MontclairDave

Those do look a bit small to me. I think I’m gonna pass on the 7’ 3” H that Was still available as of this morning. I really hate smaller ring sizes and even tho Dirtyeggroll says he can pass a leader through it I’m nervous about it. Baitmonkey hard to resist on this one.

Thanks!

Does the Tatula Elite have microguides? I use leaders a lot and those tiny guides are a PITA. (Alberto knot)

Tempting. Do you think it could handle a Megabass Magdraft Freestyle? Was gonna get a Falcon Eye Crossser for it, based on board feedback, but at $90 this seems like a great deal. 1 1/2 ounce is Tatula’s high end of lure range, Freestyle rigged is about 1.6 ounce on 1/2 ounce beast hook.

I have a shot at picking these up very lightly used for $70 each or $130 both. I have some slightly cheaper Medium casters (Falcon HD and a new MONSTERBASS Lunkerstick Mod-Fast) so I’m not sure these rods would add anything to my arsenal but the deal seems hard to pass up. What do you guys use these Dobyns rods for?

Yeah that one does sound like it would handle better out of the kayak. Supposed to be a good frog rod so hopefully it could do double duty.

Ah, it was meant to be! I have a Falcon Head Turner which I love for so many presentations (including the treble-hook Magdraft). Wil keep my eye on any sales Falcon may be running soon. Thanks!

Been having lots of success with Magdraft 6” with the built-in harness, and my various MH/mod-fast action rods (rated up to 1 oz) work great for keeping fish pinned. But I want to try throwing the MB Freestyle with a weighted belly swimbait hook like the 8/0 Owner Beast. I’ve read/heard that the Freestyle requires a bit of a faster, maybe heavier-powered rod rated up to 1.5 oz? What are you guys using to throw the Freestyle, and what other uses can you get out of the rod? (I don’t want to get something too specialized…kayak angler so have to keep the rod sitch simple!) Thanks!

Just curious if this is your approach for spinning only or also for baitcasting? I do braid-to-leader for both but want to play with straight FC on baistcaster for cranking, maybe a few other applications.

Great reminder that FC not really needed for braid-to-leaders in dirty water, which is what I fish in most of the time and use FC leader because I have drunk the Kool-Aid! Having said that, my line-to-leader knots never fail (Alberto) so I’ll keep using FC until my spools run out. Then I’m definitely gonnna try mono leader because knot to lure may be a bit easier and more reliable. And of course mono is (mostly) cheaper. (But there’s the expensive mono Kool-Aid rabbit hole I’ll probably go down ?) I really liked his vids…. until I didn’t. He can be kind of opinionated and old-school. But there’s some very insightful stuff sprinkled in. Matt Stefan, a partner of his in some stuff, is SO much better—very generous with his learned wisdom and NO attitude or ego.

x2. I have the Head Turner and though it’s rated Heavy it’s much more like a MH+ and great for the lures you’re throwing. Shorter length makes it a great pond rod where banks are tight to trees and you want to avoid tangling with overhangs. The Amistad, though I don’t own one, is one rating power higher. Overkill. Been eyeing (haha) the Eye Crosser for the lures you mention plus also a short frog rod on moderate to heavy cover. Do you frog with it? What type of cover?

Just curious why you wouldn’t use a Fury for frogging?

How is the tip on the 705C? Does it walk a frog easily with it? I fish out of a kayak and may want to keep it to 7’ max. 735 is also in the running for bank fishing on some local ponds with open banks.

Are the Lowrider guides leader-friendly?

Interesting you mention Falcon. I have a few of their HDs and for $79 this line is a ridiculously good value. Also have a few Experts—lot higher $ point but I’ve had NO QC issues ever with either line. Maybe I should just stick with what I know. But that 40% rebate is temping…

*** Fishing is having a Dobyns promo: 40% back on your purchase of any Dobyns rod. So I am thinking of getting 735c for frogging. But TW has several reviewers noting that these rods’ guides have a tendency to pop out. Having just had a hassle with poor QC with another rod manufacturer, not eager for a repeat. Anyone have experience with the Dobyns Fury line who can comment on whether they’ve had any short- or long-term QC issues? Thanks!

Wow, a lot of great options here, some of which I have, others I’d like to definitely try. The cold water options are a big help of course right now. Thanks all!

Just got a bunch of these tasty “Firework” finesse jigs from Catch Co. Could use some help picking a trailer. I am thinking a 3” Rage Craw? What would y’all rig these with?

I’ve used both and can tie both well. I find the Alberto Knot to be a lot easier to tie than the uni-to-uni and I also think easier to learn. Not a huge difference in strength but the nod goes to Alberto knot, at least for me.

You’re clearly in the throes of a lot of huge challenges and if you can figure out what you have control over (not a heck of a lot), it may help you focus on the next right steps for you and your kids. For what it’s worth, when stuff starts getting taken away from me for whatever reason, I make a gratitude list of what I DO have in my life. It may sound like a crock but give it a shot. It may bring you some peace. Also, when life gets this challenging, it’s easy to assume that the ****-show will last forever. It doesn’t: as many others here have said, this too shall pass, brother.

What dealers, please? I’ve been looking to get one and it’s always out of stock.

x2

Fresh water fishing humbles me when I lose a big bass. And if you fish long enough it’s gonna happen. If it happens because I made a mistake with my gear or technique, I try to put a time limit on beating myself up for it and then focus on learning from it so I don’t repeat the same mistake. Example: not keeping rod tip down when a big fish jumps on you. Lost a huge fish on a topwater that way. For me, what REALLy humbled me is almost drowning surfcasting by myself in Montaulk. Turned my back to the ocean just under the lighthouse to retie a bucktail after snagging one in the rocks and a rogue wave knocked me off my perch into the water. DEEP dropoff there; lots of current. Waders started to fill up, I started to panic, and a huge hand comes out of nowhere, grabs me by the neck and pulls me half out of the water and back onto the rocks. Never never turned my back on the water at that spot again. And tried to always surfcast with a buddy after that. As I’ve gotten older, my risk tolerance and stamina have decreased and so now I mostly do freshwater fishing. But I can tell you a few scary kayak experiences too in the last few years. So ya always have to be humble about the water wherever you are, and it’s not always about losing fish. You can lose something a lot more precious if you’re cocky or not careful.

Randy is an interesting dude. Wise maybe but humble? Hmmm…. I actually stopped watching his channel because of those incredibly annoying percentage clickbait titles. It’s a non-starter for me on any channel.