Brian11719

The old TP-1 Black was a good rod. I bought a couple (on sale) and kept the 7'4 heavy as my frog rod and have been happy with it. It's a HM50 blank. The white TP1X models were a HM40 blank and I wasn't a huge fan of those but they were ok. The new ones are a HM45 blank so apparently they are using a new blank that's about in the middle of the last two and the rest of the materials appear to be about the same. The retail on the new ones is $99 so it's a bit of a downgrade from the old TP-1 Black models in terms of the blank modulus, but it's also at the same price as the old TP1X so it seems like they just combined those to to give you one that's in the middle in terms of quality for the price of the lower one. Haven't used it but yet but it's probably not bad and they probably just decided to combine them rather than continue to sell both because business reasons. I actually liked the old HM50 blank they made a lot (even more than some of the newer custom lite models) but I'm also weird when it comes to blanks. If you like the old white ones they have been on clearance at Dick's Sporting Goods for a while now for like $40 and while they weren't my personal favorite I'm not going to argue that's a good deal for those and you might still be able to grab one if you have a store near you that sells fishing gear. Otherwise I suspect the new ones aren't all that bad in terms of bang for the buck...

I use a Kaden 6104cb for jerkbaits and 1/2oz lipless crankbaits (along with poppers and an occasional mini max at the pond). It would probably handle a DT6 ok although I generally don't like to go much lighter than 1/2oz on casting gear. I really like this rod for jerkbaits and have been very happy with it in general. I also have a Kaden 735cb that I use for crankbaits that weigh 1/2oz-7/8oz. It's rated up to 1oz but I generally don't like to throw anything over 3/4oz (maybe 7/8oz depending on the lure) on it with a couple of exceptions. I also use that for 3/4oz lipless cranks, bladed jigs and spooks. If I had to do it over again I'd probably swap the 735cb with a champ xp glass 736cb. I've owned both graphite and glass at this point and feel like I like composite feels the best (personal opinion) for the larger treble lures that I throw. That one is also rated a little higher so you could probably get away with a 6xd type lure on that...although I prefer the Berkley Dredger series anyway and those weigh a little less and are a little easier to throw than the 6XDs. If I was going to have just one crankbait rod the 735cb is a good all around middle of the road rod and handles everything from squarebills up to deep divers...but again even though it's rated up to 1oz I would argue that one does best with lures that are in the 5/8-3/4oz range...but having said that there are plenty of options that cover most of the water column that you can use in this range. Overall I'd say I have a similar (two rod) setup and you can get it to work without having to buy a 3rd extra deep cranking rod although it will limit you (somewhat) in terms of what you are going to be able to throw and you might have to get a little creative towards the edges of the lure ratings. TLDR if you are only going to get one crankbait rod I'd suggest the Kaden 735cb. If you are only going to get 2 I'd recommend the Kaden 6104cb and the 736cb glass.

Congrats I recently got my hands on a couple of the last gen spinning models and they are already in my top 2 favorite rods out of all of the ones I own. That one is actually one of the new models that I'd buy and although I haven't tried it yet it I'm pretty sure that one would be my 'every other light lure besides a drop shot' rod...so small texas rigged craws or worms, 4" easy shiners, 4" flukes and similar lures...hope you enjoy it!

Ned rigs and football jigs do better w/ rocky bottoms and not grass. You can throw a 'weedless ned' but honestly if I'm around grass there are other lures I prefer when it's slow...here are a few: * drop shot w/ a 1/0 ewg hook and a 6" worm or roboworm alive shad * 4" fluke on a 3/0 owner cps w/ a light weight on it...started out w/ caffeine shads but I just picked up a pack of big bite baits jerk minnows and they look like they are going to be awesome * light carolina rig - basically a cylinder weight with 2 bobber stoppers and then further down a 1/0 ewg hook...then use a small elaztec bait like the baby z too * tiny texas rig - try a 1/8oz weight w/ a 2-3/0 ewg hook then throw a zoom utail or a small craw on it * that same owner cps hook with a 4" easy shiner honestly I like all of these more than a ned or a jig. If I really feeling like throwing one of those it's going to be an ewg / 'weedless' ned or if I want to use a jig it's going to be a flipping jig instead of a football jig w/ small hops on the bottom instead of dragging...but honestly right now it's cold and I mostly just dropshot or throw a small texas rig or carolina rig.

