fishnkamp

Jackson that is easy the most versatile baitcaster is a 6'6" mh to a 7 foot mh 1/4 to 3/4 and a 6.3 to one reel. Fill it with 10 to 14 pound mono. This is not the BEST at anyone thing but will perform well for many things. Brewter Beans lets talk specifics and here is where I would head you. First lets look at your spinning gear and maximize its use. That rod should work great for floating worms, unweighted plastics like worms, creature baits, Ned rigs, Sencos, and lightly weighted texas rigs and grubs. My wife and I own G Loomis rods like yours and often fish our plastics on a Bass Pro Perfect worm hooks so we can rig one way and just change from a worm to a grub, etc. Add the Reaction Innovation Skinny Dippers to your baits. They catch fish weight less, or with either a belly weighted swimbait hook or a fish head style heavier jig head. The fish head style jig head would be too much for this rod but would work great on the next rod. I would add a 6'6 to 7' medium fast action finesse spinning rod, Here we throw shakey heads, heavier ( up to 1/2) texas rigs, Sensos, small to mid sized floating minnow baits like Rapalas. A floating/ diving Rapala is a killer on a pond. So is a tiny torpedo or a jitterbug. They throw really nice on this rod. I am not sure what your budget is but if you can afford it look at the Abu Garcia Ike series finesse spinning rod model IKE705. It runs $130 and I would match it with a 6930 or 6935 Pflueger president. If your budget can not go that high ( and I understand I was 15 once too) let me know I will find a similar rod at a lower cost. Lets look at your frog/ jig /texas rig rod. Does it throw frogs or texas rigs and jigs better? This helps you decide to go with a jigs and plastics rod or more of a dedicated frog rod. My plastics/ carolina rig rod specs 7 foot, 1/4 to 1 1/14,mhH fast. My favorite jig rod specs 6'8" mh 1/4 to 3/4. Here is whereyou will have to make a decision which way to go. Consider a Dobyns Fury FR 703c 1/4 to 3/4 for jigs and texas rigs or a dedicated frog rod like the FR 735C frog/ flipping/pitching rod which could double for throwing heavier carolina rigs as well.These are really nice rods. They are built and fish like rods costing double their price. My future rod, after those, would be a dedicated jerkbait rod like the 6'4 Ike Delay series rod. It was specifically designed to throw jerkbaits with the proper rod action and a shorter split grip handle to eliminate smacking your arm with the retrieve. I love this rod.

I own a Falcon Bucoo also. I use it to throw rattle traps for stripers and bass. It is a much more versatile rod than that but it serves that purpose great.

They improved them a bit with the new graphite. If you can afford it I would suggest you look at several rods made by Irod. The first is the Irod Genesis II IRG 693C. It is called the Harold"s Lone Star Special. He helped gesign a very versatile rod. It specs as a 6'9 MH 3/16 to 1/2 lures.. This will handle unweighted plastics like Sencos, all of the lighter texas rigs, shakey heads etc as well as jigs and spinnerbaits. The next steps upin the line up would be the IR703C and 704C. Both excellent rods, both 7 footers, it is just that you need to think about if you are talking about the lighter end of plastics or more like 3/8 to 1 ounce texas rigs and carolina rigs. If you are curious call out and talk to them. I did before I purchased my IRG 703CC, they were right it is a perfect rod to throw small cranks and rattle traps. All of the Irods Genesis II rods are well made, well balanced, super light weight and sell for $149. My second suggestion is to look at Dobyns rods.Gary Dobyns builds a terrific rod as well. Look at a Dobyns Fury FR 703C. They sell for $110

Be careful rating the Shimano Symetre above the Pfluegers, I have recently read where some guys are having their Symetre reels lock up and Shimano has no idea why! I own 1 and hope it does not happen to my wife's reel. These were all less than 1 year old reels.

