Gazz

Trying to gets some ideas for preferred vibrating jig rods that are not glass rods and do not come with a full cork grip. The obvious answer is probably an NRX+ but I'm not trying to go that route at the moment. I know the IMX Pro has a great rod but it's full cork and I don't want that. My thoughts right now are 7'5 MH/F Zodias and 7'5 Orochi Brailist. The Brailist is just a theory of mine that it could be a great vibrating jig rod with the rod being a bit more parabolic and still having the power. I've wanted there Brailist for awhile anyways so killing 2 birds would be great but it's not my main concern. Any suggestions?

I just got a new Curado MGL 150 to put on my Expride B that’s coming tomorrow. Very excited for this setup. The reel seems exceptional and right at $200. You’ve got a lot of options at that price point so it’s going to come down to preference. The Curado 150 is very low profile and compact if that means anything to you.

I started to collect more than I would use so I started to just replace or upgrade as opposed to adding. I have 7 main setups that cover almost every application I could need aside from big swimbaits and stuff. I take all of them out with me and I often cycle through them trying different thing. If I find something I really like or decide I don’t love a rod in my arsenal then I will get what I want and either sell the current one or donate it/sell it real cheap to a buddy that doesn’t have the greatest gear. I keep my lineup reasonable and still get to satisfy my need for new gear. That being said, I don’t get rid of something if I really like it even if I am adding something. I am actually in the process of looking into St Croixs Avid X and higher and if you are interested in getting rid of any I’d love to hear what you’re looking for. An MH/XF is likely what I need. I’m new to St Croix and have been told over and over that they are a more moderate rod so go XF for things like t rigs jigs and all around.

Thanks everyone. It looks like it is a little late for the deals on those units. Missed some great deals.

Looking for recommendations on graphs in the $500-$1,000 range that offer the best bang for your buck. Hoping it will at least have down imaging and side imaging and a decent sized screen. It will be for the front of the boat. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Funny you say that. Quick update. I realized they also had the Curado 70 on sale and I love my Curado Ks so I bought one of those too. I told myself I would see which one I like better and return the other. So looks like I’ll likely be keeping both. Also accidentally ordered the first Curado 70 in right hand and I’m lefty so my buddy is buying the righty off of me and I ordered another lefty. Maybe I’ll order another just to put some more lead in my pencil.

Thanks for the response. Ironically enough I had just ordered the SLX MGL 70 because I decided it seemed like a good fit. A buddy of mine handled one in store and said it feels levels above the SLX and SLX XT as well. I have the DC and it works great. Just got the 70 on sale at Academy as well. I could easily free up that Curado but I honestly love a good opportunity to spend money on more gear that I don't necessarily need. I ended up coming across a full detailed review article on this rod from Tackle Tour in 2004. I guess it's pretty old but seems solid. Apparently it is the "Teaser" rod and designed for stick baits and soft plastics. It's also great for spinnerbaits, topwater and jerkbaits. I guess I found everything I was looking for. Thanks everyone!

Thank you for this! I decide on an SLX MGL 70 this morning to try out for my new senko rod and was about to order through ALF. Decided to check here first and you saved me a few bucks.

Exactly. No secret steps. Just wet the eraser and squeeze out the excess water then scrub it down. Then I dampen a rag and wipe it down with some water then dry it off. Everything comes off with almost no effort.

I have no experience with St. Croix but I have wanted to dip my toe for awhile now. I visited my local shop a few days ago and he had a Legend Tournament 7’0 Medium/Fast that seemed to be in great shape. The cork is a little dirty but that will clean right up. I felt like I got a steal at $75 considering they retail around $280. However, this isn’t really the legend tournament I am used to seeing. I don’t recall seeing one with a full handle either. I’m assuming it’s just an older model. Does anyone have any experience with this rod and have any idea if the money was well spent? Either way it was definitely worth the risk of $75 for me. I spent more than that for the jackhammers and vision 110 jerks I got with it. Also, any recommendations on a reel that might pair well and what applications it would be best suited for? I only ask that as it seems like St. Croix’s power ratings are fairly different than what I’m used to. From what I gather their medium is more like a medium heavy but their actions are a bit softer? I have a curado k that I can likely free up to put on it. Any input would be appreciated. Update: I added a pic of the aftermath of cleaning the cork for anyone that doesn’t know of the miracles that a magic eraser can perform on cork.

That's awesome. I was given the same option actually but I don't love foam so I told them I'd really prefer something else. He bumped me up to the next tier to get me back to winn grips. I prefer cork over everything but I'd rather winn grips over foam.

I’m not sure if you still have the rod or not but you could try having Lew’s replace it under warranty. I had a TP1 Black that the tip broke on and when I called them to discuss it they didn’t even question how or why it happened. In fact, they were out of stock of the TP1 Blacks and ended up sending me the supergrip (costs about $50 more than the TP1) as it was the next tier up that they had available. Great customer service.

I strongly support the Invizx vote. Definitely some of the best all around fluoro you can get and it would be great for your needs as you are using it for so many different applications. I would personally go 15lb to cover everything well.

Check out the Megabass Destroyer P5 Tequila Baccarac. Very high end rod that can actually do a ton of things well. I don’t have personal experience with it but have heard amazing things.

