Bronzefly

The Chartreuse Shad is a beautiful color - and works anywhere!

One more vote for the Curado E7. I fish Guntersville quite a bit in the fall and I've been very pleased with the performance of the E7... I see no need for either a 300 sized reel or a slower ratio reel.

Good call on getting the baby wake, but if there are fish that large in there, you might want to step up your game and look at the Wake Jr., Hyper Herring, or even the Born Again Armageddon

I'd definitely reccomend that you pick up a 3:16 Baby Wake as well. It's perfect out of the package with Owner hooks and split rings. It's a fish catcher as well. The slammer is a good bait as well, but I prefer the 3:16 offerings when it comes to wakebaits.

If you're looking for something to punch into mats - even occasionally, you should be looking at the "5" power Loomis rods... You can still pitch a 1/2 oz jig to cover, throw a 10" worm in deep water, etc and it will be fine for "larger" spinnerbaits as well. http://products.gloomis.com/gl/products/alltackle/detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441768916&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032711&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181201&bmUID=1252087874007

I think the Citica E is a great beginner mid range reel. It's performance is solid, has a great price point, and has proven very reliable. The brake system can be easily adjusted to provide an opportunity to train your thumb to baitcasting and can easily be changed to suit your needs based on the baits you're using. The 6.3:1 ratio is well suited as an "all purpose" speed that will allow you to utilize a wide range of approaches effectively. Pairing it with a GLX would be fantastic, but there are alot of excellent rods out there that will work great without spending so much $$. I'm in no way trying to steer you away from GLX rods... had I known what I know now, I would have certainly started with them. Powell and Shimano Crucial are both very nice rods that can easily be found for a very reasonable price. Good luck and enjoy!

Nice setups! Since you seem to like higher end gear, take a look at the BCR 875 GLX - amazing hollow body frog rod for heavy slop, or the BCR 855 GLX - fantastic "horny toad" type rod. The great thing about these two rods is they can both be used for big worms, jigs, football jigs, C-rigs, smaller single hook swimbaits, and pitching to name a few 8-) oh yeah, and they look GREAT with the new Curado E Series!!

Very nice looking combo! 8-)

Loomis out of Woodland, WA has always provided top notch customer service to me. Shimano USA out of Irvine, CA has always provided equally impressive customer service. I expect that once the Loomis customer service is all "in house" at Shimano USA that the service will remain as excellent as it has always been. I'm also glad that B1 will be available as a resource for Loomis questions as well. Keep up the great work guys and thank you for providing top notch products and customer service!

I like high end gear because it makes me happy to use it. I prefer rods with a warranty, but I know the risk if I purchase one without a warranty - and its one I'm willing to assume in certain cases. I take excellent care of my gear as well and rarely have any trouble with it. So yes, there are guys here who like high end gear, and also fish ALOT 8-)

I'm not sure it's the "perfect" cranking reel, but it is very nice, no doubt. A few mods and upgrades make that reel even better. Despite its weight, the Calais 200APV is one amazing cranking reel as well.

Yes - the BSR 803 GLX has recoil guides. Thee recoil guides handle braid perfectly fine. Some will say that the "noise" bothers them, but I don't sweat it and really enjoy that sweet, sweet sound 8-)

No problem Craiger12 - you'll definitely be happy with the BSR 803 GLX - it is definitely ultra sensitive and will make a fantastic soft plastics and jig rod for you. Keep an eye on the flea market and don't be afraid to pick one up used in good shape - it will save you some $$ and is still covered by both the limited lifetime warranty as well as the expeditor service!

Do they actually advertise "Made in America"??? I was under the impression that they were made overseas but I'm not certain. I've fished with some last trip to Florida - they felt nice, but I still think it's hard to go wrong with Powell in that price range...

First off, they're both great rods. The SHR 822 GLX is an insane shakey head rod - and really excels at that. The BSR 803 GLX, even though rated the same lure weight, is much better handling senkos, jigs, t-rigs, tubes, etc. than the SHR in my hands. That 1 power difference is substantial and you can really feel it - regarding their actions, even though they're both extra fast, the BSR is noticeably faster than the SHR.

I've owned each of the Steez models and used them quite a bit. My favorite of the bunch by far was the 100SHA model. It is a fine piece of machinery without a doubt. Sexy, refined, smooth, etc. but I did get rid of that reel in favor of another Aldebaran MG7 (JDM Core 50) as I prefer the feel and overall performance of the Aldebaran MG7 over the Steez reels. I am by no means a "shimano guy" or a "daiwa guy" but love both their products and use both regularly. The great thing about both companies producing such phenomonal products is that we have lots of great choices out there and as long as no one is paying me to use one over the other (which they're not ;D), I'm going to continue to use use what I like!

Another vote for the Loomis CBR 845 - it's a GREAT crankbait rod - especially for things like DT-10s, Deep Little Ns, etc. It is also capable of handling smaller and larger cranks as well, but those I mentioned are perfect for it. Paired with the right reel - like a Calais APV or Curado E5 and you'll be all set!

Not surprised RLR ended up with that one. That is a beautiful combo... Congrats!

I like both the Powell and Shimano Crucial rods if we're talking new MSRP prices. There are often times some great deals in the flea market though and you can buy alot of rod for $200 from time to time! Guys are fighting over a couple of Steez rods listed today for $200 each - which was an absolute STEAL!

I don't have anything to add to what has already been said. The GLX rods are legendary for a reason! 8-)

Maybe I had some batches - and I tried a few, but it was some of the worst line I've ever used... I wouldn't take any if it was free - not trying to be harsh, just honest!

That's a FINE setup for less than $300 - and very multi-purpose as well. Also consider looking on the flea market page for a used MH Crucial between 6'6" and 7' - very nice rods for the $$!

I would go with the BSR 803 GLX - it has enough power for a solid hookset with those kinds of baits, is very light, and incredibly sensitive. I also really love the 852 GLX as a 1/4oz jig rod and smaller tubes, but a t-rigged paca craw and a 5" grub are somewhat bulky baits and I'd lean toward the 3 power rod for those. Since you already have the 782, it will cover your smaller stuff. Craiger12 is right, they don't offer the SJR 843S in a GLX...

I thought it was pretty funny... 8-) I agree with Raul that the Pixy is the top of the food chain when it comes to finesse baitcasting. With a little "tweaking" the reel can do even more. I use a CR 721 IMX and another custom 7'ML rod with Pixzillas and have no trouble casting #5 shad raps and other very light presentations typically reserved for spinning gear.

I've had success with the new Berkley 100% Trilene FC - I think it's night and day difference between it and the Vanish - which I did have trouble with and no longer use. The Gamma Edge FC is very good line as well, but it's pricey - along with some of the Sunlne stuff. The BPS XPS FC is the best "budget" FC line I've used.