fishnkamp

Honestly I would suggest P Line CXX in 10 pound test. That line breaks at like 22 pounds. It has a good bit of memory so be aware. Be sure to use a line conditioner like Reelsnot. Take a look at a friend of mine's report on lines. This is from his website. http://www.baybass.com/forum/index.php?topic=1083.0

Is it a nick in just the top finish? I would find a good custom rod builder and get their opinion. I have a terrific rod builder locally and if it were just a nick in the finish he would top coat it. If it is down in the blank it might be a goner.

You could easily use a battery box as suggested. Mount the battery box to a piece of wood using the straps so that the box can't slide side to side. The wood should just fit side to side on the canoe so nothing can move. You could easily make a way to bungee the entire setup to a seat as well. Check this video out.

Just for a little extra support you could send my friend Kris an e-mail (he is a member on here). He has been fishing for decades and most of the time he fished with less expensive gear. Read that as "cheap" gear! LOL He did have one nice baitcaster but it was an old Gator roe, probably cost $50 max back in the 80's. About a year and a half ago we had a fantastic new tackle shop open locally. He stocks many of the brands that you will not find in Bass Pro, Cabelas or Dicks. He carries several of my favorite brands including Dobyns, Powell, and Irod. Anywhere that is where I introduced Kris to the Dobyns lineup. After playing with a couple he has sold off much of his old gear and now fishes 4 Dobyns Fury series rods. These include a FR703SF spinning rod, a FR705cb, a Fr765flip and I believe it is a FR734C. I was told he is not done yet! Give him a message and I know he will answer any questions you have.

Personally before I modified anything I would make a simple call and talk to either Gary or Richard Dobyns.

My suggestion would be to think about what you like to fish on that rod. Remember no two companies rate their rods the same. So do you enjoy throwing jigs and texas rigs on that rod? Maybe it is good for light carolina rigs as well. If so there is nothing wrong with using it for that and having another rod better suited to throw spinnerbaits, crankbaits and even some jerkbaits. If so here are two different suggestions, each would be a good rod but it depends on your budget, Take a look at a Berkley Lightning Shock rod. It runs around $50, but often you can find it on an unmarked clearance price as low as $15 at Walmart. Just find a 6'6" Medium moderate action rod and taker it for a price check. If you can afford more, than look at a Dobyns Fury FR705CB. It would run you around $110. Tackle Warehouse is a good choice to get it from.

My congrats for doing THE MOST IMPORTANT duty a dad can do for his kids. Spending time together is the most valuable gift a parent has today! Time spent and memories made are not measurable in dollars or anything else. As for dismissing spinning gear, please slow down on that thought. I have no idea how many new style spinning reels and lines you have tried. So here is my suggestion of an experiment to try. If you have not purchased a spinning reel within the last 5 years then do so. A quality reel like as Pflueger President is only around $50. There are plenty others, but I can personally vouch for the 6930 and 6935 reels. If you already own a similar reel then skip that part. Now spool the reel 1/2 way with a quality mono in say 12 to 14 pound test. I prefer Stren Clear Blue Mono. Now fill it up with Berkley FireLine braid in 14 pound test. That line is the same diameter as 6 pound mono. The 125 yard spool of FireLine is not cheap, but using the mono as backing that one spool of braid will fill a couple of reels. Sometimes I will tie the braid directly to the lure, but more often I use a 5 foot leader made up of 8 # copolymer line. Almost any 8 pound copoly or mono works. P LIne CXX 8 pound test copoly is my favorite. Anyway, I know this is a little complex, however I am confident you will be amazed how easy it casts and how few line issues you will have to deal with. My wife always had trouble with line twist, curls and knots. I tried all brands and types of lines. Finally we tried FireLine as one fishing guide suggested. We have been rigged that way for over 5 years now. Also never close the bail by turning the handle. We always stop the line with our finger, then close the bail manually by hand. As for the Dobyns rods ( both spinning and baitcasting) that I suggested they are all high quality rods that I expected her to enjoy for decades. I really do not like suggesting "beginner" gear, as it always means we expect to upgrade later. If she decides it needs to be a baitcaster. seriously look at the 6'6" and 6'8" Dobyns baitcasters I mentioned earlier. GrumpyOlPhartte I understand poverty. I just think most of us can save a little over time to afford a good setup. A Dobyns Fury rod costs $110 and fishes like many other brands $200 rods. A Pflueger President can be purchased for around $50. When I was a snot nosed kid I used to go in a local Orvis fly shop to get tying supplies. I drooled over those gorgeous Orvis fly rods on the walls. The owner saw me do this over and over. One day he asked me to get their entry level rod off the wall, he grabbed a demo reel he had filled with line and we went outside and cast it. At the time I was about 14 and still riding a bike around. We cast it and to me it was amazing compared to my cheap combo. He asked me what I liked to do, my other habits and hobbies. He saw a pack of cigarettes in my pocket. He challenged me to save the exact cost of a pack of cigarettes every time I purchased one. It did not take me long and I bought that same rod from him. When I started working flipping burgers I would stop in after getting paid and put $10 on account. When I had enough I would buy new gear. I still have that beautiful Orvis Far and Fine rod, a 7'9" fly rod for 5 &6 weight lines. I still have 4 Orvis rods bought by saving a littlew over time. Those rigs were purchased back in the late 70's and 80's.

