Jeff H

Ok, I see, you are asking specifically about Davids builds....right? My rod builds were a ST Croix SCIII 6'6 HF and a SC II 6' MH/F. The SCIII is my pitching stick, the SCII is my jerkbait rod. They have proven to be perfect for what I wanted them for. Yep, I said perfect and I know perfect rarely exists in the real world and maybe they really are not but they are as close as I've ever seen. How do you expect me to clear up your distance concerns? It's going to vary with different lures and personal abilities. I can chuck a 1/2 oz trap as far as I want on just about any rod that can handle one. I can pitch a jig the distances I do, which are usually no more than 25 or 30 feet. I don't pitch 30 yds like some guys claim to and never have. I have no distance issues with these rods whatsoever. They get to where I ask them to so far. I don't try to fish baits so light they can't handle them. I don't pitch anything lighter than a 1/4 oz jig and these go where I ask them to (which is not half way across the lake). I was flinging a #12 Husky Jerk about 50' on my best casts INTO a 10-15 mph wind and frankly I don't think I could have done this with my old rod. Yup, I got me some backlashes but I expect them doing this. Accuracy? Thats me doing MY part of the deal. I miss once in awhile like everybody else. If my accuracy is off it sure as hell ain't the rods fault and never has been. How can it be when the build is right? Both my rods are the exact blend of butt to tip that I asked for. Sensitivity. Excellent! The biggest surprise for me is with his build on the SCII blank. I have several other "factory" Premier rods and DG's build is definitely more sensitive. How so? The factory builds feel a bit more "dull" in transmitting. The DG build is a sharper,cleaner transmission. It is lively in comparison. If a fishing rod could be termed orgasmic, this one is. It makes ya tingle. It is within a fine hair or possibly even equal to the Avids I have concerning sensitivity. Fuggin' amazing, truly! I would never ask him to build on a SCIII blank ever again, his builds on the SCII are plenty good enough for me. In fact, I've heard some of the SCII blanks are as light or in some cases even lighter. More? Can you get excited about handle material? Guides? Can you live with a split grip? I am 100% in love with the burl split grips he builds. I like the density, I love the texture and shape of them. I do not know this for a fact but I think the denser burl he uses helps sensitivity a bit vs standard cork. I liked that I had a choice of dark (burnt) or light. I would choose the burnt burl everytime (plus it smelled cool too) I do not know if there is a difference in density between the 2. I chose Alconites for both rods. He used some smaller sizes I beleive. He'd have to explain the guide configuration on these, I don't remember the specific sizing he chose but it looks tidy and compact not bulky like factory rods. Really sets them off. My favorite part? The perfect Balance. It makes a light rod feel even lighter. It is easier on the wrist. It is far more important than I ever really considered it to be. It is a real performance enhancer to get the balance where you want it. He did mine right. Bottomline.....I would buy from him again and again and again and every one would be spiraled because I beleive the overall performance of his rods are just right smack where they should be. They do everything I want, every cast, all day long. I love the flex or feel of these rods under load. They just feel so smooth and seamless loading up. Does that help? Even with all that I cannot tell you how truly exciting these rods are to fish with. I never would have imagined the difference to be so profound.

Having a jig rod on the deck at all times coincided completely with when I really learned how to fish deep structure. That was back in 1989 or 1990. I knew HOW to fish a jig before then but that is when I learned WHERE and WHY to fish the jig and ALWAYS had one tied on.

I agree with that, especially where a jig rod is concerned.

Thats the spirit Roostertails. You'll learn much from Catt, but keep in mind he knows where he is putting that jig and why he wants it there, and thats the #1 rule as far as I'm concerned. Where you put it is most important and you learn where to put it by learning to interpret structure. It's a precision bait, not meant for covering water as a search lure. Swimming a jig works at times, but it's like putting a backwards ball cap on the Mona Lisa if you ask me. Fish it on a stiff rod for best results and when you feel that "tap", WHACK 'em....hard!

