Whets Lines

I don't have a lot of experience with rods other than St. Croix. I do have a Kistler 7' MHF and a St. Croix LegendXtreme 7' MHF. The kistler MH is way stiffer than the St. Croix. To me, that Kistler I have is junk compared to the Xtreme. (Ok, that's harsh, but I really don't like it.) I do not think a MH Xtreme will be too heavy for you. For my arsenal, which I'm not going to get into, my Xtreme 7'MHF is my go-to rod. It is my favorite. I feel it is extremely versatile for the way I fish. I have a bunch of rods so I don't have to constantly re-tie baits; but at times, I find I do anyway just to use this rod. You will not go wrong with a MH or a M. I just think you can do more with the MH. Be careful though, buying a St. Croix can lead to a serious rod-buying addiction. Good Luck. Whets

I have had multiple reels serviced by DVT. I've been extremely pleased with the quality of the work, the quick turn-around, and the communication. I also had Mike build me a custom rod. I knew what I wanted, or what I thought I wanted. Once Mike started asking me questions, I realized I had a lot to learn. The good thing is Mike took the time to educate me. When the rod finally arrived, I got a great custom rod, great service, and a pleasant surprise when I got the bill. Even without his member discount, the price was well worth it. I'm saving up for another one. Whets

Go out and get some 4/0 EWG hooks and a package or three of Rage Tail Shad. Throw them into the lilies and hold on. Whets

It is interesting how my favorites change as I learn more about bass fishing and discover new baits. This year, my hands always seem to grab my 7' MH St. Croix LegendXtreme paired with a Shimano Curado 201e7 spooled with 17 lb. XPS Fluorocarbon. These rods are just amazing. This setup just feels right in my hands. It always feels weird to set this one down and pick up another one of my setups. Whets

I've had no problems using clips. I actually started doing it after reading KVD's book. Who knows if he still uses them, but he seems to have some luck with cranks. For what that's worth... Whets

My favorite rod is the one in my hand with a fish on the end of the line. (Yep, that's the best smart-alec comment I could come up with.) Seriously, if any of you have read my posts, I'm always touting the virtues of St. Croix. I like their product and their company. I'm confident with a St. Croix in my hand. That's the main thing for me. I have recently branched out and bought a Dobyns Champion Series rod, a Kistler Z-Bone, and an Elk River Custom Rod. I like all of them. However, I firmly believe the warranty and trade-in policy of St. Croix is second-to-none. I think the Dobyns and Kistler are great looking rods built to high standards. I would get more if I needed more and had the right deal come along. These are always interesting threads to read. One other thing, I think too many people are putting way too much emphasis on how a rod balances while holding it in the store. While fishing, I don't really ever notice if a rod is tip heavy or handle heavy. I do notice the action and sensitivity though and the power needed to pull fish from the weeds or set the hook from a distance. Rods need to be fished... Just my $.02. Whets

I fish a heavily pressured small lake here in southern Wisconsin. It is gin clear most of the time and very weedy. I've had great luck fishing at night using top-water baits like many others have mentioned. Two baits I particularly like but have not seen mentioned yet are the Rage Shad & Rapala DT-1. I like the Rage Shads around the lily pads. Over the submerged weeds, I've had great success with the DT-1s. They do not really dive to 1-foot. They are more of a big fat wake bait. I've gone so far as to have a couple of DT-1s custom painted black specifically for night-time fishing. I think the DTs must be being discontinued because every Gander Mountain I've gone into has them deeply discounted. Good Luck. Whets

Hey Fishindad, welcome to the forum. I use the St. Croix Avid AVC70MHM. I love this rod. I upgraded to this rod after a season of using the Mojo with the same power/action. I liked the Mojo but loved the Avid. I could have upgraded this one too, but I like it too much to mess with getting anything else. It will handle everything you want to use. For me, I love the full handle on the Avids when compared to the LTs (or Mojo). I can't comment on the Falcons because I've never used one. Go with the Avid and don't look back. I do caution you though; if this is to be your first St. Croix, be aware you will want to buy more. My bait monkey is especially fond of their rods. Whets

If you want to get your dad a quality rod which will have the power to fish for bass in a lighter action, take a look at the St. Croix Eyecon line of rods. My dad is the same way and when he handled one of these rods at a local show, he just had to have it. He got it to fish for crappies, but he now regularly uses it for bass fishing. Take a look at the ECS70MLF. This is the St. Croix Eyecon spinning rod, 7' medium-light fast action. If he isn't in to the split grip, take a look at the Premier Spinning rod of the same length, power, and action. Both rods use the same blank. If you really want to step up and get him something special, go with the Avid, AVS70MLF. Good luck. Whets

