FishTank

When I started bass fishing I had only one technique > Catch Fish ?. Probably the first technique or bait I learned was a spoon. I had two Red Devils and would catch just about everything on them.

I am 47, been fishing pretty much my whole life and have never listened to music when I fish. I can listen to music anytime but I can't fish anytime I want. I just don't put the two together. To me it sort takes away from being out in nature, away from work. It does drive me absolutely crazy though when I see a fisherman (see one almost every week fishing tournaments) playing country music at full blast on a lake. Sorry to say, I am not fan of country and I think if you want to listen to it, fine, at least respect the others fishing with you or near you. If you're pleasure boating, I say go for it. You are there to have a good time. I really have never had an issue with anyone doing this but oddly its just other fisherman.

I have been using a St. Croix Legend Glass M Mod. So far it's been a perfect match for the Whopper Plopper.

I only use leader if I need a wire leader for something big and toothy but never for LMB.

I have ordered 5 rods from DSG over the years and all arrived in one piece. One was in a flimsy box but it arrived ok. The others were packed in a ton of bubble wrap, two of those came from the manufacture. I did have one issue with a depth finder and they took it back after their policy expired and they sent me a new one. As long as I use my Score Card (not credit card), they look it up and will take whatever back as long as it is with in their policy.

I used to fish both but the Senko out performed the Fluke so much that it got pushed to the side. The Fluke is still great though. I only use it on occasion now.

I have one as well and would agree it is the best crankbait rod that I have ever used. I have tried several over the years and nothing I have used has fit it's purpose as well as this rod has. To me, it is crankbait perfection.

I have tried several brands over the years and for me it's a tie between G. Loomis and St. Croix.

Am superstitious when comes to fishing? ...... A little. When I was a kid (1970s) my dad and his fishing buddies had some weird ones..... they were convinced that when the fishing sucked that there was an Omen in the lake that kept them from catching fish, my dad had a lucky hat and a lucky rod and in general any rod that was white was just plain bad luck. The only thing that I still go with is the lucky hat and I sort of believe in the white rod theory.

Great deal and a really nice rod..... I too was lucky with Amazon awhile back. I picked up a Abu Garcia Winch Gen 4 for $144.00. It has been a great real so far.

I have the Bantam, the Curado K and the DC. The Bantam is the workhorse of the bunch> heavy baits/t rigged plastic, topwater, and jerk baits. The K is great but the DC, for me, has been fantastic at throwing crankbaits. I does seem to take a few cast to get it broke in and it does get better as time passes. I have been using 1/4oz to 3/4oz cranks with no issues. The K have I found to be better for soft plastics (senkos and tubes).

12lb or 15lb CXX. It's co-poly but it works. I hate to say it though, I usually use 15lb Invizix. Never had an issue.

I have the Bantam and it is a tank. It would be perfect for frog fishing. I have looked at the Steez A and it don't see it as a frog reel. Another suggestion is the Revo Toro Beast. This reel is not as refined as the Bantam but it is made to muscle out some fish, plenty of line capacity and there are many different ratios to chose from.

I live in Indy and I liked the Gander Outdoors better than I did Gander Mountain. They had a good staff of fisherman and hunters. They had business but just not enough in their main area, camping. As far as Gander Mountain goes, I heard this from multiple people (but can't confirm it myself) that they went under due to the contracts they had with gun companies. They were required to carry certain guns as certain prices at high quantities with a low profit. This was in hope of selling everything else to go with it, at higher profit margins. This did not happen either.

I buy about 8-10 a year. I don't tend to fish them as much as I use to. I got burnt out fishing with a guy a couple years ago. I would tournament fish with him about once a month and all he would fish was the same jig and trailer that he would pitch straight into the bank and the boat was about 10-15 feet from shore. He would set the trolling motor at one speed, not turn it off for anything, pitch that thing like a thousand times and catch only a few fish. It drove me crazy but I do fish jigs with success from time to time.

I have had great success with Ned Rig and the big TRD but not the regular and especially with the craw color (zero fish so far). My favorite color so far has been good old green pumpkin. I have fished it from a boat, the bank and from a kayak. I have used it with both bait casting and spinning gear, 12lb and 6lb FC line respectively.

10-12lb Sunline Natural.

If memory serves me right, I believe that most of the rods in St. Croix's line up that are 6'8'' M Fast are designed with a softer tip for jerk baits. IMHO, this would not be my first choice for soft plastic. I have the 7' M fast Legend Elite and have no issues with hook sets. I tend to have better luck with x-fast rods for Texas Rigged soft plastic and jigs but it is not a rule for me.

I have an Abu Garcia ALX. It's powerful little reel. Smooth, casts a mile and the price isn't too bad. A couple of more options to look at, Shimano Aldebaran and the Daiwa Steez SW TW.

I would say the 7' MH St. Croix Avid would be a nice rod. I fish this for just about any technique. One of guys I fish with has been using the E6X rod for years and loves them but I really don't care for them myself and I really like Loomis rods. The Avid is sort of a lateral move when it comes to sensitivity but in hand it just feels like a better quality rod. If you want to stay with Loomis I would go for the IMX but it would be a few bucks over your budget. Great rod though.

It may be a few bucks over your budget but you can get a Shimano Stradic 2500 for $150 (on sale) and a St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast for $210 (regular price). It would make for a great combo.

Is it worth it? I would say yes but it takes some getting use to. It is somehow slightly smoother than the K. I had heard of some people not having that great of luck with theirs but mine has been flawless. I have paired it with a St. Croix Legend Glass 7' M Mod and it will cast just about any crankbait a country mile without backlashing. I have been using it since the beginning of the year just about every weekend and it just keeps getting better. Also, I was able to pick mine up from DSG online for $199. I caught this one last weekend on this combo with a Megabass Deep X.

My personal choice for skippy baits in order.... Shimano Core 101, Daiwa Steez SV TWS, and the Shimano Curado DC.

Both are great reels. I have fished a Tatula SW TW and I own the Curado K and DC. If I had to choose, I would go with the DC or the K. I like the Tatula but I like the breaking systems on the K and especially the DC better. The Curados are also slightly smoother but its really is a personal preference. Casting is best with the DC but the Tatula is slightly better than the K. I don't think you could go wrong either way.

I have the Core 101 and the Curado DC. If I were to choose on the reels, I would consider what I was using it for.... the Core for weightless softplastic or light T-rigged lures and the DC for crank baits and maybe jerkbaits. As far as the gears go, after doing some digging I would say no and its probably not worth it. When I looked at the schematics you would need, at a guess, the gear, yoke, clutch bearing, and pinion gear (all different parts from the standard 6.x DC) and then I can't say if they will all fit or work.