SproDD79

I seal cork with U 40 as soon as I get the rod, regardless of manufacturer.

After I got my Exsence C3000MHG, every other spinning reel feels inadequate. Buttery smooth, the drag is equally smooth. It is far superior to my Sustain and Vanford, I favor it over my 19 Vanquish as well.

I think Northern Basser is right about Memorial Day being your best bet for a discount on everything at TW, I believe last year TW had a select items sale for the classic, similar to the one they just had a few weeks ago.

I was able to hold the Kage Walleye rod 7ft medium, the handle is different from the Bass rods,I liked the way the handle feels but I see what you're saying in regards to the spinning bass rod.. The issue was it was at mom and pop shop, that was the only model they had in stock. They are able to order more. By looking at pictures , the spinning reel seat on the bass rods don't look ideal. I may bite the bullet and pick up the ML spinning walleye version, the only difference appear to be the handle and its Xtra fast vs. fast. Thanks for the input, it's appreciated.

Does anyone have experience with them? I'm looking for thoughts/opinions, how is the sensitivity? I'm thinking about a ML spinning for finesse, but I am open to a MH casting for bottom contact. Thanks in advance. https://daiwa.us/products/kage-premium-bass-rods

The Dobyns 704cb is an outstanding jerkbait rod,it has plenty of give to let jerkbaits do their thing, but also has good backbone incase you run into a jumbo.

I had a Tatula 80, it's small but the Curado 70 seems smaller and easier to grip. Since you mentioned jerkbaits, I use the Alderbaren 51HG on a Dobyns Champ 704cb as a dedicated jerkbait combo. In my opinion the Alderbaren 50 is smaller than the Curado 70. It's a sweet reel, but it does come with high price tag.

I second this.

Daiwa Tatula Elites are on sale at a few retailers, the Daiwa Rebellion is an outstanding spinning rod. It retails for 200,but you should be able to get it with a discount during certain sales promotions.

For Ned's , I use the 7ft spinning Expride B Light, I have the 7'2 ML as well, I feel that the the ML in the B series is a little overpowered for super light stuff. Not to put a monkey wrench in your post, you may want to consider the 7ft ML Daiwa Rebellion, it's outstanding for Neds and DS.

I really like these, they are affordable , last a long time and work great. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Cuda_3_Titanium_Bonded_Braid__Mono_Scissor/descpage-CBMS.html

I've been very happy with these, I really like the thumb holes so my wrists don't get sunburn. Sometimes Amazon and or KastKing have them for a good deal. https://kastking.com/products/kastking-2021-performance-hoodie?_pos=3&_sid=b8e400a57&_ss=r

The 5:6:1 lefty has 23 ipt,I believe it's the same reel as the old Lews tournament MB or a comparable model. Finding lefty casting reels with lower ipt can be difficult. At $60 it's a pretty good price for a hard to find gear ratio in lefty. They have the Tatula Elite spinning 7ftML for $110, I didn't need it but at that price the monkey did.

I really like these for Keitechs, and they have quite a few choices in hook sizes for each weight. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Berkley_Fusion19_Swimbait_Jig_Heads_3pk/descpage-FNSW.html

The Dobyns CB non glass rods are outstanding, take a look at the Fury 705cb, you probably can get it 20% off next time major sales are running. I have a few Champion CBs non glass for cranking and love them.

The 7ft ML has excellent workmanship and its pretty darn sensitive. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-MJRRODS.html?from=basres

Depending on where in NJ you are and if you are willing to wait a month, the Suffern Fishing Show is March 2-5. In previous years they had quite a few vendors who had wide selection of Dobyns rods to play with and purchase. I would always go to the show to hold and play with Shimano and Daiwa goodies, this year Shimano decided not to participate, I hope that doesn't become permanent. https://suffern.sportshows.com/

In 2020 one of my lakes just shut down , very little fish activity, even thou you could see the giant marks on the humminbird. I started throwing the 6" Cow Tougue and it turned out to be the secret bait. Something about it was driving them to strike it when other plastics wouldn't get touched. I think I'll pick up a few more packs since TW has them on closeout, seems like the end of something special.

I have had a few Furys over the years and have spent a good amonut of time on the water with them, I have had no issues with them. I also seal them with u 40 as soon as I received them. I did wind up selling them because I moved on towards more high end stuff.

