Ideal rod & reel characteristics for TX Rig / flipping setup?

[kirkkoh]

i recently realized im a fan of light weight gear, especially for any type of finesse fishing. i never was a huge fan of TX rig fishing because its slow and having cheap gear thats not best suited for TX rig fishing. I recently got a new setup that i seem to enjoy more for this style of fishing. A shimano aldebaran BFS XG paired with an old 18 hollow point rod heavy fast 7' mainly for flukes, its one of my go-to techniques i have confidence in. i liked this setup for TX rig fishing aswell. My GF got me a Falcon Bucoo SR heavy fast 7' for christmas so i ordered a Lews Custom Lite SLP to pair it with to try for a TX rig setup. i may pair the custom lite with the hollow point being i LOVE my hollow point rod. Is gear weight a concern for you guys for finesse fishing? what things do you consider when choosing gear besides a fast gear ratio and a MH/heavy fast rod?

[new2BC4bass]

Total weight of a combo...regardless of its use...isn't important to me.  However, I have to admit that a really light combo does put a smile on my face.

[casts_by_fly]

2 hours ago, kirkkoh said:

i recently realized im a fan of light weight gear, especially for any type of finesse fishing. i never was a huge fan of TX rig fishing because its slow and having cheap gear thats not best suited for TX rig fishing. I recently got a new setup that i seem to enjoy more for this style of fishing. A shimano aldebaran BFS XG paired with an old 18 hollow point rod heavy fast 7' mainly for flukes, its one of my go-to techniques i have confidence in. i liked this setup for TX rig fishing aswell. My GF got me a Falcon Bucoo SR heavy fast 7' for christmas so i ordered a Lews Custom Lite SLP to pair it with to try for a TX rig setup. i may pair the custom lite with the hollow point being i LOVE my hollow point rod. Is gear weight a concern for you guys for finesse fishing? what things do you consider when choosing gear besides a fast gear ratio and a MH/heavy fast rod?

The SLP and bucoo will be a good combo, though maybe not for what you want. That rod is a great moving bait rod.  It was my go to 1/2 oz chatterbait or big spinnerbait rod last season and I still use it for that sometimes. It works as a big crankbait rod for things like dt16/20 baits. It was designed as a Carolina rig rod, though that’s not one of my usual techniques. I’ve thrown jigs and Texas rigs on it (standard thick wire 4/0-5/0 hooks) but the action isn’t ideal for that. The mid section of the rod starts to flex pretty quickly so going from basically slack line to hookset means a hero hookset to get good penetration. Moving baits like a chatterbait are better. 

 

[TNBankFishing]

3 hours ago, kirkkoh said:

i recently realized im a fan of light weight gear, especially for any type of finesse fishing. i never was a huge fan of TX rig fishing because its slow and having cheap gear thats not best suited for TX rig fishing. I recently got a new setup that i seem to enjoy more for this style of fishing. A shimano aldebaran BFS XG paired with an old 18 hollow point rod heavy fast 7' mainly for flukes, its one of my go-to techniques i have confidence in. i liked this setup for TX rig fishing aswell. My GF got me a Falcon Bucoo SR heavy fast 7' for christmas so i ordered a Lews Custom Lite SLP to pair it with to try for a TX rig setup. i may pair the custom lite with the hollow point being i LOVE my hollow point rod. Is gear weight a concern for you guys for finesse fishing? what things do you consider when choosing gear besides a fast gear ratio and a MH/heavy fast rod?

Where I live the t-rig is a full contact sport. I might throw 1/4 finesse jigs near open water but my standard rig is 1/2 to 3/4 jigs with trailer. 
 

If you go down the lightweight rabbit hole the price of gear will skyrocket to save some grams. 

[kirkkoh]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

The SLP and bucoo will be a good combo, though maybe not for what you want. That rod is a great moving bait rod.  It was my go to 1/2 oz chatterbait or big spinnerbait rod last season and I still use it for that sometimes. It works as a big crankbait rod for things like dt16/20 baits. It was designed as a Carolina rig rod, though that’s not one of my usual techniques. I’ve thrown jigs and Texas rigs on it (standard thick wire 4/0-5/0 hooks) but the action isn’t ideal for that. The mid section of the rod starts to flex pretty quickly so going from basically slack line to hookset means a hero hookset to get good penetration. Moving baits like a chatterbait are better. 

 

thanks, first ive heard that. i read quite a few reviews saying it was a good TX rig rod. and yea, i got the lizard dragger (carolina rig rod). i guess i will have to just first hand play around with it and see. i am afraid its going to break. when looking up reviews on forums i cant count how many people said it snapped on a hookset. some said they had multiple and every one of them snapped. 

[kirkkoh]

39 minutes ago, TNBankFishing said:

Where I live the t-rig is a full contact sport. I might throw 1/4 finesse jigs near open water but my standard rig is 1/2 to 3/4 jigs with trailer. 
 

If you go down the lightweight rabbit hole the price of gear will skyrocket to save some grams. 

oh trust me i know lol. im a "gear" nerd. the two setups i mentioned should be good enough. for what its worth, ill happily sit down and retie instead of buying more setups. i fish the Louisiana marsh 99% of the time so ill likely be throwing 1/8-1/4 oz.

[Columbia Craw]

Rod:  Balance, sensitivity and a fast\extra fast action on the longer side

 

Reel: Smooth quick starting spool in a higher IPT ratio with a 100 mm handle

 

Fairly simple.

