Holiday Buyer's Guide: Best Combos Under $200

Welcome to the 2017 Holiday Buyer's Guide! The purpose of this series is to help anglers like yourself make educated decisions when purchasing tackle. We're kicking it off with a look at your best options for fishing rod/reel combos under $200. 

Shimano Exage Casting Rods- http://bit.ly/2mGp1Vc

Exage casting models we recommend...
6'10" Medium: Jerkbaits and small topwater
7'2" Medium Heavy: All-Around Rod for most applications
7'4" Medium Heavy Crankbait: Great cranking rod for all applications
7'6" Heavy: Jigs, Texas Rigs, Flipping

Shimano Exage Spinning Rods- http://bit.ly/2rMNpSw

Exage Spinning Rod Models We Recommend...
7' Medium: Dropshot, Shaky Head, finesse
7' Medium Heavy: Worms, Light Texas Rigs, light reaction

Dobyns Fury Casting Rods- http://bit.ly/2bGvlVV

Fury Casting Models We Recommend...
7' Medium Heavy: All around rod for worms, jigs, Texas, rigs, reaction
7' Medium Heavy Crankbait: All around cranking rod
7'3" Mag Heavy: Frogs, Flipping, Punching
7'9" Medium Heavy Swimbait: Swimbaits up to 8", mostly treble hooks
8' Heavy Swimbait: Large Swimbaits, softbait or hardbait

Dobyns Fury Spinning Rods- http://bit.ly/2e7HZPF

Fury Spinning Models We Recommend...
7' Medium Light: Dropshot, Spybait, Popper, Ned Rig
7' Medium Heavy: Shaky Head, Tube, Worm

Best Casting Reels to Pair with these rods...
Shimano Caenan 150A: http://bit.ly/2geIvbD
Shimano Casitas 150: http://bit.ly/2geKxsp
Abu Garcia Orra Winch: http://bit.ly/2hbQg6l

Best Spinning Reels To Pair With These Rods...
Shimano NASCI 2500: http://bit.ly/2g278cC
Shimano Sedona FI 2500: http://bit.ly/2wgh50Z
Daiwa Fuego LT 2500D: http://bit.ly/2yDmdtQ

If you plan to purchase tackle, using the links above to reach Tackle Warehouse supports TacticalBassin and is very much appreciated by both of us! You can use the link to purchase the listed item or click around and purchase an unrelated item once on the site.

If you'd prefer to bookmark our link so you can use it to support Tacticalbassin any time without the frustration of searching for our links, save the following: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/?from=tbassin 

Thank you for your continued support!!

Upcoming Buyer's Guides...

Nov 17- Rain Gear Selection
Nov 20- Jig Fishing
Nov 22- Combos Under $300
Nov 24 (Black Friday)- High End Combos
Nov 27 (Cyber Monday)- Topwater Fishing

Much more to come! Let us know what you want to see and we'll do our best to adapt this Holiday Buyer's Guide Series to your needs.
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 Need Apparel This Holiday/Winter Season? Get your Tacticalbassin Apparel by emailing tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com We have Hats, Hoodies, and Sunshirts available now!
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Below is a list of standard equipment that we use in the making of all our videos as well as in our personal fishing. These are items that we have tried and tested over time and are confident in recommending to you. 

Clothing...
Sun Mask: http://bit.ly/2vgSsh4
Sun Shirt w/ Hood: http://bit.ly/2vgTOst
Light Fishing Pants: http://bit.ly/2foDx10
Horizon Sweater (Water resistant, great for layering): http://bit.ly/2gTC1oB
Anhydrous Rain Jacket: http://bit.ly/2uIWf5V
Anhydrous Rain Bib: http://bit.ly/2xxLDbW

Tools and Equipment...

Humminbird Solix 15 Sonar: http://bit.ly/2pAkXr2
Favorite Pliers: http://bit.ly/2tfxFvw
Favorite Split Ring Pliers: http://bit.ly/2fT4Qw0
Favorite Wire Cutters: http://bit.ly/2soB34k
Favorite life jacket: http://bit.ly/2odXXIP
Favorite sunglasses: http://bit.ly/2glE3eN
Hero5 Camera: http://bit.ly/2iwZqqU
ElectroSamson Scale: http://bit.ly/2f7QgQ9
Promar Net: http://bit.ly/2dh9xQP

Shimano Curado Rod Review | Worth the Money???

Have you seen the new Shimano Curado Rods? We all know about the new Curado K Reel but now there is a rod to match! We got the opportunity to fish them this Summer and really give them a test run. Here are our thoughts...

If you visit Shimano's site they'll teach you about UD Carbon, NanoResins, and quality of cork. That's not the style of review we are interested in. Instead, we're going to give you a quick rundown of the rods, how they fished, and whether or not we'd purchase them again in the future. 

