fishnkamp

Take a look at a Powell Inferno 6103 MEF or a Dobyns Fury FR 702SF,

Take a drive up to Towne Marine in Bloomsburg. There are two boats worth looking at. and

Go on Amazon and order it from one of the tackle suppliers there. Have any of these tackle suppliers give you a reason why they would not do it. I can not understand them having a problem, especially if you are purchasing with a credit card. If you have a paypal account than any supplier on Amazon should be happy to take your money.

I really like the Daiwa Tatula reels. I fish 2 CTs and a bunch of Tatula Type Rs. The only thing I would say is that the 5.5 to 1 is a great reel for the biggest deep divers. Deep divers need a stiffer rod than the medium moderate rods you are looking at. Of course you were looking to throw the mid sized cranks, traps and square bills. The difference between a 5.5-1 and a 6.3- 1 is not that much, so you might want to go that way since it would make the combo a bit more versatile. i am not familiar with the rods you have chosen but I would suggest looking at Irod Genesis IRG 703CC Gabes Rip Rap Special. I fish one exactly with those baits.

The Irods are great and I do fish 2 of them, but the op asked to stay below $130. Maybe you can order one from Tackle Warehouse on its Christmas sale. If so, I would look at a IRG704C or IGR744C. These rods run $150 and that is the only reason I did not list it originally. We are only talking another $20. so not that much more.

Yes here is a link to his explanation. It is exactly what he says it is. It is a delay series rod that really works a bait nice. Also the eva is the higher quality not the cheap spoongie stuff. Mine has a tatula Type R 6.3 on it. https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=crmas&p=IKECW64-5+Rod+-+Abu+Garcia+Ike+Series#id=1&vid=8a0a242e66b5500b2c037e328c76ee90&action=click

You got an incredible rod! I have two Irods ( both Genesis II rods). I love my 7 FT Gabes Rip Rap Special and my wife owns one of their heavier finesse spinning rods. She throws hollow bodied frogs on it. Matt builds a great rod. Of course you got the mack daddy Air series. It should play well for you.

Take a good look at a Powell Inferno 683 MH CEF. I own an original version of this rod in the Max series ( pre Max 3d) and it is the most versatile rod I own. That is my jig and swim jig rod, but I have used it for a ton of things on some guide trips where I needed to only carry a few rods. I realize the rod series is different but the rod should handle the same, so go look up the Tackle Tour review for the Powell Max 683 mh CEF. The Inferno rods run $99. If you want a bit longer rod look at the 734 H CF. This is a little longer and runs from 1/4 to 1 ounce. Another great rod is the Dobyns Fury 704C which will run you $110. I would also look at the Daiwa Tatula XT Casting Rod 7' Med Hvy. these have gotten some good reviews by some on here

Contact Shimano directly, maybe they had an issue and will step up for you. They have always had a good reputation for customer service.

One rod you might want to add to you list is the Abu Garcia Ike series Jerkbait rod. The rod is 6'4' with a slightly shorter handle so when you twitch the bait it does not hit your arm. I like mine a lot, It is nicely made, balances nice and is plenty sensitive. I own an original Veritas 7 ft Medium rod, but in my opinion it has a bit more moderate action. I use it for traps. I also own two other Veritas rods, My frog rod is a 7 ft MH and my big jig/punch rod is a 7 ft HVy. They both work well for their use. All of the Veritas seem to run a bit heavier than they say, so go more by their lure ratings than by their power rating. Obviously customer service on an Ike rod would be the same as the Veritas, and it runs only about $30 more. The other rods I can not help you with.

Is that a reel from Bass Pro? If so I would contact them, they are very good with manufacturer defects and warranties.

Here is what most anglers in his area ran for years until jets came along. These ran fine and still do. Almost all of the dealers up there have traditionally sold setups like this above and now they jet setups like these below. The interesting part is in MD we use stick steer jet outboard powered boats like Tracker Panfish specials. In Pa no one wants them. The boat of choice is a tunnel hull boat with the forward center console. if you notice the center console is pushed all the way up to the front deck. The river conditions on the upper potomac are almost the same as the Susquehanna river, but the boaters have two totally different preferences. Either way you can easily get around up there. Linda, my wife, and I fished up there for about 6 years, till we moved back to MD. The area we fished extended from north of Harrisburg, as far as Milton and Sunbury, and as far south as Conowingo Dam. There are plenty of usable launches that the state and counties have provided that these boats can use. Sometimes a tilt trailer is an advantage to have. These stretches af river all include shallow riffles, both shallow and deep rock ledges, grass surrounded islands and plenty of fish.

Stop in at Anglers Express in Hunt Valley. Put a bunch of rods in your hand.

There are lots of options. Back in 1998 I moved to New Buffalo and fished that river all of the time. Here a few options. My first boat designed to fish there was a 15 foot jon boat with a tiller controlled Merc 9.9 Hp outboard. There was a guy located up near The Ferryboat Campground that manufactured custom engine skeg protectors. My second boat was a used 17 foot bass boat that I installed the first jet unit that was used on the Juniata and Susqy. I had to assemble it myself because none were available directly from any manufacturer. It was about 2 years later that Suzuki. Yamaha, Merc, and others started selling them as a package. You live in an area that has several good boat dealers that specialize in boats for the river. Of course the guy you spoke of makes the most expensive and capable boats but that is not needed just to catch a few fish. There is another really good boat builder located on the other side of the river near the ferry boat landing. Check the inventory of the following dealers for a less expensive option. First check lakeside Marine in Harrisburg. Second check Robbins Marine located up in Milton PA as well as Big Bee Boats in Marysville. Here is a really cheap option http://www.bigbeeboats.com/pre_owned_detail.asp?veh=4710131, and http://www.bigbeeboats.com/pre_owned_detail.asp?veh=4802901 and for more money you could look at things like this http://bccvs2n8.50belowcommerce.com/2007-tracker-grizzly-1448-l-all-welded-jon-inventory.htm?id=1020540&in-stock=1 or this http://bccvs2n8.50belowcommerce.com/2014-ranger-tournament-rt178-inventory.htm?id=1502593&in-stock=1 Lakeside over in Harrisburg has a bunch of options as well, These are just a few ideas. If you want to discuss it more in depth let me know. You are in a great area for catching some big smallies.

