FryDog62

Not a lot of rods any more in the $100 price range as they have all drifted upwards recently. Here's one rod I haven't fished but meets some of your specs. There is also a Vendetta rod at 6'9" MH for $89. Abu Garcia Jordan Lee Cast Rod 6'10" Hvy Dock Skippin AJLC610H -Designed for skipping and flipping boat docks. This rod allows you to make accurate casts and skips into tight places deep under docks with enough power to get the fish back to the boat. Having a short, powerful rod is a must if you're a dock fisherman. Hide Information Taper Line Wt. Lure Wt. Guides Handle Type Handle Length Stock Price Qty Fast 12-25lb 3/8-1 1/2oz 7+Tip Lee Cast B 15-3/4" In Stock: 3 $99.95

I use a Tatula Elite for C-rigging... bombs them 20% farther than any other reel I’ve owned...

I use 3 casting set ups for skipping weightless/light plastics: •Loomis NRX 852 7’1” Medium-XF - paired with Steez SV TW used to skip weightless wacky rigs. 20 lb braid + fluoro leader. •Phenix Feather 7’1” Medium-Light Fast with Daiwa Alphas CT SV70. 10-12 lb fluorocarbon to skip 1/16 oz Neko rigs. • 1/4 oz and above a regular Tatula SV TW works well. Owner 3/32 oz Twistlock Light with 5 inch Caffeine Shad = 1/3 oz on 7’0” Tatula Elite Ehrler rod. 15 lb Abrazx. Key to skipping is the SV spool...

Mid, never had an issue with knots going through the guides.

Yep, almost clear anyway. I’ve done this knot 1000 times but it pulled out on me twice... was sure I had it back through the loop the right way, but alas...

Its a great knot, the only suggestion I have is at the very end to run the tag through the loop twice in case you didn't go back through the right way. Its a great safeguard when you're tying a knot in wind/waves and not 100% sure you went the right way out. Skip to the 9:15 minute mark to see how to finish the knot so it will never slip:

I've had both the iRod Stone Cold and Endurance 725 - excellent rods. What I don't like is Powell's web site where the rod is listed at $300 and on sale for $150. I've seen it on other retailer's sites and never seen it above $150. If that's pretty much the price, then I'm not sure why they think they need to inflate the original price to get you to buy it "on sale." That aside, its a heckuva rod.

I did a stretch test a few years back - and out of 20 lines, the fluorocarbon that stretched most was Berkley 100%, followed second by Invizx.

One rod that might work for lipless, square bills, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits - would be the graphite Powell Endurance 725 Crankbait rod. Action is pretty good for all the above except jerk bait might be a tad long/soft, but then again so would the Zodias.

Sunline Sniper 7 lb fluorocarbon. It sinks whereas braid does not. When trying to get ultra light lures down into the desired strike zone for the longest period of time, FC helps IMO.

Correct Gim, ticks are serious stuff. If it turns into Lyme disease just know that the testing is very unreliable and can easily go undiagnosed. If it goes systemic, it’s a living nightmare of constant symptoms and likely will never go away. My son and wife have had it for 3+ years. Has ruined their quality of life and caused organ failure and other symptoms a mile long. One little bug is no joke. Get tested, bring the tick to the doctor with you if necessary. If you get a bulls-eye rash on your skin, or fatigue, joint soreness - even if you test negative, talk your doctor into a round of doxycycline. If they say no, find another doctor who will. Be safe!

Bait Monkey says you have to always use a trailer, he says it simply will not work if you don't ?

3 reasons I switched from the FG back to the Alberto: Quicker to tie Fluorocarbon breaks down going through the guides over time - but with the Alberto, the braid wraps around the fluorocarbon thus giving it a little more protection. FG is touted as thinner, but when you tie off hitch knots at the end, that part of the knot a lot of times is just as thick or thicker than an Alberto. I am a proponent of putting the tag end through the loop on the Alberto TWICE at the very end. Gives you extra security in the event you didn't go back through the loop in the right direction (it happens). Fool proof, quick, thin, guide protected, strong knot.