New Shimano Curado Casting Rods: http://bit.ly/2gUWTft
New Shimano Curado Crankbait Rods: http://bit.ly/2zCjAtd
New Shimano Curado Spinning Rods: http://bit.ly/2ydQjbi

Stand Out Models...
7'2" Heavy- Frogs, Light Flipping
7'5" Heavy - Frogs, Flipping, pitching
7'6" Med/Hvy Moderate- Jigs, Texas Rigs, Light Flip
7'6" Heavy - Heavy Flipping, Frogging, Pitching
7'8" Medium Heavy Crankbait: Crankbaits with size 2 or larger trebles
7'2" Medium Crankbait: Size 6 or larger trebles
7'1" Medium Spinning: All-around Spinning Rod

Shimano Curado K Reel: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

High End Rods with Comparable models- Expride Series: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL
Price Point Rods with Comparable models- Exage Series: http://bit.ly/2mGp1Vc

Other rod options with "moderate actions"...
Dobyns Champion 765 Flip: http://bit.ly/2afyhHp
St. Croix Legend Elite 7'6" Med/Hvy Mod: http://bit.ly/2z2qdHc
St. Croix Legend Tournament 7'2" or 7'6" Moderate: http://bit.ly/2bPOSpx

Line Recommendations for various applications...
Frog and Flip- 65 lb Sufix 832: http://bit.ly/2ae93Ji
All-around fishing Braid- 50 lb Power Pro MaxCuatro: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ
All-around fishing fluoro- 15 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm
Crankbait Braid- 20 lb Sufix 832: http://bit.ly/2ae93Ji
Crankbait fluoro- 12 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm
Leader Material- Maxima Ultragreen (8-30 lb): http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Lure on the rod- Strike King 8.0: http://bit.ly/2dzeCUk
Rod Racks on the wall: http://bit.ly/2cNSBkA

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Want TacticalBassin Gear? Email tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com for all the details on hats, sunshirts and hoodies. 

How To Set Your Drag For Swimbaits, Crankbaits, and Jerkbaits

Here's how to adjust your drag for a variety of baits so nothing goes wrong when that BIG BASS finally bites! Each bait requires a little different drag setting but we make it simple so anyone can adjust their gear quickly and accurately. 

Adjusting your drag is the last thing on most angler's minds. Your drag was either set months ago and you just haven't changed it, or maybe you backed it off last trip and forgot to tighten it back up. Either way, you could be headed for heartache! These quick tips are going to change the way you look at the drag on your reel. Its no longer a mundane part of your fishing day, its a key component to successfully landing every fish that bites!

The Gear We Use For Swimbaits...

Rods:
Large Treble Hook Baits- Dobyns 806 Heavy: http://bit.ly/2aivwYX
Large Jig Hook Baits- Dobyns 807: http://bit.ly/2aivwYX
10"+ Swimbaits- Dobyns Champion 908: http://bit.ly/2aivwYX
Budget Rod- FURY 806H: http://bit.ly/2bGvlVV
Discounted Swimbait Rod (1 left as of this posting): http://bit.ly/2emaKYZ

Reels:
Low Profile Reel- Shimano Tranx 300: http://bit.ly/2kYsvRw
High End Round Reel- Shimano Conquest 300: http://bit.ly/2kheVEq
All around Round Reel- Shimano Calcutta 400B: http://bit.ly/2b6NX0d
Budget Round Reel- Shimano Cardiff 300: http://bit.ly/2cvhtMO

Crankbait Gear...

Rods:
GIANT Crankbaits- Dobyns 805CB: http://bit.ly/29OVD4V
Deep Diving Crankbaits- Shimano Curado 7'6": http://bit.ly/2zCjAtd
Mid Divers- St. Croix Legend Tournament 7'6" Moderate: http://bit.ly/2bPOSpx
Squarebill/Lipless Crank- E6X 845CBR: http://bit.ly/2giKvEy

Crankbait Reels:
Deep Diving Crankbaits- Curado 200K: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh
Mid-Depth Cranks- Chronarch 150 MGL: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB
High-End Squarebills- Aldebaran 50: http://bit.ly/2fdX1Uy
Squarebills and Lipless Cranks- Curado 70: http://bit.ly/2apmDJt
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Want TacticalBassin Gear? Email tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com for all the details on hats, sunshirts and hoodies. 

Fishing With A Piece Of Bass Fishing History !!!

Matt gambled everything for the chance to fish with a real piece of bass fishing history and it was amazing!!! Check this out! What an honor!! 

Do you enjoy flipping, pitching, or fishing heavy cover for bass? Have you ever wondered why until recently all major tournaments had an 8 foot rod rule? Have you ever heard the name, Dee Thomas? If you haven't, you're missing a huge piece of bass fishing history!!

Dee Thomas is the godfather of Flipping. He developed a method called "Tullie Dipping" and later, the first flippin' sticks. He was inducted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall Of Fame in 2000 and later the  Bass Fishing Hall Of Fame for his contributions to the sport. Its such an honor to catch a fish with a real piece of bass fishing history that was once used by Dee Thomas!

While dipping sticks are generally a thing of the past, flipping is alive and well! We've recently done several videos, here is a link to our video "Flipping and Pitching Heavy Cover: Everything You Need To Know" -  https://youtu.be/gU1uGAVyfAI

Below is a breakdown of the modern equipment we now use for these techniques...

Longer Rods Options...
G Loomis NRX 7'7" XH: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq
Daiwa Steez Compile X 8' Flippin: http://bit.ly/2unTSJW
Shimano Expride 7'11" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Shorter Rod Options...
Dobyns Champion Extreme 7'4" Heavy Flip: http://bit.ly/2ab2kRX
Dobyns Champion 7'3" H: http://bit.ly/2abq8nl
Shimano Expride 7'3" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reels for Flipping...
High End- Metanium MGL XG: http://bit.ly/2ezIBfB
Mid Range- Curado K (Pre-Order): http://bit.ly/2tHewEh
Price Point- Casitas 150: http://bit.ly/2geKxsp

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Want TacticalBassin Gear? Email tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com for all the details on hats, sunshirts and hoodies. 

Need Sun Protection? Here's what we wear...
Sun Mask: http://bit.ly/2vgSsh4
Sun Shirt w/ Hood: http://bit.ly/2vgTOst
Light Fishing Pants: http://bit.ly/2foDx10