Curado 201 PG 5:0:1 or Catalina 4:9:1. I need that low IPT for a bait that size. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-SHIMNOREEL.html?from=basres https://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15063

I had a Champ Extreme DX 704c, it's sounds like that may fit what you're looking for. You should be able to utilize the Dobyns warranty and send the blank logo portion and pay the upgrade fee. I have gone through alot of Dobyns rods , from my experience, they are great for moving baits , but when it comes to bottom contact sensitivity there are better options out there. I have an xtasy 734c and 755c and don't get me wrong, it's very nice and has good sensitivity, but my Expride B 7'2 medium heavy and Expride B 7'3 Xtra heavy rods are more sensitive in my opinion at a lower price point, though I did not pay full retail on the xtasy rods.

Like softwateronly said" Time on the site" is one way. Another way is the rabbit hole I spoke of, I have purchased all those cranking reels I mentioned above , none at full retail price by the way, I don't have the new Winch yet, but when I find a good deal on it, i'm probabaly going to add it to the collection, but info from the site (this is a wonderful place)often influences my purchase decisions. One other way is fishing buddies who share the same interest in fishing tackle you do, spending time on the water with them chasing green and brown fish can teach you quite a bit as well. Good luck with the Bantam PG, I'm sure you'll love it.

Yes,I think think the Bantam would pair well with those lures, but nothing lighter, I tried throwing 1/4 oz traps on it and I had to do a lot of adjusting and it just didn't seem like the right tool for the job, that's where the Engestsu 101 PG came into play. Watch out with this cranking business , it can be like going down a rabbit hole, I have way too many cranking rods and reels then I need and yet I am always on the lookout for new and improved cranking equipment.

If I had to pick one for overall cranking, I would do the Bantam PG , it's 5:5:1 , it's built like a tank, casts anything 3/8 oz and up a mile and it's super smooth. The newer BANTAM151A is 6:2:1 which will definitely work for cranking and comes in lefty. I use the the BANTAM151XGA for heavy duty applications and love it. The Bantam PGs are getting harder to come by, if you are actively searching the internet , sometimes a good deal may come up on the Bantam PGs , when the exchange rate was really favorable towards the dollar, I picked up 2 Bantam PGs for around $170 each. Really anything 6:2:1 or under should work for a majority of cranking situation's. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Shimano_Bantam_MGL_A_Casting_Reel/descpage-BNTA.html https://www.digitaka.com/item/5/4/2/4969363038562 https://www.ebay.com/itm/312219485723?epid=28013904636&hash=item48b1bb461b:g:dokAAOSwRHtbeZB5&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA8PtZSDw0iDeyppRRulvPPKg3pOEBCdv0CCygWzhMPWhbEuGGwY4wqhkIlQljBL%2BS58faaej%2BySOfwbm3BTHeMAxbtMiEf%2FyMglRWE1Gt6nZDm4OKfKdKmhu7PK26xVQ7GQqhrva1OM8fFSc67Z4L%2BVeU3qhiQ3vpFskr%2Bt8uu2bgV7wwK2Uaggnj4xZxLuxp0fGVNdDTAx%2FybtFS4HdnBspD7ck09GdcyBH6NB35eW3xSetzN2afnBjAZt9I8R05nQ3UKUJ0dMj%2F6j7yh2qn2K9cBxIe2MtEHSuitVmZ4w6kH7ar9QfCqngumS6nzyvyGg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR4iP2Ka_YQ

I like something in a 5 gear ratio for cranking. Curado 200/201 PG https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-SHIMNOREEL.html?from=basres Engetsu 100/101 PG https://www.ebay.com/p/1581693699 Engetsu BB 100/101 PG https://www.ebay.com/itm/372562302110 Bantam PG https://www.ebay.com/p/25013896721 I know you are looking for Shimano, but these reels may be worthy of consideration, I had the previous generation Winch which was a great cranking reel but it was bulky and wide making it uncomfortable for me, this one has a new more ergonomic frame. The Catalina with its 4:9:1 is a big bait workhorse. Abu Garcia Winch https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Abu_Garcia_Revo_Winch_LP_Casting_Reels/descpage-RWINSC.html Daiwa Catalina https://jdmtackleheaven.com/collections/daiwa-catalina-tw Daiwa 21 Zillion SV TW https://www.ebay.com/itm/133638115841 Daiwa 18 Steez a TW 1016l- Crazy Cranker https://www.ebay.com/itm/265749782184?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&srsltid=Ad5pg_F2nrh1as8yCg5J7spejcbdm-pPVDZAPCDgAOAO4Uvd2dbBFf0yT5g