timsford

I don't have one but have used a buddies and I have to agree that the tournament mb and the daiwa tatula reels are definitely the best bang for your buck reels out there. You should have no problem throwing weightless senkos with any reel as long as you have the right rod. A 5 inch senko weighs about 3/8 oz

Some of those older crucials were very sensitive rods. I'd say the cumulus was lighter and a nicer rod, but cost more too. I got turned off to shimano with the foam grip rods (crucial, clarus, convergence) and started buying a lot of other brands and just never went back. The new ones feel pretty nice, but I've bought others in the same range and even cheaper rods that felt better in hand and while fishing. Those older mh ex fast crucials are really special rods

Kistler makes some very good rods. I haven't tried the carbon steel but I've owned klx and helium 3 rods and they are some of the cleanest built, most sensitive rods for the price for sure. I've never used their warranty but then again I've only broke 2 rods my whole life if you don't count ones that were stepped on or shut in car doors

The A's and some of the others I use must ad triple grip short shanks and up size the belly hook to size 4. I do this with the 6a and sometimes the 5a. I don't notice any more hangups and it seems to get bites a little better when grinding rocks or gravel to imitate craws because it doesn't float up as fast when paused

I fish both techniques a lot. I fish both on a couple different rods based on lure weights. I use the same set of rods for all my finesse jerkbaits, topwaters, and plastics. Usually I fish the 1/16-1/8 oz weights on a 6'3" medium xf Fenwick elite tech smallmouth. It has a really light sensitive tip and feels more like a ml. The stuff from 3/16-3/8 I throw on a custom St Croix scv 6'3" med. spinning rod. I use these for drop shots, shaky heads, ned rigs, flick shakes, and other finesse plastics. I like a limber tip but with enough backbone to snap set with light wire hooks and to help guide the fish away from cover. I have rods a little longer like st Croix 6'8 m and 6'10" ml and *** ml for fishing deep water but I prefer the short ones because I'm usually target casting or skipping docks

If you don't like it either return it or try to trade or sell and get one of these other rods. Which aetos is it?

A true mh from 7'-7'3" would work for pitching and casting using bottom contact stuff like jigs and t-rigs, single hook reaction baits like spinner baits and buzzbaits, and can be used for top water with bigger walkers and even frogs in light to moderate cover. I use mine for crank baits too and if you get something with a lighter tip it's a good rod for weightless senkos and flukes. I said true mh because some manufacturers like abu and even St Croix rods are a little more powerful than rated. A medium heavy abu is a very stiff rod. Some manufacturers have lines like the Phenix recon 2 that are lighter in power so a medium heavy may feel like a medium. There are lots of good rods between 100-200. Is this going to be your only rod? If so I recommend going with something versatile for lots of stuff, yet sensitive for bottom contact. I've heard great things about the hammer rods. Made in USA and very light and sensitive. The guys at the tackle trap can give you more info and recommend one that fits the bill. The aetos and tatula both have 7ft1in rods that are great at a lot of things. So is the *** green on clearance at tw. It has a fast taper that is good for about anything. Other do it all kind of rods are the Loomis e6x mbr 843 or 844, St Croix avid or avid X 7ft mh fast. The Powell max 3d 684c is an awesome rod for lots of different baits and at a killer price, but it's shorter than you want. The *** 7'1" or 7'3" mh on clearance at tw is an awesome rod that is an awesome deal at retail and even cheaper right now. Or you can try to find a used glx mbr 843 or 844 or used helium 3, legend elite, ltb, or something jdm style like orochi xx that are very versatile and nice and come up for sale around 200 in good shape. Lots and lots of choices. Personally I always check out the used section and then browse closeouts and sales. There are lots of great rods in that price range, and what I like may be on sale cheap, but what you like may be different. The zodias are nice rods, but my tatula, aetos, chronos, elite tech smallmouth, powells, envys, and st croix rods are all as nice or nicer and all have a better warranty. I know most breaks occur within a year anyway, but if I'm trying to decide between 2 new rods and like them about the same and one has one year vs lifetime for the other, I'm picking the lifetime. Definitely look around and read reviews from places like tackle tour and bass resource. Check several places like ebay, walmart online, tackle warehouse, and others before buying. If it was my money I'd look at some of those I mentioned and maybe save a little money towards a nicer reel. Or just spend it all and get the ***

