Brian11719

Looks like Lake Pro tackle takes 15% off these when you put one in your cart right now...haven't ordered from them before but have seen a couple of their youtube videos and they seem like they are probably ok (other than they seem to try to get you to buy route shipping protection but looks like you can just uncheck that).

You're welcome. If it helps at all in my case after trying out a bunch of stuff I've figured out I like different types of rods for different things. For bottom contact finesse type stuff I personally really like carbon fiber handles since they feel a bit more sensitive to me and at this point 4/5 of my spinning rods have a carbon fiber handle. Having said that I personally like the poison adrenas but they aren't cheap / for everybody and I've found the Psycho Stick is a good option if you want something similar but not as expensive... I'm not sure why Okuma is only selling those 2 for 50% off but at that price I think it's a good deal and out of all the casting models those 2 seemed like the best fit for the jig you are using regardless of price...also like the idea of getting it straight from the manufacturer instead of a clearance bin in a sporting goods store where it's been sitting for years...although I can't knock the clearance bin in the sporting goods store too much since that happens to be where I got my poison adrenas...speaking of that and like @Gera said you might also be able to find one of the old casting models for a good price (although if it were my I'd probably opt for the PAD172MA in this case since I prefer a fast action for a bottom contact jig) and if so that might be another option to consider.

Lol just noticed this thread is a year old...ha. Anyway in my case (for @10000LakesFishing since I'm guessing the original author may have figured out a rod by now) it' a Lew's TP1-black. I don't feel like I need anything fancy for this setup and although it's probably my least expensive rod I like it a lot for what I use it for (frogs and light flipping / pitching). That said, I feel like it would take a lot of effort to actually snap that rod, but I agree it's not ideal for a magdraft freestyle with a texas rigged beast hook. In that case I actually use a sierra 766 flip. Thing is I wouldn't prefer to use this same rod for the treble hooked version (or any treble hook swimbait), but I like it for single hook swimbaits like this where it takes some force to get a good hook up. It seems like some others default to fast / mod fast swimbait rod regardless of what the swimbait they are throwing actually looks like, but IMHO single hooked lures (and especially ones where you are going through a considerable amount of plastic) are going to be a different experience than something like a chad shad with 2 trebles under it where you just sort of lean into them and then want a more moderate action to keep them from shaking off the treble hook(s). I also got that sierra 766 flip on midway for $104 on clearance so for that price I figured it was worth trying out and ended up keeping it and really liking it for this type of thing (and punching heavier stuff). I also am noticing that with larger swimbaits I tend to like single hooked lures like the shadtron over lures with treble hooks since I'm usually around some amount of grass.

a 6" magdraft w/ a beast hook came out to just about 1.5oz last time I checked. I've tried one on my frog setup (also rated up to 1.5oz) and I'd say it can technically handle it, but if you can find something rated up to 2-3oz it will probably do a little better.

I own a couple of Victory models for this but I also have an Okuma Psycho Stick that I really like. It's a spinning rod and I'd want a casting rod for this type of a setup. That said, I was on their site the other day and noticed the PSY-C-721MH and PSY-C-721H were on sale for $130 or so...honestly if it were me I'd be taking a serious look at one of these as the action and sensitivity on these rods seems like it would lend itself to this sort of thing (IMHO)...and you could use the money you save on the rod to get a nicer reel if you wanted to...

To make matters worse she only used chicken nuggets and hot dogs. Now if you try to throw a senko the bass just gawk at it in disgust...

Thanks for sharing that @NoFroFishing. I actually looked into these a bit after ALF mentioned them in one of their videos a while back. The warranty seems a little iffy since the policy basically says if they determine it's your fault they'll 'give you options' but don't specifically list out what those would be...but honestly that's not a complete deal breaker for me and at least they are willing to offer some kind of discount in that situation. Having said that what actually put me off about these more than anything else was the rod lengths and actions. I actually really liked the grip design on the spinning rod and it was cool to see something unique get introduced for a change, but to your point about what techniques go with what rod I generally do not like extra fast spinning rods and could not (and still can't) figure out why I'd want a 6'10 medium fast spinning rod but then a 7' medium light spinning rod. The only other fast option in the Elite spinning series is a 7'6 and in my case I fish out of a kayak and only have 1 rod that's even that long and that's my heaviest casting rod that I use for swimbaits...the lure weights also seemed a bit off and in my case that was enough to get me to write them off the last time I looked at them. Just out of curiosity did you end up getting any of the spinning models? If so what which one(s) and what for?