I look at this VERY differently. One of the biggest causes of hand fatigue is a combos balance! Also the shorter the rod will require more effort to get the same distance. I learned a lot while teaching and helping my wife (then girlfriend) as she became addicted to fishing. She is just under five feet tall with a small frame and small hands. She not only can handle most any spinning gear from ultralight to heavier saltwater stuff, but also fishes with some 9 foot fly rods. It was always about proper balance. I would start off by looking at some high quality spinning rods. Dobyns has a full lineup in the Sierra Series. There are a few in the Fury series, but I would stick to the Sierra series for better options. They are made using a better blank and offer more actions. They even offer a 7 ft 5 power rod that my wife loves for frogging. I would look at two rods. First I think the SA 693 SF is an all around perfect rod for her. She can throw all of the usual finesse baits on this. I would match it with a reel like the Okuma RTX30 ( very light) or a Pflueger President 30. If she already has a good spinning rod for finesse baits ( grubs, tubes, light texas rigs, shakey heads, ned rigs etc,) then forget this one. My next rod would be the replacement for a baitcaster. It would be a Dobyns Sierra SA 704SF. That rod is built to handle jigs, texas rigs, Sencos, Flukes, but also baits like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and even some topwaters. It would balance nice with a Pflueger Supreme 30 or 35. My wife's SA 705SF is the next up in their lineup and it weighs basically the same as a 704. It balances great with a Supreme 35. Of course it has 30 pound Power Pro braid on it and we throw mostly frogs but it makes a great option if we want to toss BIG jigs deep on ledges out in Tennessee river impoundments. If you really do want an all around baitcasting rod then I would call the factory and tell them you are looking at a Fury FR 663C, a FR664C , and both the Sierra SA683C and SA684C. The Sierras have nicer blanks, but full cork handles. Ask if the Sierras weigh more or less than the Fury series. I have held many of the Dobyns rods, but never one of the 6 footers. If you go the spinning rod route now she can always add a baitcaster to her arsenal later and she will still have a very versatile spinning rod as well.

Have you thought about adding a good spinning rod. Take a look at a Powell Inferno 6103. It sells for $99. For a super versatile casting rod, look at the Powell Inferno 683 CEF. Again it costs $99 Both of these rods are really nice well made rods, well balanced, and have been built with good components, Now lets look at a few good options that cost less than that, since that is what you were asking about. The Berkley Lightning Shock rod is a good option. My wife and I both fish with a totaL OF 3 of them. She has 1 6'6 medium mod spinning rod that she throws all her spinnerbaits, crankbaits and traps. I use two of 6'6" medium mod baitcasters for traps and jerkbaits when fishing for both bass and stripers. In fall striper fishing I need 4 trap rods on the deck and these fish pretty close to how my more expensive rods fish. The 7 MH may fit your needs as well, depending on what lures you want to throw. Option two is found at Dicks Sporting Goods. They have a "house brand" called Quantum Escalade. They are an IM8 graphite rod with decent guides. They usually sell for $100 but is on sale for $50. I use one 7' MH Fast baitcaster (1/4 to 1 1/2) and one 6'6"medium spinning rod. Abu Garcia does make the Veritas and Vendetta series both fall in that range as well.