He's right... I have my Daiwa Alphas Air bfs reel paired with the Phenix Feather 7'1" Light. The reel is a bit spendy, but the Shimano bfs is a really good option too for about half the price. The Feather is approx $150 and if too much try the Shimano Sensilite 7'0" Light XF for around $50. BFS can be a rabbit hole of money, but with overall popularity there are becoming more domestic options at different price ranges.

3 reasons: 1)I prefer bfs for ultra-light lures like 1/16th oz hair jigs or 1/10 oz Neds. With spinning rods you get a certain amount of line slap when casting which slows the lure. The line comes off the spool so freely with bfs and I get better, more effortless distance. 2) I prefer fluorocarbon with really light lures so I can get a good uniform sink rate and get the lure down effectively in the water column/strike zone longer (This is key in the presentation of ultra light lures!). With spinning where you use braid and a leader you get an uneven hockey stick shape to the line since braid floats. 3) I get more line twist with fluorocarbon on a spinning rig... easier to manage on a bait caster.

Absolutely ?

Ok I’ll say it... if it were me I would get a side job (drive Uber, seasonal work, etc.) until had the funds to buy a motorized kayak. I know that may not sit well with the kayak purists and I get it - but when I go fishing I’m there to fish, not fight the wind, current, course correct, etc. A year ago I said I’d never own a kayak for 2 reasons and one was boat control. Now I have an Autopilot, Spot-lock, etc. and I may like it as much as my bass boat. I saw this comment from another Autopilot user recently: "I too have the old town AP love spot lock as well, never realized how much fishing I wasn’t doing on my other kayaks I’ve had over the years." I’m likely an outlier, but my .02 anyway -

Most comfortable/palmable: Shimano 70 size Longest casting: Tatula Elite Best backlash prevention and/or skipping: Tatula SV TW Best combination/compromise of all the criteria in the OP's post: The new Tatula SV TW 70 $229

I’ve kind of come to a similar conclusion... unless I need a reel to skip a lure... I’ve converted mostly to Tatula Elites for the extra distance.

Funny, how I have ordered and tested some other bfs rods as a comparison to the Phenix Feather L and ML. I thought I would add a third rod of a different brand to have another option, or find something better. I haven't and some of the rods were a good margin more expensive, but I returned them. If I had the bones, the next rod I would get is the Phenix K2 Torzite... but honestly its very similar in weight/taper ratings to the 7'1" Light Feather. Might be hard to justify since it costs nearly 4 times as much, can't be 4 times as good - right? Well, I keep telling myself that anyway - bait monkey go away!

Check out Phenix Feather light and medium light casting rods. I prefer the Light for bfs... I can throw down to 1/16th oz hair jigs. Works well for Neds too. I use the ML for small tubes, shakey heads, etc.

These jigs for me were a big difference maker for larger smallies... in fact, they are almost a PIA to remove at times. Fish stay pinned: https://shur-set.com/t/ned-jig

I read as many of your posts Tom as anyone else I follow... all good and I’ve learned a lot. Hang in there...

I was able to try out the new "Agent E" from Berkley this winter. Very similar to the Dark Sleeper, maybe a little more compact, but works much the same. The best news is that its made of Powerbait and you get 2 lures for about the same price as a Sleeper ~

I fished a 60AH lithium on a 45 lb thrust autopilot for 2 months this winter on a 500 acre lake. Probably averaged 4-6 hours each trip, longest maybe 7. Never ran out of juice, most times battery still had 50% left and re-charged in 6-8 hours after I was done and ready to go again the next day. I didn't run wide open regularly, but usually did at least one trip at speed 10 from one end of the lake to the other. Seemed to work fine. I did upgrade to a 100AH, not because of the way I fish above but because next year I plan to go farther distances in the salt. If I stayed only on the 500 acre lake for 6 hour trips, the 60 AH would be plenty.