Alright lets cover a reel. if you have seen any of my recent replies to anyone on this board I am not a Shimano guy. There are lots of Shimano lovers here. I have had some and have sold off all of them. Now in fairness I have had Bantams, Curados Es and a 200 E7 Chronarch. I have never touched the reel you are asking about. In the last 3 years I have sold off all of my Shimanos and almost all of my Bass Pro reels. I have replaced them with Daiwa Tatulas. I own 1 Daiwa Exceler ( a 99 retail reel often available for $60), 2 Daiwa Tatula CTs and 3 Daiwa Tatula Type Rs. These Tatulas range from $100 to $130 from online sources. They retail from $130 to $199. For your use, I would get either a 7-1 left handed reel or a or 8-1 right handed reel. If you send me an e mail directly to fishnkamp @comcast.net I will give you a source to get a Tatula CT shipped to your door for $100. I have purchased both of mine from this retailer. Now for a great rod. Consider these two. Just so you know, I fish rods from both of these manufacturers and I have friends that do as well. First look at a Dobyns rod. There are two models to choose from. For a beast of a rod that weighs almost nothing in your hand consider a Dobyns Fury FR 765FLIP. If you want to do more pitching and flipping as well as maybe a spare frog rod then look at the FR735C. Both rods are great, they feel right in your hand, balance well and have been built with good components. They will feel more like they cost $200. They retail for $110 My other suggestion is a bit more money at $149, but will fit your needs super well. It is manufactured by Irod. It is a Irod Genesis II model IRG764C Irod builds very nice light weight rods that fish super. Do a little research on both of these manufacturers. Go look up some reviews on them from places like Tackle tour or on wired2 fish and you tube. I bet if you go put any if these rods in your hand you will like them. By the way where do you live? There may be a tackle shop nearby to handle some of these rods.

bassraider810 send me an e-mail at fishnkamp@comcast.net. I will share a way to purchase a much better reel for $100. It is the Daiwa Tatula CT and I would suggest a 8-1 if you want a right handed or a 7-1 if you prefer a left handed reel for pitching and flipping like me. They regularly retail for $129 everywhere. Right now I have a source selling them for $100 shipped to your door. I have purchased 2 from them myself. Over the last 3 years I have replaced 5 of my reels with some version of a Daiwa Tatula (3 Tatula Type Rs and 2 Tatula CTs) in left and right handed models and in different gear ratios. This includes my Tatula Type R, left handed 8-1 reel on my 7 foot Abu Garcia Veritas flipping rod.

snake95 I have no idea how long you have been fishing but I am an "old guy' and have been fishing since the early 70's. The quality of the reels offered today is amazing compared to what was available back even just 10 years ago. Never before have I seen the competition between manufacturers tighter, and the end result is that the quality of "entry level gear" ( $30 to $80 retail price) is much better than we ever had available for even a higher price back then. The upper end has gone to the ridiculous level, if you told me someone would be offering baitcasting reels for over $400 i would tell you they would not sell any! They are selling just fine. The result of this is a lot of the technology that makes them so good trickles down to the mid range price category. The $100 to $200 retail range includes some amazing pieces of equipment. I call them workhorse reels Day in and day out they will just work like magic compared to the gear I grew up with or even what was offered just 10 years ago. These reels are smoother, more comfortable, have more bearings and tighter tolerances in their build and just operate flawlessly. They cast easier, longer and have vastly better drags. I have been fortunate enough to catch some nice big bass, but nothing over 8 pounds, my biggest catfish, on bass tackle, is a 18 pound blue that ate a rattle trap while striper fishing. My biggest striper, which also was caught on bass tackle, is a 36 inch- 18 pounder. These are not state records, but do test my gear often enough. Because of this I know how well my gear will respond. That is why I have become such a strong believer in these mid priced reels from Daiwa. I have owned multiple reels that performed well from Bass Pro and Shimano in the past. For the last three years I have replaced most of them with either Daiwa Tatula,Tatula Type R and Tatula CTs. They have proven to me I can rely on them every time out.

In today's market the difference between a $50 to $80 reel and the $100 to $140 reels is huge. Reels like the Daiwa Tatula series and some of the Lews Speed Spools operate much closer to their $200 to $300 siblings, than to the reels that cost a few dollars less. Snake95 said it well when he said he liked his ProMax3, but could easily tell it was not as smooth in rotation or drag compared with his better reels . I doubt it will hold up as long either, before feeling rougher. My point is not to down grade the lower priced reels. If you are starting out and if that is all you can afford go ahead and get one. If you can spend just a little more money, the return is a reel that will start out rotating smoother along with a much smoother drag and should stay that way for much longer. The better reels should also be easier to learn on as well. There are some real quality workhorse reels available for the $100 to $140 price range and that is a good thing for all of us, no matter how experience an angler you are. Many times I see new anglers ask for advice on the forums. Often they are looking to buy " CHEAP" now and almost without saying it they know they will "UPGRADE" soon after. I always say find a deal on a higher quality piece even if you have to save a bit to get it. The money saved will come when you are not wasting money upgrading it. The difference can often be just $20 dollars now.

I would suggest one thing, As soon as I could I would find a local rod repair guy and have any defects on the Avid repaired. They are great rods, but you are fishing it a little compromised. Find a good local tackle shop and ask who builds custom rods or does rod repairs. Have him fix any cracked varnish, defective or bent guides etc. My personal best KY spot came off Center Hill Lake in TN. It weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce and no I could not have landed it if I had a rod that was compromised in any way. That fish came off a rock bluff wall and ran down 60 feet then turned up and tail walked before trying to torpedo down again! Those fish just do not give up! .

