fishnkamp

Go get a 6 foot 8 or 7 foot Medium(with a fast action tip) spinning rod like a Dobyns Fury 702, 703, or perhaps a Powell in the same range. Lastly the St Croix Mojo Bass and Avid X series both have a 6'8 medium with an extra fast tip. That matched up with a 30 series size reel by your favorite manufacturer should provide a good answer. If you budget does not go that far, look at a Powell Diesel for $75. Just be aware the rod they sell you for $75.00 is a put together with very good components and for that price they offer a warranty against manufacturing defects but not a "no questions exchange program" like they do on all of their higher priced rods.

Actually Dobyns, Powell, G Loomis etc. all are very close to the same in actions and tapers . The 703 says it is a Medium heavy fast tip good for 1/4 to 3/4 oz lures which makes it correct for bottom bouncing lures. I think you are thinking it is more like a Medium and it really is not, it would have to have a more moderate tip on it to be like that, If you are comparing it to the Veritas rods you are right because all Veritas run heavier than stated.

If they broke just casting or retrieving then I would get a different rod all together. See if they will give you a store credit and then look at the St Croix Mojo Bass rod.

Looking forward to it.

Go to Dobyns and get a Fury for $110.Excellent quality. Look at either a FR 703,704,733 or 734. The 703 and 704 are both 7 foot rods, one rates MH Fast taper (1/4 to 3/4) and the other rates Heavy with a fast taper ( 1/4 to 1 oz.) The next two are & foot 3 and again the 733 is mh and the 734 is heavy. These are some very nice rods and very versatile as well. These are great rods for all bottom contact baits and some baits like spinnerbaits chatterbaits, and flukes.. If you are looking specifically for a crankin rod then look at the FR 705CB.

It does not do everything the HDS7 does but you may not need it to. check this video series out. Sorry part 2 got out of order and I could not fix it so you just need to jump down and back up for part 3 and part 4.

To me they feel like good cork with a slight tackiness but I think too much is made of that. The colored ones are now being installed on Lews rods, Castaway Rods, Kistler Rods and Hammer Rods, so if you can find a dealer near you maybe you can put one in your hand. My friend Bryan must have a dozen rods with the grips on them and loves them. It does look cool to see a picture of his front deck with all of the colored rods on it.

Well both are nice units but let me throw in another unit in the ring.I have some experience with the Lowrance as my guide for Dale Hollow was using two HDS Gen2s linked. We used the side image to run 50 feet off some very long flats covered with grass to find the fish. Once spotted we would drop a waypoint shut down the big motor and return with the trolling motor. We would see 3 fish and catch 2. It worked over and over. With my Elite 7 I had to just fish the whole 2 mile long stretch which was very time consuming. Anyway I was looking at the HDS7 Gen3 for myself. I compared the unit to the new Elite7TI. Almost all of the functions, menus, and screen size is the same. The HDS does let you do things like monitor Engine fluids and temps if your boat has smart gauges. The HDS has a more elaborate network capability, like if you want to see the exact same screen on two units, as well as the ability to control power poles. Look closely at it because I can still network my older Elite7 Chirp DI unit to share waypoints with the new Elite 7TI. The interesting thing is it costs only $800. Make sure if you need the extras the HDS 7 unit can do. Some of its options I will never need with my boat.

I am not sure about a site that does this but lets fill in some blanks What type of fish do you want to catch? Do you fish from a boat, kayak, or shore? Do you fish rivers, lakes, ponds or tidal water? Are you looking for a spinning rod or baitcaster? What type of lures do you want to throw? And do you own any tackle now that would work for catching these fish? Lastly what is your budget for a rod and what is your budget for a reel?

I have never been able to figure out the Lews marketing system. I love your "OCD" comment. It does get really overwhelming to figure out which reel to but. I was not aware of any one else selling a production rod using the Winn grips and the MicroWave guides. Who else is using them?

One way to adjust a baitcaster is to adjust the spool tension knob until a lure falls slowly or evenly and then set your break system accordingly. Try this to get a little extra distance in your cast. Loosen the spool tension knob up until your thumb can make the spool move a bunch from side to side. Now tighten the tension knob up until almost all or all of that side play is gone. Now you have freed the spool up as much as possible, any extra side play will lose distance and any tighter and you will lose distance. Now open up the side plate and engage at least 3 breaks ( if I remember it has 6 little brakes, if it is 4 then engage 2) Now cast the bait and remember your thumb should begin to slow the bait at the end of your cast and see how you do. If it over runs a little then try all of the brakes. If it is worse then try adding a little more spol tension. Ideally as you get experience you will run the spool loosened up to that original point (just a tiny bit of side play) and half or fewer brakes engaged. Good Luck.