Is that a state regulation and if so they should have some boating brochure with examples of what is acceptable.

Daiwa Tatula CT 6.3-1 would be my first choice.

I developed a system over 40 years of fishing. I started with a right handed baitcaster as my first, mainly because most of the better reels back hen were right handers. Now I use right handed reels for baits I chuck and wind, like cranks, traps, spinnerbaits etc. Any bait I impart action with the rod, I use a left handed reel. I keep better control that way. There is another benefit to this for me, as I have been making my living as a mechanic for 35 years ands have beaten my hands up, so now by switching retrieves I do not suffer with my hand cramping as often. The nice thing is most of the best reels are made in both retrieves these days.

I have come to really like the Dobyns Sierras ($170 ish) and Dobyns Champions XPs (DC... for $230-$290) Irod Genesis II rods for around $150 and Powell Max 3D rods for $160.

Personally, I would forget getting anything from Gander Mountain just because there will be no help if a problem occurs. I have seen this happen recently and the member here was not too happy. With your budget I would look at Tackle Warehouse. Take a look at a Dobyns Fury or Sierra series rod. The same model rod is available in both series, so I would consider something like a SA 693 Sf, SA 703 SF, or a Fury 703 SF. The Fury rod will run $110. The Sierra rods will run between $159 and $169. These rods fish extremely well.

Go watch this video It is your choice, It is actually a left over habit that many anglers learned back in the 60 s and 70s, before the drag systems were developed like they are today. If you ever pick up a reel and caught a fish on say a Mitchell 300 ( one of the most popular reels of the day) then you would understand the idea was not to rely on the scratchy drags the reels had then compared to the much improved silky smooth drags we have today. I am not insulting the reels of those days ( after all I fished both a 300 and a 308) but a skilled angler could back reel as a fish lunged and between the angler quickly releasing line in a controlled way and the rod absorbing the shock many fish wee brought to the boat. Keep in mind the technology of rods back then did not compare either. I remember seeing a rod and reel combo my uncle fished with. It was a baitcaster, one of the big round Abu Garcia reels. The rod was a 5 sided all metal rod with interchangeable handles. It could be a spinning or with a switch of the handle it could fit a baitcaster. OH those good old days! I never back reel anymore. Of course our lines are not the old Dacron black braid either!

Lures'n"Liberty you are exactly correct. I have been a mechanic for 35 years. I have installed thousands of parts in engines and equipment. Some have caused issues do to defects or did not fit causing delays in finishing repairs. It is not always controllable. However, it was almost always a possibility my employer and I could go out of our way to make things right. That has always been my measure of any company I deal with. How do they fix a problem?

No it is not the wrong dealer! The dealer is just being cautious and also trying to fit it in their work schedule too. They probably wanted to run it in their tank and verify it is not just a tach misreading or a linkage issue. Then they would probably change out the prop and water test it. The wrong prop could have been a simple mistake, perhaps the correct box came with the wrong prop in it. Please, do not let this sour you on the boat. As I have said I have owned 11 boats. My Lowe is a really nice comfortable boat to fish off of. I have fished in many states and in everything from the deep clear water in Dale Hollow in KY and Center Hill Lake in TN, to tidal waters here in MD and even fresh water lakes in MD, VA, NC, and the Susquehanna River in PA. It has its faults, some I have had to deal with to eliminate them, others I live with, but overall I love fishing out of it. It does feel like a much bigger boat than it really is when you are running it. Take the time, let them get it right and go enjoy it. By the way I am glad you have the 24V trolling motor and the on board charger. It is so nice to come home from using the rig and just plug it in. No disconnecting of wires or digging in the engine compartment to hook up several chargers.

