kayaking_kev

I have 3, but most use the spook jr on small rivers in very early spring, before I break out the Whopper Plopper. It seems like they start hitting the spook before they start hitting the WP. I don't think I caught any fish on the Zara Puppy or One Knocker yet, but I have only fished them once or twice.

It appears from watching a PunchFishing video on YT, also a fellow poster on this forum, the Daemos weighs in at 4.59 and the Expride 4.55. That's about the same as my Xtasy 723c weighs and of course with it's excellent balance, it feels even lighter in hand and that's with all the kevlar wrapping it has on it. I would like to try something a little lighter, like a Conquest, NRX, Adrena, Legend Xtreme AGS, etc...

I just want to add I have other rods (listed below), for different techniques, I'm just looking for that one rod I can grab when I'm only taking one with me to beat the banks that can cover a multitude of techniques. So it doesn't have to be great at certain applications, it just needs to not consistently lose me fish. I have a few rods that are like that now, but I'm wanting to try something new. 723c 734c 704cb Glass 663c 735c 702sf Thanks for all the responses so far. I'm leaning towards a Conquest 843c, but I might be interested in an Extreme AGS if I could find a good deal on them, and I'm going to look into a custom build also. Does anyone know how much a Destroyer Daemos weighs?

That's why I need to try something else out and find out for myself. There are a few like yourself, who are not high on Dobyns, and there are plenty that are and some of them say they have NRX, Conquest, etc... and they say they like their Xtasy better. That is something I haven't thought of. Taking a NRX and putting Torzite Guides on it and carbon fiber grips. I bet that would be expensive, but possible right?

Interesting and good info to know about the Black Widow, I thought seen a few people on here the other day maybe it was an old thread I searched, where they were praising them.

I'm thinking about trying some other higher end rods besides the Dobyns Xtasy 723c and 755c. I like my Dobyns, but I really won't know how good they are until I try some other brands. I know all of these rods are good and it's mostly based on personal preference, but I just wanted to see how some of you would rank them, and how they might compare to my Xtasy 723c. Or, even some feedback from those that own some of these rods would be helpful. I'm looking for more of an all around casting rod for t-rigs, jigs, single hook moving baits, and the occasional lipless, nothing longer than a 7'3. My personal preference is for some softness in the tip with a little parabolic bend, and it has to have a good warranty. The lighter the better, and Made is the U.S.A. is a plus. I'm also a sucker for nice looking rods, a big reason why I choose the Xtasys. I fish for Smallmouth, usually no bigger than 3 lbs, and Largemouth usually no bigger than 4 lbs, with a lot of dinks in between with not much cover, which I why I prefer a softer tip with more parabolic action. Poison Adrena 7'3" MH (These have really caught my attention lately for the lightness and looks. I have heard some say they are pretty stiff, but I'm looking into the 7'3 MH with the Reg-Fast Action) Edge Black Widow 7'3" MH (I have heard these are insanely light, but there may be a long wait to receive one. I'm unsure on how their actions are) Conquest 843c (I already came close to getting this rod back when I got my Xtasys, it seems like an excellent all around rod.) Expride 7'2 MH (Probably not quite as good as the others, but everyone talks about how they are the best for the money.) Destroyer Daemos (I don't know how much these weigh and if they are as light as the others, but it seems like a good versatile stick that a little more parabolic than the expride.) NRX 873c (Not much needs to be said about this rod, I almost feel like I have to try one or I won't ever quit wondering about it. The thing that has prevented me from getting one so far, is that it's made from 10 year old components. I'm also not sure how it would do with single hook moving baits and lipless either.) Also feel free to add some other not on the list, because I know there are a few more that could be added, like a Kistler Helium 3 or Z-Bone, or a some St.Croix Rods. It has to be super light though, I would like it to be under 4 oz, but no higher than 4.2. Thanks!