I use braid to a fluoro leader which is pretty common these days. Anywhere from 10lb all the way up to 30lb braid (for a bubba shot) and then usually an 8-10lb fluoro leader. For the bubba shot I may or may not tie one on depending on what I'm throwing it into...if I do it's usually the yozuri copoly I use for topwater. Either way the leader is for the hook and the sinker and I prefer the improved alberto knot after someone else from the forum suggested it.

Yeah to give you an idea I kept the CLTJRS model but that one was already labeled as extra fast and I like it for tubes and as a small texas rig worm rod. If you want something more moderate not sure I'd go with this line personally. If it helps the model for the st. croix mojo I was talking about is the JOS72MM. They actually mention throwing shad raps with this rod and if you are looking to go down to like a shad rap 4 (believe that's about the size for a #8 hook) then I'd personally suggest a spinning rod like this for throwing really light crankbaits like that. I can't really use the handles in the new mojo line since I don't hold the rod above the reel which is a shame because I really liked the old mojos and if it were me and that old one was still around that's what I'd get in this situation personally. You could also look into BFS since if you want to try casting but in my case I just prefer to use spinning gear and currently have a Poison Adrena 6'7" ML RF spinning rod that I use for this type of thing. I took a quick look and didn't see any of the mojos discounted (at least not at a shop I could recommend) but you might be able to find one on sale at some point or at least wait until a shop that carries them has a sitewide 20% off type sale. Looks like the hook up tack just announced a sale and I noticed the jordan lee rods are half off on tackle warehouse and they have a MF spinning model for $50. If you have a.....forgot how to use English's Sporting Goods nearby might be worth checking there as well since they still have some of the old Lew's TP1X models at a deep discount at the one by me and they also have a mod fast spinning rod in that line and for $40...wouldn't be my first choice but for that price I'd be willing to consider it (at least as a backup). If you do go to Dick's and they still have a poison adrena spinning rod ask them to check the price on it for you... Good luck.

Not 100% sure but guessing you are referring to the CLSC1? I've owned a couple (still have one) in this series and my honest thoughts are I love the grip but the rod itself feels stiff. Great I guess if I wanted to go fishing and then play pool without having to stop by my house in between the two but otherwise probably not what I'd want for a crankbait rod. Their warranty is also not all that awesome. For that price right now you could get a Dobyns Champion DC704CB on Tackle Warehouse...or a Cashion crankbait rod from Cashion's website...would strongly suggest either of those over the custom lite. I wanted to like the custom lite and the grip on them is actually awesome for me but IMO the blank is too stiff...pretty much the opposite of what I'd want for a crankbait. Also if you are looking at a shad rap and it's a lighter one you might want to consider a ML MF or ML M spinning rod instead...the shad rap 7 in particular and ones under it are very light and I wouldn't suggest trying to throw a balsa like that on a standard casting rod. If you like the handle St Croix pretty much made a spinning mojo bass rod in that range for throwing a shad rap that also might be worth looking into...if it were me all things considered that champ xp would be my choice.

Figured this would be the best place to take a minute and share my thoughts and prayers for the Family Budget Fisherman. Not sure I'd consider him the 'latest' bait monkey victim at this point, but if you take the time to look through some of his first videos, rod collection and aspirations when he started his channel and then compare those with what we have today you will find a man that should remind us all of how easy it is for the bait monkey to turn Walter White into Heisenberg. Stay strong my friends.

