stkbassn

I never thought of it as an out, just something I love to do. I don't get to do it enough to actually consider it as an out to be honest. I play pool three nights a week in a league too. I love it but it's just something I do, not necessarily an out. However, if an out means "is it better than work"? Absolutely!! I think we all have our escapes or reasons for needing one now and then. If fishing is yours then you've certainly chosen a good one!

I've shipped enough rods to know how they should be packed and when I pay what I consider a high price..25-30 bucks for a 5 pound package (and the rate is a "balloon charge" because of the shape and length) I expect it to get there in the same shape it was sent out. I paid for that service and it should be performed expertly...that is the business they advertise ....All they do is ship....they should get it right. Mistakes are made of course and that's what they should own up to. Furthermore, I seriously doubt the OP packed it in a weak, flimsy tube that he thought may or may not make it one piece. He wasn't shipping a cheap rod and I'm sure he fully intended to deliver the product promised. No, maybe it isn't fair to speak for someone else or say I know exactly how it went down but I'm a gambling man and my bet is on the OP...I think he did exactly what he was supposed to do and got let down by the shipper.... How much are you willing to wager on that one?

Wow, that is very disappointing indeed. I hate to see that happen to anyone and that's (was) a nice rod too. It's a shame that they wouldn't step up and take responsibilty for something they obviously did. They charge us ridiculous rates to ship this stuff and then break it...and then turn around and blame us for it?? Unacceptable. Sorry man. I find the end caps at Lowes without any trouble. They should be in the same area where the PVC tubes are.... Good luck man!

I'm not sure how interesting this is but I pulled up on a point with huge laydown coming off the bank and noticed a lot of thrashing about. So I naturally threw a cast over and got nothing...the thrashing stopped. So as I moved around the point I noticed it again but ignored it. Then I heard it again right as I was getting ready to take off, and in the same exact place. So out of curiousity I went over for a closer look. I found a fairly decent striper (15-20 pounds or so) all tangled up in line and wrapped around the tree. I grabbed the fish by the mouth and cut it free. It took me a bit to get the fish revived but it finally came around and took off like a shot....that was pretty rewarding to say the least. I was glad to see it swim free! This was my first striper by the way! Not exactly how I'd planned to catch one! LOL...great fish!

Swimbaits, spinnerbaits, jig and pig...

I've seen some nice Abu combos at Gander for under $100 or right around that. I wouldn't hesitate to do that if you can stretch it. Lews has one too at the same price I believe. Either would be a great starter set up for you. Enjoy it and let us know what you end up with.

Thanks for the input, I definitely will. I'm looking forward to this reel, I think it will be a fun experiment in seeing what the hype is all about. I think it will be a nice addition to my collection.

I'm a Shimano lover mostly and have Chronarchs, Citicas, and Curados. I just got my first Daiwa in this week , the Lexa 300, got it for swimbaits and super excited to try it out. So this brings me to the reel I just ordered , the BPS Qualifier. I just wanted to finally try one out because I never have. I see that it has two braking systems? I'm wondering what advantages this has or how it works exactly. Say I set it with 3 pins on, 3 off....what does the magnetic brake do for this or how does it affect it? Just curious....any BPS owners please chime in....

Yeah, TW is free shipping over $50 but I always opt for the $5.00 2nd day air...that's the best shipping deal going in my opinion. If you do the free shipping with TW and don't upgrade to 2nd day air, prepare to wait for at least 5 days....Just letting you know. $5.00 is pretty amazing for 2nd day air! TW is awesome! I will say I also had a great experience with The Fish Ranger, they're great to deal with as well. My Halo cranking rod came in a well packed, stout tube.... You can get the Diesel from either place...all good!

7'2 Powell Diesel, MH , buy it for $49 from the fish ranger...you will be pleased!

I like the Diesel series...awesome rod for the money. Fish Ranger has them for $49 right now. Can't beat that deal! Get it man.

I haven't owned any Dobyns rods so I can't comment on how they fish but I don't hear anything bad. If you want to invest that much in one rod that's fine but you don't need to. I've owned Fenwick, Kistler, Mattlures, and Okuma swimbait rods. If you're just getting into it I would buy two of the Okuma Guide Series rods. If you pick up the 7'6 MH and the 7'6 H I think that will cover everything you want to do based on the baits that you described. You could opt for the 7'11 versions instead if you want longer rods but I like the 7'6-7'9 range. That's just me though. They truly aren't that heavy though I hear that from some guys. I guess it's all in what you get used to. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised with those Okumas, sweet rods for sure.

