I fish a lot in the upper end around big m to eagle rock and guys like Quillback would agree that there is a ton of fishing pressure up here with a lot less water to fish.
I fished out of big m Sunday and even though I got there early and the bite was good, people still beat me out on the water. But I find it satisfying to come in behind a boat after watching them not catch anything and catch the h$ll out of em!
T7 is their high end all graphite rod with alconite low rider guides. Basically just a lot lighter and more sensitive blank that is one of the very few rods that I believe is 100 percent graphite. Its just a whole different mouse trap.
One thing I did when I started making my swing heads was pour them with a bigger hook. When rigged on the menace grub the 4/0 gammy ends right above the two paddle tails. If they strike short or mouth it or sometime I think they are trying to kill it first before they eat it, I get a better hook up.
When I was young, me and my grandpa would camp down at merresac lake off the arkansas river and we would catch some of the biggest redears I've ever seen. Champ have you ever fished down there?
I'll be without my wife this saturday,so if anyone would like to ride and fish with me they would be more than welcome. And besides its a good way to meet someone new.