timsford

Very nice light sensitive rods with a very versatile taper that let's you fish many different techniques. They do only have a one year warranty. A lot of the models are being discontinued according to the shimano rep on tackletour so I wouldn't pay retail. My buddy got a frog version for like 230 shipped off fleabay

I don't fish for bass with bigger than a 3000. If you want a tough reel that will work in saltwater and hold a TON of 30 pound braid but doesn't weigh a lb by itself, look at the daiwas tournament ss 1600. I use the 1300 for bass and stripers and it is plenty strong enough for DD catfish. The 1600 would definitely be my pick. Lasts forever and lots of guys use them in salt for all sizes of gamefish

I'd rather have it than both shimanos personally, but I'd say you could work a deal out on a trade if that's what you want to do

Out of those two the zodiac is a higher priced, nicer rod. What about the avid or avid X vs the zodias, because then they are in the same price range? Then I'd go with the avid or avid x. Some other great rods around that price are irod genesis 2, Kistler magnesium 2 or klx, data tatula and chronos, Loomis e6x, powell max 3d, Fenwick elite tech bass or aetos, abu villan. If you are definitely stuck on the zodias vs mojo I'd go with the zodias. If not I'd look at the avid lines, or the kistlers, powells, fenwicks, irods, or daiwas also. Also what length and power rod are you looking at and what do you want to fish with it. What type of water and cover do you fish? All this matters when choosing a rod.

I like the Kistler helium rods, but major craft and Jackson both make some killer bfs rods

Don't have any of the long spinning rods. I have the short versions and love them. I've been eyeballing the 7'6" for Deepwater tubes and finesse jigs. Ratings are spot on with a good flexible tip to load with light stuff on shorter models

Set the mag brakes low and spool tension with just a little side to side wobble

Anything that imitates the bluegill is a good bait to try. Poppers, walkers, and prop baits on top. Weightless stick worms or super flukes, floating jerkbaits, crankbaits, and bluegill swim baits all work great for me in ponds fished around bluegill. I use bluegill colors in clear or murky water and chartreuse black or blue in muddy water. In muddy water I do better with spinnerbaits, crankbaits, chatterbaits, and swim jigs. I grew up fishing ponds in ga and tn

Weightless trick worm around shallow cover. I like mine Texas rigged but wacky works too

That's a great deal on that rod. Personally I like a 5x:1 gear ratio for swim baits also, but you don't have to use that. I use low gear reels for deep cranks too but there are guys that use high gear ratios for everything now.

I really like the looks of those swimbaits! The bait monkey has me in the doghouse with the warden now. I've bought a lot of stuff the last month or so. So many great rods on sale for stupid cheap. I'll try to get everything together and take some pics. In the past month I've bought: 4 Fenwick aetos rods. A 6'8" MH casting, 7'1" MH casting, ANOTHER set of 6'3" med and mh spinning rods for backup Powell max 3d 684c and I just ordered a 725cb A daiwa tatula 7ft ml cranking rod 3 St Croix rage rods from the factory site. A 6'8" med spinning, a 6'10" med casting, and a 6'10" ml spinning I still need to buy reels for a lot of these. Probably go with tatula ct's, and daiwa procyon spinning reels, but I may pick up another sv103, alphas sv, or t3 mx. I also like to buy used stuff, so hopefully I'll find some good deals on some lightly used stuff I also bought a lot of lures, mainly deep cranks, swimbaits, and jigs, from several places. I had a few gift cards and I ran across some big lots of stuff on the flea market and on other forums

I agree with that. These are nice reels, but if you want bulletproof better get a twinpower, fk, certate, procyon, or tournament ss. Everyone's so scared of a couple of tenths of an ounce of weight though they would rather buy plastic than aluminum

Depends on what weight heads or weighted hooks you like to throw. Some companies I'd use a medium and some a mh. I like a rod with some tip action to load and cast well and a lot of backbone because I fish them in cover and/or river current a lot. I use a few different rods within your budget. I use a tatula 7'1" mh/fast I got off Sportsmans outfitters for 110 shipped. Very nice rod with lots of sensitivity that can be used for many other things. I also have a Fenwick aetos in the same length and power that isn't quite as powerful as the tatula, but was on sale for about half price last I checked (may be sold out now). I paid almost retail for mine and am very happy with it. Again a very cleanly built sensitive rod that can be used for lots of other stuff. I also have a 13 *** black that fishes like a much more expensive rod. Mine is a 7'3" heavy I use for heavier and larger paddle tails and other Deepwater techniques, but the mh should be great for what you want to throw. The other rod I would suggest is a 7ft hammer mh. These are very nice made in America rods that fish way above their price point and have a little slower action than some fast action rods but lots of backbone. It would be a good fit for paddletails or about any moving bait. Another rod thI'd shop around and see what deals I could find and maybe even look at used, discontinued or clearance rods. You might find a rod that retails for much more that fits your budget. There are tons of good rods in the 100-200 range now and a lot of times the decision comes down to grip material and components and also the companys reputation and warranty or lack of.

