfolded and earmuffed me I could easily tell this reel from any of my others, but I can be convinced that in real-world situations it's insignificant. I'll just have to spend some more time on the water (like I need an excuse).

When I pull drag by hand, I can feel the notches that correspond to the clicking. This is most noticeable when the drag is set lower than one would fish with. I can see, hear, and feel this jerkiness. edit: this issue still exhibits itself at "real world" drag levels but is most obvious at low levels edit2: the drag system itself may be fine. It feels smooth between clicks of the drag. Would you mind trying this for me? Set drag low, feed line through T wing, and try to pull the line as slowly and smoothly as you can. Do you feel it catching at the same time that you hit a "click?"

I guess it's kind of exciting to hear drag being pulled, and it's probably useful to the angler to know that it's happening, but the drag on my new Zillion SV TW (ZLNSVG100L) is very jerky compared to any other casting (or spinning) reel that I own. Why trade smoothness for the sound? Aside from this relatively minor quibble I really, really, really like this reel.

I have not tried, but can you do that? The 20% looked like a gift card (has two parts) so I was thinking that it's either one or the other, but I could be wrong.

Am I missing something, or is this a very generous consolation prize? The email points to the usual exclusions list, but if they handle it like they do with all other sales, many of those brands will be included when the order is invoiced. If that's the case, I can save up and make a big order and get 20% across the board, without having to time it around a sale.

I picked up a couple of the 3/8oz Mini Max to go along with my 1/4oz. I figured I'd see what the weight difference is. 1/4oz Mini Max: 9g 3/8oz Mini Max: 11g 3/8oz Custom: 15g Two obvious observations: The weight difference between the 1/4oz and 3/8oz Mini Max is not much (2g) - a bit more than 1/16oz. Even though the Custom and the Mini Max have the same weight jig head, there is a big difference in total weight! One of my preferred trailers, a Rage Menace, weighs 6-7 grams. So we're looking at a 5/8oz total weight for the 3/8oz Mini Max with a trailer versus a 3/4oz total weight for the Custom with the trailer. For reference, this 1/2oz Jackhammer I have here with a Zako trailer is just a hair under 1oz. Looking forward to fishing the 3/8oz Mini Max. I told myself I wouldn't buy any of the 1/2oz since I already have several 1/2oz Jackhammers, but we'll see.

I got out today to try a few different things, and the only lure that caught fish for me was the mini max. I caught one on the first cast with the green pumpkin (1/4oz, with a baby? rage menace trailer). I was fishing this on a totally different setup from what I fish 1/2oz jackhammers so I can't comment too much on feel or "thump." I can say that the hooks are sharp. Even when I didn't get a good hook set I almost always landed the fish. These are pretty decent fish for this little lake. Nothing special but still fun.

The micro is the 1/8oz version (I have a few), but I think you're asking about the difference between the Mini and the Mini Max. The latter seems to have better hardware (hook, snap, skirt), but I think a lot of the excitement is about these being available in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2oz weights.

My Dobyns Champ XP 705C works great for me for frogs. It's a "mag heavy" which is plenty to set frog hooks but it still works well for jigs.

I have two dozen in a Plano Edge 3600. I group them based on weight, style, and color. Not much to it, you just want to make sure you keep the oxidation out!

UPS delivered a couple to me today. I went with the 1/4oz size with the intent of fishing them shallow, and on slightly lighter tackle. It's not really chatterbait season, but anybody have any experience with these? I think I need some in different weights. Here's the 1/4oz next to a 1/2oz Jackhammer, for comparison.

All of my spools with braid on them are tied directly. I use the method that Chad Hoover has demonstrated a couple of times: an arbor knot followed by four alternating half-hitches. I couldn't get it to slip on the spool even when pulling with the braid wrapped around a leather work glove. Some folks insist that I'm courting heartbreak but so far I'm not buying it.

I bought a 7' Champ XP 705 (mag heavy, 1/2 - 2 oz) this time last year and used it for frogging this year. No complaints at all. I'm a kayak/bank guy, so I like shorter rods. I know the Sierra series isn't on sale this time around, but I really like my 683c paired up with an MGL-style reel. I use it for ~3.5" paddletails, squarebills, maybe even a 3/8oz chatterbait. I have a 684c as well that I also like, but I wish I had gone with a longer rod for that one. I have a Fury 705CB that I'm not all that fond of, but I don't do a lot of crankbait fishing. I thought I could switch it over to crankbait duty but I think I prefer a faster action for that technique (I actually use the Sierra 684).

If you took my 6'10" MF and my 7'2" MHF from me and gave me MSRP for both rods I'd definitely buy the 6'10" again and would probably buy the 7'2" again. They're a good complement to each other. I do think the 7'2" MHF works well as an all-around rod. I throw stuff like a 3.8-4.3" Keitech, 1/2-3/4oz lipless, 1/2oz chatterbait, 3/8oz jig, T-rigged soft plastics with a 1/4oz weight, etc.