Brian11719

The new st croix rod already looks like best in show...just wish they would make a batch of spinning rods with a split grip instead of a foregrip every once in a while...I realize I'm in the minority but I'd argue they are leaving money on the table (especially after their update to the mojo line) and the fact that Dobyns spinning rods and even the ones Wheeler designs are split grips tells me I'm not completely insane...or if I am at least I'm in good company. Aside from that I got a laugh out of that spro bait with 3 fish attached together...probably gonna pass on that unless I win the lottery but still wish some more rod manufacturers would at least consider taking the extra 30 seconds to make some of their rods with the same exact grip just turned upside down and then giving people an option instead of pretending like they are some sort of dictator that gets to decide how you should prefer to hold your spinning rod. /end rant (and I'll probably still own one of the casting models at some point)

I like them but they are still a bit expensive for me. Generally speaking I prefer owner or gamakatsu almost all of the time. If I happen to see these on sale though I probably wouldn't turn them down.

Gross a right handed casting reel. Just kidding that thing looks awesome hope you enjoy it

One of the nice things I've found about St Croix rods is the warranty is transferrable so even if you already registered it someone else could register it later and get most of the warranty on it. I bring that up because as it turns out I've had 0 issues selling any St Croix rod on FB marketplace. I have sold a few either because I leveled up to one of their higher rods or tried one out that just wasn't for me, but have not had any issue selling one relatively quickly. So my vote would be if you got it for 50% off wait until they aren't on sale then give someone about the same price maybe a bit less and go get what you really want.

I wouldn't personally use those leaders with that setup. If it were me since it's low viz green I'd probably just use it w/ no leader. I do like leaders but that's only when I'm using braid and even then it's either 20lb braid to a 12lb sunline fc leader or 30lb braid to 12lb yo-zuri hybrid (for topwater). Aside from that I pretty much use straight fluoro but there are a lot of people that suggest / use mono instead and that should also work out ok. The only time I might use a swivel leader like that is if line twist gets to be an issue but have not really had that happen enough to warrant it. I did get curious and try one for a bit and found it just made it a bit harder to cast since you have to worry about the swivel going through the guides or you get stuck trying to throw a lure while it's 10 feet away from the tip of the rod which is also not great...but honestly if you are going to just throw something like a texas rig it should be ok to just skip the leader completely unless it's something like a drop shot in super clear water. My first spool was moss green p-line cxx copoly (I think 10lb) and the color didn't seem to be much of an issue in terms of catching bass anyway (although I've since moved on to lines I prefer a bit more than that one).

FWIW I personally feel the 735 series does good up to the 5xd mark but for the 6xd type lures I like the 736cb in the champ xp line. You could probably get away with one on a 5xd but wouldn't be ideal. Right now I think the 2 adrena crankbait models or the champ xp 735cb and 736cb ones are the best options out there in terms of bang for the buck. I would probably get the champ over the kaden if I had to do it again, but not enough of a difference for me to sell my current kaden and swap it. The 736 / bigger adrena is what I'd use for bladed jigs and 6xd type lures and the 735 would be my go to for lipless cranks, medium size cranks, spooks and jerkbaits.

I love senkos but am around enough grass / cover that once it gets to be late spring and there's more of it to deal with I switch from a wacky to an owner twistlock light. Older setup and I actually got the idea from an old post in this forum but it still works. Haven't seen much of a difference in terms of the number of fish I get but they do seem to last a bit longer on this setup and it's also weedless and there's no o-rings or $20 pliars required...that and the mini rage rig (which is a take on another older setup) are two of my favorites if I'm pond fishing.

I like the Evergreen SH-3 or 6th Sense Crush 100x for squarebills. For 10' or so I like a 6th Sense Cloud 9 or Crush 250MD and the Cloud 9 in lavender citrus has done well for me when the water is more stained. For deeper ones I like the Cloud 9 C15, 300DD, or a Strike King 6XD Hard Knock. The Evergreen is a bit expensive but it casts really well which helps if you are throwing from a bank (which I usually am if I'm throwing a squarebill). One thing that all of these have in common is they have more of a knock to them rather than a traditional rattle which I personally prefer. For lipless crankbaits I like the LV 500 DRS in ghost minnow or the LV 500 in pearl threadfin or mh chartreuse shad which is sort of like a chrome one but just a bit different. Lucky Craft also makes an LVR D model which they say goes through grass better. I was skeptical about that claim at first, but after trying it a bit I do really like it in the pond I go to where there's a lot of bluegill (and grass). The 6th Sense Quake in bluegill fire is the other one I like for that sort of thing...