[kirkkoh]

54 minutes ago, Columbia Craw said:

Rod:  Balance, sensitivity and a fast\extra fast action on the longer side

 

Reel: Smooth quick starting spool in a higher IPT ratio with a 100 mm handle

 

Fairly simple.

well, its not a matter of being simple or not being that everyones preferences are different. of course its simple to you because you know what you like and dont like. The reason for the post was to see different perspectives i may have not thought about or considered. 

[Catt]

Medium Heavy X-Fast for both 

 

My current worm rod is a Powell Inferno MH X-Fast while my jig rod is a Dawia Tatula MH X-Fast.

 

Medium heavy is supposed to be directly between medium & heavy. My Inferno leans slightly towards medium while the Tatula leans more towards heavy.

 

Texas Rigs I tend to use "lighter" wire for hooks while jig hooks tend to be thicker.

[Deleted account]

11 hours ago, kirkkoh said:

i recently realized im a fan of light weight gear, especially for any type of finesse fishing. i never was a huge fan of TX rig fishing because its slow and having cheap gear thats not best suited for TX rig fishing. I recently got a new setup that i seem to enjoy more for this style of fishing. A shimano aldebaran BFS XG paired with an old 18 hollow point rod heavy fast 7' mainly for flukes, its one of my go-to techniques i have confidence in. i liked this setup for TX rig fishing aswell. My GF got me a Falcon Bucoo SR heavy fast 7' for christmas so i ordered a Lews Custom Lite SLP to pair it with to try for a TX rig setup. i may pair the custom lite with the hollow point being i LOVE my hollow point rod. Is gear weight a concern for you guys for finesse fishing? what things do you consider when choosing gear besides a fast gear ratio and a MH/heavy fast rod?

You are supposed to wait until Christmas morning to open presents (midnight on the 24th is acceptable)...

 

[TNBankFishing]

14 hours ago, kirkkoh said:

oh trust me i know lol. im a "gear" nerd. the two setups i mentioned should be good enough. for what its worth, ill happily sit down and retie instead of buying more setups. i fish the Louisiana marsh 99% of the time so ill likely be throwing 1/8-1/4 oz.

Those weights there are two rods I think of. 
 

Megabass X-Bites

St. Croix Legend Xtreme 7’1” MHXF

 

After a year of use I sold my X-Bites to try a NRX+ 893, sold it after two outings to buy the Legend Xtreme. I wanted a 5/16 to 3/8oz trig and finesse jig rod and the Croix is the best. The MB was a very close second. The 893 was absolutely not the rod I wanted. Tip heavy, and wasn’t as sensitive as the MB. 
 

Reel is dealers choice. You can’t go wrong with the new Zillion HD (JDM) Lews skip/pitch or even a standard Met. I prefer lighter reels, but I still use a bantam and revo x for their specific cases. 

[Bass Rutten]

Ergonomics/comfort><sensitivity/action>balance>weight

[casts_by_fly]

15 hours ago, kirkkoh said:

thanks, first ive heard that. i read quite a few reviews saying it was a good TX rig rod. and yea, i got the lizard dragger (carolina rig rod). i guess i will have to just first hand play around with it and see. i am afraid its going to break. when looking up reviews on forums i cant count how many people said it snapped on a hookset. some said they had multiple and every one of them snapped. 

 

use it and see how you like it.  Maybe your preferences are different to mine.  For me, jig or worm rods need to have a light tip (which this has) but then lock up pretty quickly as you apply pressure.  This rod (and the 5 power Trapcaster) have nice light tips for casting purposes but very quickly after that you're into the middle of the rod.  I think Falcon calls it a long tapering mid section if I remember right.  The lizard dragger is better than the Trapcaster in that it has more power higher up so you're not into the butt of the blank as quickly but its a similar action.

 

I wouldn't worry about breakage.  I've read that by a couple vocal people on a FB group or two, but given the number sold I'm not worried.  I have the trapcaster, pitchin stick, and lizzard dragger in the bucoo SR lineup.  I've fished them pretty hard and not had a single issue.  If it breaks the first time you're using it then that's a defect (and falcon will take care of you).  If it breaks after you've fished it a bit then it's probably been damaged in use (and they'll still probably take care of you).

[kirkkoh]

On 11/30/2022 at 6:38 AM, Deleted account said:

You are supposed to wait until Christmas morning to open presents (midnight on the 24th is acceptable)...

 

well i would have but they were interviewing people at academy for black friday and i saw it on the news lmaooo. thanks camera lady!!

[dodgeguy]

On 11/29/2022 at 11:41 PM, kirkkoh said:

thanks, first ive heard that. i read quite a few reviews saying it was a good TX rig rod. and yea, i got the lizard dragger (carolina rig rod). i guess i will have to just first hand play around with it and see. i am afraid its going to break. when looking up reviews on forums i cant count how many people said it snapped on a hookset. some said they had multiple and every one of them snapped. 

Falcon buccoo is close to unbreakable.

[kirkkoh]

On 12/7/2022 at 6:19 AM, dodgeguy said:

Falcon buccoo is close to unbreakable.

falcon buccoo or falcon buccoo sr? the original buccoo's were made in america if im not mistaken and ive read nothing but positive reviews. the buccoo sr is another story.

[garroyo130]

Just get out there and give it a shot. It may turn out that TX rigs just aint for you. They are something I wanted to force myself to like, personally, but I just dont. More finesse worm presentations and jigs do a pretty good job of filling that TX rig void. 

[dodgeguy]

3 hours ago, kirkkoh said:

falcon buccoo or falcon buccoo sr? the original buccoo's were made in america if im not mistaken and ive read nothing but positive reviews. the buccoo sr is another story.

Original buccoo.  I see on tackle warehouse a lot of people snap the sr. I couldn't snap an original buccoo if I tried.