I use a jig for everything from flipping 10-15' from the boat out to 35-40 yards casts on deep structure. I don't like to do that unless I absolutely have to. I will throw long if I'm draggin' a football through a saddle or whatever, but I always try to fish my jigs as close to vertical as possible on deep structures. Usually my "casts" are a short pitch (and subsequent vertical drop on free spool) or no longer than 40' from the boat. I realize not everybody is fishing from a boat, so sometimes a long cast is necessary. I just believe your odds of losing fish increase when fishing jigs "way out there".

They do feel different at first in a 2 handed cast but I've found they are easy to get used to if you give them a chance. Not everybody will like them though.

Ok, I gotta ask....how long of a cast are you guys making to fish a jig?

I'd pick the Tierra, don't like the weight of the Citica....but thats just me. Also, if you really like the Tierra you might consider the Cabela's Prodigy which is the same thing plus $20 cheaper. I really like my Prodigy, it is almost on par with my Revo SX in smoothness.

I mean, they are the fuggin' shiznit!! Ultimate fishing rod, period, including spiraled guides. I want MORE!!

I prefer 6'6". My favorite jig rod is Shimano Crucial 6'6" MH/X-Fast. I love X-Fast action on my jig rods.

Ha! I HATE them slimeballs. Won't even bring 'em into my boat when I catch them (which unfortunately is a LOT moe than I care to). You guys can have 'em!!! Cory N....you come visit MN sometime and you can catch them all day long if you want to. I usually get a few a day and get bit off even more by those nasty hunks of fertilizer.

I have 2 spiraled rods DG built for me over the winter and they are the absolute bomb!!

Mainly jigs and worms for me on deep structures but weather patterns can change things up a bit.

45 now, 46 in Sept.

LOL. Be careful there buddy! I've been to the bottom via Taco Bell once. Made me sick as hell for 2 solid weeks, thought I was done in.

Because I fish deep most of the time, my eyes are my flasher and I've become quite good at "mental imaging". When I'm fishing I sometimes describe my "mental images" and usually the guy in the back thinks I'm nuts jabbering away. I probably am because I've done this when alone too, which means I'm talking to myself. My 2 boys have gotten used to it though.

I prefer shorter rods as compared to most guys. The only 7' rods I own are my crankin' sticks and Flippin' Sticks, neither of which get a lot of use. At the moment my rod locker will only hold up to 6'6" rods but that is not why I choose shorter. Shorter rods exert less leverage on my wrists, which are not in the greatest shape these days.

The Mississippi river, between St.Cloud and Elk River is a very popular stretch for smallies. Other than that, I have not fished any lakes around there.

Do you have any black/silver #5 shallow fat raps?

Lunker City offers the Fin S Fish (Fluke) in 2.5", 4", 5", 5 3/4" and 7". I love the random, erratic, spazzy type action of these things and they are what I've stuck with. I'll try some Super Flukes this summer and see how I like them. A nifty alternative is the Producto Buzz Tail Shad. My son has caught a lot of fish on these and they are easy for him to fish with the straight retrieve method.

We had a great time and caught LOTS of bass. Friday we got into a nice bunch of smallies and caught 12, plus 7 LMB on Clearwater in 5 hrs of fishing. The following 2 days we (my 6 yr old son and I) spent on Big Pine fighting the wind but still caught about 60-70 bass, mostly small with sizes averaging 12"-16". Went through alot of *** today. June bug was hot! The big females are suspended and have spawned or are about to as best I can tell. It varies over the lake a little bit. I lost a couple nice smallies on Clearwater that would have pushed the 4 lb mark. Kind of frustrating, but it happens. They were pecking real light and most were lip hooked. Only one took my son's grub real deep. They would only hit tubes and grubs. Water temps have climbed 9 to 11 deg on these waters in the last week. The highest I saw this weekend was 71.1 deg. Still some seriously good bassin' yet to come!! They will transition to summer patterns over the next 2 weeks and then it's game on baby!! I love the deep stuff best !!!

I have 10 that I currently use and another 20 that have been retired over the years.

Been many years for me, and by that I mean at least 18 yrs. BUT, we don't get to fish bass here in the winter either. I only fish June through Sept and start hunting in October.

My own self would prefer the heavy X Fast. I want to move that fish and gain a immediate advantage in heavy cover like that. I'm different that way I guess, I usually use stiffer rods than everyone else does.

Never heard of slop smallies before. Thats new to me!