fishnkamp

I use a lot of Pflueger Presidents. They are my go to reel. If you want a bit more casting distance a 30 or even 35 will help. More line capacity and line coming off a larger arbor as well. Personally I have never used the large arbor reel, I know the idea was the larger arbor helped with distance and also helped with line coiling. I am not sure if either is true. Some of the Johnny Morris reels were like that if I remember correctly. In addition to my Presidents I did get an Okuma RTX 30. It is a quality reel, composite body parts so it is super light and it casts extremely well also. It has a bit higher retrieve rate also.

That spot lock is cheating!

I have a Lowe Stinger 170 from 2010. I have run back and forth from Md. to Center Hill and Dale Hollow about 6 times now in the last 6 years. Do not worry about the 13 inch tires. Mine have held up fine. Check out Eastern Marine, The trailer Parts Superstore. I know I can by an identical tire & rim there for around $65. The typical side frame mount is available for around $25. I have no idea what shipping would cost. By the way you live in an amazingly beautiful part of the world. Almost all of my bucket list lakes are either in Tennessee or at least on the Tennessee river. Funny how that is.

There are a few on here that use small boats. My first one was a 12 footer that was probably that narrow. Those were more popular before the new modern kayaks came along. If you intend to fish 2 people of course the jon is the best option. If you want to just fish alone the modern kayaks have good storage, easy to maneuver by yourself and can have electronics,rod holders, they are amazing. They also come up available used a lot on places like craigslist. You might want to read through the tons of kayak topics posted here, many have good info and pics as well. There is a wealth of knowledgeable YAkers here. Some models have "duck feet" underneath to paddle with others have trolling motors, some you paddle. It may be worth looking into. Good Luck

With today's modern reels I do not know why you would want to. I can see running low magnetic braking but why put up with the possibility of terrible backlashes, just to hypothetically gain a couple of feet. You better have a REALLY good thumb. I never buy cheap baitcasters, so the reels I do buy help me achieve long casts without running on the edge of disaster.

First question is this rod going to be an all around use rod or more for bottom contact baits, crankbait spinnerbait etc or what. If it is to be an all around rod then consider a Dobyns Fury 734C, Another nice option would a Powell Inferno 683CEF or 703CEF.

I like Suffix 832 a lot. I use their lightest 10 pound test for panfish. It is the diameter of 4 pound mono. We have it spooled on some line counter reels and troll for fresh water white perch. We use the worm rigs for live crawlers like they do for Walleye. I use some heavier 30 pound for throwing rattle traps for stripers and some 20 pound on a 6 foot light BPS Extreme rod I throw weightless and belly weighted swimbaits like Flukes and Reaction Innovation Skinny Dippers. I would not hesitate to use this line. It casts well, is strong and rather thin for it's pound test. In my opinion it is softer or more supple compared to say Power Pro. I prefer Power Pro in applications where I want a weed eater like frogs, punching, pitching and flipping.

if I were going to spend less than $80 on any brand reel it would be on that Exceler. The new Fuego CT is the replacement for the Exceler. That is why everyone has been clearing them out. At least that is what it looks like, because Daiwa's website has not been updated. The Fuego CT is not even mentioned on their site, but the reels are showing at places like TW. There is little difference between the two except the Fuego CT is built on the CT frame which is a tad bit smaller. If you decide to go up to $100 then there is no way I would buy anything other than the Tatula CT from my contact. He is offering a reel he regularly sells for $129 for a total price of $100 shipped to your door. If that is the way you decide you want to go send me an email to me at fishnkamp@comcast.net. I prefer going over the details off this board. Here are the kinda fish we catch using Diawa Excelers. It was over 13 pounds.