Yeah but they make moderate and moderate fast graphite rods that aren't composite or glass and it might be looking into one of those instead of something with a fast action. For example after trying out a few different brands / options I figured out I like the action that Dobyns rods have for crankbaits. This doesn't mean they are going to be the best for everyone, but in terms of what I throw and how I want the rod to perform they do very well for me. Having said that I've got 3 now. The first 2 are in the Kaden series (6104cb and 735cb) and both of these are just graphite rods. They do fine for lighter stuff (3/8-3/4oz range) but for bigger baits I have a champ xp 736cb. Ironically Dobyns has this one labeled as a fast rod, but it's also a composite so it bends more. I personally don't prefer glass rods after trying a couple as I felt they were too heavy for my taste, but for heavier crankbaits (and bladed jigs) I've found that I like a composite rod like this one. So to answer your question I would say yes but generally speaking I would still at least consider a mod or a mod fast rod for crankbaits as an option, and while every rod manufacturer is different and mod fast from one is not going to equal mod fast for another I've found that I personally like a mod fast action in a graphite rod for lighter crankbaits and similar type lures.

The consensus seems to be that wet braid casts further but I do remember one time when I went fishing in the rain and then for the next couple of days after that I noticed I would cast with that reel and it didn't go as far. I've got a kayak so I ended up emptying the entire thing into the lake and then reeling it back in and that seemed to fix it...it's almost like the line was caked onto the reel or stuck together before I did that...anyway that has only happened once so doesn't seem like it would be a common thing but either way if it might be worth emptying some / all of it out and then reeling it back in again if you can.

@MontanaBasser thank you for making me feel slightly less guilty about buying 2 rods within the last 24 hours. Also just a heads up copperstate sent an email about their spring sale (20% off) a couple of hours ago...some items might not be included from the looks of it but Dobyns rods definitely seem to work...

This is actually why I prefer the matt herren flippin' jig...and powder coated jig heads in general...also prefer a 3.5" adrenaline craw on the back of it fwiw. also like their bugs...the 4" bug is a significantly fatter body but about as wide as the adrenaline 3.5" craw and the tail would be a bit longer...comparing it to a similar size rage bug it's wider but a bit shorter...overall I like them a lot but usually just go w/ an adrenaline craw as a trailer on a herren flippin' jig and save these bugs for a texas rig w/ a 3/8oz weight since they do great at coming in and out of some of the nastier grass we get down here.

Speaking of 'fishy' tackle shops (in this case stores with 'fish' in their name) a store called fishfield.com looks like they are having a flash sale right now and it looks like you can get a decent discount on a lot of shimano / daiwa stuff that isn't discounted as much...among other things it looks like they have that shorter daiwa swimbait rod at a 20% discount. I also noticed another one 'fishermanswarehouse.com' that has some St Croix stuff at prices that look similar to what ALF had during their last 'sell it all' sale a while back...a lot of the rods are sold already from the looks of it but still some nice choices in stock if you look around. Has anyone ordered from one of these places? I haven't bought from either of them before but figured I'd mention it since they seem to be running some decent discounts.

^ right so basically every argument that you've made and that I've seen against them so far in this entire thread is based on what others have read or heard about and not what they've actually experienced. With all due respect unless you have actually had an issue I'm not really all that interested in hearing you echo chamber the internet. I'm betting that avid is a nice rod @Smiththebat and wouldn't let some folks that seem to hate this company because they are apparently angry about what others have experienced sway you either way...also if you get really angry about this sort of thing and aspire to be a social justice keyboard warrior there might be a few better uses of your time than arguing w/ someone about a rod company on a bass fishing forum.

Right...so flat earth ancient alien conspiracy theories aside we aren't talking about cancer here we are talking about a rod company and supposed quality issues. Have you actually experienced any of these issues personally with them? If so which rod and what happened with it?

I would say it's probably worth looking into a hand wrapper if you are going to start replacing your own guides. Having done it once without one I am not sure I'd suggest going down that route and for the price I suspect owning one would justify itself after a few replacements...

