kickerfish1

You want one line that you can fish BOTH plastics and cranks with? Or is it that you want a good line for each? To me it would be two different lines. For cranking I prefer mono or a limp, manageable, and somewhat stretchy floro like invisix or abrisix. Mono is good if you want the rod to be able to throw topwaters. Most mono lines are under $10 a spool and for abrisix or invisix will be closer to $20. You don't have to have a really special line for this technique that is going to blow your mind. For your soft plastics you basically have 3 options. It will boil down to personal preference and to an extent what kind of rods you have. Straight braided line offers zero stretch and and helps maximize the amount feel on lower end rods. Straight braid really excels in heavy vegetation as it cuts through the cover very well. Option two would be braided line with a floro leader. This is popular in clear water or lighter cover. The last option would be a really good floro line only. High end floro lines have been highly debated. I don't know what you want the line to do to blow your mind. Do you want it to be super sensitive or do you want it to cast well? If you want the most sensitive floro line by sunline shooter or superhard. Both have little stretch and are very pricey. If you want something that casts really well and is manageable but still somewhat sensitive abrisix or sniper are good choices. If you want a line that combines the best of both tatsu is that line. Plenty of options and I have tried most of them. For cranks I fish both invisix and Trilene XL and for plastics all I use are high grade floro lines. I only use braid for horny toads, hollow body frogs, and soft plastic swimbaits when I am fishing the jungle. Majority of the guys here fish braid or braid and floro leader for plastics but for me it just doesn't cut it.

The BPS PQ and Lews speed spool are two really solid entry level reels. If you include used I would look at a well maintained Citica E or a Daiwa Lexa 100.

I fish ALOT of creature style baits. My best results for size and numbers are the the strike king 4 inch rodents. I also regularly toss the D-bomb, pit boss, yamamoto kreature, RI beavers, zoom brush hog, and many others. I feel that these baits Texas rigged produce better quality fish than other plastic options like worms, craws, and lizards.

You will get budget rod quality sensitivity if your budget extends to only $120. The veritas, *** rods, BPS carbonlite, and Mojo are about as good as it gets. These rods will have decent blanks and componenets but likely wont "ooh and aah" you as what many folks would consider sensitive. In the hands of 10 different anglers there is a good chance that each of them would rank the rods in a different order based upon how they perceive it. I really believe that anglers start getting in to truly noticeably more sensitive rods at the $150-$200+ range. The Powell endurance, phenix recon, and St. Croix Avid are all great choices for under $180. The dobyns champion, shimano cumara, and I-rod air series are all rods that push $250 by during a 20% off sale can be had for around $200. I have used probably close to 3 dozen different rods out there ranging from $60 to $350+. Personally I feel that the rods $150 on up are truly more sensitive than $100 rods and less in my hands. You get what you pay for in a rod. If you aren't opposed to buying used our flea market here or other online sites can have some pretty stellar deals on rods in good shape.

I would say the most enjoyable outfit I have is dobyns dx 742 rod paired with a TD alphas ITO. The reel has a custom paint job to match the rod and full internal and external upgrades. Dirtnasty- I have the same cumara / CI4 spinning outfit for a dedicated drop shot rig. It is a stellar spinning rig... light, functional, and balanced!

A few thoughts... -the bait casts surprisingly well -the legs tear easily but you can buy spares -it fishes better in sparse cover or on the edge of vegetation due to its swimming collar -it is very good sized bait that will draw fewer strikes but better fish - I want to say it is close to 1 oz so you will defidently need a powerful rod - it is still very weedless around heavier cover Overall I am 50/50 on this bait. Typically I fish a horny toad or koppers or spro frog over this bait.

Haven't had a bad purchase in years. Before that it was a string of quantum reels both spinning and casting. Not one of the 5 reels lasted more than a season. I paid between $60 and $100 per reel. Since then I have only bought shimano and Daiwa primarily.

Sounds like a YouTube video moment! I would love to see a reel spooled. If you guys can, tey to re-create it sometime. Please post the video, I think distance casting is pretty cool stuff!

The extremes are great rods! To be honest I think they are sexiest rods on the market. You did not note the size of baits you will be tossing but You did mention the Delta which is a big fish lake and some nasty cover. I think you are spot on having your radar set on 744 and 745. Frankily I think the 745 would be close to your 766 rod. If it was me I would get the 744. It has a nice tip on it and plenty of power. It will be a really good rod baits between 1/4 - 5/8 oz baits. It can go higher but it excels there. If you think you will be tossing baits that are 1/2 oz on up the 745 would likely be the better choice. I don't know if you have a shimano curado 200 E series reel but they balance well and match the rod nicely. I prefer the split grips for bottom contact baits, plus the extremes use a checkered pattern on the split grip section of the blank which is pretty cool. If it was me I would get 744 split grip with a curado 200 E (off of eBay or wherever). Add your line of choice and you are set!

