kickerfish1

No problem! For a muti-purpose stick the 714 is a great rod to have in the arsenal. It would fish the above mentioned baits you noted just fine as well as many others. It is one of the few rods that isn't a "dedicated xyz" rod. I just simply rig it as a duplicate of the hot bait or to fill avoid with any of the other rods in the rotation.

That should be a nice group! If you have any hesitation at all call Vince about the Phenix rods you are looking at. Rod manufacturer reps/owners are more readily available and willing to help than most folks think. Part of what they do requires extensive field testing and evaluation. I was reluctant to call at first but after doing so I have gone straight to the source for information when I want to try out new rod line. Upon fishing the rod after our discussions I have found that their advice to be pretty spot on and to my liking.

Your fine... the sweet spot on the 714 is likely right around 3/8oz. To me it just does a variety of things well. I tossed a weightless superfluke with a 4/0 EWG hook with it on the lighter side of things. I also have fished swimjigs that push 5/8 oz with trailer on them. The rod is quite powerful but the top 1/5 of the blank (tip section region) is more like a JDM rod. Meaning a bit softer and easy to load but not parabolic or moderate like a crankbait rod. It is difficult to explain but as noted above someone like Vince would be a good resource. I would say the rod does well between 1/4 - 5/8 but the sweet spot is right at around 3/8 oz.

Sorry, that was a typo on my part. The 6'8 rod should cover the above mentioned techniques just fine.

While the 714 can toss a 1/2 jig I would say it is about the max I would fish especially after you throw a trailer on it. The 715 is in my humble opinion the best rod for what you want. I had a lengthy conversation with Vince Borges from phenix rods early last year. From our conversation that is the direction I would lead you. If you want to speak with Vince personally, just call Phenix directly. They will provide you with all necessary contact info for Vince. He is very prompt with his replies via phone/email and will be able to provide a better idea of their rod lineup capabilities. Better snag the cumara before it is gone. At that price they will move quick. I ordered the spinning rod model... 7'2 medium xf last night and I believe it is now sold out.

X2... all you need to know is they catch fish!

I fish the 714 recon as a utility rod. It does alot of things well. It is an excellent weightless soft plastics rod. Also serves as a good swimjig rod and medium jig rod not exceeding a 1/2 oz. With that said you would be best served with the 715. As a whole the recon will fish 1/2 power under the industry standard. The 715 will be between a true heavy and a medium heavy rod. I can say with pretty high certainty the 715 is the rod you will want for a 1/2 oz jig give or take. As far as the cumara rods you noted, the 6'9 MH rod will fish many baits well that range between 3/8 - 3/4 oz. The rod can run jigs, Texas rigs, 1/2 oz plus spinnerbaits, and bigger chatrerbaits. A very precise casting rod for accurate casting or tight quarters. The 7'2 medium is basically an under 3/8 oz baits rod. Weightless plastics and light jigs and Texas rigs would be stronger points of this rod. With the lifetime over the counter warranty on the cumara they are great buy. TT did a reviews of the rods when they came out in 2008-2009 if you want more info on the rod as a whole.

Size of jigs would be nice. As would be intended use... flipping, swimming, casting, etc. Type of cover fished. I wouldn't anoint the 715 as the best jig rod in recon line up just yet... I have the 714 recon and a handful of cumara rods. If you can provide more specifics I might be of some help.

Asside from what you have done, perhaps the spool is a bit overfilled? Also if you close the bail of the reel manually, by hand, instead of relying on cranking the handle over to engage it, this will help a bit. My tips for spinning reel frustration prevention are: 1. Spool the line to an 1/8 or 1/16th of an inch from the spool lip. 2. For a 2500 series reel or similar size, use 8# line give or take. 3. Use KVD line and lure as necessary for mono and floro 4. Spool the line on the reel properly 5. Close the bail by hand 6. Check the reel frequently for loops

Price range/limit?

As others have noted no spare spools but I do carry additional spools of line just in case. Doing an extensive line testing/evaluation project this year. If I find a lineto be far superior I am going to look at buying bulk spools of said line.

The ugly stick will work however your results with rod will likely be mariginal to average at best. Those rods are known more for their indestructibility and not performance. The amount feel and action that rod has isn't that great. It probably utilizes a graphite/fiberglass blank and lower quality components to finish the rod. You can certainly try the rod to see how you like it for this technique and how your results are. If they aren't as good as you would have hoped, the first step would be an upgraded rod. Lots of options... just do a search. I would run 8# line and leave the reel alone for now.

Cumara all the way. TW has the prevoius generation rods on cleanance right now for $100. I would take it over an Avid and a GL2 any day of the week.

Both the cumara and champion extreme rods you considered are excellent. I have both and fish both very regularly. The core would look nicer on the cumara but it won't be an eyesoar on the dx series rods. I am quite familiar with Minnesota waters... cabbage weed, bull rushes, lilly pads, etc. I would say with 99% certainty that the 744 would be the best choice. The need to turn the fish from the cover or move them out of it would be the deciding factor for me. The balance, fit and finish, and sensitivity of the rod line is as good or better in its price point. The 744 would be my pick... now to determine full or split grip... Maybe a few others will weigh in but based upon the info given I would defidently go this way for the Minnesota 'football' shaped bass.