I can't really comment on which brand of rod to get in your price point. Take the others' advice there. However, I would say you will be fine with a medium-heavy rod if that is what you want. Just remember, everyone's rods are different. For example, my medium-heavy Kistler Z-Bone rod is more like a heavy action when compared to my medium-heavy St. Croix Legend Xtreme. The terminology for each brand compares to other rods in the brand's lineup...not other brands. I would also suggest getting a 7' rod. Once you get used to it, you'll want all longer rods. Now when it comes to line, do not have BPS spool up your reel for you. In my opinion, that is a big, expensive, rip off. If you want some stretch in a good line, give Seaguar InvizX a shot. It is a quality fluorocarbon line with a bit more stretch than others I have used. It is very manageable and moderately priced. You could also look into the BPS XPS fluorocarbon line. I've been very pleased with it. Good luck and happy shopping. Whets

It sounds like you are pretty partial to Shimano. I can't say as if I blame you. I've recently add some Curados & Citicas to my arsenal. I do have one Dobyn's rod and so far I'm very pleased with it. It is a heavy action rod which I'm using for flipping and frogs so I can't say how sensitive it is. However, since you asked for advice in the way of suggestions for rods to pair with your reels I'm going to steer you towards St. Croix Avids. I believe many people will agree with me that the Avids are the best bang for the buck in the St. Croix freshwater lineup. Here is what I would do. 50E - AVC68MXF (6'8" Medium Extra-Fast) - Topwater and/or Jerkbaits 200E5 - AVC70MHM (7' Medium-Heavy Modular) - Crankbaits 200E7 - AVC70MHF (7' Medium-Heavy Fast) - Spinnerbaits, all-purpose 200E7 - AVC70MF (7' Medium Fast) - Buzzbaits, senkos Citica - AVC66MHF (6'6" Medium-Heavy Fast) - Texas Rigs & Pitching. I like shorter rod for pitching. It could serve for both techniques. The price points on the Avids are right in between the Crucial & Cumara. Honestly, I've never fished with any of the Shimano rods so I can't say how they compare to the St. Croixs. I use almost exclusively St. Croix rods simply because once I started using them, I couldn't stop. Maybe you use these for a year or two and then you can start sendnig them in to St. Croix as credit towards a higher-end rod. I don't think you can do that with the Shimano rods. I hope this helps. Whets

I agree, on the surface, it seems odd. However, put it into the context of hunting. Even on your own land, you can not harvest deer out of season. It is the same principle. Whether it is catch and release, technically, you are not to target bass out of season in Wisconsin. The long arm of the DNR is very long. If they see you are on private property fishing, they can come up and check for licenses and illegal fish. Whets

I bought a Citrix on a whim just to give something else a try. When the reel arrived, I thought it looked great and it paired up nicely with a Elk River Custom Rod I recently purchased. The reel feels a bit cheap compared to some of the other reels I have. But, I do have some more expensive reels. I have found the reel casts very nicely. There is plenty of adjustment and I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to cast and how forgiving it is. I didn't have high expectations for this reel and I'd have to say it has surpassed all of them. My main complaint is this reels sits higher in the reel seat than other similar low-profile reels. I would actually recommend this reel for new baitcaster users. I could engage all weights and adjust the reel brakes a bit tight for my girlfriend. After just a couple of casts and some advice, she began to feel very comfortable with the reel and was casting backlash free. On the whole, I have been pleasantly surprised with this reel. It really casts easily and far with little effort. It is very forgiving and if you can get past a bit higher sitting reel, it really looks great and works great. For comparison, I have used Quantums, Shimano Curados, Revo Winches & 09 premiers. I also have Daiwa Excelers and a Zillion. It isn't as refined as the high-end Quantums I owned (but sold) or the Zillion. It feels a bit like a taller sitting Exceler but casts farther. Overall, I would recommend this reel but would suggest you mount it on a rod to be sure you like the feel. My girlfriend loves it because it has instilled confidence in her baitcasting abilities and she likes how it sits on the reel seat. Hope this helps. Whets

As I gear up for another bass fishing season here in Wisconsin, I had some reels which required some expert servicing. I have had Mike at Delaware Valley Tackle tune a couple of reels and he even build me an excellent micro-guide St. Croix-blanked rod in the past. Today, I received back the three reels I sent to Mike to get serviced. As always, his communication was excellent, his work impeccable, his discounted pricing pay-check pleasing, and his turn-around service exceeds all expectations. Thanks much Mike. If you don't want to tackle your own reel services, be sure to give Mike the opportunity. Also, thanks Mike for sponsoring this site. Whets

