Manifestgtr

I’ve been using an aldebaran with a 68mxf legend x for years and really like that setup. St croix’s 68mxf is a great rod for jerky baits. Shorter length works nicely for tip down heavy presentations and the tip itself feels like it was tailor made for flicking smaller baits around. The victory 68mxf is a really nice alternative if you don’t feel like spending $400 on a rod. Line choice is even more subjective…I use 30-40lb braid with an 8-10# mono leader but I would never presume to say that’s anything other than the setup that works for me.

It looks like you’re looking at the spinning rods? I can’t comment on those SPECIFICALLY because I’m all baitcasting but I can tell you this much. The Legend X is one of the finest rods I’ve ever held. They completely stack up to NRX and Conquest in my experience. The 68MXF is my personal favorite but the 7MHF is really nice, too. I have a 68MHF on the way for short range toading (a bit odd but I have a feeling it’s gonna be nice). Torzite guides, unbelievable cork and some of St Croix’s finest graphite…they’re really hard to argue with unless you need a stiffer tip section.

That’s kind of my thought process…and I love the 68MXF so much that it would be a shocker to me if the 68MHF didn’t end up being “better” than my current mojo, at the very least.

HAH that’s great I’m pretty much the same way. If it were up to me, jeans and a button down shirt are all I would wear for the rest of my life.

Not at all…function, reliability, and comfort are my top priorities at all times. Sometimes I’ll see somebody reviewing a rod and lamenting the wrapping, etc. That goes completely over my head. I understand that fit and finish can sometimes be correlated to things like build quality and reliability but that would be the only scenario where it mattered to me, personally. That being said, my lightweight frog combo looks like some sort of crazy, alien weapon: It’s a pure coincidence…the engetsu is my favorite frogging reel and I wanted to try a zodias for light frogs. But it still makes me chuckle whenever I look at it because it’s almost TOO perfect…completely on accident.

The 68MXF has been one of my favorite rods for several years. It stands up to my NRX/Conquest stuff all day. It’s comfortable, lightweight, pairs incredibly with an aldebaran and mops the floor with anything in the 1/4-3/8oz range (a vital weight range for weightless plastics). With that being said, I just bought a 68MHF Legend X for toads (got a really nice deal). My short range toad rod has been a 66MHF Mojo for the last 4-5 seasons. I like short rods for that application because they’re easy to whip under docks, etc. and the MH has the right balance of horsepower and finesse to easily chuck a weightless toad but still set the hook effectively…for me, at least… The Legend X is gonna be way, WAY overkill for toads but I think it’ll find its way into double duty for other stuff and there are times of the year when I have that specific combo in hand for *hours* at a time. So it’s a function of wanting an ultimately lightweight, comfortable rod for that role. I’m curious to see how the relatively wispy Legend X tip does with toads…come August, I’m sure I’ll have that question pretty firmly answered.

My skipping/dock combo has a 20 metanium and I use the same settings as any other reel. Minimal side to side movement with variable braking. Skipping is a technique that’s 90% user and 10% gear…and most of that 10% is taken up by having a bait that will actually skip effectively. I would just practice, try to get good with any given, reasonable combo and not worry about the braking. If you HAVE TO rely on heavy braking for certain techniques, you’re going to need to fiddle with your brakes on the fly or use dedicated equipment. Your thumb is your best friend in these situations and training it isn’t a major hassle, truly. Plus, you’ll always have all the braking you need right at your disposal.

I would go for a heavy in the legend x series. I don’t subscribe to the idea that you need a pool cue to throw frogs…I’ve never used anything heftier than your average “heavy” but you DO want some oomph to get a good hookset and haul em out of the timber, etc. Getting a good hookset with a pair of heavier frog hooks seems like it might be a predictable issue with the MH legend x…but I’ve never thrown anything other than the medium for weightless plastics which I love…it’s been one of my favorite rods for the last couple of years.

