I recently broke my old worm rod, so I’m looking for another one. Currently I am between a fenwick eagle (7’1” MH XF 3/16- 5/8), diawa tatula xt (7’ M F 1/4-3/4, 7’ MH F 1/4-1, 7’1” MH XF 1/4-1), or Shimano SLX A (7’ MH F 1/4-3/4). I will be fishing a trick worm or a regular/ ultra vibe speed craw Texas rigged with 1/8- 1/4 weight 98% of the time. Im wanting a good sensitive tip for bottom contact with enough backbone for the hook set, pairing with a Diawa tatula ct. Any experiences/ inputs with these or other recommendations (~$100) would be appreciated. 

Falcon Bucoo “Trap Caster” is a good option for that. That’s what I used mine for before I upgraded. 

7 hours ago, bs04 said:

I recently broke my old worm rod, so I’m looking for another one. Currently I am between a fenwick eagle (7’1” MH XF 3/16- 5/8), diawa tatula xt (7’ M F 1/4-3/4, 7’ MH F 1/4-1, 7’1” MH XF 1/4-1), or Shimano SLX A (7’ MH F 1/4-3/4). I will be fishing a trick worm or a regular/ ultra vibe speed craw Texas rigged with 1/8- 1/4 weight 98% of the time. Im wanting a good sensitive tip for bottom contact with enough backbone for the hook set, pairing with a Diawa tatula ct. Any experiences/ inputs with these or other recommendations (~$100) would be appreciated. 

If I were looking for a rod in that price range I'd likely be looking at the Tatula XT rods. Those things are light and nimble and look really fun. I prioritize weight, balance and fun factor over anything else.

2 hours ago, jejenkyns said:

If I were looking for a rod in that price range I'd likely be looking at the Tatula XT rods. Those things are light and nimble and look really fun. I prioritize weight, balance and fun factor over anything else.

What length/ power/ action combination would you pick for what I had described? 

9 hours ago, dk2429 said:

Falcon Bucoo “Trap Caster” is a good option for that. That’s what I used mine for before I upgraded. 

The Trap Caster is a phenomenal rod in so many ways.  One thing to know is that it is a fairly slowish action.  To me this is a good thing, but worlds apart from XF for sure.

55 minutes ago, LionHeart said:

The Trap Caster is a phenomenal rod in so many ways.  One thing to know is that it is a fairly slowish action.  To me this is a good thing, but worlds apart from XF for sure.

I wouldn’t think that you would want a slower action for a t- rig, or at least that’s the opposite of what I was taught 

1 hour ago, LionHeart said:

The Trap Caster is a phenomenal rod in so many ways.  One thing to know is that it is a fairly slowish action.  To me this is a good thing, but worlds apart from XF for sure.

 

I agree wholeheartedly.  In the falcon rods thread I described it more fully, but It has a weird combination of a light tip, but an insufficient mid section to support it which results in what fishes like a mod fast for the most part, but in a really weird way.  For me, I use mine for 3/8 oz type crankbaits (DT6 or so) where the action/power combo isn’t as critical.  I used to fish it with single hook moving baits and it is okay, but it isn’t what I’d use for a Texas rig.  

 

30 minutes ago, bs04 said:

I wouldn’t think that you would want a slower action for a t- rig, or at least that’s the opposite of what I was taught 

 

You don’t.  In the falcon lineup I’d recommend the low rider swim jig.  I love that action/power/length combo (I have the Cara) for a light Texas rig.  7’2”, fast action, medium to medium heavy power.  1/8-3/4 rating and I think in my Cara I would call it 1/8-5/8.  With 1/16 to 3/8 oz of weight plus plastic you’re in a good place.  

39 minutes ago, bs04 said:

I wouldn’t think that you would want a slower action for a t- rig, or at least that’s the opposite of what I was taught 

Yeah man conventionally I'd say people prefer faster rods for t-rig fishing.  I find that having a slower rod helps me cast farther and with more accuracy, and keep fish pinned a little easier.

 

Fishing braid to leader lets me get away with using a little more of a limber rod.

 

I have yet to find the perfect affordable rod for light t-rigs.  I am am alternating between the Falcon and a Tatula Top Water model if that tells you anything.  I would fall a little outside the norm with this I admit.

