NorthernBasser

My local Gander has a handful of the Elite Tech Bass rods on sale (closing). Regular $150 but marked down to 40% off. I loved how it felt in my hands but wasn't sure on Fenwick's reputation nowadays. I know years ago they were rather popular. After reading this thread I'm mad I didn't pick one up.

Well I went ahead and bought a 7' med-heavy Tournament Series casting rod. Reg. $80 on sale for $48. I figured why not for that price? Hopefully it holds up. Thanks for all the input guys. Now I have to decide if I want the Fenwick that they had there..

Thanks. Yeah, I hear ya on the rod usually being mediocre at best on these combos. But when I researched it, and saw that Lew's actually sells that rod separately (for $80), I thought "hmm, maybe this rod is actually decent". And I just read now that this won Best of Class for rod/reel combos at the 2016 iCast.

I've never used a Lew's before, but have heard pretty positive things about them. I saw this combo today at Dick's Sporting Goods and it felt really good in my hands. Anybody have any experience with this specific combo? https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjjxIKj9MHVAhVFxYMKHQg-Bb0QFgi1ATAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dickssportinggoods.com%2Fp%2Flews-mach-ii-speed-spool-baitcast-combo-16lewamch7ftmhbcccom%2F16lewamch7ftmhbcccom&usg=AFQjCNGKJy7l4Tqk78uVvM1ECzXvXVZqUg

Thanks guys. Definitely something to think about.

My local Gander Mountain has 40% off all rods right now (they're closing, and will be opening back up as Gander Outdoors). I was eye-balling some of their Gander Mountain brand rods. I was wondering if anybody had any experience with them. Thanks.

Thanks guys. So you just slide that right up the hook, and it'll stay? Or should I add a drop of super glue? Also, are those hanging rattles better than fixed ones like these? Do they hang up in the grass more? I've only ever used these fixed rattles.

Hi guys/gals. I just ordered some jogs from Siebert Outdoors (first time, thanks to this forum,,,can't wait). Anyways, I didn't order them with rattles because I heard such good things about their wire tie collars. If I did wanna add rattles to them, what would you recommend? What brand/style, and how do I go about adding them? I've seen numerous different styles of collars/rattles online. Thanks!

Gotcha. I have heard good things about the Tatula's. It's been years since I've had Daiwa reels. Maybe I'll have to add that to the list as well. Thanks again!

Thank you sir. Just thought it was odd that no other brand names were censored except for this one. Figured maybe you guys might just really hate that brand here or something.

Curious why part of my post was censored. All I did was mention a fishing brand that starts with "13" and some of their reel names.

I know I'm getting off topic here, but what are your reels of choice? I've always been a Curado guy. All of mine are a little older generation, but still perform like they're new. The key is, obviously, to take care of them. Cleaning, oiling, grease. I've been eyeing the Curado 200I, but now I see there's a new Curado coming our in Sept that sounds amazing. Also looking at ***, but have no experience with them. I hear good things about the ***. They also have a new reel coming out that sounds promising called the ***. Have you ever fished with *** before? Appreciate it.

How nice would it be if we could test out rods and reels before purchasing?

Thanks a ton for the write-up. I did mention I was looking at a rod around 7'2". I'm 5'11", so I wonder if something 7'6" would make it harder for me to walk the frog if I wanted. Right now I'm using a 7' med-heavy Abu Silver Max med-heavy, which has been doing well enough. But I've been meaning to upgrade. I used to fish a TON. But I kind of took the last 6-7 years off, so a lot of these companies are new to me. Most of my rods are St. Croix, Shimano, BPS and Gander Guide Series. I have heard a lot about Dobyns in my recent research. Again, thanks a bunch. I'll definitely look into the rods that you mentioned. BTW, I did look for a search feature before I started this thread. Somehow I must've missed it. My bad.

Hi all. I wanna get another rod for flipping/froggin'. Looking at something around 7'2" med heavy. I see some rods with the microguides, but have never used them. Thoughts on them? Pros and cons? Any recommendations on rods for flipping/frogging?? Thanks a bunch.

Congrats! As a fellow Wisconsinite, I know how great those 20+ inchers are. My PB is 22.5" and it weighed in at a little over 6 lbs. Yours does look a tad bigger than 4, as others have said. Hard to tell from pics tho.