I personally prefer Dobyns action for crankbaits over any other brands I've tried. In my case I have a Kaden 735cb and that one is good but would suggest looking at the Champ XP 735 glass. Good action for average crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, walking baits, and smaller bladed jigs.

@FishTank you never know he could still be looking for one...

Interesting rod... https://www.greatlakesoutdoorsupply.com/lew-s-fishing-tackle/lew-s-hs2060l-2-hypersonic-speed-spin-spinning-combos-8254 ^ says in store pickup only so depending on how much it really means to you driving there could be an option...or maybe call and see if they'd be willing to ship it.

I actually love both of these lines but respectfully disagree. Mostly because personally think the Adrenas with that handle are extremely sensitive and would be my first choice for several of the bottom contact lures that I use, while the Physyx grips felt significantly more 'grippy' to me...almost like a wynn grip but at the same time so much better and more sensitive. For what @Sethshaun is describing the 7'4 Physyx would actually be my overall choice over the Adrena and that's even if I could pick any St Croix rod (out of all of them even the legend xtreme line). FWIW I've got that one on my short list for next time when I'm in the market to replace what I've got now and am willing to bet it would be a great medium to heavy spinnerbait / 1oz(ish) swimbait rod as well. TLDR I think the Adrena line and the Physyx are two of the best lines out there right now with each one doing a bit better in certain areas than the other one. For frogs and 1/2oz jigs in close quarters I'd personally go with the Physyx over the Adrena.

I've got a Tackle HD Digital Tourney Scale that I've been using for a while and like since it seems to do well in my kayak.

Don't own any in this series but own several Dobyns rods...IMO the 744 is going to be more of a typical jig / worm rod...good for bottom bouncing a 3/8oz jig with a trailer and maybe coming through some stuff. So if you are looking for a typical open water jig rod that you could use around mild - moderate cover then maybe go with this one. Also most likely a nice big worm rod. The 745 seems like more of a frog / flip / pitch rod. So if you think you might use it for frogging or if you like to flip / pitch a jig into relatively heavy cover (I prefer a texas rigged creature for this type of thing) where you might be pulling a substantial amount of stuff up besides just the fish then this is the one I'd pick.

There's always some stuff out there if you look hard enough...on a side note after about 30s on google I noticed Scheels has a fathers day deal on a Procyon MQ 1000 for $109 which is a pretty good discount on that one...

So I'm probably gonna get a few people that disagree but for 1/2oz lures and anything under I pretty much go with a spinning setup. Anything over and it's a casting setup and I've personally found that 5/8oz plus and casting issues mostly go away. This does depend on a lot of variables (eg. density of the lure) but as a general rule I try to stick to stuff that is over 1/2oz if I'm on a casting rod. In terms of frogs this is actually one of the main reasons I like the swamp lord and popping version. Both are 2/3oz. No issues whatsoever on my end casting on 50lb braid with a previous gen speed spool LFS. This one is a bit more expensive but it's also really soft and the hook up ratio is better than what I've seen with other frogs. As always your mileage may vary but these are the reasons I go w/ this frog and how I avoid casting distance issue with casting setups. Totally get there are probably others on here that are going to tell you they can cast a 1/16oz bfs lure 5 miles but I'm not one of them. On to the OP question. Honestly any 7'4 Heavy Fast and I'd say just go with the brand you already like...chances are they make one. Without a budget it's hard to say but ideally you want a classic fast action rod so not a noodle but a little give to help a bit with casting. I would definitely stick to at least a 7'4 length wise too if you are going to be looking at swimbaits. You can get away with some smaller ones and even a smaller a-rig w/ this setup too and I did that for a bit before deciding I liked a-rigs and 6" swimbaits enough to give the bait monkey more of my money and buy another rod for that.

Have personally had good luck w/ the reaction little dipper w/ a 3/0 owner cps. Like the green pumpkin watermelon if I'm around bluegill or one of the shad variants otherwise....also excellent on a 2/0 core tackle tush if you are using it on an a-rig. Funny thing is if I'm throwing an underspin it's usually a 5/0 owner flashy swimmer w/ the skinny dipper which is the big brother of this one and that's my favorite underspin...I actually don't throw smaller underspins much...tried it but usually if I'm throwing the smaller bait it's in a pond w/ a lot of grass and I just prefer the 3/0 cps twistlock since I can put a mid size rage bug or a 3.5" dolive stick on the same setup and basically have 3 different lures on one rod that all do well depending on what sort of mood they happen to be in that day.

mag 2 in redbug or junebug red depending on the visibility...actually just one of my favorite lures period and when in doubt just set it up like this guy says.

