Thread: JDM rods relating to Panfish

In thinking of anything bad to say... There is a wealth of experience with JDM rods that is growing quickly among the users in this forum, with Alphahawk at the helm. I wanted to ask, among the rods you have acquired, which would you prioritize today and why? As you know, hindsight is 20/20. I am certainly not looking for anyone to say anything bad about all this gear, because it is awesome...

Thank you for your update on the evergreen... I might be swayed to get something top end eventually... beautiful looking rod and glad you got a bend in it...

Got out today to play around with my 6.10 Corto. I have it mated with a 2004 Daiwa Exist. This is a great combo that I reach for a lot when targeting trout. The Corto is a great rod for jigging the trout magnet and you can easily tell when you get a bite. I have 3 Cortos (6.1, 6.10, and 7.4). I enjoy them all but I would give the nod to the 6.10 as my favorite among the Cortos. I have attached a pic of the combo and also a nice brown I caught today.

Thanks for the input. For me, the jury is still out when it comes to UL JDM rods – I'm currently waiting for Tict Ice Cube Rocking Finesse to arrive. But I sure would go for Blue Current 77 TZ Nano Stream again in a blink of an eye – it is that good for my current primary purposes. As I noted before, it is very different from its younger sibling, 67 TZ Nano. I'll wait for the Rocking Finesse to arrive when it comes to ultralights.

Rockin’ Finesse is my favorite rod... have a Rockin’ Power as well that I also like... Tict makes a quality rod... don’t own any blue current rods... you will enjoy that Finesse!

Has anyone tried a Majorcraft ultralight? I’m looking for a 2 piece rod that I can easily carry in the truck, around $100. I’ll use it for bank fishing creeks and small rivers for bream and small (mostly smallmouth) bass. Will also use it in the kayak for the same fish. My favorite lures are 1/16 oz plus a plastic bait. I’ve looked over the Majorcraft listings but it’s a little overwhelming and many do not have descriptions in English.

Originally Posted by warhawk

Has anyone tried a Majorcraft ultralight? I’m looking for a 2 piece rod that I can easily carry in the truck, around $100. I’ll use it for bank fishing creeks and small rivers for bream and small (mostly smallmouth) bass. Will also use it in the kayak for the same fish. My favorite lures are 1/16 oz plus a plastic bait. I’ve looked over the Majorcraft listings but it’s a little overwhelming and many do not have descriptions in English.

I've bought and used a dozen Major Craft UL rods...all of them great rods for price paid. Unfortunately at the 100 dollar mark you don't have a big choice of rods. The Trapara Trout rod sells for about 80 bucks...but then you will have to pay shipping on that rod. The cheapest I have seen on eBay is 123 dollars delivered. But EMS mail service has been suspended to the States until further notice. Major Craft gives you great value for the money. The Fine Tail FAX 6' 3" UL Area Trout Rod is an exceptional rod at the price....but it is 172 dollars delivered. The Triple Cross series are around the 140 dollar mark delivered. There are some others on here who own Major Craft rods and can give some more thoughts.

Regards

Originally Posted by warhawk

Has anyone tried a Majorcraft ultralight? I’m looking for a 2 piece rod that I can easily carry in the truck, around $100. I’ll use it for bank fishing creeks and small rivers for bream and small (mostly smallmouth) bass. Will also use it in the kayak for the same fish. My favorite lures are 1/16 oz plus a plastic bait. I’ve looked over the Majorcraft listings but it’s a little overwhelming and many do not have descriptions in English.

I have 2 Majorcraft rods that fit your description. They are both Trapara models. All specs listed are off of the rod blank.
One is TPS 662 SUL, rated for lures 0.8 - 3 grams, and Line 1 - 3 lbs. 6'6" 2 piece rod.
The other model is the TPS 632 XUL, rated for lures 0.5 - 2 grams, Line 1 - 3 lbs. 6'3" 2 piece rod.
Both are super light weight rods, and much more sensitive than anything made for the US market, but they are entry level rods in the JDM world.
I use them for fishing for panfish in shallow to mid teen depths. If I fished as deep as Randy does, I would switch to a different, higher end rod for greater sensitivity.
I have the SUL spooled with 2 lb Yozuri Hybrid florocarbon.
The XUL is spooled with 2 lb Nano, with a 2 lb floro leader.
I use 1/64 and 1/32 jig heads with plastics on both, as well as a 1/50 beetle spin type grub.
If you're carrying either in your truck, use a hard case to transport, as the tips and guides are tiny.
Use as light a reel as you can afford to get the maximum balance from your setup.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app