I’m incredibly brand-loyal…shimano, loomis and st croix…that’s basically it. It’s simply because I know exactly how my stuff feels, how it operates and if I’m going to add a new combo, how it will likely feel once I’m out on the water. It has nothing to do with believing this stuff is the best in the world (although in some cases, such as the conquest, I think you would at least have a solid argument). Even if it’s not via brand loyalty, there’s something to be said for consistency and predictability. That’s the only real value in brand loyalty, imo. This “daiwa vs shimano!” stuff doesn’t interest me and picking teams gets annoying quickly. That’s the aspect of brand loyalty that I’ll never take part it.

Wow, you frog with a MH Legend X? You’re a braver man than I. I have two combos that see nothing but one bait type… 844c conquest/met for jigs 1/4oz and up (I never really throw anything heavier than 1/2oz) 68MXF Legend X/alde for weightless flukes A lot of my other stuff tends to stick with one or two baits but those are the combos I’ve found to excel at one, specific confidence bait…so they never see anything else.

Yesterday was one of the better jig bites of the year…black, blue and purple all day. Dropping a finesse jig, swimming a grass jig, they wanted it all. I had two completely separate knot failures, brought on by what I believe to have been very large bass. I know the pickerel snap quite well…a jagged, sometimes frayed, toothy cut. These were very obvious knot failures on two different combos, two separate leaders of 12lb big game. They were both HARD pulls and after the first, I decided it was time to use an improved clinch knot over the normal, high speed, clinch knot I’ve been tying for almost 30 years. Another freight train hit, another twisty, undone knot. The only thing I can think of is that my leaders might be a bit long in the tooth? I don’t think that’s the case, though. I make a point to swap them out reasonably often and if that were the case, I feel like this would’ve happened to me before…

100% this is exactly how I do it and it results in at least a 70% hookup ratio for me…probably higher, but I don’t want to exaggerate and make people go ?

The horny road bite today culminated in this nice little ~3lber right near the end, taken from wayyy under a pontoon boat what a great little bait

After two seasons of trying to like my z-man toads, after a half dozen others, I’ve finally found the “best” toad…for me at least You can leave the legs intact and fish it like a “finesse buzzbait”, you can tear em a bit and make some ruckus, the hookup ratio is top notch with a 4/0 ewg (my usual fluke hook) which means it can be thrown on a MH with no problem. On top of that they’re durable, relatively buoyant and come in zoom’s nice color selection. I’m sure others will chime in with toads they like more, as is the nature of any forum and a good thing…but man. This is the first road I’ve ever thrown where I haven’t had that “man, I wish THIS was different” thought

I know it’s an old thread and decisions have long been made but in my opinion, the CNQ 844c is the greatest all-purpose jig rod ever created…I’ve never thrown a rod that equals it in that realm (in fairness, I’ve never thrown a megabass or steez so I have no comparison to make there). I have to imagine the NRX 854c and GLX 844c are of similar ilk since my NRX 853c and 803c are so nice for lighter jigs. But the thing that really sets the conquest apart is its casting “stability”…that wacky, spirally construction really adds an extra layer of predictability to each cast, pitch, skip, whatever.

For me, it’s not even a question…no hesitation…Shimano Scorpion xt1000. In a way, these reels represent the pinnacle for Shimano and they can be had around $100 if you’re patient. A tightly engineered, JDM, curado 50e that palms and throws as nicely as any “modern” reel…and better than most. The aldebaran mg7 is in the same category for me but they’re a little tougher to find in good condition under $150 shipped. I know the spirit of this thread is more geared toward new reels that don’t get the attention they deserve but the scorpion xt should STILL be in that conversation, imo.

