PBBrandon

If you get a good size bass you can filet it and fry it like you would a catfish. I and most other people do prefer catfish for eatin. I’d be frying those up lol. The bass in that pond might end up getting bigger by catching some of the cats and giving the bass less competition to snack on the bream. Not that bass is bad or anything, if caught, prepped, and cooked right it’s pretty decent.

Either would work great. I’d say the Tatula 100. It’s an 8 speed, and not that a 7 speed wouldn’t work, just that the 7 speed is more versatile and can be put on another rod for another use. The Tatula would be perfectly suited on that rod

Swimbait or a rig at that depth. I’m not messing with jerkbaits when they’re that deep lol. Gotta get it right in their faces when they are that lethargic

I think your current combos are very solid and paired nicely. I have a 705cb Fury and it makes a great rod for 3/8oz chatterbaits. 1/2oz+trailer is a bit much for it. Your IMX should be good to handle those. As for the rest of your gear, Micro Magic/Fuego or Citica 6.3:1 as another cranking combo (can never have too many lol) could have a squarebill on one, and a diver on the other, etc 734c Fury/Fuego 8.1 with mono for topwaters. If you have fluoro on your other setups, it’s always good to have at least one with mono for topwater. The 734c is a killer spook rod, and great for whopper ploppers. Could also put the 7.3 fuego on it to double as another do it all rod with how versatile it is. Silvermax/fuego 7.3 as a rod to keep in the truck/car if it’ll fit to be an emergency do it all combo in case you drive by a pond or creek. I don’t know how many times I’ve been around water without my gear and wish I had something. Always have an ugly stik in my truck now. Something that is cheap and can take a beating youll have 2 reels leftover however. Only right answer in the bait monkeys eyes is 2 more rods!

7’3” MH/RF Shimano Poison Adrena 7.1:1 Daiwa Alphas SV 40lb Power Pro braid Palomar knot SK tour grade swim jig/6th sense divine swim jig Rage swimmer/bug/craw trailer maybe a 15lb FC leader if I’m fishing in the clear waters of Texoma

Performance wise, I’d say the newer Legend Tournament rods are on par with the Exprides. Exprides balance better, but the Legend tournament rods are made in the USA and have a killer warranty. I’d put the Zodias a bit above the victory line and a bit below the LTB line. Like Rangerjockey said, Shimano and St Croix are totally different animals, but both make quality rods

Mono I used to use Trilene XL and Big Game but switched completely over to Big Game Fluoro is Seaguar Invisx if it’s the whole spool, Basix for leaders used to use Spiderwire braid but have been only using Power Pro for a couple years recently have tried a Stren copolymer line that has treated me well im all over the place lol

Yeah, Zillion SV for 200 bucks. Best reel for the price by a mile

I’ve fished Bantams and Chronarchs, never a Met. But Zillions, and Alphas for finesse stuff, haven’t given me a reason to try a Met. I own 2 Zillions and 3 Alphas reels, not one of them has given me a single issue. They are just perfection, and for the price it’s a no brainer. Still want to try a Met eventually though

6’6” MF Daiwa Aird-X in that price range is a great rod. I had one and it served me well for a while til I gave it to a friend. Can do a whole lot with it

I’ve bought 1 off of Amazon as well as a few Alphas SVs from there. All top tier reels

Speaking of Sierras, Dobyns has a couple of refurbished 682c rods for 115 each. Shorter rod with a soft tip. Great for skipping and for what you are wanting to throw. If you keep an eye on the refurbished section at Dobyns, you can often see Sierra and Kaden rods get down to 100 bucks. Normally $170-190 rods. Not to mention the lifetime replacement program and the ability to upgrade whenever you want. Great sticks too.

Oh I thought you were talking about a rod not a reel my bad lol. +1 on SLX MGL or a Tatula 80. You can get a great deal on one from Japan. If you can squeeze an extra 10 bucks, the Daiwa Alphas SV is a phenomenal reel

Aird X’s punch way above their price point. Best rod under 75-100 bucks. Other lines to look for if they dip below 100 are the Daiwa Tatula line and the Dobyns Fury. I also hear Ark rods getting a lot of love on this site

Daiwa Tatula 7’0” ML/R hands down. Love that rod. Excellent for 1/4-3/8oz cranks and jerks. I’ve thrown jerkbaits from X-80 trick darters all the way up to Vision 110s on it and it works great. Also my favorite rod for 6th Sense Curve 55 and Crush 50X cranks.

