Jon G

I fish 3/8-3/4 oz jigs mainly 1/2oz though. How is the cork on the XX?

lol they are a lot more than $100 more like $440.

I think the real question is when is not worth fishing?

Lately I've been wanting to try a new rod. As much as I love my current gear I'm starting to get a little bored and want something new to tinker with. I see a lot of guys lately have been using the Megabass rods and I want to see what all the hype is about. The rods I'm considering are the Orochi XX and the Orochi X4. I plan getting one of these to use for jigs. I'm leaning more on the XX because I see more guys using that than the X4. How are the XX and X4 sensitivity compared to the Dobyns DX rods? (these are the rods I usually use) **Edit: I just did more research and looks like the X4 is more suited for reaction baits. So I'm heavily leaning on the XX now**

I meant that since it is more wirery than Sniper it is abetter leader line than main line IMO. Shooter also has one of the lowest amount of stretch in all flurocarbon. Sometimes when using braid you want a tad of stretch to act as a schock absorber so depedning on what size of baits you are throwing, that is something to consider.

Hmmm maybe it is a bad spool. I have some 16lb one one of my jig rods that is now on its 14th month and is still going strong. Idk if it is possible but maybe you are using to much line conditioner. I spray my reels once a week and I average about 4-7 months before needing to replace it.

Are you using line conditioner? It helps a lot with the wirery issue. Sniper is my favorite fluoro all time but my second favorite is P Line. I think P line is just a slight tad more abrasive resistant but Sniper is more managable and last a lot longer.

Shooter. It is a lot more abrasion resistant and more wirery than sniper which is why I prefer Sniper for straight fluoro and shooter for leader.

I will add also that I think P Lines Fluorocarbon is great too. It is actually my second favorite Fluorocarbon after FC Sniper.

Start using bigger sized baits. This does not mean necessarily mean go buy big giant swimbaits. Baits you can use are jigs, bigger worms, and 5+" paddle tail swimbaits such as Keitechs and Basstrix Hollowbodies

I lived in California for awhile and I have a little experience with trout as forage. Trout are nomadic and tend to travel around the lake in search for highly oxygenated water. I see we are in the same area. What lake has trout in it?

Dobyns DX 744 Chronarch CI4 150hg 16# FC Sniper I use either a 1/4 oz tungsten weight or a 3/8 oz

I tried to make a pair of spool pliers out of regular pliers and it did not turn out as expected... I then got the Boca Bearing Pliers and they are worth evey penny.

Xcaliburs and the Spro Aruku Shads are my all time favorites. The Xcalibur is similar to the RES but gets bit more IMO. The Aruku Shad excels at being burned fast.

I swear by fluorocarbon but lately I have rigged some braid up with 6'-12' FC leaders and honestly I'm still getting the same amount of bites. Lately my philosophy has been if a fish notices and cares so much about the line he must also be aware of the hooks on our baits, weights sliding around on the bottom of T-rigs, ect. I came to bass fishing from fly fishing for trout so naturally I was very concerned about fish seeing my line because trout are line shy. But I do not think bass are line shy. If they see something that intrests them they will usually eat it not paying attention to anything. For instance look at how many double digit bass have been taken over the past few years on A-rigs. That rig is just a giant coat hanger with hooks coming out of the side of it. Yet these fish still inhale that rig even though it does not look natural at all. That being said I will still most likely use fluorocarbon due to slack line sensitivity and it get my bait down in deeper water quicker.

Dobyns Champion 734 is probablly one of the best Bladed Jig rods out there. I also use 16lb Sniper on it.

CXX is pretty good stuff and has incredible strength. 10lb CXX has a breaking strength of around 22lbs

Not to hijack the thread but what is your main line for the hudds. Just asking because 20lb CXX is usually everyones mainline for them.

It would lower the price of the Champions but you will want to jump on the Champion Extreme. the DX 744 is my favorite rod and if I could only have 1 rod this would be it.

Were you fishing around the docks at Springfield? If so I bet you frayed your line on the docks.

I use the Shimano oil for everything that requires oil.

I use 16lb Sniper for almost everything. I always tie a San Diego Jam knot and have not had a single failure.

Only thing they would eat early this morning was a Lucky Craft 100 size pointer in Aurora Black.

I like it to as well I just came from the Gen 2 Revos to the new ones and was disappointed. I ended up selling my revos and picked up a Curado 200e7 and became a Shimano fan lol. I still have the gen 3 stx and still use it just not as much. You reminded me of the other issue I had with that dang thumbar lol. The only way I can fix that is to slap it hard againts the side of the reel with my palm.

Had the exact same problem with my stx the tension knob wouldn't stay on, the clicking knob wouldn't work, and it was just a god awful caster. I called up Abu and they repaired it for me for free only having to pay for shipping. Everything works now except I can only get good casting distance on it by only using the magnetic brakes.