Scapiron what does that rod do well? I see it handles 1/8 to 3/4 ounce baits. I would assume it has a light tip, good for say sencos, grubs, tubes, shaky heads etc. Am I wrong? Is it good for say 1/8 to 3/8 spinnerbaits? If that is true then I think it would rate around a 703C. The Dobyns run a little lighter than other brands. A Sierra 703C will run about $170 and a Champion XP model DC 703C runs $250. Before you jump on a 703C look seriously at the 704 it is a popular modal as well. This is all guess work, as we do not know what you want the rod to do.

Well I will throw my two cents in. "Deep Cranking" takes a very specific setup. Here is where a 5-1 reel has its own place. I would choose a much longer rod for it and most of the time those rods are glass or a combo of graphite and glass. Now I choose to not fish baits like DD22 or similar baits. I do however often fish baits that run down to around 15 foot. I fish them on either an Irod 7 foot Medium moderate or a 7 foot MH mf Falcon Bucoo Trapcaster. Powell makes a nice rod to handle most of your shallow to mid depth ( 15 feet) needs. Take a look at a Max3D 6104 CB G/C if you want a good all around rod to handle jerkbaits, squarebills, or a diver like a Bomber Model 7A (13 foot max). If you want to go more towards deeper lures look at a Max 3d 705CB G/C. That may be your best all around rod. I would choose a 6.x-1 reel for these baits. If I was setting up a deep cranks rig I would choose a 5-1 and a rod like a Max #D 7115 CB G/C. That is a beast. Powell rods and Gary Dobyns ( Dobyns Rods of course) offer something companies like Daiwa and Shimano do not. You can pick up the phone and discuss rods with them. They will help you pick out the perfect rod and they welcome the chance to give personal customer service. This is true with Irod as well. I have done so with all of these companies in the past and have been very glad with the decisions I made. One of my very favorite rods I own is a Powell Max 683 CEF, it is my most versatile rod in the rod box. Good Luck with your search.

I own a Stinger 170 with a 75 hp Merc. Try this prop. Go to West Marine and look at a prop made by Turning Point Propellers. They make a very nice prop called a Hustler. It is similar to your Spitfire. Here is what I would do in your situation. First i would go onto Turning Point Propellers website and go step by step through the prop selector. Answer the questions as accurately as possible. I did that and I came up with two possible props to choose from. One said it was better for skiing and the other for top end speed. I would go for the 14X13 myself ( the top speed one). Be aware I answered the questions with some guesses. I do not know if you had 1,2,or3 batteries on board. I said 3 in case you have a 24 volt trolling motor. I picked 1000 feet above sea level, another guess, you need to answer according to where you boat most often. Part of my reasoning for going this direction is this. I run a Hustler myself. It is a great prop. It is a true performance aluminum prop similar to the Spitfire. The biggest difference is a Hustler will cost around $95 for the prop and $45 for the hub kit. A Mercury Spitfire runs almost twice that. I would love to run a fancy stainless prop, but I fish in the tidal rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay. There are plenty of obstacles, such as crab pots, pieces of old boat hulls, and old piers, a changing tide as well as many other things like rocks and sand bars to worry about. If I hit something with a $130 prop well it does not hurt my wallet or the engine. The other reason I would go this route is that prop maybe oversized or it may have a bad hub in it. This way you start with a known good prop. I tried several sizes before I settled on the model I have now. I run my boat very heavily loaded. The difference between my boat and yours is the top deck only. I have only one livewell in the rear and my front deck has two HUGE tackle storage boxes located on either side of the center rod box. Both of those tackle storage compartments are LOADED to the gills, I also have an electric anchor winch on the front deck and a 70 pound thrust 24 volt trolling motor. This means 3 batteries and an on board battery charger too. To make the prop match my needs even more I had a local prop shop customize my prop so they added some extra cup and pitch. If I did not run so heavy I would have been happy with the prop just as Turning Point made it. If you do not have a West Marine close by, you could order it online or use the dealer locater on their website. By the way I used the Mercury website's prop selector and selected overall performance ( not top speed or best cruise) and they suggested a 13.8 X 13 Spitfire. You could go that way maybe. Here is a pic of my Stinger so you can see there is only a floor plan difference. I did remove the middle seat.