16 hours ago, bs04 said:

I will be fishing a trick worm or a regular/ ultra vibe speed craw Texas rigged with 1/8- 1/4 weight 98% of the time. Im wanting a good sensitive tip for bottom contact with enough backbone for the hook set,

 

That's my standard Texas Rig, I throw it on a Daiwa Tatula TTU711MHXB 

7' 1" Medium Heavy X-Fast. This rod will handle 1/4-1/2 jigs quite easily. 

20 hours ago, bs04 said:

I wouldn’t think that you would want a slower action for a t- rig, or at least that’s the opposite of what I was taught 

My two TR/jig rods are both MHF. And they do well (Kistler Helium/Falcon All ‘Round Fast). But as I have mentioned before, on a whim one day I took off a squarebill from my Dobyns Fury 705CB and tied on a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG and some various baits (5” Senko, Fat IKA) and it did a very good job. Hooksets were great. 

zero doubt.  @$120, the Phenix Maxim.   Med-light 7'3" rod is dope for that set up.  heck..you could up it to the Med Heavy.   the rod has great bottom contact sensitivity.  it certainly punches higher up into the next weight class.  

 

i have the med 7-2 spinning and it feels the tiniest tick on a drop shot rig.  

i also have the Med-heavy casting at 7-3 and i fish ball head swimbaits with it like jigs, and i can feel fish in very turbulent waters.  so fun.  it casts a country mile with 1/2 - 3/4 baits.  it holds the distance record with my group in OK.  and i am owning guys throwing spinning setups.  

I have the falcons low rider swim Jig. Bought it for finesse swim jigs and spinner baits and light Texas rigs. It’s a great rod and does exactly what it’s supposed to. I also have a Daiwa regular xt MF 1/4-3/4. Great finish and balance. But I think it’s a closer to a MH personally. A lil more of an all around rod. I’m considering trading it to American legacy lol 

1 hour ago, Joedodge said:

I have the falcons low rider swim Jig. Bought it for finesse swim jigs and spinner baits and light Texas rigs. It’s a great rod and does exactly what it’s supposed to. I also have a Daiwa regular xt MF 1/4-3/4. Great finish and balance. But I think it’s a closer to a MH personally. A lil more of an all around rod. I’m considering trading it to American legacy lol 

save your time.  I've gotten a couple quotes for ALF trade in and you can figure 25-30% of retail price if in very good condition.  I couldn't be bothered for that price.

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

save your time.  I've gotten a couple quotes for ALF trade in and you can figure 25-30% of retail price if in very good condition.  I couldn't be bothered for that price.

Yep. I don’t know how they ever get a trade in. They’ll give you $80 for a $250 rod and then ask you to pay for shipping. 

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

save your time.  I've gotten a couple quotes for ALF trade in and you can figure 25-30% of retail price if in very good condition.  I couldn't be bothered for that price.

 

41 minutes ago, GReb said:

Yep. I don’t know how they ever get a trade in. They’ll give you $80 for a $250 rod and then ask you to pay for shipping. 

Funny you guys mention that. I got a quote yesterday to test the waters on a Daiwa ballistic 2500 and a balistic 2000 spinning reels I don’t fish anymore. Good condition. I got offered $60 a piece for them. But then they have to send me the label and deduct $15 for that. I’m pretty sure I could ship en in a flat rate box cheaper lol. I may do it to get them out of my way tho 

On 4/20/2025 at 9:33 AM, bs04 said:

What length/ power/ action combination would you pick for what I had described? 

Rod selection is essentially based on 3 factors:
1. Power (how much weight it takes to bend the rod) - the challenge on this is that power ratings vary greatly from brand to brand. With that said, you want to be in the MH to H range for power. For Daiwa, I'd go MH. 

2. Action/Tip (how far down the rod bends) - again, each company's version of "Fast" is different. Most people want Fast - Extra Fast for a t-rig. For Daiwa, I'd go Fast, but XF is ok too. The Tatula 7'1 HXF I have has a really, really fast tip. Good for hook sensitivity and hook sets, not great for fighting fish. 

3. Length - this one is more straightforward, but the position of the reel seat comes into play big time. The amount of rod on either side of the reel (handle vs "rod") makes a big difference to feel and balance and every fisherman will have different preferences. For me (I'm tall, but also gravitate towards shorter rods), I've found that I'm comfortable with anything in the 6'10-7'3 range, depending on where and how I'm using it. If I had to just have one length, probably around 7'1-7'2 would be the sweet spot. 

 

Hope that helps.