4-12-15 Table Rock Report Equipment Matters To Me.

[nomolites]

Thanks for the Maxima tip; I will definitely try it! I've been fishing braid with carbon leaders as I can't find anything that will behave the way I like; especially on the UL. As for the T7, I have a handful and they are the BEST. I think others have discovered this as well as I went to buy a new 7' MF spinning rod this week and they were $250 at Cabelas as opposed to the $140 of the not too distant past. Couldn't pull the trigger on that and decided to try my first St. Croix....

Mike

[Guest]

Believe it or not, I've experimented with all types of lines in all kinds of sizes, from small diameter copolymer to hybrid to florocarbon & braid. I use all 3 types of leader.

hybrid or floro leader for Ned's

Copolymer for topwaters like torpedoes

8lb hybrid & 10lb floro have the same diameter anything larger & the knot will catch on your guides. The maxima should be perfect for the finesse top water application.

Have any of y'all tried the Excalibur silver thread? (Not the Ande stuff) it's small diameter & casts extremely well. I haven't tried it on spinning outfits but it's excellent crankbait line.

[Ham]

Believe it or not, I've experimented with all types of lines in all kinds of sizes, from small diameter copolymer to hybrid to florocarbon & braid. I use all 3 types of leader.

hybrid or floro leader for Ned's

Copolymer for topwaters like torpedoes

8lb hybrid & 10lb floro have the same diameter anything larger & the knot will catch on your guides. The maxima should be perfect for the finesse top water application.

Have any of y'all tried the Excalibur silver thread? (Not the Ande stuff) it's small diameter & casts extremely well. I haven't tried it on spinning outfits but it's excellent crankbait line.

I've got Silver Thread in 6, 8, 10, 12,14,17, and 20 now that you mention it. Lol. CX Premium is better on spinning IMO, I was happy witht he Silver Thread until I tried the CX Premium. I still like Silver Thread for my casting mono apps.

Yes, I have directly compared Fluro to mono with a FB in cold water with subtle bites and I absoultely felt more bites and caught more fish with the fluro. I wish it weren't so. Darn stuff is expensive.

[Bill Babler]

Mike, I feel your pain. I for the life of me do not remember the T7 being under $199.00 I know they have had a price increase and are maybe going to do it again. I also remember catching them on sale one time for I believe $179.00. Remember this however if you don't go with the St. Croix in the Legend Elite, you are not getting a rod even close to the T7 The Premier and the Avid series are down the depth chart.

Most of the Northern Walleye and Small Jaw guys I have been guiding the last several weeks, fish those two series of rods and I have really had everyone of them tell me, and it usually starts with a "Good Gosh, what a rocket ship." That to even be close in the St. Croix line you have to be in their upper rods. We are talking $330.00 big ones for those rods. That is a load that this old country boy even being the gear horse that I am would find extremely hard to cast.

I will pony up for a Steez or a high dollar $400 plus spinning reel on the by and by. But, a 1/2 a grand on the rod is just a buck or two out of my price range.

[Ham]

do not remember the T7 being under $199.00 I know they have had a price increase and are maybe going to do it again. I also remember catching them on sale one time for I believe $179.00. Remember this however if you don't go with the St. Croix in the Legend Elite, you are not getting a rod even close to the T7 The Premier and the Avid series are down the depth chart.

Hey Bill, The years get by, but the first Cara T7 I got was about $190. I wish they still were.

I will agree that the Premier is a couple of notches below the Cara, but I find the Avids I own in practical use terms to be pretty close to the Cara I own. I have an Avid MXF and an Avid MHXF they bracket the Cara MH I have. Tough to compare apples to apples because the tapers aren't exactly the same. They are all light and sensitive and comparable cosmetics to my eye.

Don't at all misunderstand me. I'd love to own more Falcons and maybe I will one of these days, but I would like to find a Falcon Cara that is rated for lighter line and lighter weights than the "Mediums" I see listed on TW, but I guess they perform great with 5 lb line and light baits regardless of the numbers painted on the blank.

Maybe the walleye guys have slower tapers in their walleye rods and are shocked by the faster tapers of the Falcons.

[Bill Babler]

You might be exactly right. And I am talking about the 7' medium and 7'medium lite on the Falcons. That Jeff Kriet Sq. tail is just a fantastic rod, really for just about everything we do on either Bull or the Rock

[Guest]

I bought a Falcon Low Rider last year thats a lighter medium than the T7.

It's the the LFS-4-1610, Shaky Head jig special. It has more give than my T7 drop shot rod.

Ideal for the Ned,

This year, the LowRiders went all split grip, I liked the full cork handle & wasnt happy about it.

I called Falcon & told them about it. But the split grip probably sells better than old school full cork handles.

Southtown had them on sale for $100 in January but the sold the LFS4 right before I got there. Bummer

I looked into the saltwater rods to find a similar model, but it doesnt exist.

[Ham]

You might be exactly right. And I am talking about the 7' medium and 7'medium lite on the Falcons. That Jeff Kriet Sq. tail is just a fantastic rod, really for just about everything we do on either Bull or the Rock

Then that's the one I'll get next year, but I ain't putting a $400 spining reel on it.

[mixermarkb]

I know this is a falcon love fest, and I do love the caras I have, which include the Jerkbait Special, Medium Cranker, Deep Runner, Angler of the Year, Mcclelland Swim Jig, Mcclelland Football Jig, and Amistad. As far as comparisons go, I would rate them between a Loomis IMX and GLX as far as sensitivity and weight. The tapers cast at least as well as the Loomis, and I prefer the falcons for moving baits. I'm still a Loomis guy for bottom contact stuff. I will say it's an incremental improvement once a person gets into a rod of say an IMX or Cara quality.

Are the 3 NRX rods I own more sensitive than any of my others?

Yes.

$200 more sensitive than a GLX or $300 more than a Cara?

Probably not, but I also bought them used, so I am more than happy to have them and use them. Good gear does help me catch more fish. No doubt more time on the water would help at least as much-

Your mileage may vary...

[nomolites]

Agreed Bill, we usually get what we pay for. I know the first T7 I bought was at a show in St. Louis for $139.99, but I'll allow it was more than a "couple" years ago. That was my 6-10 stickbait rod and the weight and balance convinced me to buy several more and I know none of them were over $179.99 so I'll just consider myself a good shopper.(Not really, but it sounds good - I tend to buy what I want when I need it-borderline impulsive) For years the only spinning setup I had was the UL Falcon but when I got into walleye fishing I realized my casting rods just didn't fit the bill for many presentations. These days I usually have more spinners than casters on the deck; good thing I've got plenty of rod storage...and if the St. Croix is a bust my wife will get it and I'll do a little more economic stimulation with Falcon.