jiggidigi

Currently I have 25# AbrazX. I’m going to be moving down to the 17-20# range on the next spool up. I’m considering copoly next.

I bought this rod last summer, and it's my first and only swimbait rod (for now). I did a ton research on rods, and this one just seemed to fit my needs at the time - good range of weights (3/8-6oz), I'm a fan of EVA grips, solid guides, and a good price point. Given it was my first swimbait rod, I've also had a chance to throw all kinds of baits on it to get a feel for swimbaits in general. I picked up a Tranx 300A winter/spring, and it's a very well balanced combo, it is rather sensitive in my opinion, and I can chuck it all day with minimal fatigue. Although I've taken a liking to throw cranks and wakes, this isn't the rod for that, so I'm currently searching for my second combo. This rod is def more tailored to baits like hudds, line thru baits, other soft baits like ragos, magslowls, ospreys, etc.. The rod has a good amount of backbone, but a quick taper. Like Esmin23 said, it's really hard to keep the fish pinned when using treble hook baits. I've lost a couple solid fish on my last few trips with crank style bait, and although I can't just blame the rod, I can say (with a high degree of certainty) that the rod didn't help as much as I feel it should have.

I purchased a 300A thru J&H Tackle, which comes with the standard handle. Josh, the owner, has additional handles on the way from Shimanon and he gave me a price of $40 for the power handle. I can't imagine the standard handle being more than that.

Any other feedback on wood vs plastic? Aside from weight does one glide/swim differently?

I have a Levante Levianthan and I absolutely love it. I've thrown smaller 1oz baits, and also 8" hudds and meatheads on it. It seems to be a very well rounded swimbaits rod, and the all black finish is perfect touch for me. I'm also a fan of the foam grips over cork, although that would never be a deal killer for me on a rod (such as the Orochi). But, especially after a long day of throwing big baits, the last thing you want is the rod to slip out of your wet hands when you're getting tired. That being said - I've been considering the Orochi, and will likely purchase one by next season, if not this season.

Been debating on getting one of these baits! I do feel like the size of the bait, whether it's the 135, 185 or 262 would have different swimming actions depending on the rod that's used. Have any of you noticed a difference if you used the same bait with different rods? Is it easier to "walk" the bait with a faster tip or with a shorter rod?

Just got my Tranx 300 in the mail this past week. I also have a power handle on the way (only comes with the high speed in the 300 size and I had to order it separately). I tried to upload pics, but I'm getting errors saying the file size is too big (sorry, I'm new here). I'll certainly post some updates once I get a chance to use it!