The Ebay seller I linked to has over 1900 positive reviewed sales and has been selling on Ebay since 2009. The other good thing you can do to protect yourself is to pay by PayPal. PayPal is an Ebay service, and therefor they can and will assist you if there were any problems with your seller. Based on his history I would trusty him as much as Bass Pro Shops. I have several Amazon sellers I have purchased from and trust completely. They just did not offer an Exceller reel. That Ebay seller sells a lot of Diawa reels according to his post sales reviews. In the last few months he has sold a bunch of Diawa Steeze, Tatula CTs, Tatula Type Rs, and even Airds. I bet this Ebay site is the web sales for an independant tackle shop. He is offering brand new never opened Diawa Exceler reels in right hand retrieve in both 6.3 and 7.3 gear ratios. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-NEW-Daiwa-EXCELER-Baitcast-Bass-Fishing-Reel-Select-Models-ON-SALE-/132060053160?var=&hash=item1ebf647ea8:m:mEjWI-gApLJrEghU8xiDRyw. The price is $64 with free standard shipping. He is located in Florida. That is what I would buy if I was in your position. The special contact I was describing before was for a Diawa Tatula CT and that is more money then you are budgeting for. That is fine. I personally own 1 Diawa Exceler, 4 Diawa Tatula Type Rs and 2 Tatula CTs. All of these reels are asked to perform flawlessly while fishing here on the tidal Chesapeake Bay as well as deep clear lakes in Kentucky and Tennessee. They are on jig rods, frog rods, crankbait rods, topwater and jerkbait rods. I chase smallies, largies, spotted bass, stripers and even catch catfish up to 18 pound blue cats. I have a friend that fishes the Potomac so he even catches big snakeheads on them. I hope this helps

Very good Man I love Love love Gary's toys!!! He builds an incredible rod. I am a Diawa fan for baitcasters and have used Pflueger President spinning reels for well over a decade. I have only one problem with Lews reels, I keep getting confused by the names. At least Shimano had a Bantam, Curado, Chronarch it was easy to tell them apart.LOL Seriously lew has made a great reel for some time. I have fished with one of their baitcasters years ago and it held up well. As for your needs now boy that is tough. The reviews on Tackle Warehouse are not the best. That means something or nothing. I would look at alternate sites for reviews. Maybe Tackletour has reviewed some of the Lews spinning reels, otherwise I might go look at a Diawa Procyon.

I am so sorry, did I goof and assume you meant a spinning rod and you actually have the 742C the baitcaster

I think Diawa is trying to move most of its lineup into the CT or compact body. The Exceler was a very popular $99.00 reel, but it is based on the larger body and is not a T wing. It is on sale for $49 at TW to clear them out. I think it will be discontinued and replaced by this Fuego CT. That would mean Diawa is offering the Fuego CT ( a 6 ball bearing reel) and the current Fuego ( a 12 ball bearing reel) as two non T wing reels available under $130. I think it is wrong to offer two different versions with basically the same name but one a 6 ball bearings and the other a 12 ball bearings. That may cause confusion. At least in the Tatulas we have the original bodies and the CTs, which are the compact bodies, but the number of ball bearings stay consistent, Even though certain versions have more corrosion resistant bearings than others the total stays the same.

Here is my go to spinning setup for all of the spinning rods my wife and I fish, including our finesse bait rods. I like braid and particularly the way Berkely FireLine plays. use 14 pound ( it is equal in diameter to 6 pound mono). i then tie on a 4 foot leader made up of either P Line CXX 10 pound test in moss green, or 8 pound Halo fluorocarbon. I use a double uni knot and it works even in the deep clear Tennessee and Kentucky lakes like Dale Hollow or Center Hill. Your other option is to spool up with P Line Halo in 6 or 8 pound test. The 8 pound line breaks around 16 pounds so do not sweat it. Make sure we are talking about a typical 3000 size reel, otherwise if the reel is a smaller one then use the 6 pound test Halo only. It helps to use some line conditioner with any fluoro to control line memory. Make sure you add shakey head worms, Sencos, drop shots and also Ned rigs from Z Man to your arsenal. They are all deadly. Man that should feel terrific on that rod!

ohihunter2014 please add a little info first. The two Ugly Sticks are they spinning or baitcasting? If they are spinning I would agree with Darren and look at a Pflueger President. They cost $59.00 each, but are a very reliable reel. Between my wife and I we fish 7 of them. Some are over 10 years old and some are less than 2 years old. I would be looking at a Pflueger President model 6935. I would load it with 1o pound Stren mono or Berkley FireLine in 14 pound test ( it is equal to 6 pound test mono in diameter) and I would tie on a 4 foot leader of 6 or 8 pound mono as needed by the water conditions. When I fished live bait I would tie my main line to a barrel swivel and put the bobber above the swivel. Adjust the length of leader below the snap so it all works out say 2 to 3 feet long. You can add pinch on weights or rubber core weights below the snap. Personally I would never even consider using any reel that costs less than that if I was chasing walleye or steelhead. If these rods are baitcasters than the only choice for you would be to run to Bass Pro Shops and get a pair of Pro Qualifiers. They are on sale for $50 each during their big sale. Check their flyer on line. Here I would say use some 14 pound test Stren mono and a leader again, or use some Suffix 832 braid in say 20 test. In certain conditions the leader may help as well ( clearer water) another good choice might be P LIne FloroClear in 10 pound test

