I have owned or used a good number of rods from all 3. They all have great rods and it comes down to personal preference. The TB rods seem (to me at least) to have a bit faster action when looking at the Sweetheart line (perch/walleye) versuses the others. Strangely I think the DH al Dente is the oat sensitive “feel” rod I have ever used which seems contrary to the idea of carbon vs. fiberglass, have to hold it to believe it. Tripwire is hands down (once again my opinion) the best rod for the ultra finicky panfish bite. One thing that I wish TUCR did was add one more guide to their rods. Where DH and TB will typically have 5 guides on a 28-30” or so rod, TUCR only has 4. The weight difference is negligible and it’s my personal preference as I feel the line tracks a bit better with more guides.

To fill the gap in your arsenal I would say go for a deadstick (TB is my favorite) and a tripwire style rod either from TB or DH. The TUCR Commander would also be an awesome rod as well and is the best action of all the walleye rods in my view.

I wear a pair of what I think the young kids are calling “joggers.” they are super comfortable and aren’t too tight in the upper legs but start to tighten around the calves which makes it nice for boots. There’s a ton of brands out there to check out.

Savage Brewer wrote:

I would go with a couple of these, add in a fog machine and a couple strobes and then you would have a proper hub party!

Now that sounds like a good time!

I just picked up some of the Control Max from shoes.com for about $100. Haven’t used them yet but can already tell they’ll be much warmer than my Muck Arctic Sports. Only concern I have now is the boot icing up since I’m used to everything shedding away from the Mucks.

I didn’t notice any major deals (but also didn’t look that close either). I did ed up buying a Dakota Lithium battery with charger for a great price so that was my find of the show.

@Matzilla – do you happen to know what species each model is targeted towards? They sound very interesting and almost like a deadstick, I’d like to try one but without holding one it’s hard to know where to start.

I’d say either leave it or do a light rub with a scouring pad to knock down some of it. How does the blank feel? I’ve been keeping an eye on them but it’s hard to know what way to go without getting my hands on them.

Here is a picture of the box. It is thermal and the original version. It doesn’t have some of the extra items the new model has but is an awesome hub if you don’t need those items and want to get it for a great price!

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kbmwer wrote:

Any interest in a partial trade for a four stroke strikemaster auger?

Sorry I do not, already have one of those…always open to other items though.

kbmwer wrote:

Is this the thermal hub?

Yes it is. I’ll take a picture and post shortly.

I personally am a terrible bobber fisherman (just ask my fishing buddies…). I built a dead stick rod using the TB blank last year and my hookup % went up a ton (dare to say 5x). I think its all personal preference as one of my friends is a really good bobber fisherman and rarely, if ever, misses one. I just tended to swing and miss a lot and the ability to watch the dead stick load up, pick up the rod, load up some more and give them a light hook-set has changed the game for me.

Geez, tough crowd here…how about some more constructive criticism versus slamming the product? I’m not a tip-up guy myself but I appreciate someone developing a new product and putting it out to the market.

Diana and Jerry – consider this my official welcome, I hope this product is wildly successful for you.

No, if you buy it the miles do not need to be paid, only if you turn it back in.

Take a look at Broil King too. I picked one up for the cabin a few weeks ago and you get a lot for the money and they seem to be very high quality. We got the Baron S440 at the Warner Stellian sale.

Bose are hard to beat but I’m not sure if they have any in that price range. I have some of the in ear noise cancelling ones for my work travels and love them.

Lonnie will typically give you the measurements if you call and talk to him. I put 5 guides on a 31″ TB deadstick I built earlier this year so 4 does seem a little light.

I have a Triton APT 612 that would work great for what you’re describing. I bought it at Forest Lake Trailer.

Thorne has a good supply of Hutch Tackle jigs which are almost identical.

Price reduced to $120

TJ – I’m heading up with a group on Thursday-Saturday as well. Let’s stay in touch here via PM as we’ll be staying at Busgys and are exploring using their road and Adrians. It would be great to have a couple groups out there voicing reports off each other. Should be an awesome weekend with the weather forecast.

It’s not exactly what you’re looking for but I have a 6’3” Medium power XF action St. Croix Avid I custom built I’d be willing to part with, I’d offer a smoking deal from retail. I put smaller running guides on it than factory so it’s super light and it also has a 12” Tennessee cork handle I turned down. Shoot me a PM if interested.

PS – only selling so I can make some more for myself…it’s an addiction!

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Without a doubt the new Extremes will be much better than the old model. I see they are adding the Fuji Torzite guides which is their top of the line guide which finally puts it on par with the Legend Elite model. I still can’t believe they charged about the same for the 2 rods when they were still using Stainless guides on the old Extreme model.

Christian Slick wrote:

Got a Thorne bro’s deadstick. Will let you guys know how it goes!

You’re going to like it. It has become my favorite rod this year for walleyes.

You may be able to create a semi-similar rod to the JR Snare by adding one of the TB spring bobbers to the tip of their deadstick. Now that I think of it I wish I had done that on mine…

I build my own rods as well and have both the DH Al Dente and TB Deadstick. For walleye fishing the TB rod is hands down better (my opionion). It also has a little more moderate action which I believe helps. DH rod is awesome for panfish and perch but to me isn’t ideal as a walleye deadstick.

You’re welcome, best of luck finding one. Best bet may be an out of the way smaller store or bait shop, I’ve had random success at places like those before.

Kyle – I have a new in box Otter XTH Lodge that is last years model. Not the same house but willing to sell. PM me if your interested.

Edit: just noticed this was up above already…hopefully posting it twice helps!

Many of the things in my head have been mentioned above so I won’t repeat them. This hit me emotionally as I have a young boy as well. For those that are interested and/or able to help financially support the family, here is a link to the GoFundMe page. No parent should have to bury a child let alone pay for their funeral.

https://www.gofundme.com/helpalanjr

2 incredibly talented builders who aren’t huge names in the mainstream here in MN are Andy Wolfram and Adam Bricker. A quick google search can pull up some of their work. Would be worth checking them out.

I have a 2012 Silverado crew cab and my Otter Cabin fits in just about perfect. I actually think the new Ram trucks have shorter than a 5’7″ bed which would be frustrating, at least that’s how my dads looks. I’d say the tailgate extender is the only option unless you get a topper and rignsome system to put the house in at an angle.