Nice post Tom. I'm more like you when it comes to brands I suppose. I appreciate something that functions well for what I'm using it for. Yes, I appreciate high quality equipment as most do but it has to function well for my application.I can't afford as much as I'd like but I make do. I'm a **** .. Abu, Shimano, Daiwa, Powell, Okuma....etc...love it all!! LOL. The bait monkey says I should love them all, so I do!

I threw Hudds and Ospreys on my Carrot Stix Black MH with no problems at all but that's a stiff MH. I threw them on my Kistler Helium 7'MH and it was fine though a softer MH so not ideal. I wouldn't recommend a MH over a H nor would I want to fish my swimbaits with one as a dedicated rod But it can do the trick...that's pretty much what I was getting at.

Hmm, not sure. You should be able to lay it from the front to the back window without an issue. You may want to measure first. You can always get a rod glove or stick jacket and lay ii diagonally from the front out one of the back passenger windows. When I can't take my trailblazer I take a Honda Del Sol ..of course the back window goes down so I can lay them out the back....looks silly though! lol

You can fish 6 inch Hudds on just about any MH rod that's 7' without any problems if you aren't wanting to get a swimbait rod. I think you'll enjoy fishing them more on a swimbait rod though. You can find good prices on those Okuma's for sure. I bought mine for less than $130. I don't think you'll have any issues with a 7'6 rod at all. It doesn't seem long once you get it in your hands. You'll appreciate the extra length for casting distance purposes, especially with the heavier baits. You'll probably want to try new baits as well and if you don't have the rod to handle them you will be disappointed in the results. All of this just coming from trial and error on my part.

I've had no issues using a REVO S or REVO Inshore for my Hudds, Osprey's, BBZ's, Slammers....You don't have to have round reel to throw these baits in my opinion and I can cast them a mile. I use 15-17lb PLine CXX. The Okuma 7'6 H would be a great stick for those baits and it's fairly light too. If you want a bigger reel then all of the ones I've heard suggested are fine...I just like one that's lighter. If I was out in California I might change my tune but here in VA I've had zero issues. In fact,I have an 8ft Kistler Magnesium that handles 1-5 oz baits and I'm selling it to pick up a shorter rod....just can't go back to that super long stick...

I don't have time to read all of the responses today but I thought I would chime in as an owner of two of the G's and E's as well as a couple of Chronarch E's... All I can say is that I am very impressed with the G series despite the differences. Those G's are super quiet, smooth, and cast a frickin' mile. I love Shimano period. The Citica's, Curados, and Chronarchs are all great. I've always been a fan of the Curado and still love it best....just do. I also like the G being available in all of the gear ratios and not just the 5 and 7. The G series is great!

I love a white war eagle , double willow leaf , spinnerbait 3/8oz...that should land you some hawgs for sure. I've caught loads of 5# plus on War Eagles in lakes and ponds... Don't overthink it, just chuck and wind it if you want...it'll work. You can twitch it and let if fall too...or burn it across the top and make a wake with the blades...I've had some awesome strikes doing this .... I must warn you though, this method won't eliminate 3 pounders! LOL

Awesome fish man! Congrats on the swimbait paying off for you. I love big bait fishing myself. I think it's a mindset and a style more than anything. It's a style of fishing that may not reward you with great numbers but it wasn't designed to do so....it was designed mainly for what you're holding in your hand in that pic...and more like it! Keep throwing those swimbaits! If you haven't seen Southern Trout Eaters yet please do yourself a favor and pick up that dvd....you'll love it and it will give you some pointers as well. It's very inspiring!

If you can bump up to $130 you might check out the Halo 7'10 MH Cranking Rod ...I just got it and it's the bomb!!!

Yeah, get them both if you can. I used to love Roland , Bill, Jimmy, and all of the old guys that were icons when I was first getting into fishing. I tend to favor the new guys of the sport now for whatever reason. I prefer Scott Martin over Roland but that's me They're all amazing fisherman!

I know the responses that you've gotten are sufficient but I just wanted to say, heck yeah man!! Do it. I love night time crankbaiting. I've caught a lot of big fish this way. I prefer to fish a bit faster and cover as much water as possible and I think cranking is an excellent way to do this. I fish DD22's and Fat Free Shad baits mostly and I do will with dark and light colors. It's probably not terribly important which color as the other folks have said. I fish with red/black craw DD22 and a sexy shad colored Fat Free Shad and do great with both, just the ones I really like...I have caught a bunch on other colors too...Have a plug knocker handy...

It's that sound on FLW outdoors when the angler hooks a fish, the one they play, you know what I'm talking about...not sure how to describe it...however, it plays in my head every time I hook a fish!! annoying! LOL

Hotrod Johnson.... because he has style!!! Hotrod's rules of the road #11, style kicks substance' butt!!! ....... "you can keep your integrity, I wanna win"!!