What do you want left or right hand retrieve and what speed? If you want a quality reel at a reduced price don't get that reel. It will not make you happy compared to your current reels. Instead look at a Diawa Exceler. These were $99.00 reels just a few months ago. Tackle Warehouse has several 6.3 and 7.3 lefties for $49. You can go to Ebay and get a brand new in box Exceler for around $60. These reels perform almost as well as my Tatula Type Rs do. They hold up well during my bass fishing. Often while chasing bass we catch big stripers and big catfish. So far my biggest blue cat was almost 19 pounds and the largest striper was 16 pounds. They also hold up well for my friend fishing down south of me on the Potomac which means they handle snakeheads up to 15 pounds. Check here http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-NEW-Daiwa-EXCELER-Baitcast-Bass-Fishing-Reel-Select-Models-ON-SALE-/132060053160?var=&hash=item1ebf647ea8:m:mEjWI-gApLJrEghU8xiDRyw am sure for a few more dollars the reel will work out much better. Just one other choice. I have a connection to Diawa Tatula CT reels brand new and shipped to your door for $100. I know you were considering the Laguna to save money but, $100 delivered to your door for one of Daiwa's reels offering its best drag system, air rotation and the T wing system it may be worth it. If you are interested in going that way give me an e-mail at fishnkamp@comcas.net. I will get you hooked up.

Here is where things need to be defined. Let's take "topwater baits" In my world there are different categories of topwaters. Are we talking about popping baits and chugger type baits like a jitterbug Pop R, Chug bug, Hula Popper, or Torpedo? Most good jerkbait rods will handle them fine. Most good Spinnerbaits rods can handle chatterbaits as well. For buzzbaits and bigger hard bodied topwater baits that walk the dog I want a rod that is 7' or longer and has a more backbone and a quicker tip than either of my spinnerbait rods or my jerkbait rod. I have a 6' foot light power and a 6'6"mh and both are on the more moderate or moderate fast action, My jerkbait rod is 6'4" and is about 60/40 backbone and tip. For large topwater walking baits like Spooks, Sammy's, Gunfish etc, or big heavy prop baits ( some up to an ounce) I would use a much longer stiffer rod. The rod needs a quick soft tip to load up and throw the bait but not be overpowered. The length helps cast further and control the long length of mono used for topwaters. Mono gives so much that I want a rod with more backbone and less give than for smaller baits. As for swimbaits let's define the lure we are talking about. Any paddle tail soft bodied bait like a Strike King Caffeine Minnow, Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper, or Fluke style bait gets fished on the same rod I throw spinnerbaits, something medium moderate or even on occasion my 6'8" mh fast jig rod. If you are considering some of the larger heavier 3/4 to 1.5 ounce baits, than you will need a rod 7'6 to 8' designed for swimbaits, and these are the smallest swimbaits, not the mega sized ones. If that is what you want to throw ( the small ones up to 1 1/2) call out to Powell, Dobyns, Falcon, and see if they would suggest a rod that can handle both top water and swimbaits. I suspect they will say as I do that those are not compatible techniques to combine in one rod.

Irod Genesis LL Gabe's rip rap special. Itis basically a 7 foot medium moderate although they call it a fast action rod. The reel is a Diawa Tatula Type R 6.3 to i and 12 pound P Line Floroclear. If I am fishing over grass or over structure this is my preferred rig. If there is more vegetation or junk around I use another similar rod bit it has 30 Power Pro on it.

I run a bunch of rods with micro guides. My Falcon Bucoo is a micro rod, it is the Trap Caster. it handles traps square bills small to mid sized cranks and even can slow roll a big spinnerbait. The theory with micro guides is since they weigh less than a larger guide then they can add more of them. This is supposed to control the line (any line including your mono)and thus if it runs straighter the line will run faster resulting a longer cast. Itis also supposed to stop line from contacting the blank under fishing conditions. They claim some better sensitivity. Not sure I by any of the hype, but I have no bads words to say about micro guides except my 50+ year old eyes have to work a little harder to string it up LOL I think you will like those rods.

