Ballpark Frank

Man, I am surprised the Shimano posse hasn't responded here. It usually does no matter what reel you ask about, they have to say Curado or Citica.

I used to be a Berkley only guy. I have used all the Trilene lines for years, with Big Game being my favorite. I decided to try braid and settled on Fireline(smoke), I hated it. First off, it turned everything black as the finish wears off. My hands and the cork on my rod were covered in the residue. I thought OK, I'll wait a few days. After 4 solid days of fishing it, it still turned everything black. The line also frayed easily when cutting. I decided to try another brand, Suffix, which was recommended by a friend. Well, that's the only braid I have used for the past year(same line on reel) and am very happy with it. The Fireline was also very noisy(which braid is anyway), but the Suffix is a lot quieter going through the guides. The biggest plus, the finish/coating on the Suffix does not turn everything colors.

I voted for the Quantum. I had two Revo SX's(and an STX, still have an S). The Revo's are really small, which for me caused problems. I was also unhappy with the magnetic brakes. It seemed like you had none at min. and very little at max. Of course thumb control is what matters most, but on a windy day, I have to use the brakes.I prefer centrifugal brakes anyway. I am very happy with the Quantum's that I have now. My daughter uses the Revo S(centrifugal brakes), she is 8, so small is good.

I agree, I cannot tell any difference between the two.

Welcome and let your learning begin.

Turtles when I am catfishing, catfish aren't the only things that like cut bait. Snakes on topwaters, cottonmouths around here are easier to catch than bass sometimes. I have had to cut off several spooks and walkers because of those beasts.

X 100 Welcome to the best fishing forum on the net.

My all-purpose rod is a G.Loomis IMX MBR783C(6'6" MH, fast tip). I use it for cranks, spinners, chatters, swimbaits, jerkbaits, jigs, soft plastics, and in a pinch, flipping. As Avid said a while back, it is a magic wand. It will do just about anything you want it too, plus. They cost, but are worth every penny.

I agree with Pencil Pusher. Shimano make good stuff, but every company has bad. The Coriolis is it. I would get the Black Max combo. I have a Silver Max combo that I like alot, and there is very little difference between the Black and Silver. Besides the RED spool looks really cool.

Congratulations. Like you, my first G.Loomis was a GL2. It's a 6' MH casting rod that I absolutely love. GL2 was their first proprietary blank and still one of their best. I agree with the others though, once you get one, you start figuring out how to get more. Enjoy and Good Fishin

Raul is right, choosing a round vs. low pro depends on a lot of things. I am partial to the Abu rounds, in particular the C4 series. I do use low pro reels, but I have large hands(and a little nerve issue) that make them uncomfortable to me alot of times. I learned to cast/fish on rounds and just have more confidence in my use of them. For $90 dollars, I would recommend the Abu Garcia 5600C4(the blue and gold). Abu has a rebate going on the C3s, C4s and Records. If you buy it for $79.95 or more(the 5600C4 is usually $84.95 most places) you can get a rebate check for $15. Now for spinning reels and rods, I don't use them much but I do have a few preferences. For high end, I like St. Croix rods and the Abu Garcia Cardinal 800. For lower end , I love Lightning Rods and Abu Garcia Cardinal 3(green with rear fulcrum drag). I also have a new Shimano Symetre 2500 rear drag, that I am really enjoying it.

I say the Record too. I have 2 Records(50 and 60) and several C3s. The C3 are good classics reels, but the Record is the pinnacle of this design.

I've caught alot using an UL Lightning Rod and 4# line. They are great fun on UL and sometimes that's the only way I can catch them. I usually use small inline spinners and crankbaits(Rebel crawfish and crickets). I don't think any bass short of 10# could hurt my little Lightning Rod. That rod is almost a flexible as an Ugly Stick.