How heavy of cover are you typically fishing? Also you mention jigs and Texas rigs from 1/4 to 1/2 oz but do you need the rod to handle weightless plastics like fluke or senko style baits? I would steer you in the direction of 703, 743, or 744 depending upon cover. The 743 and 703 fish a bit different despite having the same power rating of 3. Typically the 743 is thought of as the ideal weightless plastic in the dobyns line up. The 703 is killer worm and jig rod under a 1/2 oz. This is what I use my 703 for. You may question the casting distance of a 7 foot rod but I tell you with xf tip it really sends jigs a good distance. The 744 is a good choice if the cover is heavier and if you think most baits will be closer to a 1/2 oz. All 3 would handle what you want just fine. I would match a rod like this up with curado 50e if you would like a reel suggestion. I tried several and settled on this reel for my 703. It would be hard to go wrong with the 744 for an "all purpose stick". The decision will likely depend upon type of cover fished, size of fish, and any personal preferences you have.

I scored one 6'9 ML elite tech for $80.00 and another for $60.00. Two new rods essentially for the price of one at full retail. Even at full retail they are just awesome rods for what you get. They weigh 3.5 ounces, have prettying good sensitivity, are comfortable in hand, and comsmetically and component wise they stack up well with anything in their class.

Thanks for the breakdown!

I am not sure first hand how they compare when looking at a smoke and tournament pro. Most of the guys I have talked would tend to prefer the Lews. Upon handling both at a local store I would tend to agree, though the reel test would be a solid season on the water with both. Hopefully a few others will chime in with some lengthy on the water experience with both.

As others noted I think their reels compete in the most popular segment of the market. Most of their reels are around $100-$250. I think outside of the Lexa Daiwa seems to be lacking in this range. The chronarch E seems to be the strongest shimano reel in this range since they have tweaked their lineup. Abu has really worked hard to produce lighter reels but their reels tend to be priced a tad higher when using the revo line as a guide. I would love to see some sort of sales data in terms of number of reels sold by the bigger reel manufactures in the $100-$250 range. I have two Lews speed spool reels and love them. For a sub $100 casting reel they are my personal favorite for general bass fishing applications. Solid casting distance and to me the retrieve is smooth and the profile of the reel is comfortable in hand. Their popularity has risen due to the reel being a great bang for your buck reel. Plus when they were re-introduced a few years ago the reviews were all mostly positive, leading to alot of folks wanting to see what the buzz was about. Most have enjoyed them and some didn't care for them. Personally I think they offer good value, but I wouldn' sell my Daiwa and shimano reels to become a user of Lews only reels. Where Lews is lacking is in spinning reels. I would venture to guess they will probably expand their spinning reel lineup to around 4 reels sometime soon... but that is a discussion for another day.

A few things... 1. The fenwick elite tech rods are right around 3.5 ounces for their 6'9 ML rod. Guessing the medium would be a touch heavier. Phenix recon rods for a bit more $ are pretty light as well. A 3 powered rod would be close to medium action rod in their lineup. 2. A stradic ci4 2500 series reel as noted above is 7 ounces. Another choice would be dropping down to a 1000 series reel which will be around 7.5 ounces +/-. 3. Aaron Martens has noted in a few of his videos that you can hold the spinning setup slightly different to avoid fatigue or so the outfit feels heavy. Try moving your hand further up the forgrip as if you were fishing a dropshot. This should help balance the setup. Just an idea...

X2. I would also like to know how they would compare. Anyone?

Good to hear feedback on a rod / reel combo that matched the needs of the individual or perhaps exceeded them! Lots of good guys and anglers on here willing to help others after having been in their shoes before. A great site to be a part of...

I am not a huge fan of quantum but I have heard good things about the smoke series rods. Having never owned one I don't know how the 7 MH rod fishes. 10-12 inch worms are pretty wind resistent so I would say a 3/8 oz weight would be at the lower end of what I would go with. I have fished them on 12-15# floro with 3/8 - 1/2 oz tungsten weights with no issues. A max price or a range would help pool some rod options together. A rod like the dobyns champion extreme 744 would be a great rod for these and your jig needs. It is heavy action 4 powered rod that would excel between 3/8 -5/8 oz and even a bit heavier. The 7'2 MH shimano cumara (previous Gen rod) is a pretty stout stick. My third pick would be phenix recon 715. I wouldt rank them in that general order. St croix is known for beefier and more powerful rods but I lack experience with their line. Loomis makes great rods but I personally feel their decent rods start at the IMX line for bottom contact applications. If you feel you are lacking power only just step up to a slightly heavier rod. If you are lacking distance perhaps a longer rod would help. If it lacks feel or something else maybe look at a different line of rods.

Very nice! My personal favorite rod for bottom contact baits, balance, and the pure sexyness factor!