kickerfish1

Megabass Orochi XX EMTF.

Northstar is a top 3 jig manufacturer IMO. Very little is mentioned about them in recent months but their products are absolutely incredible. Their hair jigs and hippy jigs are 2 styles you don't find among other jig companies. I catch so many fish on their product lines its unreal. So glad to see them up and running again.

Smelly jelly is a favorite especially for tube/fluke style baits or soft plastics that have slits for putting some scent into. Also like the less thin and runny formula of megastrike for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and jigs for the skirted material.

Jackall I-Shad Jackkall Cross tail shad Roboworm Sculpin Roboworm 4 inch worm Strike king dream shot Keitech sex impact 4.8 inch If you can't catch them on these something is wrong.

That is some of the primary techniques I use my DX703 for. You would be absolutely fine fishing those baits on the 703. If you prefer or need the extra length the 743 would another great choice.

I figured it wouldn't be long until she grew tired and in need of her beauty rest!

Yum money hound is similar to a walk the dog bait and is a soft plartic bait. Zoom horny toad is another favorite.

Just about every spinning vs. casting debate has been about 3 - 6 pages of a "holier than thow" debate and locked when Irene goes to bed. I see this happening again here.

The Gen 3 revo line of reels seems to be an unpopular reel line up as a whole. The die hard Abu guys seem to favor the Gen 2 reels especially the Gen 2 Premier. I haven't fished any of them personally but just based upon the amounts of complaints I wouldn't personally get one myself. For around the same $ Lews, Shimano, and Daiwa seem to be producing some of the best products at that price point.

Hair jigs, jerkbaits, a drop shot, and a float and fly should all be techniques to consider for winter fishing just prior to ice up.

The red/blac,k/greyish look of the Cumulus rod sets up nicely with a reel with similar color accents. I have the Core 50mg7 sitting on the 6"10 MH Cumulus rod. The outfit is around 8.5 ounces and looks incredible without any modifications. The balance is pretty darn good as well. The 7"1 MH Cumulus rod may be a touch more heavier and prone to a slight degree of tip heaviness with such a light reel on it. You may want to try a slightly heavier Core 100mg7 or Chronarch Ci4. Both of the reels are a bit heavier but still maintain a similar look while offering perhaps a bit better balance. You could always do a Chronarch 50E and buy some red accent pieces from Hedgehog Studios or have the folks at Hawgtech help you with some anodizing ideas.

Which is best? For what weight range of jigs? and at what price? You can have a custom rod built that would probably run you a pretty penny that would crush about any factor rod out there. I rely on the Champion Extreme series, the NRX series, and the Megabass Orochi XX lines of rods to handle most of my jig fishing needs. With the Rep Sample pricing on the NRX rods I would probably go that route if I could swing it financially. Most of the rods are at or under $400.

The core 50mg7 and 100mg7 are great reels. They seem to be more popular than the 6:2.1 core. I haven't fished the 100mg7 but among the guys I know that use them say they fish like a lighter weight Chronarch D7. I have used the 50mg7 for 2 years. There isn't anything I dislike about the reel. The cast control cap adjustment is better than the Chronarch 50e and Curado 50e. I feel the reel is plenty smooth and casts well for commonly used bass lures. Still one of the lightest reels on the market today given its age. Sure Shimano is revamping their breaking system, but my super tuned core casts as well as I need it to. I purchased mine for around $280 NIB. I would not hesitate to buy another for fishing weightless plastics, jigs, texas rigs, and other bottom contact apps.

At the end of the day it all boils down to how badly you want to protect your equipment. Now tournament guys that are playing for the big bucks I say swing away and due whatever it takes to get the fish in the boat and cash in for the tournament. For the folks that are fishing for fun "with high end rods" I would question the need to flip a fish of any size. Why chance rod breakage of putting added strain on a rod only to have to file a warranty claim or replace the rod out of pocket if it isn't under warranty. I would never think of boat flipping anything with my Megabass, Loomis, Champ Extremes, or Cumulus rods. Do as you wish with your gear but I believe a good percentage of rod claims can be prevented by avoiding flipping fish.

Nice touches on the 50 series gems Matt! As you probably know I am pretty fond of smaller reels for a wide variety of techniques. Should make for some fun times fishing all those high end hardbaits!

