fishindad

I'm 59 in August so I've been fishing for over 50 years, lol. You? I love St Croix rods (I use ‘em) and hope these do well but there is a limit to the distance of a reasonable cast. I fish Lake St Clair and believe me this lake is perfect for covering acres of water. But I’d need to buy new reels with giant spools to handle making casts the length of a football field or two. I can just see it now – guys will be throwing 1oz. traps next to my boat from 100 yards away, claiming they weren’t encroaching on my personal space, lol. Now that’s goofy, or better yet uncouth. Guess we will have to wait and see who is the first pro to win an event with these long rods and when.

I beg to differ. I haven't fished these LT bass long rods but I do have 8 1/2 and 9 foot LT musky rods so I know a thing or two about fishing longer rods. With the exception of their new 8' flippin rod, none of them would fit in my rod locker nor any other 8 1/2 foot multispecies boat's rod locker. I see no practical application (for me) and I bass (and musky) fish Erie, DR, SCR, and St Clair = big water. I throw high dollar musky lures but, I don't throw giant swimbaits for smallies (maybe I should). Cost of fishing tackle is not an issue for me and I know it isn't for a lot of anglers. St Croix makes a fine rods, no doubt, as I fish them. But I'm not a SC fanboy and my apologies if I offended you with my comments. There are plenty of weekend warriors (average fishermen?) that have arsenals of legend tournaments and higher end rods and reels; and there are plenty "tournament" anglers who can't afford high end tackle. How many 9'11" flipping sticks do they expect to sell? Maybe it's because I prefer chasing smallies here in Michigan but, I have fished Clear Lake in CA as well as the CA Delta so I believe the situations where one can effectively fish these rods are very limited, IMO. But hey, if you want to pitch jigs to the Three Rivers bass with a 10 foot pole, have at it. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how many BASS and FLW tournaments are won using these rods.

I have no idea what BASS was thinking when they put this out there (other than more dollars for rod companies) nor do I think this was very smart on St Croix's part to make these rods one-piece. Can you imagine all of the warranty claims they will be dealing with? As mentioned it's enough of a pain to deal with rods over 7 foot. The main scenarios I see these rods as an advantage is big water cranking/swimbaiting where it helps to cover tons of water. Or dippin' tules like Dee Thomas did/does. And IMO, there's no way St Croix had enough time to thoroughly field test these rods given the time between BASS' announcement and them rolling out (no pun intended) this line of long rods. These rods seem more like muskie-type rods. And where's the fun in yanking 4 and 5lbers, 9 feet out of the water?

I have the DX742S and love it for open water smallies. One of my favorite sticks. It is a very versatile rod with a very unique action I have not found on any other rod. I have mine paired with a 2500 Daiwa and 10lb braid and 8lb leader. I mainly throw GY grubs and 4"-5" paddle tail swimbaits (i.e. Keitech) with it. I also use it a my backup tube rod. I don't throw spybaits but do throw smaller jerkbaits with it. IMHO, it will do anything you want a spinning rod to do and do it well. I have not used the 762 or 743 but think the 743 is too powerful for dropshot and spybait (smaller hooks) but would be better for finesse jigs, tubes, and t-rigged senkos (beefier hooks).

You're going to get lots of different answers on this, of course, since there's no one rod that fits everyone for every jerkbait situation. I have not fished that MB rod but have and use multiple rods, like Jeff H. The Loomis MBR782 is a good one as is the Falcon 6'7" MH weightless worm rod. I also use spinning rods when using lighter/smaller jerkbaits. For the larger baits you mentioned, I would agree the Dobyns 705 you are using is fine as I used to own and use their 705CB glass. I prefer a shorter rod (less than 7 foot). I also prefer a more moderate action rod for all treble hook lures. Figure out what exactly you like and don't like about the 705 Fury and go longer or shorter, more or less power, more moderate, etc. Don't focus so much on brands.

All great replies. My opinion is it all depends on two main things: 1) do you sight fish a lot? If so, then it is worth it. There's good low-to-mid priced options that work just fine if you mainly fish offshore, deeper water. 2) are you hard on your equipment? If that's true then I say not worth it. Just like others, I've lost sunglasses, broken them, dropped them in the drink, you name it; I've probably gone through at least a dozen pairs (that I"ll admit to) from $ to $$$ without naming brands. IMHO, one should always wear eye protection on the water for both cataracts (UV) prevention and flying jigs/weights/lures. If you spend enough time fishing, stuff happens. High dollar sunglasses are better but - I could have paid for an Ultrex with what I've shelled out for eyewear over the years, lol.

Absolute tie between a #3 Mepps squirreltail red/white blade and the #3 Blue Fox Vibrax in silver plain (no dressing).

Another vote for Fat Ika.

I also fish Falcon Caras - don't have the Amistad though I've fished with a friend's. The WW rod as mentioned excels with jerkbaits and smaller/lighter topwaters. That rod is one of the shortest rods I own so I use it for jerkbaits as it doesn't hit the side of the boat like the longer rods. For weightless Senkos, flukes, etc, IMO with the advent of braided lines, a spinning rod is the way to go. I fish the Great Lakes which are typically very windy and I can't tell you how many times I've struggled throwing into the wind (backlashes). I would recommend a 7 foot M or MH spinning rod with 20lb. braid (I use PP and 832) with a leader. You'd be surprised how well this setup can pull big fish out of somewhat heavy cover. If you fish thick cover just use the finesse jig rod or even the Amistad to pitch.

