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I just bought. 7'6" Diawa Tatula and love it. I've Been bank fishing with it lately which, taking away the height of a boat from the water, effectively makes me your height. Hasn't been a huge issue and several times I've tossed a frog on there when I wanted to reach a bit further. I have a Lews Tournament G on mine now but my reasoning is it was the last reel standing. I would have put a BB1 pro or one of my Tatula Rs on it, but of the bunch, the Tourney G is my least favorite so it went on the rod most likely to see the heaviest baits.

Personally, although the recommendation of others is helpful, if I were spending the time and money to fish the series in 2017, I would be at Seminole and Chickamauga in my boat before I run out of 2016. Comfort level is very subjective. If you want to be competitive, which I assume you do, take that question out of the equation while you still can. You will have enough other things that can pose challenges during the tourney. Good luck to you either way.

Very nice fish. Good job.

Black Friday is coming and prices will drop. Last year, I broke the tip on a BPS Carbonlite and swapped the broken rod for a 6'9" MHXF since it was the only MH they had in stock. It sat for awhile because I was using a longer rod for topwater, but I finally swapped them to give it a try. I haven't went back. There are certainly better rods, but with a retail at $109, I'm guessing you could get close on Black Friday. Better yet, they might have them paired up with Pro Qualifier reels.

Braid has a tendency to dig into itself. Higher the test, less likely this is to happen. Plus, I personally don't know that I'm always going to be fishing open water without weeds, trees or docks. Sounds like tuna fishing to me. I personally search that Stuff out.

Do you work at a tackle shop or is there something else that draws people to you with this particular question?

I'm with Bluebasser86 on this. My wife has a Supreme XT and I find myself using it as much as my Shimano Stradic Ci4+. I even like the handle knob better. We have a couple of Presidents and they are great reels but the Supreme XT feels really nice. I never have bought a reel anywhere close to the advertised price so shop around and you can find it substantially cheaper than $150.

Good looking fish. I really enjoyed Lake Fork. Visually it screams "fish" and it doesn't disappoint. I even had a reasonable day four days after the last big bass bash. Talk about a high pressure time of the year.

Never underestimate the size bait that a bass can eat. And just because they can, doesn't mean they will. Don't be afraid to downsize if you aren't getting bites.

I wouldn't consider using anything other than braid for that rod's intended use. My pitching rod has 50 pound braid on it and the frog rod has 65. Like Fishnkamp said, it's all about getting the bait and fish out of the junk.

STL is St. Louis. You probably know the city better as having a baseball team that finally took some time off from the playoffs this year to give the Cubs a chance. My son lives in Thornton, CO and has kept me up to date on the weird weather out there this year. He works for a roofing company, so his life revolves around hail storms.

Between cutting grass and "winter" fishing when it is 85 degrees outside, I'm ready for a consistent drop in temps. Every time a cold front pushes through, my day of the week to fish has been a day or two later. I haven't seen a cloud while fishing since September.

I'm with Burtonxj on this (kind of). I like spinning gear and use a Stradic Ci4+. My rod is a 6'10" MLXF brand that cannot be mentioned. I like the Mojo Bass a lot, this rod is just slightly better though with the difference being casting distance., I like super light baits on spinning set ups. Seems more natural to me.

I know nothing about pinning a fish down, but I know at our closest deep lake, Kentucky Lake, fizzing is the go to for everyone I fish with. Quick, easy, and it works.

I'd love to see more Hawaiian bass picture. Never even thought about bass there.

Although very basic compared to some of the rest of the reels you are looking at, when it comes to casting distance, my plain old vanilla BB1, never ceases to amaze me. It always edges out my BB1 Pros, my Tournament G, and my Type Rs. It is on a 7 foot moderate rod and I personally find myself letting my moderate rods do the work much more than I do with my extra fast rods which leads back to what folks are saying about the importance of the rod. I will regress to 8 year old with an Ugly Stick sometime during the day and start forcing casts. That is until I realize the rod can do the work for me and it will do it better. Then it's back to the same distance or more with less effort. Remember though, each blank is going to be different. For example, I have two spinning rods. Both are 6'10" MLXF. One is a St. Croix Mojo Bass, the other is a higher end company that can't be talked about. That rod consistently, no matter who is using it, will cast 10 yards further then the Mojo Bass with the same effort. I don't swing for the bleachers with a ML rod, so it is 100% the blank doing the work for me. Funny thing is, I like the feel of the Mojo Bass once the bait is in the water. The blank is sensitive enough, but not hyper sensitive if that makes sense. On a final note, many people have been mentioning Tatula reels. I love them and will be buying a few more soon. However, don't forget the Tatula rods. I just picked up my first one and I am very impressed for the money.

I've colored the line and carry Sharpies with me just in case. With that said, tying a leader on is more effective and The knot has never been the weak point in my gear.

I'll be out somewhere in St. Charles county bank fishing this weekend and you are more than welcome to try out my wife's Supreme XT . I think it's an awesome reel that's why I almost always have it with me.

MLXF spinning, MHF casting rod, moderate casting rod, unless there was a lot of vegetation then I would trade the last one for a heavy fast.

I have both of those rods from that company although my 6'10" is the model with the better blank. It would (and is) be my choice and I also use it a lot for Ned rigs. Caught an 8 pound channel cat on it last week, so it will handle some hefty fish too.

This is why I travel to Florida to fish. The completely unnatural, possibly toxic, glow in the dark water is getting in the way of catching bass. What can I do about it? No one says "leave" because we all know there's the potential that a really good fish will be in there. Can't wait until I go back in February.

If the fish are eating things that crawl, mimic things that crawl. Tube on a shakey head works well for me when the water temp drops, but you have to be patient and let it sit sometimes. You have current on your side so it could be a boring day for you since the current will do all of the work.

Maybe winter time is the time for me to start melting some lead myself. Are you guys powder coating these after they are poured or painting them? I go through a ton of finesse heads every year.

Add me to the very interested if you decide to sell them list.

Are you maybe thinking of some people adding a split ring?