NavyToad

They should all take a lesson from Bobby Lane on how to boat flip a fish.

LOL! I foul hooked a 32” carp on a chatterbait this A.M.. First carp and the biggest fish I’ve ever caught. I was in the right place for bass, but clearly bass weren’t the only residents. Carp 1, pickerel 1, bass 0.

Lews Tournament Pro lfs. Just spooled a new Daiwa Tatula SV TW that I’ll try out tomorrow, and I suspect it’s just as good as the Lews. At the $200 price point, most reels work flawlessly IME.

They work well for attaching cat toys to the end using 20# mono. Cats love ‘em.

First time I saw a split cork rod I thought it was a gimmick and I still think that. I have one split cork Dobyns DC734 refurb that I like just fine, but I prefer full cork. All my other rods are full cork.

JB WELD is 2 part epoxy. I hope you got the guys name. Most 2 part epoxy is inadequate on non-porous surfaces. I’d us the JB.

For me there’s no greater loss. Sad to hear it.

I’m happy with all my Lews reels. Team Lews Lite X2, BB1 Pro, Tournament Pro - All great reels and I’m just as happy using any one of them. I’d give the edge to the Tournament Pro, but there’s really not much difference to me. I have a couple Tatulas that I like just as well as Lews. You can’t go wrong with Lews IMO. I don’t think I’ve ever paid MSRP for ANY reel - the selection of quality reels in the $150-$200 range is mind boggling - I keep it simple with Lews and Daiwa.

Any local tackle shops? If so, stop in and ask if they can give you any pointers.

Did more for our sport than anyone. His impact is immeasurable. RIP.

7’ M/H Baitcaster, 15lb mono or 30 braid, no leader. Line depends on which rod I pick up, I pretty much run either 15lb mono or 30lb braid on all my reels regardless what I’m doing.

Can’t speak for the 744, but the Champion 734 throws weightless superflukes on a 5/0 hook a country mile with very little effort.

I’m a Lew’s and Daiwa guy, but if you’re looking at saltwater use, you might want to look at the Shimano Tranx. Not much difference between those 2 reels. I think you’d be happy with either one.

One of my brothers lived on the Potomac at Falling Waters for 20+ years. I’ve lived on a lake for the last 23 years. I’d rather fish the Potomac with my brother.

First time I used my Dobyns Champ XP 734 I fell in love with it. I’ve since bought a Sierra refurb 734 and I like the Sierra almost as much. I use them both as do everything rods and other than a jerkbait rod and one spinning rod, the 734s carry the load. I rarely throw crankbaits. There are probably other rods that I’d really like, but I’m not made of money.

Sierra. Kaden, Champ XP, Daiwa, Shimano ……. The point I was trying to make is that IME a heavier rod is better.

I have a hard time feeling bad for large companies. If I had to lift a finger to correct their mistake, I probably wouldn’t. Shoot me.

Go throw frogs on your 704 and see how you like it. At least you’ll get a better idea of what power rod will best meet your needs. I have a Kaden 714 and both Sierra and Champ 734s. I use a Champ 735 for frogs. After using 7’ rods for years I’ve come to like the extra length of the 7’3” rods.

No biases, only peeves.

Easy peasy - don’t watch his videos. WAAAAHH!

7’ -7’3’ MH is my sweet spot. I use a 7’ MH crankbait rod for jerkbaits, a 7’3” Heavy rod for pitching and frogs, and a 7’ M for wacky and any smaller stuff. Otherwise - 7’, 7’1”, and 7’3” MH/F for everything else. I could settle for one 7’ MH for everything if I had to and I wouldn’t complain. I bought a BPS Rick Clunn spinnerbait rod in the late ‘90s and didn’t think it was any different from my other 7’ MH rods. I’ve bought a few technique specific rods over the years and now they’re all gathering dust in my garage. That said, I do have my eye on a 7’9” swimbait rod. It never ends I guess.

I still sometimes look at a backlash and think “no way this one’s comin’ out” but they always seem to come out OK. I know it’s been a loonng time since I had to put a rod down because of a backlash.

Weightless Super Fluke. Right place, right time, and I’ve had confidence in it ever since. That was 20 years ago and next to a spinnerbait, there’s no other lure I’d rather throw.

This. I crank the drag down tight and proceed as in the video. Denny Brauer showed how to do this years ago. A little practice and 99% of backlashes can be taken care of in a couple minutes.

I did my garage with the Rustoleum epoxy kit 20 years ago and it’s still holding up good as new. I didn’t own a pressure washer back then and I just scrubbed the heck out of the floor. Unless you have big oil spots it should be a piece of cake. Follow the instructions and focus your energy on the prep work. Rolling the paint/epoxy on is a no brainer. With YouTube’s help you shouldn’t have a problem. Prep, prep, prep!