I do not mean to be confusing. You stated that the Orochi rod listed as a medium power and I assume it is also a medium action since this is usually how "jerkbait" rods are often designed (probably what they meant by regular action). Power and action are different. Action in general has more to do with how forgiving the tip is. The power is related more to the backbone of the rod. I fish an Abu Garcia Ike "delay series" jerkbait rod. That rod has a very forgiving tip, it bends down as far as the 6th or 7th guide (out of 11 guides and that includes the tip top guide) so say 40% of the rod is softer tip action That means about 60% of the rod is backbone. Both our rods are designed to allow you to impart the correct jerking action but not move the bait more than a few inches. A stiffer rod won't work like this. Also in general most rods designed to fish baits with trebles have the more medium or moderate actions or tapers. This more moderate action (softer top section) protects the treble hooks from tearing out of a fish's mouth. It also adds a delay as we hook the fish allowing the fish to get the bait deeper in its mouth thus adding to your hookup ratio. I said it will work for spinnerbaits, smaller crankbaits etc because it will do that. I can do the same with my rod. I can throw some topwaters but not big bodied ones. If you compare the load a Pop R puts on a rod compared to a big Zara Spook, then you may understand my saying it may not be my preferred rod. So I can throw a Jitterbug, Pop R, Torpeedo, maybe even a prop Bait on my jerkbait rod, especially if I am fishing closer to targets like a dock, or a rip rap bank. If however, I am fishing a big wide open area with grass on the bottom and I want to throw a big buzzbait ( has a lot of resistance to water) or a big Spook, then I would choose a rod over 7 foot and with a stiffer action. Maybe that makes it a little clearer. But understand, you are just getting started and I have been collecting rods for 40 years. I have the luxury to choosing between 2 dozen rods to use. I was not being negative, instead I was trying to sing the praises or making that rod be more multi functional. If I was working rattle traps or cranks across a wide open point, covering lots of water, a longer rod would give me a longer casting range. That is all! It might help with my hookset out on the end of a longer cast also. As for jigs I could throw jigs on my Ike rod, but it has less backbone and too soft an action to make me confident I will get a solid hookset using a jig ( bigger heavier hook) and fishing even 10 feet or more of water. If I kook it I want to land it. As for frogs, a bait like a Stanley Ribbit would be fine on the Orochi in open water. If there is heavy vegetation than my rod of choice would be more like a 7'4 to 7'11 heavy power fast action frog rod. This is especially true if I am throwing the hollow bodied frogs like a Spro frog, Scum Frog or even live Target. That rod has a soft but quick tip and lots of beef. This is where I fish my 65 pound braid. A soft plastic frog like the Ribbit is usually fished with one thinner style hook and often tossed over open water or skipped under docks. It would be fine on your jerkbait rod. In fact it will load that rod up well in order to cast it. Look at a Dobyns Champion XP or Extreme Hp series rods. They are top notch and I think you will find them very sweet. The Dobyns I own are Champion XP. They go by DC.... By the way many of the same rod models are available in each series. Dobyns has 5 series and similar to the way G Loomis does it, as you go from the bottom series up to IMX to GLX to NRX the blanks are made of better quality graphite. This results in a thinner, lighter, more sensitive, better rod. For a higher end rod look at a Champion XP series model DC 806CB. As for the all around MH rod for jigs, texas rigs and more look at either a Champion XP model DC 734C or 735C.

