MyKeyBe

So you owned a Quantum twenty years ago and that qualifies you to tell someone that a modern Quantum reel that you've never used is garbage? Seems legit. The Smoke S3 is a fantastic reel. For a hundred bucks you will be hard pressed to find a better new reel. I have 2 KVD Smokes (Smoke Xs basically) and they have been great reels. On a side note Shimano Curados were about $120.00 and Citicas were about $100.00 twenty years ago.

Falcon. Bucoo Trap Caster for $100.00. Low Rider All 'Round for $130.00 I don't fish square bills or small swim baits a ton so my suggestion is probably terrible 😔. Fishing a square bill you can usually get by with a faster rod than you would want for a deep diver. One of the rods you have may be fine. I certainly wouldn't run out and buy a rod for a bait I had never caught a fish on and had little confidence in.

Super Lube. 40 wt. for spool bearings. 100 wt. for other bearings and level wind. Grease for gears.

Pro Mix braid is pretty good. I've been using it on my frog rod for two years. Similar to Power Pro but doesn't bleed color as bad. It's good enough that I won't be changing it out anytime soon and I would buy more if I needed 4 strand braid.

One local Walmart has it. Seems to be taking the place of the bulk spools of Vanish. I did pick up a 550 yd. spool of Vanish on clearance for $6.00. Probably overpaid. 😆 Tried the big game braid when it first showed up and had no problems with it. Nothing great, nothing bad. Decent braid for the money. Hopefully the big game fluorocarbon will be the same. Something like basix would be great but it could just be relabeled vanish.

Not everyone. I use the Jason Christie HP's from Walmart. Same basic hook. The Lunker City texposer hooks are a little different. Probably my favorite hook of all time but I can't find them locally and I'm too lazy/forgetful to order any.

I've been using this line in 14lb. for the last 2 years. It's a fantastic all around, good at everything line. I've tried a lot of mono/copolymer lines and this is by far my favorite. Cheap, strong, not a ton of stretch, a little memory but it comes out pretty quick in use, good abrasion resistance. I'm really not sure why this stuff is so under the radar. Then again I'm generally a softer rod, braid guy so your mileage may very.

I've been here a minute or two. Just don't have much to add by the time I see most posts. I'm kinda surprised by how many of us joined in April of 2005. Sometimes seems like yesterday and other times a lifetime ago. Lol. Another thing that surprises me but really shouldn't is that people don't know who Raul is/was. He literally changed the way we talk/post. He coined the term "bait monkey" as far as I know. He had a couple of others that are not as popular anymore. The Shimano posse and the dark side are two I remember. @Catt is that muddys backside? Lol.

Falcon hd 6'6" for $46.00 on amazon. You will not find a better new rod for less than $50.00. As far as the lews goes I have no idea. I do know that they recently changed the rods. Might be just graphics that changed. I think most people here have the older gray and orange rods, myself included. If you have to get a rod locally for around $40.00 dollars I think all the lews rods around that price point from Walmart get pretty good reviews. Another to look at might be the eagle claw insight rods. I don't have one but I looked briefly at them when they first showed up at my local Walmart. Seemed decent and pretty light but I think they are/where around $50.00.

Took a while to figure out. Like just found them on tackle warehouse 2-3 months ago. Lol.

Slammer series from Ollies. $1.00 a bag.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-LKESTRK.html?from=basres Their creature bait works. I did pretty good on the smaller beaver/trailer version of it last year. Caught a few on this larger creature style as well.

Works good. I paint silver blades with clear polish/rainbow flake a lot. Walmart always seems to have some on clearance and dollar twenty five tree usually has some good colors. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, weights. I'll use nail polish on all of them.

I started using Sufix ProMix braid for frogging last year. Didn't frog a lot last year but so far I really like the line. It's pretty cheap, strong, and holds it's color better than most braids. For about ten bucks it's worth a shot.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Quantum_Smoke_X_100_Casting_Reels/descpage-QS3C.html I don't have one but your probably not going to find a better, new reel than this for less than $120.00. I'm pretty sure this is about the same (different grips and has line memo) as the old KVD smoke reels. The KVD is a fantastic reel. If your a lefty some places still have the KVD's for about $100.00.

If your going to add $30.00 buy a $130.00 rod. The Fury was and should be a $100.00 rod. For $70.00 Falcon HD all day. Really impressed with the 2 I just bought at that price point. For $100.00 Falcon Bucoo, Ark Lancer, maybe a Powell Diesel. Lots of good rods for $100.00 and up. If you want to go super cheap see if any Walmarts around you still have the Lews Hank Parker rods available. Way better than they should be for $40.00 and the 7ft. MH would be pretty good for what you want.

Mine only has the slx spinning reels.

Already ordered another rod for the wife. Hopefully I'll get the correct spinning rod or a cara this time.

Not sure about the universe but the monkey is. You have a rod you use that's not an ark? Lol That's the other issue I have with keeping it. I already have an american made 6'6 mh mf bucoo, a 7'0 mh mf lowrider, a 6'8 med fast field and stream, and a 7'1 med fast 13 omen 3. Thinking it's time to let the f&s rod and possibly the omen go. Decisions, decisions...

That would be fantastic if they were sending experts or caras but they still sent an hd. I'd end up with a quiver of downgraded rods from what I already have. Would still be a quiver of falcon rods though... Hmm.

I have confidence in jerkbaits but I'm a bank beater, mostly ponds. Generally not a great bait in less than 3 fow. Return location is about 5 miles from me and amazon has a warehouse about 10 miles away. So that's not really a big deal. I ordered this rod Sunday night and it arrived this morning. That's the whole problem though. It's $45.00 for a new falcon rod to go with the 5 others. Then I still have to order the spinning rod for the wife. 7 falcons in the stable sounds pretty sweet.

Ordered a 6'6 med. falcon hd spinning rod from amazon for the wife. They sent a falcon hd 6'8 med. casting rod instead. Really tempted to keep it. I really don't have a ton of use for it but I love me some falcon rods and about half off is certainly a good deal. Even if I keep it for a year and just find no use for it I could most likely resell it for what I'll have in it. So what would you do? Keep it and order the correct rod again or send it back and exchange for the right rod? Like I said 6'8 med. mod fast rod. Rated 1/4 - 3/4 lures. I don't fish jerkbaits or topwaters very much but I throw 3/8 spinnerbaits all the time. I already have a pretty good spinnerbait rod or two or three though. I don't know, monkey says keep it. Lol. What would you do?

Falcon hd 6'6 medium on Amazon for $46.00. Never held one but Falcon makes some pretty good rods. Nice combo for $90.00.