From reading the article and that reply from him above me my gut tells me he knew he didn't have a license. Knowing he didn't have a license my guess is he then let his ego (which seems a bit large) get the better of him and decided to submit that fish to the lunker program anyway, leave the license info empty and figured he was too big / cool for anything really bad to happen to him. Also agree that the timing of all this is a bit suspect. Another thing I'll say is one of the things I don't like about social media is that it seems to make people enjoy ganging up on each other people over crap like this instead of say putting that anger towards something a bit more productive and important. Dude isn't perfect but he seems to have figured out how to make more money than I do and can catch some fish. Agree there should be some sort of punishment for it, but I'm not going to pretend like I should decide what that is or that what I think that should be even matters. Hope he takes this opportunity to reflect and maybe pull his head out of his ass a bit...sadly from the looks of it I'm not sure I'd hold my breath on that one but I can at least decide to spend most of my braincells elsewhere...but before I do one final thought: ^ might have 'knowingly' left it blank...but not sure leaving it blank would qualify as 'falsifying'. Falsifying to me would be putting in a fake / bad number...it was blank. Contest person should have said "that's blank so it's invalid" and handled it there. Also interesting that he just got named to the Bassmaster Elite Advisory Board...if someone else didn't want him there for whatever reason and knew some people that might explain the timing...

Completely depends on the lure and retrieve being used. As an example a fluorocarbon leader actually helps (IMO) if you are using a elaztech type lure...also if you aren't dead sticking it for long or if you are in a kayak or somewhere with current the constant retrieve will also help keep most lures a little more horizontal and natural looking anyway. My advice would be to try both (I actually use both anyway but most of the time its 8-10lb fluoro for me on a drop shot). Then see how they look if you just toss it out a few feet and let it sink...then toss it out where you normally would and give both a fair chance and see which one the fish actually prefer...fair warning you might find that you think one looks better but the fish like the other one.

Funny I was just there the other day and thought to myself this 5" go to swim minnow sure looks a lot like a skinny dipper...same sizes too (3.5 & 5) but $1 less and you get a few more per pack...looking at it a bit more their wacky stik-o also reminds me a bit of reaction's pocket rocket...

Never said it wouldn't do better for some people...just saying if you zoom out and were able to look at the actual results from 1000 people (and not just what they think did better) the resulting data set might resemble what you would get from a coin toss. Also completely get bass do silly stuff sometimes. There's absolutely 0 shad in my local pond but I thought it would be fun to throw a shad colored fluke in there at some point anyway and one of the biggest ones I've ever caught ate it almost immediately. So I guess overall my advice would be to figure out (and hopefully have fun while doing so) what lures work best (and maybe start with something that looks similar to what they eating most of the time but realize the best lure might not always be that one) and then go with what's going to land the most fish or at least be the most fun to throw. In my case I'm not sold on this one but that's from my own experience and doesn't mean that someone else is wrong for disagreeing...and it's entirely possible they have a very good reason to feel that way. As an example one of the best lures I've got right now is a simple og junebug yamamoto sensei worm on a drop shot. Not sure why to be honest there were some others that I tank tested that looked better to me but apparently the fish around here disagree...but if I was going for small mouth up north in a body of water that wasn't always dirty my results would probably be different. ALSO throwing a soft minnow bait with FFS is SOOO 6 months ago...haven't you heard? The latest, latest thing is throwing a hard minnow...but not a suspending jerbait...it has to sink...and it has to be one from the 60s...nothing else will dominate the way this lure will... * Disclaimer I like Matt's channel...in fact if I mention any youtube channel here it's because I like them (or at least find them very entertaining).

It seems like ever since Jacob Wheeler won Guntersville last year the technique got a new name (strolling) and a ton of new lures have come out, but I'd argue that this 'new' technique has been around for a while and was starting to gain momentum a few years earlier which was the topic of this Bassmaster video from 2019. I'm also not sold that an angler 'strolling' with one of the newer lures would do any better than another angler using the rig discussed in this video. I'm not even sure they would do much better than a third angler throwing a similar size paddle tail. Personally, I think Jacob Wheeler is very talented and did a good job of picking a good technique for that day and set of conditions and a great job of choosing a brand new bait he just happened to be releasing right around the same time...then the other lure companies saw people were interested and before you know it the latest neon god was born. I actually spent some time looking for some actual data or a comparison that shows this technique really is all that and a bag of chips but wasn't able to find much. I did find this video and in this case they were walleye instead of bass, but I don't think the results would be different with bass and my guess is if you did the same video 100 times in deep bass lakes where they were suspending and the conditions were ideal for this technique you would find that a new strolling lure, a classic damiki rig, and a paddle tail swimbait all did about the same, and just like the guy that shot the video says at the end of it a paddle tail might do slightly better when a constant retrieve would work better and the other might do a little better when you want to just 'hang it' above their heads more and retrieve it less, but either way it's still about getting a lure in front of the right fish. I do think the one thing this technique and the new lures that have come along with it have proven to be the best at this year is separating anglers from their money, but I'm completely open to and willing to consider any hard / factual data that shows otherwise. My guess is you won't find much but I could be wrong. Please keep in mind I also don't consider feelings from regional sales managers at tackle companies or tarot cards factual data. And on a side note if you are fishing from shore (and especially if you are at a pond) I'd focus on figuring out what the bass are actually eating and throw the bait that looks the most like that rather than worrying about shaking a minnow at them so you can be like Jacob Wheeler (in a completely different set of conditions with an expensive FFS setup).