Most productive? For largemouth bass, I agree with a plastic worm, 6" in black. Close second for me is the 5" Senko, green pumpkin. Smallies are tougher to decide. Mepps #3, Rapala floater or countdown, or tube/Gitzit are 3 classics. Gotta go with a 3.5" tube in watermelon. Never fished for Spots.

Going to Florida? Go with the most powerful spinning rod since I hear those bass grow big down there!

Me too

Here's my ten (no chance I narrow it to one color of each): 4" tube, Poor Boy's 5" Yamamoto single tail grub 5" Senko, 4/0 EWG weightless Jackall Crosstail shad, nose hooked dropshot Rapala X-rap, #10 Mepps #3 Aglia, squirrel tail Z-man 2.5" TRD on mushroom head 4 1/2" Don Iovino Fat Boy worm on Slider head Rapala Shad Rap, #7 Topwater popper: Chug Bug, Skitter Pop, or Pop-R Guess it's pretty obvious I target smallies 95% of the time

Exactly! I don't know what it was about those original Technas. They were incredibly sensitive and strong. And I agree, once they made the rods overseas, they were never the same. I haven't bought another Fenwick either though they still make very nice rods.

To this day I believe there are no better rods made than the original Fuji titanium SiC, Wiebe handle GLX MBR842, 843, and 844 rods. Next closest would be the original (made in the USA!) Fuji SiC Fenwick Techna AV rods. No bling, you could feel a frog's hair twitch. But more power to anyone wanting to drop NRX coin on bass rods. You can tell I'm old school, lol.

I was piggybacking off your excellent suggestion. A paper club is definitely more low key and probably more willing to share and teach.

We've all been in those noob shoes at one point. In fact, when I lived in the Bay Area I used to fish the Delta from shore all the time for stripers, catfish, and largemouth. There's tons of access points by foot. Second, don't assume that someone's catching fish or is a good angler because of how they dress, what boat they fish out of, what tackle they use, etc. Why not just go on over and watch what they are doing or strike up a conversation (assuming they are nice enough). Actually see if they're having luck and maybe how they are fishing. Bet they'll be happy to share some tips. Last, I agree with the two posts above though maybe not tourney fish just yet. But do fish with others who have more experience than you do. Learn a few new techniques but don't go hog wild with rods and reels until you are sure it's something you want to invest in. As a shore or kayak angler you really need one good spinning outfit and one good baitcaster - though you mentioned heavy cover so you might want to get a MH rod and a H rod (stronger line). GL!

Am with Blackhawk on this. I have owned many Lowriders over the years and still own 4-5 Falcon Cara baitcasters. Like the OP, I own and use Loomis, St Croix, and other (***) rods. Falcons are 100% made in the USA, if that matters to you (it does to me though I don't bash anyone since I own foreign-made rods and reels). Falcon has specific rod designs/actions that excel for bass fishing. Their Finesse jig rod, Head Turner, Swim jig rod, and Trap Caster can do just about anything one needs for bass fishing. I do agree with the OP that in the $200 price range, there are many competitive brands - and all are very good. Depending on what upgrade it is you want in a rod - bling or actual performance (blank, guides, handle) - you could find (subjectively) equal or better in an overseas rod and arguably, in a domestic rod. FWIW, I have switched to another rod company and will eventually sell most of my dear old Caras. Only because where I live and fish for smallmouth, I predominantly use spinning rods and this is one thing Falcon does not do well compared to other companies, IMO.

Enough with the pics already - I'm in the frozen North and it'll be months before I can do any punching, lol!

It would help if you provide more information such as whether you fish from shore or have a boat, what type of waters you fish, etc. The UL combos are pretty much useless unless you fish lakes that are barren of obstructions or cover. Without knowing anything more, follow FF's advice and wait for the sales and get a 7+foot MH fast action baitcasting rod (plenty of good choices at the $100 price point) for your Okuma baitcasting reel. Get some 12-15lb Big Game line and you'll be able to toss just about any bass baits.

Lanco, I don't think the bank fishing will be very good from now until Spring since the bass typically head towards deeper holes/water. Though I have not had the good fortune to fish the Susquehanna River. I believe a local fellow by the name of Jeff Little is a well-known kayak angler and he fishes that river year-round. Check out some YouTube videos for more. My suggestion is to book a Spring or Summer trip with a local guide for you and your wife and get her hooked on bass fishing! It's somewhat expensive but well worth it in the long run since you'll learn some new techniques and locations from one of the local experts. Just don't tell your wife the costs until after she hooks up with some hard-fighting brown bass... : )

Since you mentioned your wife doesn't approve of this, I'm not going to suggest you purchase any more tackle, yet, lol. Though those are all good suggestions. If you give more details about the waters you fish, this would be helpful. And from shore or do you have a boat/kayak/float tube? The Senko kit is a great start and I agree to bump up your line strength, maybe even consider braid and change the leader depending on conditions. Good luck and consider taking your wife fishing!

I also mistakenly sold my MBR843 GLX (kept my 842)! I still contend the first generation 842, 843, 844 in GLX are the finest bass rods ever made. One could fish topwater to bottom contact and everything in between with those 3 rods.

This! If you haven't tried it yet, this line excels in that it is infused with a silicone-like polymer, which makes it lay almost perfectly flat after a cast. Virtually no coiling or memory. Top notch for spinning reels. And very affordable to boot.

Sounds good. If I were you I'd just use your shaky head rod to dropshot with till you figure out if it's something you want or need to do to catch them Coosa River bad boys. If so, then spend the coin on a high end DS rod (NRX). I still contend one needs two separate rods for optimal presentation : )