Big Bait Fishing

still think you should get a sweet custom rod built ....

those and the judge crankbait blank

i use Mudhole for all components except burl cork , Mudhole ships fast and excellent customer service ..

Sunline Shooter ......

Cobra Blackheads at TW , they are on sale for $0.77

you should of bought a Revo Rocket , IPT of 37'' ...

unless i'm punching , 30 lb, braid is max i use , i regularly use 20 lb. braid on my baitcasters as it is plenty strong an affords me longer casts & better handling . i use 10 lb. braid on spinning reels .

i'd go with an Avid X 6'9''Med Lite / Ex Fast if you're going with that length , me , i like a 7'6'' rod .

i wouldn't use a power handle , a longer double handle (95-105 mm ) answer is YES ..

i imagine those guides are Fuji MK's in size 4mm or 4.5mm ...

i got the pics of the cashion rods on TW's website . , the pics of the NRX's are taken by me at East County Bait & Tackle in Lakeside.. from a call i made to TW awhile back about another product , TW says they do not sell blemished or factory seconds .

about NRX's ,i agree that the blanks are great but if i'm paying 500-600 a rod , i don;t want my rod looking like a child wrapped it !! the pictures i posted are 3 seperate rods and every one had thread wraps that looked horrendous . if you call that bashing , i don't know what to tell you , the proof is in the pudding... Tom, if you had someone build you a custom rod and it looked like that , would you accept it ????

Abu has one of the top customer service centers in the business ....

take a look at the rods on TW , the epoxy wraps are footballs like Scott said , i posted a picture of the hook keeper lacking enough epoxy to cover the threads , another picture shows epoxy peeking out of the blank through portion of the reel seat . come on Tom , i know your friend has some of those rods and maybe you know the owner but those rods have no business being offered to the public like that , if it was my company , i'd be embarrassed ... and to the point , i'm not bashing , i'm just giving an honest opinion about someone's product that lacks in quality control .....

makes you wonder ! , if the were wrapped good they would probably sell more , sounds to be a decent rod at a decent price ...

you scored on those Damiki DC's !! i'm gonna get some of those soon !!! let me know if you end up wanting to get rid of some of the DC200's .....

when you go cut off the hook keeper , tape the surronding area well with MULTIPLE layers of tape !!

any rod you buy should not have the issues the Cashion rods have , even at around $150 , i expect my rods to be blemish free , others don't care . i don't buy factory rods and have them built by a custom rod builder so i am pretty paticular about what i'm getting for my money , if you don't have those kind of expectations and like the looks/performance of the rod , great for you . put another way , if i custom rodbuilder wrapped that Cashion rod like that , he would not get any buisness and would either fold up and have to get another career/hobby/source of income ... and about perfection - take a look at S.HOVANEC's rod builds , that is how rods are to be wrapped .......

if i were you , i'd spend that money on a custom rod instead !!! reels are great , but i'd think you'd benefit from a rod built with a great blank and components , built exactly how you want it ....

here's a pic off TW of there hook kepper with not enough epoxy , threads showing through click on the pic to really see it .... i was gonna post another pic of epoxy seeping out of the blank through portion of the reel seat , but i think every one get's the point that who ever builds them , they are not very good at it , but hey , the blanks might be good ...

even worse then NRX's ???

yeah , it's a Fuji PTS cut down , the same reel seat as on their casting version of the rod

about the Fuji PTS (from Fuji ) Lightweight “blank touch” construction, a smaller trigger, special “three-channel” grooving in the barrel threads for smooth, secure hood travel (and fit) and a wider, flatter base to accommodate the gear box on low profile baitcasters. It “cradles” into the palm of your hand unlike any seat we’ve felt and made “walkin-the-dog” like a walk in the park. Requires a 17mm OD carbon insert tube (Not Included) Mudhole sells a carbon fiber tube made for the PTS/TVS reel seats in their CFX series - http://www.mudhole.com/CFX-Carbon-Fiber-Reel-Seat-Inserts

XXX is a very good line for swimbaits , probably the best handling even in higher tests ( 20 - 40 lb.) very strong line with hardly any memory , my recommendation for big baits (6 oz. & up ) i have tried 8 lb. line for spinning set ups but felt it was too stretchy .