The reel is okay but if you pm me directly I can help you get a much better reel for $25 dollars more it including shipping to your door. Take a look at the Daiwa Tatula CT, it usually sells for $130 plus shipping almost everywhere else, As for a rod, it depends on what you want to do, and your budget. Lets say your budget is equal dollars for the rod and reel so we speak of about $200. This is reasonable. I would get the Tatula CT reel in either a 6.3-1 or 7-1 ratio for the $100 I mentioned. There are lots of decent rods available for $100 to $150. My definite first suggestion is a Dobyns Fury series rod. If you want to throw most single hook baits like spinnerbaits, worms chatterbaits, Sencos, jigs etc look at a FR 703C or FR 733C. The slightly heavier duty rods FR 704 and 734 are great all around rods as well. For a treble hook rod, like crankbaits and rattle trap baits, look at a FR 705CB. All of these rods sell for $110. They are light weight, well made and fish fantastic. They actually fish more like a $250 plus rod.

Since you did not offer a budget I will give you some suggestions I actually fish with. First I have a jerkbait series Abu Garcia Ike series rod. It is perfect for what Ike designed it to do. So like Jrob78 said go look at Ike "Delay" series rods. He has a model IKECW73-5 that handles larger crankbaits and traps. He also has a IKECW705 Delay series rod and a IKECW66-6 rod. Any of these will run you about $130. I have fished with my IKECW64-6 jerkbait rod a bunch and can tell you his line all feel darn light in my hand, well balanced and have a neat custom coloring that sorta changes as you look at it. Cosmetics aside, the rod has good components and fishes nice. I would spend my money on another. I also fish with an original Abu Garcia Veritas 7 foot medium. That rod fishes great with cranks and traps. They now have a WINCH series that is supposed to do the crankbait job. You would need to put a Veritas 2.0 Winch in your hand as well as a standard Veritas 2.0 micro series and see what fits you best. Lastly you did not ask about Dobyns or Irod. Before you spend your money look very serious at both an Irod Genesis II IRG703CC. That IS my main crankbait rod. It is called a Gabe's Rip Rap Special. I highly recommend that rod for all of your small to mid sized cranks as well as traps This is not the rod for deep cranking. This rod is made very well. well balanced and also has great components. Mine has held up to bass up to 7 pounds, an a;most 9 pound blue cat and numerous stripers. Lastly, do not ignore The Dobyns Fury 705CB Dobyns builds a great rod and this model is no exception It retails around $110. It is well made using good lightweight blanks and equally good components. Match it up with a Diawa Tatula CT and go catch em

They are under filling the spool and you are filling it a bit too much,. Leave about 1/8 of an inch of the side of the arbor exposed. Under filling results in shorter casts, and less line retrieved per turn of the handle. Over filling can result in more bird nests, but if you are casting okay without much trouble maybe it is working for you. I like to fill my reel spools about 1/2 way with 14 pound Stren mono then add whatever main line I want to fish with. That helps with reducing the expenses of filling up a reel with expensive fluoro,, copoly or braid

Dobyns Fury FR765FLIP. My friend Kris just picked one up from our local dealer Anglers Express. That thing is awesome, super light, and feels great in your hand. They run $110. Pair it with a Diawa Tatula CT in a 8-1 ratio. Wind on some decent mono backing and finish up with a half of a spool of 65 pound Power Pro Spectra and go get them. The reel retails for $130 but if you send me an e-mail I know how you can get it shipped to your door and save $30

I was just at my local tackle shop and had a great rod for this in my hand. Take a look at the Dobyns Sierra SA692SF and SA693SF. Both will cover your needs well, choosing is a matter of personal preference.

I do not like to suggest "cheap" equipment for anyone. I will suggest some quality equipment that is available at a reasonable price. The difference is you can afford it and it will hold up over time. Even though I carry hundreds of dollars worth of gear I fish with these combos still. For a spinning rod and reel Go to Dicks Sporting goods or online and spend $60 for a Pflueger President 6930 or 6935 series reel. Match that to a Berkely Lightning Shock rod (not a lightning rod). Choose the 6'6" or 7 foot Medium rod. This rod can often be found at Walmart for around $30 on clearance. My wife and I own many combos costing over $300 and yet we each fish 2 of these rods at times. During fall I need 4 rods on the deck I can alternate throwing different color and size rattle traps with. We have landed some huge catfish and stripers on these rods. She has the spinning version and I own the baitcasting version. We like all of them. For a baitcaster this is a no brainer. Again go to Fisherman's Factory Outlet. Currently they have an Abu Garcia Veritas 6'6" MH rod that retails for $99 on sale for $48.88, They also offer two Fenwick HMX rods, a 6'6" and a 7" mh rod. They retail for $79 to $89. They are for sale at $45. Match the rod up with a reel from Cabelas. Go to the Cabelas Pro Guide Casting reel. If you look close you will see the "D" on the lower edge on the gear box. These are essentially the same as a Daiwa Exceler which retails for $99. Cabelas is selling this reel for $59.99. This will give you a really nice combo for right around $100.00 give or take a little shipping.