I actually got into bass fishing because I tried pedal kayaking and really liked it but then felt like I needed something to do with my hands. The bass fishing slowly took over and years later I fish from the shore over half the time but still like taking the kayak out when I can. The pedal drives are also one of my favorite things about the old town models...not sure I would like one of the ones where you can't just pedal backwards and immediately back up...also less noisy than a motor which can be nice and sometimes I can pickup a school of shad on my poor mans fish finder (helix 5 that I'm actually happy with) and then cast out and slowly go backwards right back over them again...I suppose the exercise probably doesn't hurt either.

plus think of all the money you could be spending. I've got a pdl 106 (similar to that one) and don't use one either...just pedal backwards a bit if need be but I can keep it pretty still and it seems like the spots I'd really want to stay still at (docks around the big lake) would be too deep for one anyway. Plus I use the power pole slot on mine to help strap it down when I car top it...I've considered a small anchor but I actually like to keep my setup relatively simple and haven't had enough of a need to even justify buying that yet.

Not sure I'd go with the Curado DC. Nothing against that reel but it seems like it's a little overkill and my frog of choice (swamp lord) is already 2/3oz so don't know that there'd be much benefit to paying for the digital control on a frog rod. Also really like the Tatula SV TW in general, but if I was getting a Daiwa for frogging it would probably be the Tatula 200 (or 150). That leaves the Concept A2 and BB1. The BB1 is more expensive and you are going to get what you pay for, both good brands and either one would pair up well w/ that rod for frogging...if it were me I'd probably go with the Concept A2 since it's on sale at the moment and seems like it would be more than enough to get the job done.

Spinning 6'10-7'2 ML F - drop shots and other lighter jig / worm type stuff 7' M F - wacky rigs, shaky heads, etc. Casting 7'1 MH F - jig / worm rod 7'4 H F - frog / flipping and pitching 7'2 MH MF - crankbaits, bladed jigs etc. Shimano Poison Adrena (the new ones) or St Croix Legend Xtreme for the spinning rods w/ Shimano Vanford reels. Dobyns for the casting rods w/ Daiwa or Lew's reels. If you want a budget option for the casting stuff the new Daiwa Tackle Warehouse DXB rods w/ the Lew's Tournament MP LFS (or just the speed spool but honestly get the MP) would be my recommendation. No budget recommendation for the spinning stuff I like sensitive spinning rods so probably not the best one to ask about less expensive options...but I really do like the Adrenas and Legend Xtreme.

For bladed jigs I've got a Kaden 735cb. I'm happy with it but if I could do it again I'd probably go back and spend a little more to get the champion xp 736cb glass. It would be the only 'glass' rod in my arsenal but it's really a hybrid and after having tried both glass and graphite for a while I've come to the conclusion that the Kaden 6104cb (graphite rod) is perfect (for me) for jerkbaits and smaller treble hook lures but I would want a composite (not full glass but not all graphite) for the heavier setup which I use for 1/2oz bladed jigs, LV 500 size lipless baits, 'medium to large' crankbaits and spooks. Ironically that same tatula sv tw 7:1 is most likely the reel I'd get to go with it although I do also like the lew's tournament pro when it's on sale. For line 15lb fluoro I actually like McCoy Fluoro and would use that for everything but the spook (would swap to a reel w/ 30lb braid on it for that).

I like my jig rods like I like my women...fast action with less sensitivity (in all seriousness I just like a fast action medium heavy to heavy rod for throwing a standard jig)

Was just browsing their site and it looks like Cashion has a lot of their stuff on sale right now (on their own site).

