Columbia Craw

Take a look at the Mustang 3087. It's a 35 LB rating and is a series V. It's portable, adjustable and comfortable.

You have to fish one for yourself to make that determination. " Dead " , some people say? I've not heard that. Over priced? I've heard that. I think Champions are fine rod and have fished them for about five years now. That series should at least be a consideration.

The Champion XP744C was developed for that application. I myself use the DX784ML but the XP was not yet available when I picked it up.. Sorry, mine's not for sale.

If you have line twist and don't want to drag the line behind the boat or don't have a boat...... connect a quality bearing swivel to a post, tree or other. Tie the line to the swivel and use your rod. Open the bail and walk off 10 to 20 yards beyond a max casting distance. Slowly reel yourself back to the swivel, watching the to see the swivel is spinning. Maintain some tension. This should remove the existing twist or at least 90 percent. It works pretty well.

Steelhead.

I don't do black Friday but was kicking around at a thrift store in town and found two new Pflueger President 6935 spinning reels for $26.40 each and an Abu Black max still in the clam pack for $18.60. Not exactly a Stella or Zillion but my god-son will be happy. What do you do

The Fury swimbait model hasn't been out very long and there isn't much written about it. A buddy of mine bought one. The first thing he commented on was it would double as his A-rig rod. He had planned on using the 765 Flip but the retail price was too affordable and he bought both. My experience with the Fury line is with a 735C and a 733C. My nephew picked up the 705CB and 765Flip. They are well made, balanced and sensitivity is is not Champion level but not that far from it. I would at least throw it in the mix. The price is right.

I've been a Seahawks fan since 1977. I can honestly say I know what it's like to be bi-polar.

yes and yes, a little

Luhr Jensen Speed Trap LC RC 1.5 Bomber Balsa B 6th Sense Crush 50 Norman's Fat Boy

Join a local club if one is available. In most cases, anglers like to help other anglers learn. The social benefits are many. Congratulations on your retirement.

I think the sweet spot is #8 but would not hesitate to use #6. My buddy likes #10 braid and a #6 leader on his. I am not a braid guy. I reel into my hook sets when I drop shot so #6 doesn't scare me. You have some good size spotted bass so the 742 should be, at least a consideration. My biggest bass on the DX742 was a 7 plus at Clear Lake Ca. It has tip and power. I just like it because of the range of use and weights. To be fair, I prefer longer rods than most people and some back bone. A 2 power no matter what you choose and you'll be gold. I hope this helps you.

The Dx Extreme is now the HP series. The blanks are made from 46 ton Torray. If you will fish to 45 feet, this would be the way to go. I can't comment on the exact model you ask about but the HP's are just a bit faster based on my casting model. I do have a 702 Champ and a Gen #2 DX742SF. The 702 is for lite (#6) line. The 742 can handle up to #10 without a hitch. It's a superb shakey head rod too. If I win the lottery, I would upgrade to all DX HP's.

Shimano "V" Diawa ? The companies are competing for your dollars as all manufactures are. Each reel, regardless of manufacture brings some impressive models to that price range. There is no best. Both models have a history of performance. This may be the time you apply the " what just feels good to me" factor.

I'm the new guy on this forum. I live in Washington. The quality of bass is better than you might think. I recognize the back drop in bassfash's photo.