Gary yamamoto hardbaits. I thought the finish looked nice at the store, so I bought some cranks. I still haven't even took them out of the package, let alone tied one on

It depends on what you want to do with the reel and if it's for an all around combo or for something technique specific. All around I'd definitely choose the lews because you put heavy line and use bigger baits on the curado. Other than that both are well built reels that last a long time. The lube port to me is just a place for water to get in the reel and cleaning and relubing does way more for a reel than squirting grease in with the old dirty stuff. And the lews braking system is nice but several other reels like quantum, abu, and even shimano have reels with an externally adjustable centrifugal braking system. If you are talking pure casting distance and best brakes then the daiwa magforce 3d is the best I've used too. I wish they would use it in a steez or zillion 1016. Anyways sorry op I'd get the curado for a flipping/pitching rod, finesse rod, or a medium power rod that I'd use 10-12 lb max. The lews can hold a little more line and is more versatile and could probably be used for about anything except maybe deep cranks or swimbaits

Try the Zell pop if you like the pop r. It's basically a Zell Rowland tuned pop r with better colors. They were made by caliber and are discontinued, but can still be found. Some other poppers I like and that are a little more affordable are made by duo, lucky craft, and yo zuri. They aren't the same as the pop max but if you want to try a regular popper these are all good ones.

What are the rod and reel and line you are currently using? Do you fish from the bank or boats?

While you only HAVE to have one rod, 2-3 will be much more efficient. Plus with only one rod there will always be certain stuff you can't throw. If your one rod is a mh casting rod, you aren't going to be able to throw ned rigs or 1/16 oz shakyheads very well. If your one rod is a medium spinning rod, you aren't going to be able to throw deep cranks or big football jigs very well. I'm not saying you need Technique specific rods like a rod just for worms, a rod for spinnerbaits, one for jigs, etc. I think you can definitely get away with 2-4 rods. Also learning to tie knots quickly and we'll and keeping stuff organized definitely helps with managing time on the water. If you are only going to use one rod try to keep bait changes to a minimum if possible

I'd definitely be looking at the avid out of what you mentioned. The daiwa rod is sold only through tackle warehouse is why you don't see much. It or the 13 rod would be my second choice.

The tatula 7'4" heavy frog rod is great for frogs, pitching/flipping, and swimbaits, is plenty sensitive for bottom contact with jigs and anything from 1/2-2 oz. Makes a great all around heavy action rod that would complement the rods you already have. Can be found way cheaper than retail also if you look around. The *** you just won doesn't have a lot of line capacity so I'd use it on one of your other rods and use one of the other reels on the heavy rod, unless you use braid on it.

I'd just stick with what you have. If you buy anything new I'd look at a medium power spinning combo for lighter baits and finesse stuff. I'd use the 6'6" vendetta with the carbon fire and mono or fluoro for target casting with spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and swim jigs. Also topwater. I'd use the ugly stick elite with either of the other 2 reels and fluoro or mono for cranks and treble hook baits since ugly sticks have a softer tip, and I'd use the hellbent rod for bottom contact like Texas rigs and jigs with fluorocarbon or braid line depending on water clarity and cover.

Tip guide is an easy fix. Buy a full kit or order an alconite or other quality tip guide. Grasp the old tip with pliers and heat it with a lighter. The glue will get sift and you can pull the broken tip off. Clean the end of the rod with some lighter fluid and let it dry. Use the lighter to melt new tip glue and slide new one into place. Make sure you test fit it before applying glue. Simple and easy

Lost washers or washers aren't in correct order would be my guess. See if you can Google a schematic if you don't have one. Should be an easy fix

Personal best largemouth 9lbs 6oz caught on mattlures u2 gill on data tatula frog rod, tatula type r 6.3:1 reel, 17lb big game mono from local 1 acre pond Personal best smallmouth 7lbs+ caught on 3 inch luck e strike swim bait on Berkley 6'6" medium tgs spinning rod, daiwa ss1300 reel, 10 lb trilene xl caught from the tail water below woods reservoir dam (the elk river and technically the headwaters of tims ford lake)

Yum wooly hawgtail in black blue Texas rigged. 3 inch size with 1/0 ewg hook and 1/8 oz weight. 4 1/2" size with 3/0 hook and 3/16 oz weight. Flip pitch and target cast to cover. Fished with shakes and small hops on bottom. I almost always get my limit and usually 10 more at least on the small one and I've caught a 6 lb smallie and a bunch of 5's on the bigger one and had a 27 lb limit of largemouth in a tourney a couple of years ago on a lake where second place had 14 lbs. This is my go to lure for bites and quality. Favorite lure to fish is mattlures ultimate bluegill in ponds. Never know when an 8lb or larger bass is going to smash it