Your two spinning combos will handle all the finesse you will need. My suggestion for all other techniques was using baitcasters. Sorry for the misunderstanding. So I like your your Orochi for more than just jerkbaits. Use it for spinnerbaits, small crankbaits, wakebaits and other baits like rattle traps as well. It is not the "perfect rod" for some of these baits, but it will work and you own it. For now, use it for all you can till you identify what extra rods you want. The 6'8" to 7'3 or 7'4" Medium heavy 1/4 to 3/4 rod I suggested was meant to be a baitcaster. This will become your workhorse. It will handle all of the texas rigs and 3/8 to 5/8 jigs plus a trailer. I would throw all of my regular jigs, swimjigs, paddle tail swimbaits on a Picasso style swimjig head ( looks like the head of a fish and is dynamite in 5 to 40 feet of water) and almost any mid sized bottom bouncing bait. That would be the next rod I would look to purchase. Match it up with any decent reel. The Metaniums are super nice but so is a Diawa Tatula CT, maybe CT Type R, any of the Zillions or go back to Shimano and look at a Curado I or Chronarch. It does not have to be a $400 reel to get a quality reel unless the cost is irrelevant. I would definitely add that Medium heavy fast action rod before all others. It covers basic bass techniques used on almost all lakes and rivers bass swim in. After that I really want you to look at the bodies of water you fish on. For example I have fished for over 40 years. I have moved around a bunch and my waters changed from a fast moving clear river to lakes and reservoirs in MD & PA to larger lakes in NC and VA and now I am back to MD. The the water I fish is shallow off color water with heavy vegetation in some areas. I fish the Upper Chesapeake Bay, and its tidal rivers like the Potomac. Until now, I have never need a flipping stick to throw 1 to 2 ounce Punch jigs or even a frog rod. When fishing here at home I need rods to fish mostly shallower areas. My crankbaits run from surface to maybe 15 feet down. When I vacation I go to Tennessee and fish huge 60 mile long lakes that are gin clear and fish sit suspended 30 feet down over 100 foot flats. I never bring my frog rod or punching rod with me,they won't be needed. Learn where the fish set up on your waters. Do they stay in shallow cover, hang down on points, maybe 15 foot deep or do you need to pull cranks down to 25 foot. Carolina rigs help fish these areas but they need a little different rod as well. Once you identify the fish's habits and where they live, identify the cover etc these answer the question of which equipment to get next. Under the deck of my boat is usually 15 rods or more for me, sometimes less. I am not saying you need that many. I am saying that I fish a lot of different conditions and in a lot of different bodies of water. Get rods top cover the basics then consider a deep cranking rod or a flipping stick, or even a rod for BIG topwaters. Good Luck

What state do you live in? Have you looked at what dealers some of these brands have near you? I live in MD and am very lucky to have a tackle store that carries Dobyns, Powell, Irod, Duckett, and many more so I can walk in and compare how these rods feel with a rel on them. That helps a lot.

Here is what I usually suggest Rod 1- A 6'6" to 7 foot light action spinning rod and reel Rod 2- A 6'8 to 7 foot medium power moderate fast to extra fast action spinning rod and reel. These will cover baits such as Ned Rigs, shakey heads, tubes, grubs and all the other baits weighing 3/8 ounce or less. My next suggestion is a 7 foot medium heavy power fast action rod. There are tons of good ones out there. This will be your do it all rod. It will handle 1/4 to 3/4 ounce baits like texas rigs, jigs, heavy tubes, and even small paddle tail swimbaits on a leadhead swim jig hook. Your Orochi jerkbait rod, while not ideal, will allow you to fish not only jerkbaits but some spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, small wakebaits, smaller crankbaits, etc. Now the following baits require very specific and different rods. Consider the waters you fish and what opportunities present themselves. Do you have heavy lily pads and dense grass fields. If so maybe a flipping stick to handle bigger jigs in that type of cover. Do you have fish that suspend or live out on deep river ledges tham a longer heavier rod that will allow you to fish big heavy spinnerbaits slow rolled or a heavy jig rod to throw big football jigs with a trailer. Lastly do you have fish that setup deep where you need to cover big points, humps etc, if so maybe that extra long crankbait rod and crankbaits that go down 20+ feet is the right choice. Here also a carolina rig might be your best option. I can tell you I have rods from Abu Garcia ( Ike series and Veritas) Dobyns, Irod, Powell, St Croix, G Loomis, Falcon, Berkley, Bass Pro, Okuma and Quantum. All of these rods work. Which is best? That is impossible to say without knowing what technique you need a rod to fill. I will say that I fish my two spinning rods along with at least 6 other rods on the deck most of the time. It is rare my Powell Max 683CEF is not on my deck. They have changed the rod into a max3D so I do not know how close the new one is to my rod. But a 6'8 to 7'3 MH fast action rod is a must in my opinion. To suggest a few I would have to make a short list. Look at the different lines Dobyns offers. I like the Fury, Sierra and Champion lines. Powell has several nice lines. Look at an Irod.. Irod offers technique specific rods. Something like an IRG 704 or 744C would be my choice from Irod for an all purpose rod. Both St Croix and G Loomis offer full lines as well. Lastly Falcon has some really nice rods too.