A medium/fast casting rod should handle those with ease. Get whatever length suits your needs, I prefer rods around 7ft or a little longer. I typically throw 1/8 shakys and weightless t-rigged senkos on a 7’2” MF casting Okuma Psycho stick with a 7.1:1 Alphas SV shallow spool. The Psycho Stick is a really great rod. The handle is a Seaguide I believe instead of Fuji like most rods. So it’s a bit thinner if that’s something you’re looking for. Great action, sensitivity is good, and it keeps fish pinned once they are on. I wrestled a 5-6lb smallie on mine last year and it held up well. What’s your budget? There are a lot of good shaky/senko rods at many different price points.

Scheels in The Colony, TX has all Lucky Craft cranks and jerks on sale for $7.99 each for anyone who lives in the area Picked up an LV RTO 150, 2.0XD, Pointer 78, and Pointer 110. Not to mention their clearance bin is usually stacked.

Yeah I actually just put a 7:1 Bantam MGL with 20 pound big game mono on my BLX. Bet it would make a killer mag topwater/single hook swimbait rod. My 7’4”H Tatula Elite AGS already has frog/pitchin duties and my 7’6”H Tat AGS and Xtasy 755 rods have big jig duties. Might as well make it a dedicated topwater/swimbait stick

I have the 7’2” HF and it’s a pretty good rod. It’s sensitive and looks beautiful, but it’s a bit tip heavy and the power is deceiving. I’d call it a H+ or an XH. Really good for frogging and jigs 1/2oz and up. I’m only happy with it because I got it used and paid half of what it retails for. I think there are better options out there for $400-430. However, some reviews I see of the BLX line say the 7’2” HF is the most disappointing of the line, and that the others are great. Not that the 7’2” is necessarily a bad rod, it’s just that it should’ve been rated as an XH. Down here in Texas it’s definitely useful with all the slop, but for folks who have a lot of open water and not too many weeds, it might collect some dust.

Zillion or Alphas Ive had a Tatula 70 and both reels are a lot better. Not saying the 70 is a bad reel, it’s very good. Its just not a Zillion or an Alphas

went with number 2 lol I kinda want number 1 to be a surprise Can find out number 3 when there and make adjustments Can always find a way to scare off number 4

Recently started golfing a little. I can’t afford another hobby though so it’ll stay on the back burner for now lol

Well I broke the skunk today. Went to a park pond for an hour or so and tossed a t-rigged baby brush hog around the fishing dock. The dinks couldn’t keep their mouths off it. Caught 3 in a 15 minute span and had another couple of bites. They were all about 3/4 of a pound but definitely a confidence booster. Hopefully the warmer, rainy weather will drive the fish shallow and get them going. Fishing is looking good now

Low to mid 50s right now and climbing. Figured the fish would be at creek mouths and points near spawning coves about to get going. Mostly fishing from a kayak with a little bank fishing mixed in. I have a Striker 4 that I sometimes use on the kayak. I just usually have 2-3 hours here and there so I don’t really set it all up if I won’t be out long lol. I’m sure that would help pinpointing fish too

I haven’t caught a bass since December 28th of last year. And not for lack of trying. The past 2 weeks I’ve put in about 7 hours of fishing at Texoma and 3 at Ray Roberts with no bites other than a 1-1.5lb sand bass at RR. I’ve gone a couple of other times this year too and have caught nada. Not sure why the 2nd half of every year I usually don’t have slumps but the first half, even into the spawn, I can’t hardly catch a thing. Feels like I’m casting into empty water. Been throwing the kitchen sink too. A-rigs, T-rigs, wacky, jigs, chatters, etc. hitting points, coves, docks, everything. I know they’re down there, and I’m sure it’s just getting to my head and making me lose patience and confidence in where and what I’m casting. Whenever y’all have been in a slump, how have you been able to get out of it?