Out of about 11 spinning reels my wife and I use, we have two Diawa 1300SS reels (top of the line back in the day), 1 Shimano Symetre, purchased for my wife to throw frogs with, (I liked the line retrieve per turn it equaled my 8-1 baitcaster), and 1 Okuma RTX30. I purchased that one because it was light weight and had a higher gear ratio, All 7 of the rest are Pflueger Presidents in various sizes and they range from almost new to almost 10 years old. My reels have to stand up to freshwater as well as tidal water, bass. catfish,panfish, pickeral and stripers,, so they often get used in tough conditions. I have never been sorry a President was on my rod.

Forget the Symetre for the money a Pflueger President in a 6940 will cover inshore and freshwater. I own 6930s.35s, and 1 40. I like the 30 and 35s, but to cover inshore more I would go with the 6940. It will run you $60 at Dicks Sporting Goods. The Ugly Stick would be a good choice. If he does not mind spending a bit more money a salt water series Ugly stick might handle his needs better. Have him check Bass Pro online under spinning rods then salt water.

I own a Powell Max 683 CEF and I love it. If I could, I would own several more. It is balanced well, lightweight, very sensitive, and is the most versatile rod in my arsenal. Do a yahoo search for " Tackle Tour Powell 683 CEF" It can handle everything from light to way over its ratings and they tested it for that ability. My main purpose for it is to throw jigs around docks, although I have used it for tons of other baits when needed. Unfortunately, Powell switched to the Powell Max 3D series and for a while the 683 was not in the lineup. Just recently I had a phone conversation with the owner of Powell rods. He admitted it was his own mistake and the 683 was indeed going back in the lineup and I could order one right then. I did not order it because I have heard of some rod failures on the 3D rods. Those that have complained of these failures have all been rods breaking just above the handle and I am waiting to see if it is a coincidence or a materials issue. Either way, I am being cautious with my own rod choices. Dobyns has always been known for great rods. They are manufactured out in California and were distributed more out in that mid to western portion of the USA. This year a local MD. tackle shop started carrying their rods, as well as Irod, Duckett and others. Irod is another manufacturer I like as well. They make a model IRG703CC that is a great 7 foot medium moderate rod. It is perfect for cranks and traps. So as I am not against the Powells, I am more sure about the Dobyns at this time. Across the lines of Dobyns rods you will feel a well made, balanced, sensitive rod put together with good quality components. Dobyns offers 6 different series of rods, each with different levels of graphite, and many sharing the same specs. As each rod series goes up in price it provides a better graphite blank assembled with higher level components. If you want a really good answer as to how a particular rod behaves then go to Ultimate Bass.com. Go to forums, then to 'rods reels and line. The owner of Ultimate Bass is great friends with Gary Dobyns. He runs a "Dobyns Rods" forum there. Not only is Dobyns a board sponsor, as well as a personal sponsor of Mike (the board owner) but Gary even monitors and answers some questions posted on the board personally. He just did that for a fellow friend of mine , as well as a member on this board, Kris. Kris had asked about a rod in the Fury series and Mike answered the question. Next Gary personally chimed in with a complete explanation of how the rod played and what he was looking for when he designed it.. Mighty cool.

There are a few things to consider. Powell offers the Diesel rod at a very competitive price point. This means there is "NO WARRANTY' against breakage (they still handle things if they mis manufactured it ). The website clearly mentions it. They cost $75. For $35 more go get a Dobyns Fury FR735C. I think you will be much better off in the long run. I own an original Powell Max (non 3D) and love it but they do not offer that line anymore and I am suspicious of the "3D" series. Go with the Dobyns.

I think you are looking at a custom made rod that was most likely built for "Frank Boomer JR". I would expect the rod was built as a boat rod, so to speak, and the blank was built to handle 60 to 100 pound test line. That looks to me to be a rod for salt water fishing for fish like blues, stripers, or even smaller tuna, I am not sure. Your member info does not say where you live nut if you are near salt water find a good local tackle store that handles salt water gear and ask them what they think he had it built to fish for.

