NorcalBassin

Looks awesome! I love my pellet smoker/grill and that reverse sear on steaks or tri tip is tough to beat.

Dobyns has exceptional customer service... definitely give them a call.

Loves to carry her bone around like a cigar.

It will zero out and it's pretty much be the same setup the guys use on MLF. As long as it doesn't get left out in the rain or fall in the water you probably wouldn't need another scale for 10+ years.

Agree with Tom's take on the 806. It's an excellent glide bait rod and you could push it to 8 as long as you're not too aggressive with your cast.

The Brecknell is very well respected and you could pick up a lip clip/grip to add to it that would still keep you under $100. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Brecknell_ElectroSamson_Scale/descpage-BRECK.html

Third and final day of the Clear Lake trip. Lots of numbers with pretty much everything being chunky 2-3 pounders. Got tired of cleaning salad off and switched to topwater… way more action than I anticipated and wish I had dedicated some time each day to it. Bass bite was excellent, but since the carp and catfish also had an affinity for my offerings of course I couldn't go a day without another one of them on a senko.

Over the past month I've ran into some big fish on my wacky rig spinning rod setup (M/XF with 7# Sniper, palomar knot). All on the same line (retied of course) I've landed a 9 pound LMB, 25+ pound carp, and three 8-12 pound catfish with dozens of other fish caught in between without a single breakage. The last catfish took me on a wild ride and even took a 45* turn on a metal dock piling followed by some death rolls like a gator. The line looked like it had about 18" of snot on it, and I was beyond shocked I landed that fish. My guess would be it's a drag issue (too tight, high start up inertia, not smooth/consistent), nicks/inconsistencies in the line, a knot issue, or the head snap/shake occurs when the rod isn't loaded up at an angle to absorb the stress. All things considered, just loosening up the drag a bit more is probably going to work for you.

Yeah, that doesn't sound good at all. Fortunately mine came in a tube... they must be selective with using them or have inconsistencies with packaging out of the warehouse.

Congrats on a beautiful fish!

I picked up a Levante from them a few weeks ago and fortunately (for me) had a better experience. I was shocked to find the end cap had fallen off at some point during the trip out west, but the tube itself was about 90% as good as what TW uses and I cannot imagine it folding in half unless it got really wet or something. The rod itself was well protected in the tube and arrived in perfect condition.

I'm a big MB fan but have to admit I've been disappointed with the I-slide. IME, the magnet doesn't consistently pull the hooks dead center like they'd naturally be in the absence of the magnet, and that makes me a bit nervous if a fish comes up from the opposite side. Paint and quality of the build is otherwise spot on though. The Suicide Glides are very nice and IMO in the same ballpark as the Gancrafts I throw. I do not have any RM's up to this point, but if it's in your budget it would be tough coming up with a reason not to pull the trigger. If you like the bull shads it may be worth adding a Matt Lures Hardgill to your collection.

Day 2 of the trip on Clear Lake was awesome. 40+ for the day with no dinks and 2 PB's. PB #1. Flipped a senko deep in a pocket behind some vegetation and it was on right away. Knew it was big when it made a surge for the surface, but when it went back down and started towing the boat around it became evident it was a non-bass giant. No idea on the weight since the mouth was way too soft to hold its mass, but I've never seen a carp anywhere near this big. Length was just a bit over 36" with a 27" girth. Even a bigger fan of 7# Sniper and Owner wacky jig heads after they held up during what was at least 15 minutes of following the beast around. PB #2. Been a very long time since my dad had caught anything over 3-4 pounds (if ever), and I couldn't have been more happy seeing him hook into an acrobatic giant that we were able to get into the net after a few crazy jumps and runs. She came in right at 6 pounds.

Made the annual spring trip to Clear Lake. First hit on day 1 (senko) went straight to the deep. Thought I had a pig... soon realized it was too good to be true and was a catfish. Pops' first fish... another not bass. Finally got into some bass. Nothing over 4 pounds but everything was a chunk.

I picked up the EMTF on sale a couple weeks ago and have to say I was very impressed with the quality of the new generation. It's not on the level of the Destroyers, but at that price point it competes with any rod out there.

Wow, that is terrible. Hopefully it all clears out soon and the limited season is at least one of your more productive ones. On a more positive note, love the brick road and your neighborhood looks like an awesome place to live sans water.

If you don't want to wait for TW in June The Hook Up Tackle has (2) in stock at the moment.

Congratulations on the nice bass and getting out there so soon after that accident.

Welcome to the boards! If you're just walking the shore blind casting and want to keep it simple, get a pack or two of 5" Yamamoto single tail grubs and 1/4 oz darterheads and throw them on whatever spinning rod you already have.

The graphics look like it's one generation ago and as has been said, that is an excellent deal and if it breaks it will qualify for the Xpeditor no questions asked replacement with an upgraded IMX-Pro for $100 (retail $325).

Thank you for the initial review and great pics... really looking forward to hearing your on the water reports.

Been awesome getting so much water time this past week. Tried a different lake today and had some solid action with quite a few in that 2-3# class. Lost a solid 5 pounder at the boat on a jumping head shake, but watching that was almost as good as actually landing her. This fella took it right off a bass bed One of the nicer ones of the day This one hit at the end of a small cove, went crazy stripping line as she passed under the boat rubbing the line along the hull, and then found vegetation to run through and around. I free spooled her assuming the tension from her run and the line rubbing on the boat was going to snap her off, and to my surprise she jumped about 30 ft away on the opposite side of the boat right after I got the line away from the motor. Line was frizzed out, but 6# sniper was even tougher than I thought. This tom was trying to impress his hen and kept squaring up to my truck and boat as we were trying to pass through on the way to the lake. Not the smartest turkey.

Seems like full moons have always been a curse to our fishing, but the temps and season were lining up too perfectly not to take a chance today. Thank goodness we gave it a shot. Caught over 30, including my PB largemouth. I had been throwing swimbaits most of the morning and skipped to a stick bait after no luck on some prime looking areas. First cast with the stick bait and boom goes the dynamite out to deep water stripping line like a catfish followed by a couple circles around the boat like a shark. I about had a heart attack the first time she came up to jump and I saw it was a bass and a beast of one at that. We thought she was a 10 pounder for sure, but she was a 25" fatty that weighed in at 9.1 on my scale. Busted my 110 Special rod in half about an hour later but had such a rush I didn't even care. Good times. One last pic after getting her back in the water for a breather

Fortunate to get a couple quick trips in over the weekend, Saturday with Pops and Sunday with my oldest. Good times and it's getting so close to busting loose...