FISHmyst

I'm new to the baitcaster scene, and to a lesser extent bass fishing. Recently moved to Missouri from the Seattle area. Spent about a week at the local tackle shop testing out the various rods. The shop owner who has spent his entire life fishing bass told me that it is his personal rod of choice. I always fall on side of skepticism when it comes to people selling things but his shop/ services came highly reccomended by a former coworker who has won Missouri bass angler multiple times and is succcessful in the tournament scene. My first day on the water with zodais was nothing short of a revelation. I only wish I had discovered it earlier. I could cast that thing a country mile and it's so light it felt like an extension of my arm. I was worried about the warranty but I figure if it doesn't break during 1 year of heavy use (3-5x a week) then it will be fine in long run.

I recently picked up the Shimano Zodais 7" 2' MH rod. Got it for jigs and weighted soft plastics. But have been playing around with everything on it. Last night caught my personal best on it while testing weightless soft plastics on it for the first time. Easily a 3.5-4 + pounder. Came in right around 20 inches. I can not not say enough good things about the Zodais. It's light as a feather, the sensitivity is amazing, its looks are top notch and it casts with distance and accuracy.

Thank you all all for the suggestions! There is so much info out there it's easy to got caught in the reeds. I'm wading my way through tho! Ive been at the local tackle shop multiple times this week inspecting the shimano and dobyns rods. So far I'm leaning towards the shimano although it does not have a hookkeeper which is kind of annoying. Seems like it's a bit lighter than the comparable dobyns fury and it sure is asthetically pleasing. Unfortunately they don't have any powell or irods for me to feel out. BPS might have a wider selection of rods but I prefer to support a small local business. In terms of reels, I reelly like the feel of the diawa tatula CT, shimano casitas, and the lews tournament MB speed spool. Kind of a toss up at this point. Will have to decide soon but the number of quality options is making it difficult! What do you guys think about the difference in braking mechanics? To keep things simple I started using primarily Texas rigged weightless plastic worms aka senko. Had great success with that on my spinner rod and as Ive gained confidence with my 7' MF baitcaster (easing off the magnetic brakes) I can now cast that same bait even further and with more accuracy. I think with the blend of sensitivity and power that rod will be perfect for senkos going forward. It might not be the absolute perfect setup for pros but for now it suffice as a decent versatile setup that will land me fish senko style. I like senkos because the tackle is simple, cheap, and the process is methodical albeit sometimes a bit slow. Recently I've tried using that 7' MF caster for skirted weedless jigs but have noticed it is not going to cut it long term for that application. Starting to learn the different feel between jig weight on the bottom, subsurface structure, vegetation and fish strikes. Although I've landed a few fish on my caster setup while jigging, I'm fairly certain it does not have the horse power to consistently get productive hooksets. With practice I'm sure I could get more proficient with jigging on that rod but I want to be able to swap casting setups at moments notice and have full confidence that I'm not losing fish due to gear related issues but rather my relative noobness. I can overcome the noob phase! I will!

I was thinking of either the shimano zodais or the dobyns fury line. So like the warranty offered by gloomis but the guy at the local shop has been raving about zodais and the dobyns fury. No idea about what reel to get although I'm a big fan of my current lews. I fish from shore and kayak equally. Mid Missouri. Lots of cover by summer.

Hey All! new to the site. looking to make an addition to my stable of baitcasters (currently only one lol). Price range is flexible but shooting for 300-400ish. Was hoping I could list my rods/ reel combos then get some tips to compliment my current gear. 6'6" St. Croix premiere MF spinning rod with shimano reel, and 7' MF *** baitcaster with a lews reel. I'm thinking of a 7'2" or 7'3" MH-F for jigs and maybe t-rigs? I really have had success fish with Senkos but I think my 7 footer might be plenty good for that. I'm looking for rod/ reel suggestions so the more the merrier!

MDC is really amazing. I'm using a 12lb copolymer line that the folks at tackle warehouse suggested. Thanks for the warm warm welcome all!

Thanks! I live in the Columbia area. The issue I've noticed is that the fast action on my baitcaster dampens my hookset a bit (been using weedless jigs). My thought is that an extra fast action rod would be more ideal for the jigs I've been using due less bending and more energy directly transferred to hookset. I might just be over analyzing it since I'm still trying to get the technique down but I lost what felt like a PB monster the other day and am still skulking haha. Thanks! I live in the Columbia area. The issue I've noticed is that the fast action on my baitcaster dampens my hookset a bit (been using weedless jigs). My thought is that an extra fast action rod would be more ideal for the jigs I've been using due less bending and more energy directly transferred to hookset. I might just be over analyzing it since I'm still trying to get the technique down but I lost what felt like a PB monster the other day and am still skulking haha.

Hello all! I'm relatively new to the Midwest. Moved to mid Missouri from Washington State not too long ago. Grew up fishing for salmon and trout with my dad. It was hard to leave the chrome salmon and towering mountains behind but the abundance of fishable ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers in Missouri have filled the void more than I could have ever hoped. On any given day I can fish different bodies of water before work, during my lunch break, and on the way home. What the Midwest lacks in Salmon overwhelmingly compensates for with fishing oppurntunities. It's fitting for me because I just love to get out there and spend time near the water with my dog. The best way to explain it to my nonangler friends is that fishing is my happy place. On the unfortunate occurance of me getting skunked, I still have a blast. I find that learning what didn't work on that particular occasion is just as informative as the days where I can't keep fish off my line! Bass fishing is a different beast than what I'm accustomed too so I've been trying to learn as much about it as I can. This site has been a huge help. I've been lurking in the cover for awhile much like the bass I've been going after. So thank you to all the posters out there! Kudos! I will be the first to admit that the more I learn about Midwest fishing the more I realize I don't know haha. Starting out, I kept things simple with weightless and bullet weighted T-rigs on my 6'6" MF spinning rod (St. Croix Premiere series rod with Shimano Symetre 2500fl reel). I found some spots around me where nearly every cast resulted in a entertaining fight with a largemouth. I've since caught bass on crankbaits, frogs, jigs and even a variety of flies on my fly rod. I want to expand my stable of rods (currently 2). Not sure if this is the right thread but I wanted to tie in my question with my backstory to let everyknow how much of a noob I am haha Ms hopefully tailor a response to someone who might not understand all the typical jargon. Until recently I'd never used a baitcaster before. Always stuck to spinning rods because that's what I grew up using. Finally got my first baitcaster last week (from tacklewarehouse). It's a 7'0" MF rod with a low profile lews reel (Mach speed spool MCS). Seemed like an all around versatile rod for my first baitcaster. I've been out 4 different times and already in love with the baitcaster user mechanics. So much so that I never want to put it down for my spinner. What I've noticed tho is that my hook sets while jig'n with the baitcaster have been far from fruitful. I'd like to convert it to a primary t-rig rod while getting a new baitcaster that's more jig specific. When my girl friend isn't using my spinning rod, I plan to use it for primarily spinner baits or even maybe a crappie setup. Price range is flexible. If this his is the wrong place to discuss such things I apologize and will redirect my questions to a different thread! FISH ON!!