On 6/1/2023 at 10:54 PM, txchaser said:

Helium Light MH/F or Heavy MH/F. They sit in a range that is hard to find elsewhere, they are about 1/2 notch above or below the MH. The HMH is my current favorite chatterbait/swimjig rod, and I'm probably five rods deep trying to find the perfect rod for that presentation.

LMH is amazing on unweighted senkos or light t-rigs. I have one z-bone, and it's nicer than the heliums but IMO the helium maxxes out on the price performance curve. 

 

Irod magic stick for a frog rod

 

Anything in Daiwa's "Regular" action - super versatile - spinnerbaits, mid-depth cranks and squarebills, etc. I wish I could find a better blank than the tat elite since I use it a lot, but the higher end stuff has the CF guides which are too fragile for me. 

 

(Cue the haters) I was gifted a googan black series in the XL (2-4oz) model. It's great for big soft swimbaits and is dramatically more sensitive than my Irod. ~$239 on the karl's site

I bought the Black Series Go-To when it was on sale. Extremely impressive rod. I know most wont give it a chance because GoOgAn but I am glad I did. I will be getting more. 

On 6/1/2023 at 11:06 PM, kingmotorboat said:

I prefer my phenix feathers and m1’s over my Dobyns dx’s. They’re both definitely hidden gems 

They make killer rods. I have the Feather in 7’1”MH and the 7’7”MH they are more like a Medium+ Modfast. The 7’7” is the best trap rod I’ve ever fished. I fish in Florida with heavy hydrilla and they rip baits out no problem with braid to leader. They are extremely light but I’ve never broken one and broke 3 St Croix Victory 7’3MHF rods. I have the M1 7’2HF which is pretty much a heavy that I use for Texas Rig and I love it. It’s almost as sensitive as my 7’2MHF Expride which is my favorite rod along with my 7’4” H Falcon Cara Heavy Cover Jig. I wish Falcon had more rods in the 7’2”-7’5” range as they tend to favor the 6’10-7ft rods.