There is no doubt that all of the Diawa Tatula 100, and its spinoffs like the Tatula CT, and Type R's etc. are 100 percent easier to learn than your I series, especially for a beginner. The Curado I is a super reel but not really what i would give to a beginner. Since the reel you have is a Curado I and they are one of the smaller sized reels, then my suggestion is to get a Diawa Tatula CT model TACT100H. It should be about the same size. Both the weight and line capacity is almost exactly the same. It is a right hand retrieve reel with a 6,3 to 1 gear ratio which is perfect unless your Curado is a left handed reel. A reel with a 6.3 to 1 will allow that combo to handle the small to mid sized crankbaits well, but also spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and lots more that my earlier post covered . Boy I wish you did live around here because I would just put a rod in your hand and say cast this ... Everyone has this reel for the same price so goto Tackle Warehouse for the reel, they even offer free shipping. http://www.***.com/Daiwa_Tatula_CT_Casting_Reel/descpage-T1.html I would order the rod from wherever you got your 734. If you would like to speak over the phone e mail me directly at fishnkamp at comcast dot net. I will give you my number

The Diawa Tatula Hd is just a deeper spooled version of the regular Tatula, The Tactical I believe is just a house branded reel for Tackle Warehouse . it claims an improved lighter spool holding more line but the reel specs are exactly the same as a standard Tatula no lighter, no more bearings, no more line capacity. As for the Zillion the weight is reduced by like .4 ounces and claims two more bearings which I believe they put in the knobs on the handle (the Tatulas have 2 bushings and two bearings in them) All of the Tatula, Tatula Type Rs, Tatula CT and Tatula CT Type R, as well as the Zillion retail within $50 of each other. If I want to save a bit of money i would choose between the regular Tatula 100 and the Tatula CT. If I did not mind spending a little more I would chose between the Tatula Type R and the Tatula CT type R. If you like a bit smaller reel choose the CT version if you do not mind the size of the original Tatulas pick a100 or Type R. I fish a total of 5 Diawas, some Tatula 100s and some Tatula type rs. I love them all and they all perform the same. To me the only good reason to pay extra for the type R is to get an 8-1 gear ratio like for my froggiing.

First the Curado is a fine reel. I like Power Pro Spectra braid for lots of lures. I usually suggest 20 to 30 pound braid at most. The thing about that braid is 20 pound test PP is only size of 6 pound mono and 30 pound PP will be the same size as 8 pound mono. So I like the thirty pound line for most baitcasting situation. Let me know which Power Pro product you have spooled up. I also always tie on a backing to my reels. So I will buy a spool of inexpensive but quality 14 pound line like Stren Blue, or Suffix Elite, Bass Pro Excell, even Berkley XL. There are tons of good quality mono or copolymer lines that do not cost an arm and a leg compared to top quality braid and Floro. Make sure you tie the backing on with a good tight arbor knot. If this not slips the reel will not perform correctly, this can mess up casting and the drag system. Once your spool is 1/2 full then tie on, using that dreaded uni to uni knot,(it really is an easy knot once you use it a bunch) the braid. Make sure you fill the spool up enough, but leave about 1/8 of an inch of the spool exposed. This will work best. Now instead of throwing the light weight crankbaits I want you to tie on a 3/8 ounce jig with any kind of plastic trailer, like the Berkley Havoc Pit Boss or Strike King Rage craw. The weight of this bait will be in the middle of the weight the rod is designed to throw. Take this to the lake or cast it in the back yard. This will give you the confidence with this rod and reel. That jig and trailer will be able to load up the fast action tip very well The 734 is a terrific rod but it is not designed to throw light weight crankbaits. I want you to look at the Dobyns website. Look at the Champion rods You will notice as you scroll down there is a DC684C casting rod. If you read the description, both lure weight and suggested lures techniques, then read the same info on your DC734C rod. They almost match. Drop down further and read the info on the rod I am suggesting, it is the DC684CB. It list the rod as a Medium action rod with a moderately fast action tip. If you put the tip on the ground and gave some pressure to the tip it would bend the rod much further down the blank towards the reel seat. Light cranks need to load a rod more for distance. These rods are like a mechanics wrenches, I need a 1/2 inch wrench and a 3/4 wrench , they will not do the same job even though they are both wrenches There is no reason to spend money to replace the Spirex reel, it is a fine reel. My wife and I have gone to braid and a 10 pound leader on all of our spinning rods In case you are wondering the combination of braid/ copolymer leader has caught us some huge stripers, catfish, and bass. So just fish that combo. It is perfect. I want you to do something with your Corado before you cast it. Tie on the jig and trailer. Now unless that is a new "I" series you will only have the spool tension knob and the centrifugal brakes to adjust your reel with. First loosen the spool tension knob until the spool will move from side to side with your thumb on it. Next slowly tighten the spool tension knob up until the side play is just gone so adjusted like this your reel is as free as it can be and set for its longest freest casting. Next open up the side plate and turn on all of the brakes. Now with that all done push the thumb bar and watch how fast the lure drops. If it really rockets down to the ground you may need to tighten down the spool tension knob a little more. A s you get your thumb educated we will want to free up the reel a little more by dropping down the number of brakes turned on and then gradually loosening the spool tension knob till there is almost side play or just a tiny bit of side play. Make some casts but make sure to use your thumb to slow down and stop the line at or near the end of the cast. It is a learning curve, but you will gain confidence and distance with some practice. Fortunately practice can be done on a kayak and is best done with plenty of "interruptions" Last one what would I to finish up the Dobyns DC684CB combo with. Well I am torn here because you already have two Curados. Let me ask this first. Which model Curado do you have on the 734? Is it the new Curado I series, a Curado G series or an older Curado E series?

