daiwaguy

Q-Tip and Lure and line conditioner. If it is really bad I will use something like simple green or mean green.

x2! I noticed the original post had M for the Crucial power. I would go wiht a MH unless you are using it most of the time for the spinnerbait.

Does anyone know if the advantage 153HSTA sideplate will fit the H7? The setting numbers on one of my H7's are worn and found this HSTA sideplate for a great deal so I just need someone to verify compatibility or to tell me no.

Why not match it with a Tatula rod? They match and balance perfectly and it is under your budget. They are really nice rods.

Columbia, MO. Fish everywhere possible If you are ever shooting down 70 give me a shout.

Great Job! I have been considering doing this lately since everythingelse I have had to do is done(ree/cleaning, hook sharpening/changing, box organizing, purchasing) I just really need something else to do over the next 4-6 weeks.

I guess I could have added a recommendation. Not knowing what type of vegetation you are fishing most of the time I would go with a 7'3" to 7'4" H/F with a 7:1 to 8:1 ratio reel an 50-65lb 4 strand braid, if your area is really rocky or has sharp structure use 8 strand. If you are doing a lot of flipping and pitching maybe consider a 7'6" rod same reel and line.

I think it looks great. And they can only get better from there so atleast you have that to look foward to.

I prefer to use a rod with as close to a fast taper as possible. Usually with treble hooks I want a moderate action to help keep the fish on, but with a Jerkbait it is just easier to get the action you want with the faster action. I just make up for it with new stronger/bigger treble hooks to keep the fish buttoned. I guess I should add that Since I am a really tall guy I prefer a Rod around my height or a hair shorter so I dont hit the boat or anything else with the tip So I shoot for a 6'6" to a 6'8" in M/F.

There are alot of good options in the 100.00 price point. If you are limited to BPS I would say check out the Carbonlite and some of St Croixs lower end stuff. By low end I do not mean they are poor quality. But I am with alot of the other guys here on the matter of putting more money into the rod than the reel. For bottom contact baits you are going to want a high quality rod for sensitivity and for durability. Not to mention a good warranty just incase something gets broken.

Contact DVT on the right of the screen and see if he can help you out.

I would say the STX is more than he is wanting to spend considering he mentioned $99 reels and not $199 reels. Unless he finds a good deal on a used one.

I use a palomar knot for just about everything, If the bait is large with lots of treble hooks I make sure to spray some line conditioner on it before I tighten it down to make sure no line gets damaged. You do not want to sinch that large of a loop down with the line dry because it could cause line damage. Even on small loops with this knot I will moisten the line.

I would go Exceller because it has some really nice features and you can pick them up for alot less than a PQ right now.

I think this would be a better plan because you are not going to want to throw buzzbaits or poppers on your Frog setup expecially if you are throwing it with braid. It would work good for heavier jigs in brush and grass too.

If I know I plan on throwing buzzbaits I will load up a 6'6" MH/F for around and behind docks, and a 6'11" MH/F for long stretches of grass. I always have the 6'11" on deck.

I was wondering if you were going to jump on that. I would. It is a great rod an for 140 I dont think you are going to beat it.

Do you have a shot of the entire lake? Looks like a good climb from deep water to a nice flat/ledge before coming back up to the shallow flat.

Welcome! Enjoy all the great information.

Actually it is about 10 ft deep there and the bass had taken it around a stump. So I dove down to unwrap the line and as soon as I did it took of in my hands. So needless to say hand over hand I went till he was lipped.

Thats what I am talking about RW. MIZ

Not sure why I am just now getting around to doing this but here it goes. My name is Eric and I live in Columbia Missouri. I started fishing Tourneys my senior year of high school in 06'. I have made the state tourney a few times through our club the Mexico Bass Masters where I am the current Treasurer. As you can tell by my user ID I am a huge Daiwa fan though I do own a pair of Revos. This last May I married my best friend of 6 years and we bought our first home together in June. The funny thing about our relationship is I am 6'7" 255lbs and she is 5' even and about 105 lbs wet so it makes for alot of interesting conversations. She supports my fishing which I love about her, but she was not real happy when I pulled up with a bass boat behind the truck the month after we bought our house. I am still not sure why she was upset, but she liked the lights on the trailer so that was a plus. I read alot of material on this site before becoming a member and learned so much that I had to become a member. I have even been using the sponsors of this site for all of my recent purchases. I sent Ron at Valley Sports an order for 4 rods at the beggining of the month and the transaction went great. I fish alot of Missouri lakes suck as Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Wappapelo, Truman, Pomme De Terre, Mark Twain, Clearwater, and Stockton, but most 75% of my time is spent on LOZ. I fish alot of different techniques with my Favorites being bottom contact(T-Rig, C-Rig, and Jigs) and Traps/squarebills. One technique I rarely use but am really wanting to get into is the swimbait. I am also wanting to get into some smallmouth fishing considering my house is less than 1 mile from River access and a 1 hour run to some good smallie streams. Anyway that is my Introduction and I am looking foward to getting to know all of you. PS- The fish in my Avatar was a weird day. I was retrieving a lure from a stump when the line in my hand started to run.

7'6" is another one in my aresonal. I mainly use it for fishing in the thick stuff.

Well I am tall so I prefer a 7' to 7'2". Only time I opt for a shorter rod is when I am in close to docks flipping under them then I go for something in the 6'6" to 6'8" range.

I usually do not use that terminology I just look at whoever is fishing with me that day and say " So did you just see that"?