Exactly! It bothers me sometimes though when it happens on a long cast and then I start making short casts. It's stuck like that until I hopefully make a just as long as cast as before. A few times I have tried to open the bail and let line out to fix it and reel it back in, but that led to a few wind knots. That's what might end up happening, now that I don't have to contend with microwave guides.

I've never had it happen with braid either, but has happened to me with 4 lb mono. It might be the problem. I have a whole list of things to try out now to see if I can resolve the issue. I appreciate the help and quick responses from everyone, I will let you know how goes after my next trip.

Seems flat to me. No jerkbait, but we have had at least 15 mph here in Ohio seems about everyday for awhile now.

Daiwa Revros LT

Yes, always.

I've been using spinning gear a little more this year for cold water finesse bass fishing and for pan-fish. I have very little experience with spinning reels overall, but I've been having a problem during retrieve, with my line missing the spool on the bottom and wrapping around the frame instead. What causes this and what can I do to solve it? I been using a size 2000 reel with 6# Mono.

I think I finally settled on a reel for my Xtasy 723c, I got this Tatula SV TW103 last week and it feels great together. I did have a Tatula 100 on it, but my brief experiment with left handed reels has ended already and so far this has been my favorite Daiwa reel out of the Tatula 100, Tatula CT Type-R, Catalina TW, which were all three handed reels. The Catalina was super nice also, but I just like the smaller size and weight of this Tatula SV better. As far as people comparing the SV spool to the Shimano DC reels, I would say they are close, but the DC still seems a little better in the wind, but I haven't spent as much time with the SV yet as the DC, so my opinion might change. But, the biggest difference between this reel and my DC is the weight, this one weights over an 1 oz less. So I would say SV for lighter rods and DC for heavier rods, IMO.

The Fury 703c was the first of 14 Dobyns rods I bought and there's really no difference between it and the 663c, the 663c weighs 4.4 and the 703c, 4.5. If I get a chance later, I might throw my DC on the 663c and see how it balances and take a pic for you, because it's kind of weird with Dobyns rods sometimes, they do seem to balance well no matter if it's a 6.9 oz or 7.9 oz reel.

The Black Max was my 1st BC also and I was able to pick it up easily as long as you do some research on how to set it up. But, after two years of hard use and abuse from taking it on the kayak, the thumb bar came loose on one side and I had to glue it back, and it's also pretty geary now. But, like I said I put that thing through the ringer with no reel cover and pretty heavy use, for the money, I can't complain. I believe all three of those reels will be similar as they are made from the same factory.

I have the 663c and I like it for jerkbaits and it's also my do all rod for kayak fishing skinny rivers. It's a very versatile rod and I can't really complain about the sensitivity. I guess my only concern if I were you, would be using a heavier reel with it and how it's going to balance with the Curado DC. I have a SLX MGL 70 on mine right now and also use a SLX XT with it and they balance great with it. I probably wouldn't put my SLX DC on it unless I had to, but that's just me. I mean it's not going to balance terribly with the Curado DC and you would probably have a hard time finding any 6'6 rod that's going to balance a DC reel perfectly, unless it's a Metanium. I did have a couple of Shimano SLX rods but they were 7'2 MH and 7'5 H and didn't balance well at all, even with heavier reels, even though they were lighter than the Fury. I have heard the shorter SLX rods don't have the balance issue and might even balance better with a Curado DC, but the warranty is crap on them compared to Dobyns. I've had a Fenwick before and it was a little to heavy for me with bad balance, but it was also a bigger rod. I've never tried a Daiwa rod yet, so I don't know about them. The AirXD and Tatula XT seem like good values. I'm guessing you don't have a store near you that carries some of the models where you can take your reel with you and test the balance out of them or else that would be the way to go.

What are the differences between the regular Tatula and the Tatula XT?

Fuego CT can usually be had at Walmart for $75 and I'm not sure how the Tatula compares to the Tatula XT, but the XT is/was on sale at Sportsman Outfitters for $70.