True and false. I have 5 dobyns rod. Two of them are full grip and 3 are split. They ALL balance well IMO. That is one of the major selling points of dobyns rods. I see zero difference in balance when using the appropriate size/weight reel. And yes, having the option to select full or split is nice option for the consumer. Most folks are probably 50/50 on preference so having options helps. For me I like split for bottom contact baits and full for reaction baits.

Pretty awesome after the dust settled. I am glad he owned up to it. A very nice score for $250.

You listed all the models I can think of.

Lgmthgambler, Your question seemed ok but when you start asking companies to build "value" rods that typically don't compete in this arena is where the problem lies. Look at megabass for example. Just because they build rods doesn't mean they will build one for $100 yet alone $300. They make harbaits but you wont find one for under $10 from a retailer. Point is anglers have many options of rods in this $100 pricepoint. Not all manufactures want to compete in a saturated market. The following comapnies already compete there... shimano, St. Croix, BPS, Abu, Daiwa, fenwick, Denali, ***, quantum, wright and McGill, falcon, etc... that is over 10 options right there off the top of my head. The other hard part for me to believe is that we all know you fish some pretty nice curados and chronarch reels. Full retail of these reels is $150- $200. For bottom contact or sensitivity needed techniques just step up to a better rod. If you spent as much on rods as you do your reels your options would probably double or triple would probably be amazed at the difference.

Very nice! Everything goes together well!

Very cool to see replys from some very respectable anglers! Thanks for chiming in and please continue to do so here as schedules allow...

I would like to see more manufactures have clicking cast control knobs standard on reels over $150. Also would like to see more finesse casting reel options.

Not brand loyal to any particualr company as I have reels and rods by many manufactures. I probably have more dobyns rods and shimano reels at this point. Of my 20+ outfits they all see use throughout the year depending upon conditions and intended applications. When considering a new purchase or upgrade I consider ALL options and then start narrowing it down based upon reviews, hands on tests in local stores, and comparing the rod/reel options to a set of criteria. As long as the product is of good quality and meets the criteria I am willing to try it.

I would just email Gary at the tackletrap. He will respond fast and give you the information you seek. Plus if he doesn't have it in stock he can likely order it as well. He is the first person I check with for any Daiwa upgrades and or parts compatibility.

Assuming most of the weights you will be using are between 1/8 - 1/4 and fishing open water to light cover I would think the 702 would be the rod. However if you think you will be having to turn fish away from cover quickly and fishing 3/16 oz + baits the 703 would be the way to go. What rod line of dobyns were you looking at specifically? Unless it is a champion or champion extreme you may want to get a powell endurance or a St. Croix avid. To me the savy series is solid but not the best rod line for finesse spinning techniques. Wait for a spring sale and you can get an even better deal.

+1 Will also add mono for jerkbaits preferably 10#. I use Trilene XL but any good mono should suffice. For cranking I would try invisix or abrisix in either 10 or 12#. For finesee baits you can try sunline sniper or any of sunline's specialty finesse lines. Like skeletor said with line playing a sufficient role in each technique, I just can't see going cheap here unless a budget otherwise dictates.

Tell us your intended techniques and you will receive more help. Also may want to note if there is a max price per spool of line.

Still wouldn't do it. I truely believe their products aren't built to last and they have too many issues for what it is worth. If, I was on the tour and sponsored (which would NEVER happen) , if I couldn't get Daiwa or shimano I wouldn't want the sponsorship. Simply put these two brands fit my style and needs best and I have the most confidence in their products.

I agree about quantum. It is the one brand of reel/rod that I will never own again. I have tried their casting rods and reels and spinning rods and reels. You couldn't pay me to fish quantum gear.

For under $100 the BPS cranking rods are good buys. You up the price to $150 maybe a crucial or Powell endurance rod. If you increase it to $200+ Loomis and dobyns champion cranking rods enter the picture. I am not a big crankbait guy and have a medium powered BPS cranking stick for light cranks and the dobyns 705 CB glass rod for a more all purpose rod. I also use the Powell endurance 695 rod for bigger topwaters and jerkbaits. Of the 3 I think the dobyns is the most versatile. I paid $160 for mine. Wait for spring sales and I am sure you will do well finding a good deal.

Go with the komodo, it has a very durable finish!