^^ What he said ^^

The smaller size rodents and beavers can be fished fine on 3/0 or 2/0 EWG hook with a bullet weight sinker on it for Texas rigging. I really like the smaller size for jig trailers for 3/8 oz and under jigs. The northstar hair jigs are a good jig to pair these with.

4th of July

There probably isn't a member on this board with more experience with the Alphas variants than Tim S. If this was the platform you want for sure he could probably elaborate on the differences among them. I own a custom Alphas with more $ in it than I care to admit. It is a great real for sure but the one thing I like best about it is the way it palms. The retrieve is beyond smooth and the instant anti reverse is very tight. For being an older reel they were truly ahead of their time. A Sol would be a very similar reel. I would look at the Purple Alphas if you don't want to get too deep into one.

I would just strongly avoid the opinions of the guys that exclusively fish one type over the other claiming that the other isn't necessary. Best advice would be to decide what techniques you desire to fish, what size baits you intend to use, the amount of cover present, size of fish, and then research what most folks or even pros prefer to use to accomplish said techniques. Can I drop shot on a two powered casting rod, a core 50mg, and 8# line? Can I toss a spro frog on 6'9 medium action spinning rod? The answers are yes but preference and results have led me to align my setups in a way that gives me maximim results based on preference. You could technically build an entire arsenal of outfits that are either 100% spinning or 100% casting to cover every possible bass technique. I think you would find by trial and error that your catch ratio and overall comfort factor may lead you to strongly like or dislike one over the other for a certain technique or weight of bait. If you were asked to fish 10 setups all spinning in one year and 10 all casting the next year to cover all weights and popular bass techniques I am sure you would have a good preference established. If asked to pick 10 rods from the spinning and casting pile to fish with in year 3 "most" would have picked a combination of spinning and casting even if the % of each is skewed strongly either way. I have found that I am generally 70% casting and 30% spinning except in early spring and late fall where more light line finesse techniques come into play...

Most of my bottom contact rods use #12 lb tatsu, shooter, or sniper. I have used #15 before but it isn't my favorite. I settled on 12# for several reasons. First the heavier line has a tendency to be stiffer and less manageable and it usually equates to being less user friendly in the end. Second is essentially the opposite of the first in that it handles better and I seem to get better overall casting distance. Lastly most of my reels are smaller frame Shimano and Daiwa reels where line capacity isn't very much. I have zero issues with abrasion resistance, break offs, and knot failure. The only way I lose a fish on #12 floro would be my own stupidity. I have straightened hooks on some jigs and texas rigs before the line or knot failed. I have ran #10 to #15 on casting reels with good results. However I now almost exclusively fish #12.

Goose52 is an outstanding member of the forum and a stand-up guy. I appreciate the way he goes about doing things from a fishing standpoint as well as his reviews on various products. Based upon his posting I wouldn't expect anything less.

The new cumara series is sort of a blend between the cumulus and 1st generation cumara in terms of performance and the way it fishes. I would defidently seek out a replacement through the warranty program. Mount a reel on it and fish it with a jig or Texas rig. If the feel and rod comfort is in line with what you would want of out of a bottom contact rod then you are set. If it is not you could always sell it and put the money towards a new rod all together. I would at least start with the replacement and see where that gets me...

I would look at the Megabass Orochi XX series for overall performance. The ONLY downfall I have noticed since I have fished several rods is the more than average amount of cork filler. The sensitivity in mind is much better than both rod series in question. I was skeptical at first as this is the low end megabass series of rods with more of a minimalist look. The sensitivity, balance, touch of bling, and build quality is right up there. Chances are you wont be able to purchase one on sale but for the money they are incredible. Icast is supposed to showcase new models so it may be beneficial to wait a bit.

I am not a big St. Croix fan. The previous generation Loomis IMX series are solid rods but haven't handled the new IMX series rods yet. For jigs like any other bait it would depend upon jig weight and cover. I still fish an IMX MBR 844 which is a very versatile rod for many applications but not necessarily a rod or even a series of rods I would seek out for ONLY JIG FISHING. Like Ty said in that $250-$300 ballpark, there are better options out there for a pure jig rod...