Go to Bass Pro and look at what is on sale during their spring spectacular sale event going om mow. Check your local store for dates. If you have an old rod and or reel they have a trade in program that might help get a better rod and reel at a discount.

Go directly back to GM. Get your money back. Just tell them the reel did not work period. Do not even mention you looked at it or took it apart. If they give your money back consider a Diawa Exceler from Tackle Warehouse. It is a very nice reel, and is on sale for $50. These reels sold for $99 just a few months ago.

S Sass I do not speak for Darren, but he and I do agree on a lot of fishing habits here on this board. We both offered honest answers to the op's original topic which was essentially "is it worth using a leader". In my case I fish off color tidal Chesapeake Bay rivers and creeks. This includes the Susquehanna River, Susqy flats, an area at the mouth of the Susqy river and the Chesapeake bay. Millions of free flowing, fresh clear river water and the tidal bay waters mix in a shallow area full of grass beds, lily pad fields along with river rocks and debris. The other tidal rivers I fish include Middle River ( the river Aaron Martens won the BaSS Elite event on just a few years ago) and even the tidal Potomac River. I also vacation in Tennessee and Kentucky and there we fish gin clear very large ( like 60 mile long) lakes and deep water. Sometimes, when I fish Dale Hollow and Center Hill you can see almost 8 to 10 foot down. Often we fish for smallies suspended as far as 30 foot down on 100 foot deep main lake areas. For me, it is easier to rig my gear one way. This gives me total confidence in what I can do and how my equipment will operate. I have said this repeatedly in many of the post on here. I prefer 14 pound Berkley FireLine original Fused braid and a 4 foot leader made up of 10 pound P Line CXX in moss green. Perhaps that combo is the reason that I can state that in 6 or 7 years I have never had my leader to main line knot break. I was first introduced to using P LIne CXX by an angler that fishes on the FLW circuits. His name is Craig Powers and he was guiding us on Center Hill Lake for 2 days. My avatar picture is a huge Kentucky spotted bass caught on that spinning setup and a shakey head worm. Maybe others here are having difficulties due to using fluorocarbon leaders. The only time I use any other line besides the CXX is if I want more invisibility. Then I will use P Line Floroclear which is a copoly line with a fluoro coating. It also helps to tie the knots often enough that you are proficient with them This is the setup on all of my spinning rods. You can find a few of my baitcasters that have braid and a leader made of the same P Line CXX 10 pound test ( it breaks at around 23 pounds). These will again be around 4 or 5 feet so they never really go through the T wing on any of my Diawas. If you have read any of my responses to topics on reels you already know I am a total fan of the Tatula family of reels. As for your post "So you two think Diawa T-Wing is nothing but hype / hoax? I mean if your banging knots through multiple guides and can't tell a difference how could anyone notice a difference in the smooth line going through a T-Wing vs a standard opening once?" The purpose of a T wing is to help lower the resistance the line encounters when it is coming off the spool at a point farthest away from the line guide opening. In my personal experience it does help me cast better, especially in pitching or underhand roll casts. Here you do not have as large an arm movement to gain momentum. Right or wrong that has been my experience while using these reels for over 3 years. I fish with 4 Tatula Type R reels and 2 Tatula CTs. I use them on crankbait and rattle trap rods, rods I fish texas rigs and jigs on, jerkbait rods, rods I fish paddle tail swimbaits on, my Punching rod and my frog rod. Now some of my 12 baitcasters have P Line Halo, one has mono, some have braid and get tied direct to the lure, and some have braid and a 4 foot leader, it depends on the technique . If you do not believe that Diawa makes a reel that is to your liking, then I suggest you look at Lews and Shimano. I am certain you can find something that those fine reel manufacturers produce that will fit you better. I sold off a bunch of reels made by Shimano, Bass Pro Shops, 1 Lews and 1 Quantum. I am not suggesting they were all bad, just that once I found the Diawa line "fit me" well, I sold off the others.