Fishing Rods

I've been using a Daiwa TDZ on a Helium LTA 7' M for over a year now. This combo always amazes me and everyone who fishes with me. First of all, it's light. This combo is lighter than most reels by themselves. I can throw it all day without fatigue. I use this almost exclusively with Senkos. The tip is soft, and this helps the Senko last longer than any other rod I've thrown them with. This also helps the TDZ to skip rods deep under docks. This makes for a very versatile approach, when you can cast, pitch, flip, or skip with the same rod. My last trip to Rayburn the rod surprised me again. On a pitch to lily pads, a fish sucked in the Senko immediately and caught me off guard. The rod and reel landed in the water. I can't tell you how relieved I was that this combo floated high, and I was able to just troll to it and pick it up. Unfortunately, the fish had spit the bait and gone on his merry way.

My second favorite combo is a 6'M with a Shimano Scorpion 1000MG. Another super light combo, this is my fluke rod. I can make long casts, short underhand casts, and even pitch with this combo.

I have several other Heliums I use regularly, but most of the time you'll find one of these in my hand!

Austinbass is not kidding about the floating rod phenomenon. I too had a rod ripped out of my hand from my Co-AnglerÌs cast. After pulling my wallet out of my pocket and making sure my phone was not in my pocket, I got ready to jump in after my $560.00 combo. To my amazement, the whole thing just kept floating.

He and I stood there in total shock, then grabbed the ( - - blocked - - ) to capture what we were sure no one else would believe had happened. Well, check it out, it did happen.

I am such a wisebutt that this one is so open to jokes:

- The new LTW (Lighter Than Water) model
- Rod floating in Dead Sea (everything floats there)
- LTA injected with real Helium so of course it floats

Seriously though, is the fact it floats irregardless of the Helium model? For example, I can look at my He69APC and see from the base of the blank it has more girth than my thinner He70MLC. I would rather not throw them in the water and see if they both float equally well. Seriously, what make them float? Can't be just the cork as even the tip seems to be floating in the pic.

Trey: I never would have believed it without the pic....well, yes, I would if you'd said it but the pic should make 'believers' out of anyone. I never heard of that phenomenon. That's just awesome!

I live in fear of knocking one(or more) of my 8 rigs into the pond. They lay in the depession alongside(4 to a side) my little 10'x4' Basshunter boat and I'm always swinging back-n-forth in my swivel-seat when fishing. I know I'm going to tip one over one day. I just hope it's one of my 3 Heliums and not one of the heavier 'off-brand' rigs.

Dan

I have lost my share of rod and reels overboard. One combo was my father's Garcia and All Star 5'6" pistol grip rod. I went to cast and forgot to push the button on the reel. Well it went swimming and I watched it sink in disbelief. The other was a buddyÌs combo, a Castaway rod and a Curado reel. They say that I did it on purpose but I wouldn't do something like that.
I would test out your Helium rod combo in a pool before watching it float to the bottom of the pond. Here is another image of the floating rod.

Trey,

THis is a great selling point for Kayak fishermen. When fishing from a Yak, I'm always concerned about flipping the yak and losing my heliums. It's a great reason for a yak fisherman to own a helium!

Mike

I have both a Kistler Helium LTA spinning and casting rod.??I've matched the casting rod with a few different reels I own (Shimano Calcutta CTE 50 GT ß Shimano Chronarch MG).??I am going to buy a TDZ 103ML but am holding off until the new reels are released for 2005, just in case Daiwa has made some innovative changes (digital cast control?)

I've matched my Helium LTA spinning rod with a Shimano Sustain.??The Shimano Stella is one of the smoothest spinning reels I've turned but I have held off on purchasing the Stella.??Again, I'm waiting for something more (magnesium frame?).


????????Reno Reeler

sdesign,

I've got so many reels and rods and not enough time to fish!??I've not heard of the "Type R+" model.??Do you buy from specialtytackle.com or japantackle.com?

I'm a frequent poster on www.tackletour.com which is home to by many tackle junkies and hard core fishermen.

Has anyone else had an accident like this with a rod and reel?

I can't say it was an accident Cliff, but I tested the bouyancy of my He70MHS with a Stradic 2500 Mg, and it floated...

I run the following reels on my Kistlers

He70mc-Scorpion 1001
He70mc-Scorpion 1001
He70mhc-Scorpion 1001
He70mhc-Scorpion 1001
He70mlc-Antares 201
He70mls-Stradic MGf 1000
He70mls-Stradic MGf 2500
He66ms-Stradic MGf 2500

I'm guest hosting a TV show in three weeks and am I going to look foolish if I throw my combo into the drink....will it really float? If it does, I will certainly demonstrate it. I'm setting the host up with a Kistler 6-9 California series Drop shot rod, will that float?