I paid $40 shipped each for a few 7'1 MH Fate Black Rods a few months back, I wouldn't pay much more for them to be honest. I don't buy and resell to make money, I buy to try out different stuff and resell to make my money back, but in this case I got them and didn't even care to use them. I did like the 13 Defy Black Crankbait Rod though.

So much of it is personal preference, some guys like different actions, lengths and powers versus others for specific techniques. Then there are those that prefer graphite, glass, or composite for certain techniques. And, then it also varies on where you are located at, Northerners usually like lighter gear than Southerners, because of less vegetation. This is pretty much on what I have personally settled on after trying about 2 dozen rods in the last 6 months. 7'3 H/F = Jigs, Frogs, 1/2 oz Spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits, 1/2 oz Dark Sleeper, Buzzbaits, 110 Whopper Plopper 7'2 MH/F = T-Rigs, Finesse Jigs, Lipless, 3/8 oz Spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits, Neko Rig, 1/4 oz Ned Rig & Shakeyhead, Wacky Rig 7'0 M/F Glass Composite= 1/4 oz - 1/2 oz Crankbaits, Squarebills 6'6 MH/F = Jerkbait and Kayak Utility Rod 6'3 M/MF = Kayak Cranking Rod, 90 Whopper Plopper, Poppers 7'0 ML/F = Spinning Rod for Finesse Techniques

I had that rod and put a 2500 on it, and it balanced perfect, so I would go with a 3000. But, the 2500 I had on it was also as heavy as the Fuego LT 4000, so I'm sure that would also balance well if you liked the bigger reels.

This is a puzzle I have been trying to solve also. My rivers are even shallower that only kayaks and canoe can navigate and this time of year with all the rain, the flow makes it hard to fish. I always catch something, but sometimes it's just a rock bass this time of year and nothing like it is when it warms up a little. I mostly fish a section that is between two dams that are about 20 miles apart and although there might be a few deeper holes, it's pretty shallow for the most part. I haven't actually fished the whole 20 mile stretch between the two dams, but it just seems like the smallies aren't there. If they are they aren't biting or they must really be on top of each other in what deeper holes there are. I don't want to hijack the thread, but do you think bass are able to navigate through these dams at all? They aren't the highest damns, maybe 4 ft at it's highest, but I guess when the water is really high it might be pretty easy for them to navigate.

I would hope nobody is choosing to buy high end gear over shelter, food and other essentials. I could care less what other people are using. I used an Ugly Stik GX2 paired with a Abu Garcia Black Max for most of my 515+ fish last year and still plan to use it in some this year right along side my Xtasy. The year before that I used a Zebco 202 combo that I got for $10 from Walmart and I still have that also. I know what gear you have and it's pretty good and nobody honestly needs anything better than that. I believe you have AirXD's and a Fury and that's some of the best gear you can get based on price vs performance.

That's what people who laugh at us who buy high end gear don't understand. I always get a few people who laugh when I post high end gear for sale, especially locally where everyone seems to use Ugly Stik's. Don't get me wrong, I love my Ugly Stik GX2, but it's not the same. This is only my 3rd season fishing and I just started buying high end gear in October and already have got to experience more rods and reels than most people have in their lifetime. I have a meme that I always reply to those that want to laugh at high end gear, it says, " Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it's stupid, it means you are".

No problem, I enjoy talking fishing, it helps me learn as well. Are you dead set on that rod or Shimano in general? I was going to ask if the Tatula XT cranking rods are available in your area. I know sportsman outfitters have a 7'0 Medium on sale for $80, not sure if they ship to Japan though. https://www.sportsmansoutfitters.com/products/daiwa-tatula-xt-rod And, I'm not sure how much you are paying for the SLX MGL, but I got mine from Japan for a good price from here. https://fishing.asian-portal.shop/category/select/cid/352/bid/49/pinfo/10000-to-19999/pid/295258 Maybe it will save you some money to spend on another rod.