David P

Go 734. The 733 is a GREAT rod, and honestly, I use a 3 power for more "fun"... But if it's tournament time, the 4 power will get the nod. The 733 is a bit more finesse and can be a blast to fish, but for what you described, the 734 is definitely the way to go. The LURE weight rating isn't always the proper way to go by picking a rod... Can the 733 handle 3/4oz baits? Yes, with utmost ease... BUT when you're talking a bait like a jig (many times with a very stout hook), or fishing in moderate cover with a texas rig (might you be using a more stout worm hook too?) -- now lure weighting isn't the deciding factor, and rather the power you need to have a good hook up ratio with stouter hooks.

With the Alabama Rig getting so much attention, it's become more common certainly. It's still a great accomplishment though, and I have only done it a few times on a rip bait and spook. If you're son was excited and it got him wanting to fish even more, that's all that matters. Congrats!

Thankfully, my tournament fishing partner was wise enough to question me after I took my first cast with my jig that had just on the previous cast caught a 13lber. I looked at him, cursed, and reeled it back in quickly, cut it off, and shoved it in my pocket. It now hangs over the top of a printed photo of the fish and I am grateful that my buddy had the brains to tell me to save it. Rod and reel, no longer do I have, but the bait, you bet I do (helps that I made the bait myself).

Not holding the rod tip at 12 oclock and maybe that's my bad for not clarifying that. But allowing slack in your line or pointing your rod tip down at the water to then pull on the fish and then reel in slack is what loses fishes. Lowering the rod tip slightly while reeling the fish as long as there's constant pressure is fine. I just don't lower my rod tip down and then back up to reel in slack line and have seen way too many big fish lost from this maneuver.

The Extra Heavy rod helps me set the hook hard on a bait that has two stout hooks on it and plastic in the way, not to mention many times one or multiple types of vegetation in the way. Stouter rod helps with the overall hook penetration. The longer length allows to move more line on the hook set (another thing along with the high speed reel that helps counteract the slack that a big top water blow up can put in your line). Longer length also allows for longer casts (out here, fish are spooky, I cast onto mats from quite a distance).

I keep my rod tip high. I don't lower the tip to reel in slack and then pull on them out of cover. Usually I can get them out of the mat with getting them to the top, and then quickly reeling them over top of the vegetation. If the fish is stuck down there, I go in after it. Rather not lose an 8 or 10lb frog fish because I allowed slack in the line and tried horsing it out. In open water, yes, I always move the fish with my reel. I keep my rod tip high. I do not lift my rod tip up and down pulling the fish with the rod then reeling in slack line. Constant pressure whether it be open water or heavy cover helps.

Your rod tip should stay high, and use the reel to bring the fish in. Each time you lower your rod tip and give even the slightest bit of slack in the line, you're risking a lost fish. If the stuff is too thick to reel the fish out, I will go in after it with the boat, instead of lower my rod tip and pull on the fish with the rod.

Preference? Top water bites can create a good deal of slack in your line, setting the hook quickly without reeling in all of your slack line could result in less than solid hook set... Higher the speed, more line is picked up quicker, better chance of solid hook penetration.. More than just personal preference in my opinion. I used high speed STX reels for a few years, then went to Premier High Speeds, then to the MGX and once the Revo Rocket came out I went that route, and hookup ratio has only gotten better. Going from high speed to a regular 6.4:1 you can feel the difference when setting the hook.

Might upset you.. But it WORKS, and has landed me a ton of fish that I otherwise would have lost when they make a hard run. The drag on a spinning reel I let do all the work, but most of my baitcasting rigs are tightened down and frequently use the freespool technique.

Stiff, average, mediocre fluorocarbon. There is certainly worse on the market, and certainly much better. Fluorocarbon ain't cheap though, so a free spool of decent fluorocarbon is never a bad thing!

702dx tooo soft for drop shot? Not at all... BUT it is an open water drop shot rod. I have used it around docks and been okay, but it's definitely on the light end for anything other than open water. I use my 702dx in 10-40ft of open water. Since you seem to have an open water drop shot rod that you like, I would go 703.

Clear Lake should be your number one choice if you only make it to one. Hands down best fishing in California. The Delta CAN be good, but there's many other factors playing into a good day on the Delta given the tides and junk. To have a great California fishing adventure, Clear Lake is definitely going to put the odds in your favor. If going to Clear Lake, booking a trip with Matt is certainly the way to go, he knows his stuff up there and will not only put you around big fish, but will teach you a ton. If heading over to the Delta, Bobby Barrack is a Delta stud. The guy is out there almost every day of the year as a guide. Mostly known as a frog guy (Snag Proof Bobby's Perfect Frog named after him), he is excellent all times of the year out there as a guide and can show you a great day of fishing, along with educational tips.

