fishindad

David, I'm chiming in late here but you've already received lots of good advice. I see that you're in AL and prefer to fish for largemouth in rivers - I dropshot in the clear lakes of Michigan for smallies so take that for what it is. Best and most sensitive is subjective. I've fished for almost 50 years and have found that it's impossible to find the "ultimate" rod (or reel) for fishing since there is always new and better tackle every year. I have custom rods, GLX, Legend Extreme, Phenix, Shimano, Falcon, etc and they all fish and feel different. IMO, since it sounds like you are a newbie to dropshot and shaky head fishing, at least with a spinning rod, you should stick with the rod brand that you're presently using for your casting sticks. Instead focus on the various nuances of the techniques - line combinations and sizes, weights, various shaky head designs, dropshot hooks, how various plastics behave, using the techniques in current, etc, etc. Forget about what rod you're using because using "the best" doesn't mean you're automatically going to cheat the learning curve or somehow become an expert at either technique. Don't get me wrong, I love trying out new gear and searching for "the one". If you have the disposable income I say go for it. But there's a lot of choices other than NRX. Steez AGS, Phenix K2, Kistler ZBone, Legend Elite with Torzites, Megabass, Archangel. I don't think many folks have fished all of these rods and if they have, I'll bet that each one of these sticks feels and behaves noticeably different. If you're going to give both shakyhead fishing and dropshot fishing a real honest effort then I say get one rod for each technique because IMO, the rod action (and power) needed for each is different - and it sounds like you're not wanting to compromise on cost so do it right the first time and get a rod for shakyheads and a rod for dropshotting. Good luck and tight lines.

It depends - if your waters have little to no cover and are gin clear, there's probably an absolute need to use 4-5lb lines and small 2"-3" baits to get bit. Otherwise no need to go lighter in power than ML.

Me too. I use a Falcon Cara 7'2" MH that's more mod-fast. They even call it their swim jig rod but I use it for all single hook moving baits (swim jigs, Keitechs, spinnerbaits, etc) with 12-15lb FC. Don't have any trouble detecting bites.

I still have my DX742 Extreme, the older version just prior to the XP. From what I've heard and read, the new XP versions are a bit more powerful than their predecessors. That 702 is a SWEET dropshot rod. I'll bet the new 741 would be comparable (but 4" longer of course).

I completely agree with fishnkamp on the Loomis SR842. A fantastic rod for those light hair jigs. As for a dropshot rod, I own the Extreme 70MLF and used to fish the Dobyns DX701 and 702SF rods dropshotting for smallies. I think these are a touch too light in power to handle a true 3/8th oz. weight plus plastic. I've also used many more different sticks over the years - if you PM me, I'll direct you to an awesome ML 7'2" DS rod for the price of the Sierra.

Done. Please share the results of your poll as well as the aims of your research.

Agree with Mike.

Depends on the waters you fish. For me, when fishing clear, open waters, I absolutely have a dedicated L action rod for 5 and 6lb fluoro. I throw light hair jigs and plastics (4" worms and 3" grubs) and it works better than my ML setup. I use 7lb on my DS rig (ML) and 8lb on my 'all-around' spin rig (Med).

GYCB all the way. 4" and 5" Senko, 4" Fat Ika, and 3", 4", 5" single tail grub comprise half my soft bait fishing. Jackall Crosstail shad, Flickshake worm and Cover Craw make up the other half.

The replies above pretty much nailed it. Don't get too hung up on the rod action and power for dropshot unless you're going to use it a lot. Basically, figure out how deep you'll be fishing and thus what weights you'll use. Less than 20 ft you can use ML and say in 40 ft use a M power. The ideal action is a softer (faster) tip but it depends if mainly you're fishing open water or cover. For example, for Erie or St Clair smallies a M or ML power with XF tip is ideal, to me. But for 'powershotting' in weeds for LM, you may want something with a little less tip action. Something like a rod for shakyheads. Guys who fish both techniques a lot typically have two markedly different actions/powers for their setups.

When I think of finesse fishing, it means line sizes too small for a Med and heavier power baitcast gear, i.e. spinning tackle (I don't have any BFS gear). 8, 7, and 6lb lines/leaders. It also means light cover or open water here in Michigan. Anyone could finesse fish just fine with a M or ML fast action spinning rod but if you are serious about both those techniques, meaning you fish them a lot, then you really would do best with two different rod actions/powers. To me, shakyhead fishing is best with a Med power or heavier rod, depending on the weights of the head and size of the plastic. Dropshotting is best with a Med or ML rod with a softer/faster tip so you can 'reel-set' into the fish. Shakyhead is more like a jig and the hookset is more typically jig-like. At least that's my general thoughts on those two techniques.

This, 12 lb. Sniper is also my line of choice. But if I were throwing the Senko into lily pads a lot, I'd up bump to 15 lb.