Probably plastics for most people but if you have a penchant for JDM / rare hard baits coupled with bad luck I could easily see this going the other way...

I had an old mojo drop shot rod (also an SCIII blank) and the same rod in the victory line. Honestly (and I realize they put a fair amount of marketing into the SCIII+ blank) they both felt very similar to me. Loved that old mojo and it was the first rod that made my jaw drop and got me into wanting to spend more for a higher end rod for some of my setups. Where I personally noticed a lot of difference was the jump from SCII to SCIII so for example I could definitely tell the difference between a Triumph or a Premier model vs an old Mojo and would argue that the jump up to the SCIII is well worth it, but that said I honestly feel like you start getting into diminishing returns after that. To this day a 6'10 ml xf from St Croix is my favorite drop shot rod by a mile and I eventually picked up a legend extreme when I saw a good price on one which is what I'm using now...but even then I would say in terms of bang for the buck that SCIII blank was money. My personal opinion and your mileage may vary...also not a fan of EVA so I personally would not go for one of the black bass rods, but if you are ok with EVA grips then I'm willing to bet they are quality rods and probably pretty good. I still own a couple of casting rods in the victory line...use them both for things like underspins and spinnerbaits mostly and like them both as well.

For the rod I'd suggest a SA 704C or SA 734C. The sierra line is a bit softer so while it wouldn't be ideal (IMO) for the bladed jigs or lipless crankbaits, it would probably work ok and should do fine for buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. I'm pretty sure you could find it on sale for at least 20% off which should leave enough for a good reel to go with it. I did see tatulas on sale a while back and if it were me I'd pair it with 7.1 tatula 100...strongly suspect they would do ok w/ that setup for those lures...VTC73MHF would also work and is on sale for $140 at fishermans warehouse...personally own this one and 2 sierras (although not that specific model) btw and I'm happy w/ them.

One other thing I'll mention is it looks like DSG has the new Dobyns Frenzy line on sale for $63 ea. They actually have a 7'3 mag heavy model that would do ok for frogs and a 7' crankbait model that would work for topwater so if you decide on one or the other and want something around that price point those look like a pretty good option.

^ agree with this. You could get a nice frog / flipping and pitching setup or a nice treble hook setup but probably not both with one rod. Ponds can be tough for trebles if there's a lot of grass around but if your normal fishing spots don't have a lot of grass then a treble hook rod might be a better pick if you prefer to do that. One thing about a frog rod is you can get something like a 7'4 heavy fast and also use that for swimbaits and spinnerbaits, but you might want to swap out the line or get another reel. In my case I did that for a while and had one reel with 50lb braid and another with 15lb fluorocarbon.

I tried a pack as an alternative to a fluke and they did ok. The colors are nice, but I prefer a fluke or a yamamoto d-shad or an osp dolive stick...these take a little bit of a bigger hook than most flukes and they also have more of a glide to them (they do have some small wings on the side) so suspect they might actually do better for strolling. I fish flukes a lot (but as a jerkbait and not to stroll) so I like to try new ones when I can...the ones mentioned above are the ones I've ended up liking the most.

Thanks I've seen these but never tried one before. Saw one at Walmart and given one of the first quotes I've read about them was 'Mepps are the best all purpose lure ever made. I will die on this hill' I figured it would be worth dropping $6 to try one. We shall see how she does. I actually really like Jacob Wheeler from what I've seen he carries himself pretty well. Also like a few of the crush city lures and realize some say the bronco bug is a knock off but lure companies copy each other all the time and honestly you could say the same thing about almost every stick bait out there. He also released a video a couple of weeks ago where it showed him NOT winning a tournament and it hit close to home for me since I also had a similar experience recently where I went for something I really wanted, gave it my all, thought I did about as great as I could have and still just didn't get it and ended up feeling really disappointed. That said I respect that he posted the video and thought he handled it well and overall a good reminder that while you can control the effort you don't always get to control the outcome and all you can do is get back out there and try again...great quote on the end of that one too 'we'll be out for the next one I promise you that'.