13lb3oz July 2008 Released Jig that I made myself

Easiest way is to drag it. Find rocky bottom and drag that sucker! Can work on all type of bottom whether hard are soft, but coming into winter I like to drag on rocky areas. Practice dragging and feeling everything you can down there, pay attention and really try to think about what your bait is doing down there. Slow dragging although at times can be boring, is HIGHLY effective and a great way to gain confidence in jig fishing.

The 766 is quite a broom stick. I use it for frogging, and HEAVY flipping and punching... You're kind of right at that cusp.. If you throw 3/4oz more I would say 765, if you throw 1oz more, I'd go 766. If you're throwing on the outside edges and just a little into the thick stuff, the 765 will suffice, if you're dropping a 1oz or heavier weight into the middle of a thick mat of milfoil the 766 might be a better choice. Sorry for not having a definitive answer, like I said, kind of right on the edge with your weights listed. I use 50lb braid on my 765 and 65lb braid on my 766 just based on the cover I fish with the two rods. As someone else stated, the 795DX although more expensive, is in a league of its own. It can fish light stuff with ease, but it's got the backbone to punch 1.5oz weights into the thickest stuff, and pull out 10lb fish. It's a beast.

This simply just isn't true. Tackle Warehouse always keeps items out of stock still on their site, it will either show "Out" under the quantity in stock, or it will show an expected arrival date of that product to come back in. Only items that have been discontinued and that they no longer have in stock do they actually take off of the site. No wishlist doesn't bother me personally, I keep my computer with a bunch of browsers of products I want all open, OR if I plan to shut the computer off, a simple screen shot and saving it as a GIF on my desktop works.

This is exactly my point... The box, whether it is a piece of art or not, is just that, a cardboard box... It has no factor in how the reel fishes out on the water, nor does it help you catch fish... It's geared towards a collector.The quality of the reel and it's ability to cast, and catch fish, has zero to do with whether or not it came in a cardboard box, or a brown paper bag. Quality of the box may be different, quality of the reel is not.

Dobyns 702 EXTREME. The Champions are great rods, well balanced as you said, but if you sensitivity is your goal the Extreme is awesome and has even better balance and feel. Champions are great rods, I use them for all my utility rod stuff, but anything bottom contact or where I want a lot of sensitivity, extremes fit the bill wonderfully.

Some fisherman are into "collecting" and not as much into the actual fishing or catching... Some guys care as much if not more about their gear than they do about fishing. I admit, at one point, I was like that as well, I cleaned all my rods and reels regularly, took excellent care, wanted boxes etc with used stuff, but did it catch me more fish? No, in fact quite the opposite. Spent more time caring about the condition of my gear, than about catching fish. To each their own though, but the box means absolutely nothing in terms of fish-ability or quality of the reel.

Dobyns rods are incredibly well balanced, even the 8fters are extremely well balanced. The 742 is slightly more of a rod (length but also width of the blank down low). If you're STRICTLY drop shotting, I'd opt for the 703. If you want something you can throw a shakey head, senko, tube, and other stuff on as well as a drop shot, the 742 would be my choice. Hope that helps a bit.

Spook, Rover, Vixen, Repoman, or a FROG.

Depends on the state, the lake, the time of year, and what types of baits you're throwing... It's entirely possible in California to catch 5 sometimes 10 fish all between 5-7lbs in a single day of fishing, not that it happens on every trip out, but certainly very plausible. Don't give up and think you've peaked though. Few years back I caught a 12lb6oz beast that was my PB at the time, and just a couple of months later broke it with one over 13lbs. If big fish are what you're after, learn how to target them more specifically. Don't give up and goodluck!

Glad the jig paid off! Stick with it!

Congrats, knew that jig would work for yah! Incredibly underrated big fish bait!

The 702 is a VERY different rod, that is incredibly awesome, but very specific... Many don't understand that... The 742 vs the 702 is an ENTIRELY different rod, power, etc... The 742 sounds like it would honestly work for both your 8lb fluorocarbon and your 20lb braid/12lb leader. It's got more backbone to it for sure. The 702 is the most fun rod I have ever fished. It's extremely light, small, and just super finesse. Even 1.5lb fish load the rod up and make any fish feel awesome. That's not to say it can't handle big fish (I've caught them up to 7.5lbs on it), but it's definitely a FINESSE Rod. I use 4-6lb line on it. I use it with an 1/8oz drop shot weight. IMO, it's not a great all around drop shot rod, i'ts great for light line, open water, light weight drop shotting and nail weighting... The 703DX or 742DX would be a better option IMO for what you're looking to do. ALSO, if you're fishing fishing heavy weedlines, you can always go baitcasting. Anything less than 12ft deep and around weeds, brush, any of that, I absolutely love drop shotting with a baitcaster and straight 12lb fluorocarbon. Can be an absolute blast!