softwateronly

I have the 7'6 MH/F Expride A. One of my first "higher end" casting rods, and I absolutely love it. The A is labeled fast, but fishes slightly parabolic to me. I've really beat this rod up, throwing all sorts of things with in and over it's weight range, and it's handled them really well. I've come to really like the 7'6 length for moving baits, my lake isn't based on pinpont short casts to cover, but mostly working long breaks and deep weed edges in clear water. The extra length and longer casts seems to put me on more bites. Swim jigs, spinnerbaits, keitechs, chatterbaits, preacher/chicken jigs, and scroungers are my most used baits on it. Football jigs, grass jigs, and t-rigs are more secondary uses because I do prefer 6'11-7'2 lengths for those techniques, but will happily use tie em on if bringing less rigs with me. scott

I'm really happy with MI from April till November. I'm trying vrbo's in the winter as often as I can, East TX treated me well last Feb, but work this winter looks like it won't leave me an opportunity. scott

I'm braid to leader or straight braid. Made that switch 15 ish years ago and have stayed with it. Works for me. I think as my rod/reel arsenal increased I bought rods w/ actions and powers that worked best with my line choices. My biggest downside is windy days on cold cold water. Frozen guides are terrible. FG and SDJ knots usually, modified alberto and palomar when appropriate. scott

The Zillion HD, 20 Met, and 18 Bantam (all jdm) are by far my favorite reels and most expensive reels. I think the Met would be too light to balance for me, so I'd lean toward the zillion or new bantam. But if you're happy with Lew's why change. Comfort in hand is really important to me as well and you know the lew's feels right. scott

I didn't get a lot of time in with them this year, but the hits/fish I did get, absolutely hammered it. Prespawn till post spawn, straight retrieve from shallow to deep was where it shined, usually the first deeper water ambush cover. The swim is subtle but a little nose up, which seems off to me. They do stay upright on the bottom, which might make them a cold water creeper. scott

I'm consistently surprised at what a bass is willing to eat in terms of size and what's nice about that mattlures bg is that the profile is shortened a bit in height, meaning hookups on 3lb ish bass is a little better. I currently use the SG 4" RTF pulse tail because the size is more versatile and the price more affordable. Gold gill looks like a good match. That said, a dirty jigs swim jig in 3/8-3/4oz w/ a gambler or d walker is my favorite and most successful panfish imitator. scott

That's what I use for lake smallies, usually high and fast in the water column. scott

I have a nichols 1.5oz double willow w/ a 5" gambler big ez that has been effective when slow-rolling deep weedlines. Otherwise, I'm usually 3-4" baits. scott

^X2 scott

The punisher hair jigs have become a favorite thanks to @WRB and @A-Jay. Blue craw, PB&J, and hot mustard catch for me. When it comes to big baits, moonless nights seems to be the best time for me to consistently upsize. scott

The Steez power pitch is a fantastic rod. Might be my favorite overall, definitely my fave 1/2oz and up jig rod. Though I'm enjoying it most with a heavier reel, currently a bantam though a jdm zillion hd keeps calling me. scott

I second this, great reel. scott It always pays to be a middle man... scott

I would think that the 807 is comparable to the 867, but I don't know. Yes, but there's a possibility that a 6" hudd might be a little too light to get out there. The 806 was great for glides, just not my favorite with a single hook, bit too soft. I also sometimes work my baits with the rod, hence my love for the 7'9 size. scott

I had and sold the 806HSB. At the time, I owned a Fury 795SB and Champ 806HSB. If I wanted one Dobyns swimbait rod to throw 8" glides and 8" Hudds, I'd lean toward the 807. If I could have 2, it'd be a 796 and 807. scott

I've used asian portal and digitaka. Digitaka seems cheaper, better. scott

The tokyo rig seems to get through grass better for me. "Punches" pretty good too. scott

Football jig head, wobble/swing head, jika rig, tokyo rig, and free rig would be options I would try in your situation. Fishing uphill in rock is tough, good luck. scott

Personally, I'm a big fan of a swim jig and don't think there's any type of water that it won't catch in. But it is my favorite bait for clear, weedy water, with a panfish forage base. It gets in and out of where they live and can profile well for the biggest bass in the lake. What really pushed my confidence through the roof is how a swim jig w/ a paddletail can absolutely slay on the darkest of nights, when a swimbait, chatterbait, or spinnerbait only do ok. I like to play around between 3/8-3/4oz with 4-6" trailers and often have 2 rods tied up with the extremes. scott

I'm also a no in the swivel camp. I'll fish it baitcaster braid to leader, surface twitching, dead sticking, and bottom hopping. Line twist has been manageable. scott

I've had a few days that were not good. In my mind, operator error, bite detection, and tail grabbing were more the issue than the head itself. I've definitely spent most of my time with 1/2oz 8/0. scott

Same here. Alberto is my leader back up knot for light line floro, I sometimes struggle setting a fg on line below .3mm scott

I fish clearer water, usually 6-8' visibility, but it varies between 4-15' depending on conditions and the forage base leans toward panfish. A swim jig with a swimbait has been a revelation to me the last couple years. A paddle tail and a slightly destabilized head puts a lot of natural action in a bait that can be swam, pulsed, or dragged/hopped. I've left behind the craw style trailers and the rod tip shake for, in essence, a skirted swimbait because it's been so effective. Dirty jigs w/ a d walker or EZ is now always tied on. I add in a bladed jig when feeding activity is high or visibility has dramatically reduced in a short period of time. scott

I use the 7'7 exprideA for deep cranking. It's one of my least successful techniques, but this rod covers me when I think that bite is on. 6XD, cloud 9, River2Sea TB, MB deep6, and Azumas are what I throw. Also does well with scroungers, open hook swimbaits, wakes, small glides, gantarels, and heavy swimjigs in open water. scott

I have caught fish on fat impacts, gambler Ez's, largo shads, d walkers, netbait spanky's, lil/skinny dipper, and big bite suicide and kickers. EZ's and largos are my current usual, they seem to catch and last, in anything warmer than cold, cold water. But when the water temp drops I haven't found a replacement for fat impacts. scott

My top 3 were all early spring bites, late morning through dusk. April 9th in SW Michigan, 11:30A, 3/4oz swim jig w/ 120mm D walker @ 6.5lb February 8th in NE Texas, 3:30P, 1/2oz jackhammer w/ 4" swimmon @ 7lb February 12th in NE Texas, 6P, 5/0 flashy swimmer 100mm D Walker @ 9lb scott