I agree with you, there are lots of advantages of aluminum. My wife and I have owned a total of 11 bass boats, canoes and jon boats. We have had 2 fiberglass rocket ships and have caught more fish out of our aluminum boats. For the last 7 years our rig has been a Lowe 17 1/2 Stinger bass boat. I have fished out of it in MD, PA, VA, TN and KY. I actually wore the treads of the tires. LOL Take your time and figure what electronics will work best for you. Make sure to have the trailer maintenanced and any engine maintenance done right of the bat. That way you can avoid any breakdowns and have a great experience all season long. I mention doing a full maintenance since you have no idea what has and what has not been done. Your local dealer can help you with identifying what should be done. Wiedas is one of the best out there, so ask if anything like the bearings on the trailer, or the water pump on the engine was done. At the very least I would look at the trailer bearings, water pump and lower gear oil changed and if the engine has a thermostat I would probably have it changed. If it is a 4 stroke then I would have the engine oil changed. Wiedas may have already done it so check. Most of all go enjoy your new boat! Congrats.

Watch this video, you will feel a lot happier with your purchase. It is interesting to hear someone like Rick Clunn talk about the virtues of an aluminum rig. I also found it funny he picked that rig up years ago, but HE paid for it himself. LOL.

Let's turn your question around. If you want another Dobyns rod (and I am a big fan of them) then what do you want to throw with your next Dobyns rod? Are you looking for a spinning rod or a baitcaster? What is your budget? Your budget will determine if you are looking at a Fury, Sierra, or one of the two Champion series. Think about what lures and techniques you want to fish with on this rod. Is this a rod to throw lightweight plastics like Sencos and shakey heads, grubs and tubes, is this a more traditional mh where anything from 1/4 to 3/4 texas rigs, jigs, spinnerbaits etc? Are you looking for something to handle treble baits like cranks, traps, and some jerkbaits? Do you really need a rod to handle heavier stuff frogs, big heavy jigs or topwater baits like buzzbaits and chatterbaits. Choose your rod by what you intend to do with it. I find Gary Dobyns does a good job or identifying the lures/ techniques each rod works best with.

Personally in that price range look at a Dobyns Fury FR 734C. That is a very well made and very versatile rod. It will run you $110 and fishes close to other brand's $200 rods. Add a Daiwa Tatula CT 6.3 to 1 or 7.3 to 1 and you will have a really great combo for around $220. That will fish baits from 1/4 to 1 ounce so easily handle up to a 5/8 ounce jig with a big trailer, the spinnerbaits you were interested in throwing, as well as some buzzbaits, chatterbaits, and even a spook.

I agree with Darren,the most versatile bass rod is a 6'6 to 7' medium power fast action spinning rod. Here is where I come down on gear for new anglers. You will have to make a decision on the budget, but in my opinion buying beginner gear is not the best value in the long run. I have seen lots of angler fish with it for a while and then upgrade. IF your budget can go up to $150 for a rod and reel, then look at several items. I would agree with Darren again and get a Pflueger President reel, it is a well made reel and will perform for years. Go to Dicks Sporting Goods and purchase a pack of gum, a jig, or anything that is cheap. Next go online with your receipt and fill out the questionnaire ( takes 5 minutes). Print your own $10 off coupon. Now go back to the store. Right now the President 6930 reel is on sale for $50. In terms of a rod look at an Abu Garcia Veritas for around $80 or for a really nice rod look at a Dobyns Fury FR 703 SF. That will run $110. If the budget is $100 for a combo purchase the reel from Dicks and look at a Quantum Escalade 6'6 medium spinning rod. It is a nice rod ( I know I fish with one). The rod ordinarily sells for $100, but now sells for $49.00. That would make a nice $100 combo.