TackleTour

Hey everyone, I'm looking for my first swimbait rod. I have the new 2019 Levante jerk bait special and just love it, so I'm looking into the Leviathan. I have some baits in the 2-3 oz range that I would be throwing more often, and I'm wondering how the Leviathan would load up with these weights being at the bottom end of it's range.
I'd consider a Dobyns Champion 795sb as well, 1-5oz lure range. For my first swimbait rod I don't want to spend the cash on the new Destroyer Mark 48, although it would be awesome
Any help is much appreciated!

smithy97 wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:41 pm

Hey everyone, I'm looking for my first swimbait rod. I have the new 2019 Levante jerk bait special and just love it, so I'm looking into the Leviathan. I have some baits in the 2-3 oz range that I would be throwing more often, and I'm wondering how the Leviathan would load up with these weights being at the bottom end of it's range.
I'd consider a Dobyns Champion 795sb as well, 1-5oz lure range. For my first swimbait rod I don't want to spend the cash on the new Destroyer Mark 48, although it would be awesome
Any help is much appreciated!

Unfortunately I can't help answer your question, but you might get a better answer if you add some detail on the baits. Many of the big bait aficionados have different preferences for treble hook vs. top hook baits.

795 is never a bad choice at all yes and some details as far as what kind of bait/rig you're throwing would go along far into getting some feedback to you in regards to solid choices and what not. Remember everything is subjective and experience is key into making sound decisions in the end. Also what you might think is relatable from feedback turns out not to be when finally in hand. In general you should get steered in the right direction here though as tons of folks here have plenty of experience and should get you on to where you need to be with your 1st and many selections to come if you get hooked on it

I haven’t had the new leviathan long, but so far impressed with it, seems to perform as well as similarly rated customs I’ve owned. The rod will handle 2-3oz baits no problem and easily accommodate larger ones, which once you get hooked you’ll be tossing larger baits anyway. Smallest I’ve gone so far was a mattlures u2 Gill, which while not ideal, the rod did ok with it.

I think you’d be happy with the 795 as well, I have one and really like it

Ok thanks for feedback so far, here's some more details on the baits: slow sinking glide baits in the 2-3 oz range (Gratt Sneaky Pete, S-waver 168, Megabass islide 185 to start. I'd like to throw big soft plastic baits like the 8'' Megabass mag draft and Hudd 68. These are the baits I have to start. Up here in Ontario CA these baits aren't very common and I'd love to experiment with these baits and see how it goes.

From what I've seen on the tip and some videos the G2 Leviathan could be your one all be all for now to get you started especially given the baits specified and you can probably get away with one reel but if you're like me sometimes you like to switch out line and reel combos I'm pretty much minimalist right now I've got 2 swimbait rods I use specifically probably xxh Valkyrie in a month or so to add to my rotation without having to change line and reels up. For now I like keeping it at 2 helps me focus on the baits I have which in my humble opinion at least for me helps maximize what I'm doing on the water. I'm also fairly new to the game at least in dedication this season in either case good luck

Sounds like the rod would work fine...As for a reel I'm planning on a Tranx 301 in the low gear. The line I'm gonna use is still up the air, I'm open to suggestions on that. I was thinking 20lb Sufix Advance. I've never used fluro before and I don't really want to start experimenting with it while I'm throwing these types of baits to be honest. Any line suggestions are appreciated!

Braid all the way..... trust in it and let it zing, but depends on your body of water you'll get some good mono suggestions as well as FC I just prefer braid, works for everything in my opinion when it comes down to it, and you're getting the sensitivity as well as the strength and peace of mind to when you snag into a big one there's not going to be a problem at all that's just my two cents I fish strange though when in doubt cxx 20lb mono would be pretty dope line choice

I think your best bet for swimbaits is 65-80# braid and a 20-30# mono leader to get a little stretch in the system. Tim & Matt at Tactical Bassin typically use Maxima Ultragreen for leader material, and I’d start with a mono/copolymer you know and trust as a leader if you don’t use the Maxima. Just make sure you tie a good knot to connect the leader to the braid...