Oh I know what you mean. She picked out a pair of Costa's that she wants for her birthday. I am just happy that she is excited about fishing and is learning a baitcaster at about the same age as I did. Albeit mine was an antique Coxe with no brakes and thumb-buster crank.

My local shop, West End Outdoors/BassBuckandDuck, is the best in North Alabama. They carry G.Loomis, Shimano, and Daiwa rods and reels. They have one of the largest selections of Zoom, Yum, Reaction Innovations, Sebile, Booyah, any many others, that I have ever seen. You can also grab refreshments and gas. I stop by every morning on my way to work for a cup of coffee, conversation, and stare at the gear.

X-raps and Husky Jerks

I use baitcasting for all of my bass fishing, with the exception of less than 1/8oz. I rarely fish anything that light. I fish primarily from a kayak, and usually carry only 2 rods. My worm rod works well for lures form 1/8 to 3/4. I have my all-purpose rod that I use for chatterbaits, cranks, lipless, topwater, and spinnerbaits. I think you can use spinning gear for everything in bass fishing, if that is what you like. I do pull out a spinning rod every now and then, when fishing from the bank. Most of the time, my spinning rods are for gills or catching catfish bait(which can be little bass) .

Thanks guys, I think i will probably take both of the G.Loomis rods. Now if I can get a little time away from work to head toward Dauphin. Avid, you are right the 783 is a magic wand, it is my all-purpose, throw anything rod.

I like any small inline spinner. When they change up, I like Berkley Gulp earthworms. I used six jars last year. The panfish bite can change in a matter of seconds, so I usually have plenty of artificials and live bait. My all time best winner is a live cricket under a slip bobber. That and the Gulp, put alot of gills in the fryer last year.

I am glad you are happy with it. I love mine. I actually like CX's more than the PT's. The PT's are in the boxes for now. They look darn cool too!! Here are three of mine.

I am pulling for Gerald Swindle, good ole Alabama boy. He found out this past fall that his brother has cancer. He also had a rough year last year. Hopefully, he won't disqualify himself this year. It would be cool to see another Alabama boy win, Duckett, but two years in a row would be difficult.

I am a nuclear power plant assistant unit operator. I am currently back in training to get my Reactor Operator license from the NRC. I am in month 2 of an 18 month program. I am studying most of my day and night, other than a little time with the family and a post or two. The good thing right now is I am on 4-10 days with weekends off. Studying sucks, but beats rotating shifts anyday.

My oldest daughter(8) decided to retire her tried and true Zebco 33 and 5' rod today. She has been practicing with my Revo S and 6' GL2, and doing well. At Walmart today, she begged me for a 5'6" pistol grip Lightning Rod(just like Daddy's). Since she is my only regular fishing buddy and my firstborn, how could I refuse? I gave her the Revo S, since I am using the Accurist's now, and mounted it on the Lightning Rod. I have never seen her this excited, except when she got her first Dachshund. Well, we had to go to the lake behind our subdivision and do a little fishing. In around 2 hrs, she only had 2 backlashes and they were not that bad. We caught several of the dinks that happened to venture out in the warm weather. I am a very proud Dad today.

If you are happy with it and catch fish with it, then it is the best in the world. I have caught 5#s on ultralight tackle before, but that's not saying I want to. The only things I would recommend is getting a casting rod in the Medium-Heavy to Heavy range, and stepping up to some heavier line(say 15#). I know Dick's has some good deals on combos right now(Lightning Rod and Silver Max reel combo is one inparticular).

I agree with you too. For jigs and worming, I use a GLX , an IMX, and a Mossyback. The Mossyback is kinda between a GL3 and IMX. But it seems as sensitive as my IMX. I have used several other techniques with these rods and it seems to be too much sensitivity. Try running a chatterbait, spinnerbait, or rattle trap on an IMX or GLX with flouro, it feels like my hand is going to vibrate off. Some will disagree but, I still like my regular old Lightning Rods and Cherrywoods for tops, spinners, and cranks.