JN94

Any owners of this rod out there? How do y'all like it? This is the graphite blank to be clear, not the glass one. I just placed an order for one to use as a do everything rod for creek smallmouth and inshore species out of my kayak. Plan to throw mostly 3/8-1/2oz total weight lures on it. I read that it fishes just a tad lighter than it's 1/4-3/4 rating so I'm expecting it to work well. I'm assuming it has enough power to set the hook on heavy wire 3/0 and below hooks (EWGs & jigs mostly for me). Can anyone confirm? Will be using braid on this rod. Any other thoughts, comments, etc I'd love to know!

7'2" MH Expride

Does anyone have any experience with a Megabass Destroyer P5 Bait Finesse? Link here: https://megabassusa.com/product/destroyer-p5-f3-610x-bait-finesse/ I've never fished a MB rod so any info would be appreciated if they've got something unique I ought to know about. Also this rod seems like way overkill for a BFS rod with this lure rating, so I'm assuming it will have plenty of power for what I'm looking to do

832 for moving baits. Cortland for bottom baits

Got it. I really appreciate you testing it out and letting me know. The HT sounds like a great rod and I will definitely come back to it in the future. But sounds like it's not the one I'm looking for here. The hunt continues!

How'd she do yesterday?

Awesome. Thanks! This is great info. I appreciate you letting me know. Going to do some more digging on ALX

That would be awesome. Thanks!

You can buy 131 in chartreuse on ebay. They sell it overseas. Costs a small fortune though

Only braids I use are 131, 832, smackdown, and Cortland. I use Cortland on all my heavy cover setups due to it being a 4/6 strand depending on weight. I mostly use 50lb Cortland and it is excellent for that but definitely not smoothest or quietest. I've also used some 20 and 30lb in the past that I've been happy with. 131 is obviously the smoothest and while I don't have enough time with it to make a proper determination, I'm skeptical of it's abrasion resistance. I think 832 has great abrasion resistance for braid, definitely better than smackdown. Smackdown is smoother though. So just depends on what you're looking for

Well it sounds like the Head Turner is the slight favorite here. If I order it, I'll get it in the Cara line. I'm still concerned it will be just a hair on the heavy side. If 3/8 total weight is on the absolute bottom end and it won't load the cast properly, then I don't think it will be the right rod. There are for sure days where I will throw lures that weight all day. On an unrelated note - does anyone have any experience with doing custom builds with ALX? I've never fished an ALX but don't think I've ever seen a negative review on them. Thinking I may go that route since I can't find exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm talking about total lure weight. Not head weight. A lot of what I throw is 1/4oz heads + 5-8 gram plastic = ~1/2oz

Ok interesting. This is awesome info. Thank you! I actually called Falcon this morning and they recommended a Head Turner. They said the FJ might be too light. I think I feel the same way as you - that the HT might be a hair heavy. I know it could get the job done but I really like the feel/castability of my other medium powered rods rated 1/4-5/8. I've got plenty of 1/4-3/4 rated rods and they just don't throw these lures in the 3/8-1/2oz range quite as nicely. Maybe the tip on the HT is just soft enough though to pull it off. I'll likely end up ordering a HT and see how it goes but am going to do some more poking. I am having a really hard time finding exactly what I want. If anyone has any other recs for something like the following I'd take a look (any brand): - $300 or less - 6'10" (would look at a 6'9" but strongly prefer 6'10". Will not look at any other lengths) - rated 1/4-5/8 (a M power for most companies) - fast action - split or full grip - cork grip

Thanks for the reply! I looked at the head Turner but am worried it will be a tad heavy for what I'm trying to do. The vast majority of what I'll be throwing will be in the 3/8-1/2oz range. I'd really love a 6' 10" ideally so Amistad is out. Amistad also I think would be too heavy for what I'm doing

For owners of this rod - how would you rate it's action? Is it a true moderate fast (per "most" companies standards, let's call it) or a little quicker/slower? Falcon's ratings are kind of all over the place so it's tough to get a feel for anything from their website. I own a Cara Dragger 1 (7' Heavy Fast) and I think it's a perfect fast action. If anyone out there owns both, I'm curious how this one compares. I'm looking for a new rod to throw mostly 1/4-5/8oz lures on (1/4oz jigheads + paddletail, weightless senkos, finesse jigs, etc.) for creek and inshore fishing in my kayak. I really like my other Cara and would like to add another to the lineup and this one has a lot of the things I'm looking for. Is this rod stiff enough to set the hook on heavy wire finesse jigs/small texas rigged plastics with EWGs? Most of what I'd be throwing would be a 2/0-3/0 hook size. I'd also be using braid. Some other similar rods that I own that I like the tapers on are the Dobyns Sierra 682 (6'8" Medium Fast) and a Dobyns Champ XP 702 (7' Medium Fast). I also own a Shimano Teramar XX 6'9 Medium Fast that I absolutely hate. I think it is much more so a moderate action than a fast one. If anyone has any insight on this and could let me know I'd really appreciate it!