DVT is right. I suggest you pick one of your reels. Send it in to DVT. Have him clean it and maybe supertune it for you. You will be amazed how some good old maintenance and some TLC can change your mind. I suggested you send one in at a time so when the first one comes back you can give it a real world comparison to your other reel. I think you will be sending the other reel out almost immediately.

Boy WRB hit it right on. In the last three years I have come to love the Diawas. I own an Exceler, Tatulas, Tatula Type Rs and now a Tatula CT. I own 6.3, 7s and 8,1s in both left and rights. I throw everything from hollow bodied swimbaits, jerkbaits, tx rigs and carolina rigs, crankbaits and rattle traps, and hollow bodied frogs with these reels. I will not tell you they are superior to any reel over $300, but I have thrown and owned a lot of other reels and they are superior to most I have thrown. To date my favorite would be a CT. Get yourself a 6.3-1 in right or left depending on your preference. It will cost about $130. If you want to splurge you could get a Tatula CT Type R for $179 but I would not bother. For rods I own 4 rods that would fit the "crankbait" category ( I need at least 3 on deck with different rattle traps, Red Eye shads and Xcalibur One Knockers on my boat's deck during the fall striper season, here on the Chesapeake Bay) I love my Irod Genesis II IRG703CC The Gabe's Rip Rap Special. That will run you $149. I also own an older Powell jig rod, and love it. Instead of a new Powell, I suggest you look at two Dobyns rods. First is a Fury series FR 705CB for $109. and if you really want a sweet rod look at the Champion XP model DC704CB for around $229. These rods were built with those lures in mind. I know the rod cost is a touch more than your max for a rod but the a standard Tatula CT saves you almost $70 off of you max budget for a reel. Either way a CT and any of these three rods will work perfectly. My personal best caught using an original Tatula and my Irod was a 61/2 pound blue cat caught on a RedEye Shad and several 5 pound stripers. The rod felt great.

In my opinion I would not use 50 pound braid on a bait that works best in finesse situations. I speak of the Sencos, they work best when they are just gently floating down unweighted or weighted lightly with a small worm weight. My choice for that would more likely be a copoly line in say 10 pound test or a braid like a 14 pound test Berkley FireLine original and maybe a 8 pound P Line leader. The FireLine is a good flexible or limp braid and measures more like a 6 pound test Stren Clear Blue. I like to fill my spinning gear half way up with 14 pound Stren then fill with the Fireline. I use that setup for small cranks,rattle traps, Sencos, light tX rigs etc. My friend Bryan prefers 8 pound P Line Halo for this use. Never use any Halo bigger than 8 pound on a 2500 or 3000 size reel and if you try the Halo you will find it is hard to cut, very abrasion resistant but holds memory. Two things help this.. Heat the filler spool in hot water before spooling the reel and add line conditioner as it goes on. Let it just stand overnight to set on the reel. I just tried my first spool of it and have not had a chance to try it out.

First, roadwarrior is right. Tell us what rod and reel it is and what the rod specs are. The rod will have a line weight and lure weight on it. The weight of your bait including the grub and jig head need to fall inside those specs. Now there are a bunch of other things to consider here. I am going to suggest you purchase a tool to put your line on yourself. Berkley makes a tool called the Berkey line station. It only costs $20 from Bass Pro or Cabelas. You mount your reel on it and the line spool on the other end. The line spool will be held under tension, so you can be sure to spool your line smoothly. Here is a simple rule when putting line on with this tool. Install the spool so the line comes off the bottom for a spinning reel. Mount the spool so the line comes off the top if you are filling a baitcaster. Do not overfill the reel, leave about 1/8 of an inch of the spool showing. Too much line causes problems the same as too little line. Lastly, some fishing line have more memory and thus cause more problems than others. They are fine if you are extra careful when putting it on, and have more experience when fishing with them. Tell us what line they put on it. My wife had so much trouble with some monos we changes all of our spinning reels over to Berkley original Fireline. We use 10 pound test for our light grub fishing. She loves Kalin 5 inch grubs. We use a special set of jig heads called Bass Pro Perfect Finesse Worm hooks and Bass Pro Perfect Worm hooks and they look like this. We use different sizes depending on if I am fishing grubs, 4 inch worms, or bigger creature baits like craws. They come in different size hooks and weights.

I think it is actually a souped up Exceler housing with lots more bearings. I own Excelers, Tatulas, Tatula Type Rs and one new Tatula CT. I considered the Fuego but like the T wing enough that I went with the CT and now that I have them all I like the CT best. That is the reel I will slowly change the rest of my reels over to.