Great photos, John. Is that the Rochester bass triple crown? ; )

Agree with this. Have 832 on my baitcasters and Power Pro on the spin gear. I've fished the other way around (832 on spinning, PP on casting) and not noticed any significant difference in performance. Slight edge to the 832 FWIW.

I have not fished with those Lew's rods but own and use one Bucoo 7'MH (Trap Caster) and other Falcon Cara rods. I would say it is a toss-up as to which one is best, for you. IMO, for an all-around bank rod, the Bucoo 7'MH or 7'2"MH would be a fine choice. And, I believe Falcon has more bass-specific rods/actions to choose from in the Bucoo lineup.

But let's be honest Raul, we buy the high end stuff cuz it looks so cool and it gives us more fun when we catch a bass on $$$ equipment. Those guys get their gear for 'free' (at least KVD does) and their focus is on catching fish for a paycheck. I guarantee if I had to do that, no way I'd be buying GLXs and Alphas.

Most people can't figure out needs vs wants. No one needs more than 3-4 combos to bass fish. I've got lots of rods and lots of high priced ones. That said, today I would choose to buy 8 of the $100 rods since there are so many nice, quality bass rods to choose from that didn't exist 5-10 years ago. And exactly what rods does KVD fish with? You honestly think he would be better off (meaning a better angler) fishing with $500 NRX rods vs his $100 Quantums?

Back in my late 20's/early 30's (meaning a long time ago, lol) I was competing on a regional and national level as a triathlete. It never failed - the guys who showed up in baggy sweats with beat up bikes would kick butt and the guys with the latest skinsuits and $3K bikes would be somewhere in the middle of the pack. Fish don't care or know what boat you're in or what gear you're using. It's all marketing.

Me too! I switched to the Crazy Alberto (or modified Albright) because the braid is looped around the fluoro and so far, so good. As many times as I've tried to tie the Uni to Uni, even making sure it's 'perfect', for some reason it just doesn't hold up as well for me. The best advice as mentioned is to use whatever knot you can confidently tie and that works the best - for you. Just keep trying different knots until you're happy.

Most of the time I am fishing a Senko T-rigged and weightless, around/in some type of grass or around docks. So I use straight 12 lb. fluoro on a MH baitcaster so I can get a good hookset with an EWG hook. But, when fishing open water or around weed edges, and wacky rigging, I'll use a spinning rod with braid and 8 lb. fluoro leader and a small exposed hook. The hookset is almost like a dropshot set, no need to haul back like the T-rigged Senko. The main thing is to let the Senko fall on a slack line so it does it's thing. Being that fluoro sinks (at a faster rate than braid), I feel it lets the Senko fall more naturally, i.e. more horizontally in the water column. And I think fluoro is more sensitive when fishing a slack line presentation. All that said, don't worry about how anyone else fishes their Senko since we don't fish in your waters and, you are already having good success!

This, at least it would be if I lived someplace where lakes don't ice over in winter! Lately I'm with Catt in not limiting myself to any techniques based on seasons. Who am I kidding, we all have favorites! The way I approach things here in the Great North is in Spring, the fish are generally shallower and our lakes don't have much grass so of course no froggin or punching. Jerkbaits and tubes are always in play. Summer, the grass is at it's peak so I tend not to throw the open hook stuff that I did in Spring. Spinnerbaits, T-rigs, Senkos, frogs, etc. see more time since I focus on grass = bass. Then in Fall (Oct, Nov) it's deep water stuff, generally. Always have a dropshot rod on deck. I'm trying a new approach of not having my lures pre-rigged and waiting to decide what to throw once I get on the water and observe the wind, water temp, boat traffic, etc. Rather than having a pre-conceived game plan the night before and 'force feeding' the fish. Of course there's two or three mainstays but that's top secret, lol.

Both those knots work very well, as do many other knots. I suggest you spend time practicing off the water until you are confident you are tying any knot correctly on the water. There are tons of videos available online as references.

Thanks for all the feedback. I have confidence in the Shimano reels (and Daiwa) but was hoping to get some feedback on the new(er) Abu Revo spin reels. I'll throw Pfleuger into the mix as well.

I'm trying to decide my next spinning reel purchase. I have a couple of Stradic Ci4 2500's but am considering the Revo STX30. I've never had an Abu spinning reel but they (Abu) seem to have made significant strides in their spinning reels. I'm thinking to get the Stradic FK3000 or the Revo STX30 - both are at the same price point so it's apples to apples in this regard. Weight and bearing count, both of which are not as important to me as smoothness and longevity/reliability, are in favor of Revo. I've read lots of feedback on the Stradic and they are nice but would the Revo be just as good or even better? Any Revo spinnning owners out there? Thanks!

For the lakes I fish up here in yankee land - that might as well be Mars, lol! Sure would love to give some straight 832 a workout on that bass factory though. My next experiemnt is going to be simply straight braid on a dropshot, no leader. I gotta believe you put a bait in front of those smallies and they will eat it. We give fish (bass anyway) way too much credit for thinking.