I’m kind of neutral on them. My favorite guides are torzite and yes, the dreaded NRX recoils (they work, they’re light, I like them…what are you gonna do). I’m almost exclusively braid to leader aside from my straight braid frogging/pitching and the only times I run into issues with my (carefully manicured) blood knots are occasionally when the knot will hang up as I’m about to land a fish. I could do without that…and the “ticking” of my leader knot through a ridiculously expensive set of Legend X torzite guides can be a little disturbing…but thus far, that’s about it. To be honest, I don’t pay a ton of attention to the micros on some of my rods unless I’m rerigging after a cleaning or a reel swap.

Fished Lost Lake in Groton today (high pressure, bluebird skies, variable wind) and it’s official. We’re now into that time of year that’s truly dominated by stealthier presentations deep in the shade…unless you’re an offshore enthusiast, naturally. Nearly every fish I took was on a wacky rigged, pumpkin, BPS stik-o thrown deep underneath overhanging brush, docks and generally thick cover. It’s not my favorite way to catch ‘em…I’m a power fisherman and a jig specialist at heart but hey. It’s the third week of August. What are you gonna do?

I’m hard pressed to criticize any aspect of the 844c but I don’t think walking baits are the best application for it. I’ve used an NRX 803c for topwater before (way overkill) and even that didn’t feel 100% “right”. Strictly speaking, medium power is best. Will the 844c work? Yes, there isn’t much that rod won’t do…you’ll just have an easier time walking and keeping fish pinned will a medium power. Can’t speak on that destroyer, personally…but if it’s a lighter power, it’s probably more apropos

Now that’s a luxury tube ?

I’ve been tying my own jigs for a while but never pulled the trigger on a pot/mold setup. Aside from the “front to back”artistry, is there any other benefit to pouring your own heads? I’m already in the ~$2 range per jig so I can’t imagine it making an enormous difference in that dept.

I’m not a Dobyns guy. I’ve never owned one or, indeed, held one…but I do know that the Sierra line is very nice and very highly regarded. In order to noticeably step up the sensitivity from there, you’re spending quite a bit more, typically $400+ This is probably not what you want to hear but honestly, you miiiight wanna consider just getting some time in on the Sierra and learning how it feels in every situation. You’re already doing better than 99% of the rods on the market…and unless you wanna swing for the fences and spend $400+ dollars on the nicest Dobyns/Loomis/SC, it’ll mostly be splitting hairs. Skill and experience trumps gear ten times out of ten. All of that being said, the one rod line I can think of in that $200 range is the Shimano Expride series. They’re just as highly regarded as the Sierra line is and they’re known for being highly sensitive given the price point.

The single biggest help for me was tucking my elbow which TOTALLY makes sense in hindsight. When you play guitar, your picking hand needs an anchor point…if your hand is waving around in space, you have no reference and you’ll never be accurate. Tucking my elbow became my “anchor point”…it’s the reference my body uses to understand what needs to happen. Looking back, my accuracy was completely hit and miss (honestly, it still is on occasion) before I started referencing with my elbow, etc.

I’m a bad offender in this realm. Most of my combos are specific to various “confidence baits”…844c jig rod, medium/fasts for weightless plastics, etc. I can get it alllll done with 5-6 combos, though. My frog rod doubles on jigs if that bite is hot and my medium/fasts will cover jerkbaits, chatters, spinners and flukes if those bites are hot. It mostly comes down to my lack of patience on the water. If I want to switch from a fluke to a jig, I want to do it NOW. It’s that artist’s/builder’s philosophy: “the shortest path between your idea and its implementation”. First order retrievability…reach for it and go. It’s not for everyone and it leads to having more gear than you need but everyone has his own specific style.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been using moss green big game 8-12# as leader material and main line for well over 20 years. I think it’s a pretty good compromise in most situations as far as “camo” goes…but it’s not going to beat fluorocarbon in terms of sheer invisibility. I just can’t bring myself to throw fluorocarbon for bass when I don’t rely on its buoyant properties or invisibility. Maybe if I was smallmouth fishing Lake Placid on a regular basis? I dunno, man…I truly don’t feel like my big game costs me many fish. Bogus technique, goofy color choice and miscalculated gameplans? That’s another story…