Well for me the back of my hand is on the rear Winn grip. The palm of my hand is on the"comfort " section of the reel seat, the reel comes down between my second and third fingers and my thumb is on top of the fore grip. The seat works perfect for my hand in that configuration. In your scenario I guess I would have to move the reel back between my third finger and pinky, something I would never call comfortable! With my rig I use a rear drag reel that balances perfectly right at the middle of the fore grip.

Interesting did you notice the combo comes with a Mach1 white IM8 rod and the Mach Speed Spin reel. It will continue to get the guides you have on your rod. They do not list that rod on their website as being sold separately. The new rod with the Airwave guides and the Winn grips is only an IM6 rod interesting. I am surprised they did not use the same graphite. They also offer an im8 rod in the Lews Custom Lite Speed Stick and the lews TP1 series.

Have you fished with any yet? Here is what we did to my G Loomis rod. I had exchanged it thru the warranty program( dummy me broke it things happen) but they had gone to a plastic seat from the old metal one they used for decades. The new setup allowed my reel to come loose. Instead of using it till it broke, I decided to change the seat and cork handle totally. I liked what my custom rod builder did so much I had him do it to a second Loomis rod that still had the metal seat. Here is a before and after.

I just got off the phone with Lews the new Mach 1 rods with the Airwave Guides and the Winn Grips will not be available until mid to late August early September. Now that's not fair sorta teased us! They look good. I have two rods my custom rod builder put American Tackle comfort reel seats and a set of split Winn Grips on and they feel terrific.

Try a little heavier jig like a 3/8 ounce not a lighter one like a 3/16 or maybe you had one of my brain farts which means your brain said 3/8 and the fingers typed 3/16. I understand I often have to retype stuff. Thank goodness they let us edit here!. Hey go catch a big one!

Here is something to consider. I own one of the 7 foot MH rods. This rod is a IM8 blank and only weighs 4 oz. I matched mine with a Shimano Chronarch 7.3-1 reel. They match up nice. It rates for 1/4 to 11/2 ounce lures. I use mine for jigs,texas rigs and carolina rigging. It has surprisingly good sensitivity. Dicks regularly sold them for $99. They often put them on sale for $49,99. That is what I paid for it. Now they show up in Dicks system as "not in stock". They are available directly from Field and Stream at this address: http://www.fieldandstreamshop.com/p/quantum-escalade-casting-rod/16qutuscld66mhcstrod?camp=CSE:GooglePLA:16QUTUSCLD66MHCSTROD:14436791-FNS:Casting They are selling them for $49.99 with free shipping so that is a no brainer to me.

Go enjoy the rig looks good.

Those pesky interruptions... Just a observation. Throwing lite baits is harder with a baitcaster. If you look at you rod it will give you a lure rating like 1/4 to 3/4 for example. While learning to cast, I would try to stay closer to the middle of that rating. So if that is a Falcon Buccoo, I believe it is rated 3/16 to 5/8. A 1/4 ounce jig and a plastic trailer is okay but to learn I might throw a 3/8 jig and trailer. Good luck and welcome to the board.

Sounds kinda cool. You know I have been considering using an old pistol grip rod I have for skipping lures under docks. It might work well for that.

You should contact a good prop shop and have that propellor repaired. Since you are in VA consider Sanderson Marine 804-706-4100. They are located in Chester VA.

I agree with Fish4bigfish. If you save a little more a Dobyns Fury 735C is worth every penny of its $110. For roughly $75 you can find a Veritas 2 7ft3 MH fast action rod on Amazon. Most veritas rods are a little on the heavy side so I would think this rod would work fine. I have a lot of higher priced rods but I do fish two of the Veritas originals and one of them I use for deep jigs. If $60 is your true budget look at a Diawa AridX 7'3" MH fast it lists 1/4 to 1 ounce it may work. Also look at *** Hellbent rod. There is a 7'3 and a 7'6" and even a 7'11" all say mh or hvy fast and range from 3/8 to 1 or 1 1/2. They might be your best choices at $59.00 from TW