I use tubes quite a bit. I rig them with an internal jig head so they spiral on the fall and use smoke or pearl colors to imitate baitfish. Usually get bites on initial fall or stroked up off the bottom. Fish on stand up or football heads dragged on bottom to imitate craws. Texas rigged and flipped, pitched, or cast and shaking on bottom to imitate craws and bluegills. Fished without weight as a Jerkbait. Rigged on light split shot rig and dragged on or near bottom or on Carolina rig fished the same way. Fished on drop shot in shad colors to imitate baitfish. I catch a lot of smallies on tubes. The insert head with spiraling fall or dragged on bottom is how I catch most fish. I usually use tubes in clearer water when the fish don't want a lot of action from the bait. If they are more active I usually use craws, grubs, swimbaits, and worms more

Storm original wiggle wart, bandit 200, bomber square a, fat a, 5a, and 6a, Norman deep baby n and deep little n, rapala shad rap size 7 and dt10, sprouts little John md and dd, strike king 3xd and 5xd, arashi wake crank and flat crank, lucky craft skt mr and dr, lucky craft Rick clunn 1.5dd, duo realis g20a, megabits flap slap, tiemco flat pepper and mad pepper, zoom wec and ph customs balsa cranks, excalibur fat free shad. All baits are in combinations of 3 colors. Black or blue back with white or silver belly to imitate shad, brown, green, or red with orange highlights to imitate local craws, and chartreuse patterns that for some reason even Clearwater smallies love. I catch fish on all these but the wiggle warts are probably my favorite

I'd definitely look at the aetos. Super nice sensitive rod. The daiwa tatula rods can be found around 110 from sportsmans outfitters. Excellent rod for the money also. Powell max from Sheltons for about the same price. Others I'd look at are the iron genesis and air (seen both on sale under 150 ), Kistler klx or magnesium, St Croix avid or avid x, shimano zodias, daiwa chronos, or 13 *** black. The *** black is the nicest most sensitive rod I've owned under 225 and the aetos was very close in feel and sensitivity. The Dobyns rods are nicely built and well balanced, but I've fished the champion and was disappointed after fishing other rods in the price range like the helium 3 and *** black. I just figure if the champion wasn't what I was looking for in sensitivity, there wasn't much point in the cheaper Dobyns lines for me.Good luck finding an elite tech smallmouth I have a 6'3" med spinning and 6'9" ml spinning along with several casting models. Amazing rods for the price but getting very hard to find in most models since most guys are keeping them and not too many come up for sale

I've been doing awesome with the zip baits irony. Awesome jdm walking bait that's called up several fish from deep clear water

Used a friends. He has the 5 gear reel with deeper spool and longer power handle for deep cranking. Nice lightweight solid feeling reel with a good dual braking system. If I wasn't so partial to the daiwa mag force z system I'd have probably bought a couple m's by now. Just an FYI it's available around 108 from sportsmans outfitters

I carry a few basic styles and colors of jig trailers. For times when I want to displace more water, I use a beaver or pit boss, for more action a rage craw, chigger craw, or ultravibe speed craw. When it's clear or fish are finicky I use more natural crawl like the zoom lil critter craw, paca craw, or bitsy bug craw. If I see the bass eyeballing or following it in clear water or for my confidence bait anytime I'm frustrated, I use the Z man craw or whopper baits boxing craw because the claws float up and look natural. The only time I use anything besides craw baits is with swim jigs or chatterbaits. Then I use Keitech easy shiners, fat impacts, lunker city grubsters, or jackall rhythm wave swimbaits. On the craw baits I use black and blue, or green pumpkin or brown with orange claws like all the crawl in my local area. On the swim jigs I either use variations of green pumpkin and watermelon to imitate bluegill or white or silver to imitate shad

I catch them on all kinds of retrieves. From small pops and large pauses to popping and walking the dog quickly. I've also noticed sometimes the fish want a loud pop like with a chug bug, sometimes a more subtle pop like a gunfish, and sometimes tiny pops and long pauses with a Rico or Zell pop. Jerkbaits are the same way for me. Sometimes they want a slow twitch and pause with a floater like an f11 rapala, sometimes very quick jerks with a pointer, sometimes long rips with a husky jerk, and sometimes small twitches and long pauses with a vision 110 or squad minnow

Most us ratings aren't accurate. 8 lb line doesn't usually break at 8 lb unless it's a jdm brand or ande or something that people use for lb class records. I like straight mono or flouro, but I do use yo Zuri hybrid and silver thread an40 sometimes. Hybrid 12lb breaks at around 20 lb. That's what I mean about us line ratings