I've experienced exactly one 'quality' issue with a bass-x reel seat that crapped out on me right when I put a reel on it a couple of years ago...they did take a while to get back to me on that, but DSG just refunded me for it anyway...aside from that I also broke a guide on my old mojo rod (my fault) and they got back to me right away and gave me a new / better rod for $40. Own a few rods from them at this point (victory and legend xtreme) and would respectfully disagree with the notion that their quality control is 'in the toilet' (I've had no issues with any of these rods) and would argue that most of the statements above me seem to be based on hearsay rather than actual personal experience. On another note the Tatula rods also seem fine. Haven't fished with one but have held a few in the store and they seem like they are good rods. Not sure the warranty is as good as what you would get with St. Croix but the rods themselves seemed nice.

I have had a good experience w/ St. Croix's warranty / customer service (recently) and would recommend them. I don't own any in the avid series, but I have used the blank they have and in this case if I needed a 2-piece and it was going to be my main spinning setup and I had to get it from BPS I'd be taking a look at the Avid ASFS70MF2 for the sc3+ blank and 15 year warranty. Pretty good review / rod bend on the 1 piece version of that one from Omnia here: and I personally think there is a significant and noticeable difference with the blank in this rod and the sc2 blanks and to me it would be worth paying a little more for the sc3+. BPS has been running a fair amount of club member 10% off days so if you happen to be a club member you might be able to wait and save a little money when you buy it.

I'm currently using a 1/8 oz jig head with either a 2/0 or 3/0 hook and then 3.2" 6th sense divine swimbaits or 4" keitech easy shiners if it helps at all...

I've caught some nice ones this time of year...

I kind of think the color is ugly. Also don't like the fact that they have 3 right handed models but just the 7:5 for the left handed version. Normally like Lew's (I own more Lew's casting reels than any other brand) and I'm not as much of a Shimano or Daiwa fanboy as some people seem to be and as far as casting reels go I usually choose between these 3 brands and then go by which one is on sale...but that said probably going to pass on this one unless they decide to at least add a 6:8 left since that's my favorite ratio for Lew's reels...and even then this one seems like a bit of a Daiwa knock off (yet more expensive than the Daiwa I'd compare it to) and that color is still ugly and reminds me of a bad couch from the 70s. In summary if I was throwing a lighter lure and wanted a breaking system like that I'd opt for the sv tw...alternatively for heavier lures not sure that's really needed anyway and I'd take their old tourney pro lfs in a 6:8 over this one in a 7:5 and not have to worry about looking like goldmember from that austin powers movie. /end rant

This was in a recent email from a plumbing company that I use and I think it sums up the situation down here pretty well: In my case I've found they can shut down if it gets to 40 degrees or below for a bit (and especially if there was some rain and the water is dirty) but then as soon as it starts to warm back up the bite seems to come back with a vengeance...nabbed a couple last week before the last front came in so definitely not too early here, but YMMV depending on where the temperature has been recently.

I've got a Dobyns Kaden 6104cb which I like to think of as the poor man's version of this rod. It does best with jerkbaits and topwater poppers (I swap out the reel for 30lb braid for these). Aside from that I also like to use it to throw a Lucky Craft LVR D or a bladed jig at the pond I go to. It would also do well for throwing something like a squarebill and targeting cover like brush piles. It could also work with crankbaits, but the big draw back would be that it's a shorter rod which would usually equate to shorter casts and less time for the crankbait to be in the water which is why I'd prefer to go with a longer rod for open water applications. Pretty sure it would be the same scenario if I had the Expride instead of the Kaden...

Crankbait bites can be fun when you get on a good one...one of my best last year was with a 6th sense cloud 9 c10...I also like lucky craft stuff so not the cheapest lure in the bag but there are days when it's definitely worth it.

Haven't tried this latest gen but based on my experience w/ the previous tp1 black series I'd say yes...and I also prefer a mod fast rod for bladed jigs so definitely another yes vote here...that speed spool will look nice on it and 6:8 ratio is also what I'd go with...overall good value setup.

I think Glenn has a video where he talks about a toad and suggests an ewg with a weight and a screwlock...in my case I've landed on the 4/0 Gamakatsu weighted superline spring lock. Great for toads, swimbaits and flukes and I like the one with the 1/16oz weight as it's just enough weight IMHO. Not sure you would need superglue with setup since most toads are thick enough that the screwlock does a good enough job on its own and it seems like the glue would just get in the way to me...