I would say don't buy them all at once. In my case I quickly noticed my taste in style, brand etc. actually started to change / evolve and the ones I started out with are definitely not what I've got now or what I would get if I could waive a wand and start over. Also, pick brands that will sell easily if you decide you don't want to keep one for any reason. In my case I've noticed Dobyn's and St. Croix seem to sell easier than some other brands (your mileage may vary). I've actually got about 8 currently that I would say cover 99% of what I do. 3 spinning rods and 5 casting but again you might find that you like different lures and end up going in a completely different direction. Glenn posted this video a few years ago and 5 of the 8 in my list are also mentioned in it so might also be worth watching if you haven't already. If you are interested you can add a 6'10 jerkbait casting rod and a couple of more spinning rods to his list and you have mine. But again the one thing I'd say before anything else is don't buy them all right away. Try one or two out if you like it great maybe get more from whoever made it or if not maybe try a different brand. The other benefit to being patient is you can usually pick things up on sale and get a better deal rather than if you just go all in and buy everything as soon as possible. In my case I've found I like the $150-300 range for most techniques. I do have some more expensive stuff (eg. I have one rod that I only use for drop shots) but for most rods this range seems to be the best value. In terms of brands I'd suggest today for spinning stuff I like Shimano or St. Croix and for casting stuff I like Dobyns. I'd also really like to try a Cashion Icon out at some point and it looks like they are on sale right now (as are Dobyns rods) but have decided to hold off on buying any more rods for the time being. In terms of techniques I think this is a good list and you can use each rod for 3-5 different lures. For example the jerkbait rod I mentioned also works well for poppers and throwing a mini max or a small lipless crankbait...

With the sale going on right now and the techniques you mentioned I'd pick up a 7'1" H F Dobyns Kaden on Tackle Warehouse over either of these...about another $20 more and it looks like they would be drop shipping it at this point but it would come with a better warranty and although I haven't tried either of these I'm willing to bet it's better than both of them.

^ very good point some guides even have dedicated show me how ffs works type bookings. Also a good point that honestly all this ffs is a bit over the top and just people trying to get other people to buy more crap sometimes. You might even find that they have a model similar to the one you were thinking about dropping a bunch of money on and you go and buy that lure that is SOOO HOT right now and still have a bad day...One of the guys I actually respect a lot just put out a video about how the rapala countdown is the now next big thing (even though it's old as hell). Was a little disappointed to see it to be honest I don't think the lure matters that much ffs lets you see the fish more clearly and you put any bait in front of more fish of course you are going to catch more. This thread did get me down a bit of a rabbit hole earlier this morning for what it's worth I might look at that new lowrance one going for 1k that they demo'd at ICAST this year looks cool but that would be the most I'd spend and even then having to hang a pole across the side of my kayak and lower and raise it all the time would probably make me feel like I was in the navy more than going out to relax, kayak and maybe catch a few fish. If you are interested in 'decipher & see bass in vegetation' ffs is going to be your best bet and lowrance and garmin have the two best options out there right now...decent sale on the garmin at scheels at the moment from the looks of it but again you seem like you are just in the early stages of figuring out what all this stuff even is so I'd be careful before handing over that much cash to someone.

Definitely didn't have the budget you have for mine but if you happen to have an old town kayak the hummingbird fish finders pair well with them (both are johnson outdoors companies). Did a fair amount of going through youtube videos to figure out what I was going to do and ended up using this video to install mine without having to drill into the kayak at all: also went with the mount he suggested in the video and it has been working well too. If you don't have an old town kayak and end up liking a different brand for the fish finder I'd still suggest looking into how well the two actually pair together and making sure you have a compatible mount. Good luck, and hope you end up liking what you decide to go with. Also, one last thing I'd point out is I don't use FFS but if you want to get into that (and you definitely can w/ that kind of budget) I've heard others say the Hummingbird option is not the one they'd go with and most people seem to suggest Lawrence or Garmin for that...active target seems to be the one I hear about the most but there's plenty of FFS kayak stuff on youtube too and some interesting looking stuff from ICAST this year...