Depends on the reel you are using. A lot of simple magnetic braking systems choke off the cast too soon. Rod length plays a big part as does action and how the rod loads. Generally a longer more moderate rod will load more and cast farther than a short ex. fast rod. As far as spool weight, it depends on the baits you want to throw. Lighter baits will throw much easier and farther with a lightweight finesse spool. Heavier baits will throw much farther on a heavier spool because the spool stays faster longer. For example I can bomb a 3/8 oz lip less on my t3 1016 with the magforce3d set to long cast and can throw a 3/4 oz about the same with it. But I can get even farther with the 3/4 oz bait on an old citica 200 d and the same rod, even though the 3/8 oz bait can't go nearly as far as it does with the t3. Properly flushed and lubed or upgraded spool bearings, polished internal friction points like the spool tips, and a better casting motion all factor in also. And contrary to what some believe Aaron is correct braid weighs less than flouro so a reel spooled with braid backing has a lighter spool weight and will throw light lures easier. Still doesn't mean squat with heavier lures. Personally most of the time I am concerned with accuracy and if you want to really go long cast mode, break out a 7'6" spinning rod and a daiwa ss1300 with the longcast spool and tie on a spoon or jig on 20 lb braid and let her ride. I can cast too far with that and can't even set the hook the lure lands so far away

It's actually sheltons outfitters. They also have good deals on their site on some reels and other rods. Quantum energy reels for 100 or so. Google sheltons and it should come up. They have several max 3d rods for that price, but the 684 is just a very sweet do it all rod Tackle warehouse has a good sale going on the 13 *** rods. Best rod available for 200 bucks that I've used the *** green rods make excellent heavier action all around rods. I've used the 7'2" mh fast for everything from jigs, to big cranks, to swimbaits The shimano poison adrena and g Loomis glx are being clearance out a lot of places so look around for deals on these

Which crucial is it? Is it the black foam grip version or the newest ones with split seat and zero foregrip that can be gotten with either split grip or full cork? The newest versions feel about the same as the aetos, cumara or any rod with the skeleton style seat. I don't really care for it either but like the aetos so much I get over it. If you just can't stand it look at the hammer, irods, kistlers, zodias, and daiwas. All these use way more comfortable seats. What length power rod do you have or do you want

Some really sweet deals on rods: Fenwick aetos and hmg on sale for about half price on the Fenwick site Powell max 3d 684(and others) for around 100 from Shelton Daiwa tatula rods around 110 shipped from Sportsmans outfitters

Also you might want to try the new crucial in hand if you don't like the aetos since it is also a split style reelseat and if you palm the reel all you touch on the rod is blank. Actually the cumara is the same way and it is also now discontinued so if you want a cumara, better get one now. The zodiac has a much more comfortable grip, but I still prefer the feel and build quality of the aetos. If warranty is a concern, the aetos has a lifetime warranty and shimanos only have a year. I am a big aetos and Fenwick fan, but I just like the aetos better, I'm not sponsored or anything. There are tons of good rods in the 100-200 range. If I was gonna spend enough to buy a crucial or cumara I'd either keep a little money and order a Powell max 684, look at irod (genesis is 150, usually but I've seen the 250 dollar air on sale for 150), or put a little with what you already have and get a *** ***. If it's a more all around rod and not just bottom contact, I'd call the tackle trap and see what kind of deal they can give you on a hammer

A lot of the custom rats are cedar because it floats high and it's tough. I don't know what size screw eye to use maybe look on tackle underground. I'd use something with a bit of an aggressive thread and epoxy them in place so you don't have to worry about them pulling out

I like the black ones at night. Change hooks to owner stingers and add split rings. Cast out and reel slow and steady. There was a thread back at the start of summer about a guy catching a new state record smallmouth on one at night

Spro and booyah are what I like

It depends on what you want to use it for. If it's for catfish or light saltwater, that would make a fine choice. I'd look at some other reels though. Ffo tackle has good deals on pfleuger, abu, mitchell, and penn. I'd look for a used daiwa tournament Ss 1300 or 1600. It will last a lot longer and is used by guys in salt and for big freshwater fish for a reason. It's the toughest spinning reel around. Also the ugly stick is a decent rod for live or cut bait, but for lures I'd look for a rod with more graphite like a lightning rod, lightning rod shock, Fenwick eagle, or something else that will help you feel bites and have backbone to set the hook with plastics

I use 6'3" rods for skipping docks and trees, target casting and roll casting shallow cover, and for fishing jerkbaits and topwater walkers like the spook. I get way more action with the rod and can twitch and her the way I want without worrying about breaking my rod tip. I have several spinning rods off the shelf and a custom scv spinning rod also built for this. I'm having a custom mh baitcaster built also for heavier jerkbaits and roll casting spinnerbaits. I like long rods for some stuff, especially deepwater, but 6'-6'6" will always have a place as they are much more accurate