How does it feel when it is mounted to the rod? That should be okay for that rod.

What is your budget for a rod? What would you be using it most often? Maybe keep your Black Max combo and get a different action for your second one. There are tons of good deals out right now depending on your budget. One example is Gander Mountain.Their Abu Garcia Vendetta rods are buy one get one free for $79.99. I fish 2 Veritas rods and like them. I also fish 1 Abu Garcia Ike rod and like it. I have never held a Vendetta but I would recommend looking at them. Lots of other deals out there as well. Just to give you an idea what I have matched up. All of these feel great in your hand. Daiwa Exceler 6.3 RH Falcon Bucoo Micro 7 ft Trap Caster Medium Mod rod used for crankbaits Daiwa Tatula R 100 6.3 RH Irod Genesis Gabes Rip Rap SPCL 7 ft MED MOD cranks/ traps Daiwa Tatula CT 6.3 LH BPS Extreme 6 ft MD LT Mod used for lightweight swimbaits like Keitecks Daiwa Tatula CT 6.3 LH Powell Max 683 MH XF jigs, swim jigs, tx rigged plastics Daiwa Tatula Type R 8-1 Abu Garcia 7 ft MH mod frogs Daiwa Tatula Type R 8-1 Abu Garcia Ike Series 6'4" Jerkbait rod Diawa Tatula CT 6.4 -1 BPS Rick Clunn 6'6" Med Mod Topwaters I will be changing at least 5 more reels next year.

If your current Abu feels good on a rod then the CT will be great on that rod. You are going like that reel. I have been changing my arsenal over to Daiwas. I have a bunch of Tatula Type Rs and CTs.

I met Timmy Horton at our Bass Pro. Seems to be a great guy. You should have a terrific time

Well the RTX 30 is the same weight as the 25 ( sorry I have only held the 30 ) as the 30 and has the exact same gear ratio so that tells me that the difference is in the spool capacity. The 30 holds 25 yards more 6 pound or 25 yards of 8 pound mono. I have never sen the 25s but I had a friend that owned the 30s. I liked it so I ordered the 30 for myself. Physically the 30s is about the size of a 6925 President. I am very happy with the 30 myself. I think the reels are probably identical with the difference being one having a deeper spool. I know what i did with it was to fill the spool half way up with 14 pound test Stren and the rest up with P Line Halo in 8 pound test. It seems to work nice for drop shots, unweighted sencos and light texas rigs. If you try the Halo you will find it is a typical fluoro- very strong ands lots of memory. The solution is to get some boiling or almost boiling water, get your reel ready, Drop the Halo in the water for a few minutes. Spool your reel. Use some good line conditioner as you spool. Let sit overnight. Go fish it!

I am sure you will like that reel. i own 2 CTs and a bunch of Type R Tatulas. I sold off all of my Shimanos and now slowly getting rid of my BPS Extremes.

Jim, I am curious, you said you fish in the Northeast. Are you close to Baltimore Md. We have a great dealer here in Md, just In case you were interested in putting one in your hand, Check out Anglers Express in Timonium (off RT 83) It is located minutes north of The Maryland State Fairgrounds. His selection is pretty good, Call first if he does not have one in stock, he will get one in. His prices are very good. He also has one of those well stocked shops with tackle brands that the big guys do not always carry. That means I usually get more than I should. The bait monkey hangs out there for sur! LOL.

Pflueger reels make up most of my spinning gear, but for my drop shot rod I use an Okuma RTX30. Depending upon your personal preference, a 25 or 30 is a good choice. It actually has the same line per inch retrieve as my Daiwa Tatula Type R 8-1 baitcasting reel/ It is also very lightweight.

Where do you live? Is there a good local tackle shop near you? If not, look at places like Bass Pro, Cabelas, Gander Mountain & Dick Sporting Goods. With just a little snooping you will find plenty of good quality rods for $150. Take a look at ST Croix, Irod, Dobyns, Abu Garcia, Lews and tons more. Check online sources like Tackle Warehouse, Monster Tackle.com and others.

Years ago I built one out of a large size pvc ( like 4 or 5 inch diameter) lighter weight pvc (not schedule 80). I installed a pvc pipe cap on one end. I installed one of the threaded caps that a plug screws in.

I own a Falcon Bucoo micro guide rod. It is their "Trap Caster" model. I caught it on a really ridiculous sale at Walmart, so a rod that retailed at around $100 went for like $30. Regardless of that the rod is great, I love it. It is a medium power moderate action rod that handles small to mid sized cranks, square bulls and rattle traps. I have no problem believing it would work a spinnerbait well, I just never tried it. i have heard others talk highly about a few of their other rods. I know many use and love their "lizard dragger" and frog rods. Beyond that. other members are going to have to help you. I know my rod has a Daiwa Tatula Type R and has handled tidal bass up to 5 pounds and some nice big stripers as well.