I exclusively use Invizx and Assassin line for everything I do except for my braid spinning setup with shooter for fluoro leader and maxcuattro for the frog rod. I’ve tried a bunch of others but I’ve narrowed it down to these 2. I love assassin for any moving bait apps as it actually has a little more stretch to it than others and Invizx for my all around and jig setups. I also find that assassin casts like a dream but Invizx is pretty close to just as good. Splitting hairs. Just moved over to a glass hybrid cranking setup from a MH/MF so I’m curious to see if the line preference changes for me.

If you’ve narrowed your search down to those 2 choices then I would definitely go with the new model Zodias. I have heard great things and have been considering picking one up myself. With that said, I would go Expride if you can swing it. I’m not sure exactly how it stacks up to the Dobyns but it is an amazing rod at that price point and the 7’2 MH/F can do so many different things.

Not true. I like to maximize my casts by casting off the rear of my boat then opening the brakes and driving the boat about 150 yards while leaving the bait out there. Then I retrieve. You ever jerk 200 yards worth of line at once? It’s exhilarating.

Honestly your breakdown put it into perspective a bit better for me. I’m just assuming the MH/F I’m getting is in line with the ones I currently have but that’s likely not the case. That would mostly be 3/8-1oz. When I think of flipping and pitching I usually think of a 1/2-1oz weight plus hook and trailer but that definitely depends on the situation. I have a tendency to mentally compartmentalize differen rod abilities based off of their power ratings and sometimes neglect their actual weight ratings. My jig rod is a MH/F expride and then I have a MH+ toadface for heavier apps. I also don’t do a ton with Carolina rigs but I’m looking to start.

I second this. However, the toadface is probably a little heavier than you want at least in my opinion. I have the toadface and a close buddy has the deputy. The toadface is perfect for me as I got it for frogs and swim jigs and it’s amazing for that. It is pretty stiff until you get into the tip so I would highly recommend the Zolo Deputy for your average jigs and all around. My buddy won’t shut up about how much he loves the deputy. For the money, the zolo is an amazing line. thanks for the feedback. Do you think the magnum bass rod runs a bit heavy? Those applications seem a bit heavy for the mag bass. Well all except for Carolina rig. I don’t have it in hand yet so I don’t know but if I keep it I plan on using it just as an all around rod being MH/F.

Lews sent me a TP-1 Black to replace the $40 junk rod that came with my custom xp combo as an eyelet popped off and the reel seat was faulty from day 1. Threat was a nice upgrade. I loved the TP-1 Black but unfortunately it may have been damaged during delivery as the tip snapped off after my 5th time using it. They are replacing it again at no charge to me but they are so heavily out of stock right now that they bumped me up to the custom plus supergrip. Not sure how I really feel about the supergrip but I’ll take an upgrade from essentially a $40 rod to a $180 rod any day of the week. It’s the 7’0 MH/F mag bass. how do you like the custom plus supergrip? Does it fish like a $180 rod or does the price tag reflect the semi gimicky grip? By the time it gets here my lake will likely be drained. I may end up just selling it for something else if I don’t like it.

Thanks! I actually just picked up a few inline spinners as well as some Kastmasters for try and target the trout so that's perfect. I have some experience fishing creeks and rivers but it's been a very long time and I was young and dumb then.

This weekend I will be going into the Catskills in NY to visit some friends. We will be fishing a small creek that runs behind they're house as well as a decent sized reservoir nearby. Based on the picture that I have gotten from these friends that live out there, it seems to be a serious honey hole for smallies and trout. I typically focus on largemouth as the lakes near me aren't all that great for smallies. I will be bringing all of my regular gear and tackle but I don't have much that is geared toward smallies (at least not to my knowledge). I figured my ned rigs, small keitechs and senkos will work but I'd love some input on what else I can focus on. I have a solid variety of jigs and skirted jigs in different sizes so maybe that could work too. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, we will be fishing from the bank or wading in a bit at most. Thanks!

Any suggestions on a setup a little better than that? In case I decide to go on the higher end. I now have an irrational fear (not really irrational since it happened to me already) of my reel flying away as I set a hook. I’m also not sure what I should be looking for in regards to action and weight ratings. Should I look for 1-3oz rating with a medium power or something along those lines?

I typically use a combination of both. A ton of gulp minnows and buck tails with teasers and such and then the occasional fluke rig with squid strips or other baits. The weight range is almost always 1/2-3 oz total weight. Mostly use a 1- 1.5 oz sinker with a rig so total weight is mostly 1-2 oz. only really bump up when the current is strong and I want to keep bottom contact. My price range is likely somewhere around $300. I’d prefer to stay fairly under that but will go up to $300 to get the right stuff. Thanks!

From what I know, the Sierra's are a bit slower than advertised for some reason. They have a bit of a more of a moderate-fast action (which just means the tip bends a bit more before hitting the medium heavy backbone). I actually have a Fury in medium heavy/moderate fast and it's great for some things but I mainly use it for cranking. I would go with a Fury in MH/F for your all around setup. The mod/fast will likely hurt you a bit with baits like jigs and such. Here's a video of Gary Dobyns explaining it a bit himself.