For me, I think a good 7' medium-heavy fast rod is a great baseline rod. If I were to start over, this would be the rod I'd start with. Using the advice of previous posters, I'd then stay with this brand (for the most part) and move towards another powers/actions as I learned new baits and techniques. If you can't try other people's rods, this is really the only way to go. Start in the middle and add from there. For example, maybe you start using crank baits and you feel you are pulling the bait away from the fish, but like the power of the rod, then you know you can try a medium-heavy in a slower action. Or maybe you are flipping/pitching into cover and you are constantly afraid you are going to lose the fish because you don't have the power to pull it out. You can then get a heavier power. Basically, to me, medium-heavy is a good starting point for largemouth bass fishing. I'm a St. Croix guy and commend your choice. You will be very happy with Avids. Good luck. Whets

I've had great luck with the Strike King's Sexy Shad. This is basically a threadfin shad color. The small lakes I fish here in Wisconsin do not have any threadfin shad in them but I've still had great success. So, to sort of mirror what others are saying, something which matches a baitfish. Whets

Dave, this was funny. It isn't so much what you said, but how you said it. Don't know how many got it. ActiveFish.Bite = True On to the rest of the subject, I fish quite a bit on a local lake which is gin clear and very weedy. There is about a 4-5 foot column of water over the weeds. I'm looking to increase my jerkbait usage over these weeds this year. I had some luck last year with Rapala X-Raps so I've been stocking up on LC pointers, etc to work above the weed-hidden bass. Whets

I had 3 Quantum PTs. I thought all of them were solidly built. They all looked great and I had no issues with the quality. That said, I've sold all of them. I didn't like their braking system. It was either too much or too little. This was just a personal preference on my part. Unless they change that, I'll not buy more. Again, this is just a personal preference regarding the amount of adjustability a reel has for my style of casting and ability. Whets 8-)

0119, you are right about the photo. my mistake. I was in too much of a hurry to find an image and post it. I don't own either. I have just looked at them and played with them on some rods. I didn't like them personally for everyday bass fishing with crankbaits. I was just trying to give some perspective. Mman16, whichever you decide to go with will be good. They are all Abu's which I hold in high regard. And, after using them, like with larger round reels, I'm sure you will get used to how they feel and work. Good luck. Whets 8-)

Get the low-profile Revo Winch. It casts excellent, is easily palmable, durable, and will work perfect for what you want. Whets 8-)

If you are going to be using this mainly for bass fishing, you want to get the Revo Winch. The Toro Winche's are huge. They are very wide. I would never get one for bass fishing. Now, if I were muskie fishing, I may consider one because of the extra line capacity. But I'd probably go with the Revo Winch either way. Other than that consideration, I'd never get one. Do yourself a favor and try to go to a store and look at these side by side. Whether you can save money or not, the Toro is not, in my opinion, the one you want. I've attached a photo of a Toro and a Standard-sized Revo. Note the extra width on the Toro which is at the top of the photo. Hope this helps... Whets 8-)

Heck yea you should go for that deal! They are the lowest end St. Croix rod still made in the USA. They use the same blanks as the Triumph, Mojo, and new Eyecon lines so the action and feel will be the same. However, they will have the full handle and more conservative color (compared to the Mojos and Eyecon). You can always use it for a season (or less/more) and then take advantage of their upgrade program and upgrade to an Avid or higher. Whets 8-)

I went into using baitcasters kicking and screaming. Now, I love them. I will pay a little extra to get a finesse rod and reel which casts lighter baits rather than buy new spinning gear. It just feels better to me. Also, I normally fish with my cousin in an old small bass boat. We each have about 5-7 setups we take along each trip. This can be a mess of fishing equipment. The baitcasting rigs fit together nicely. The spinning reels just cause problems when we try to take them along. For this, i stopped carrying them along and forced myself to learn to use my casting rigs for situations where spinning gear would normally be required. I know that is petty, but it is part of the overall process for me. I'm also much more of a power fisherman than a finesse fisherman. Whets 8-)

My belief is when deciding upon selling an item, do not think about whether you are taking a loss or not. If you buy anything new, you will take a loss if you decide to sell it. I consider my time using the item credit towards the price I bought the item for. If the cost of buying new is an issue, then you should upgrade and use what you have. If it is not really an issue or none at all, don't fret. Sell the reels you have and by all means get something you like. The BPS Extreme was one of the first casting reels I purchased. It was also one of the first I sold. I hated it. Of course, I was learning how to use a baitcaster and it wasn't, in my opinion, conducive to a newbie. Anyway, it is long gone and I'm much happier for it. I worried about the cost when I got the replacement reels, but now, that is a long distant memory. I say upgrade. Bass fishing is that one thing which takes us away from our daily grinds. Make sacrifices during the work week, but by all means but don't sacrifice your weekend play. Whets Bass Fishing Enabler 8-)

Hey, I saw this post on the Tackle Tour forum. In my opinion, it just sorta muddies the waters even more on this subject. It might give you some of the answers you seek though. I hate to direct you away from this fine forum, but it gives you the information you seek. http://www.tackletour.net/TTForums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=43345 Whets 8-)