Saladmander

I own a couple mossyback rods that I really like. I have the 7'3"H and the 6'9" MH (or 6'8"). I like the sensitivity and the feel of the rods. In fact, I use the shorter of the two as my main spinnerbait rod.

The customer who originally returned it boxed it up, put all the paperwork back in, and brought it back the same way he took it home. The store took it back and placed it to the side. Then they probably got sidetracked, forgot to put it in the NG pile. At least they were honest with you about it being a previous return. These things happen. I hope they didn't give you a hard time. Store credit is a good thing at any store that sells fishing tackle.

Rapalas, Rat-l-traps, and Spots. Rapalas are the most productive for me.

My neighbors are pretty used to it. But, I am really starting to hate when the folks walking their dogs go, "Catch anything??? ;D" That was never really all that witty to me. :

;D Same here.

Reelmech will probably be able to give you a more detailed and technical response; but I think as far as the sensitivity, the composition of the guides will transmit more feeling to the rod blank based on it's hardness. Much the same way as fishing a C-rig with a lead, brass, or tungsten weight. The composition of the guides will also establish its durability over a period of time. Durability of the guides will resist cracking, chipping, and line wear (especially from braid.) If I'm not mistaken, I think the Fuji SiC eyes are supposed to be the best of them, then the Alconite, Hardloy, and finally the Al Oxide.

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. I wasn't getting a lot of responses considering how many people looked at this thread... so, I figured it's not a problem with the design or weights. I'm gonna order some new weights anyway for the upcoming season and see it it helps at all. It may just be that the collars on them are worn from engaging and disengaging them. I hate to think it's user error. Thanks again.

I actually have an old Garcia rod that is a 6' classic action (definitely moderate to slow) that is rated for 1/8 to 3/8 oz lures. The rod is rated as a medium power rod and bends all the way down to about an inch or two above the foregrip cork. Oh, and it's a spinning rod. I love using this rod for crankbaits and topwater when going after smallies. I found I have a better percentage of landing those scrappy 1 and 2 pounders. It's good for open water LM too, but not so good if they manage to get into some weeds. I also use it for shad because it has a lot of cushion for helping prevent the jig from tearing out of their mouth.

I think you're right in that the brakes are the same. I see what you're talking about with the clicky thingy . The brakes click in there, but for some reason, they end up popping back into the engaged position when I really send the lure for a ride. I can almost count on it after several long casts. I tried clicking them in, then spinning them... I tried two different ones just to see if it was the weights. I think I saw a President at BPS a few weeks ago that had the same centrifugal braking that is in the Supreme. I never have a problem with those pins. I wonder if the spool with that style setup is interchangeable with the one that I have. I would imagine the sideplate is a little different too. Same model number, though. HMMM :-? Anyone try this?? :-/

8lbs. 2oz. LM 1990 on a 1/2 oz. Rattle trap blue on chrome. Never caught anything over 5 lbs. at this point in my life. It was POURING out, had only caught a couple dinks, and this was my hail mary cast out into open water on a small private pond from shore. 8lbs. 2 oz. LM again!! Happy, but so disappointed!! 2003 on a 3/8 oz. Strike King spinnerbait, blue and chart, single gold colorado. Third cast on a weedline in about 6 feet of water, 1.5 hrs. into the day. 4 lbs. 7 oz. SM 2002 on a 3/8 oz. Terminator spinnerbait, firetiger, double willow. 8 ft. flat with a bunch of huge boulders 20 ft off an outside weedline.

Hmm, not sure about the deletion. I'm a little confused about what's going on here. But, I do have one of these reels. Unfortunately, I don't have a dsv to compare it to. From what I understand, the only difference is the retrieve ratio (gearing) and the spool (to accomodate more line on the dsv). I can't comment on the difference in casting, if there is one... but I enjoy using the reel because it casts really well. As far as the retrieve, I like using it when casting lipless cranks and using spinnerbaits deep. I find it's more comfortable to use than my higher retrieve reels when I want to control a lure at a slower rate. As far as hookin' up, I've never had the chance to try it on a monster (that I can recall), but I can recall pulling a 6 lber out from under a dock last year with no sweat. I've been very happy with the reel and would recommend it to anyone looking to buy a reel at that price.

I have a WLP that I use. Seems that when I set the brake weights to the off position, they'll make their way back into the engaged position. It doesn't happen everytime I cast, but it will happen after a handful of long casts. Does anyone else have this problem? I ended up taking 4 of the weights that I never use off the spool entirely because this would happen. The other two are still on there so that I can still engage them when I need them; but those two would do this, also, when I disengage them. I've only had the reel for a couple years, so I'm not sure if the brakes are beat or if this is inherent of these weights. I wonder if any of you who have had this problem solved it by replacing the weights with new ones. Thanks for any input.

Cool. :)

Yeah, I second that. Fast tip, H. I usually use my 7' MH for froggin', but I use a 7'3" H for my pitchin' rod. Since your froggin' rod is gonna double as your pitchin' rod, the 7' H will be a good choice. Unless your patient on your hookset with the frog, the XF action rod may hurt you on your hookup.

Wow, really? I think I'm gonna have to grab a couple and try them out. I hope the Cabelas near my house has the same deal.

1. Bass Pros - I think most informative for techniques. 2. Bass Insider - Was my second, but I don't know what happened to it. So, it's a Day on the Lake. Bill Dance is good for info and facts. 3. Hunt for Big Fish - That show is just fun to watch. 4. WGFS - Mark Zona is pretty cool. I think he'd be a fun person to spend a day on the water with. 5. Charlie Moore - My father-in-law hates him, but I think he's a riot.

I had the opportunity to check out the Extreme rods also. They look really nice, but felt a little heavy in my hands. Just wasn't the same feel that I had when picking up the XLR rod. I did like the color though, and how you could see the braid through the section of rod above the grips. The reel seat was interesting. It has this clicking mechanism that helps lock the reel into the seat when you set it. I have never seen that before. I'm not a big fan of specs in big bold letters on the rod, though. It says, "60 Million Modulus" in big bold letters... that seems kinda cheesy to me.

For yeeeears, we would watch the Pats games hoping they would have a decent season. "AAAHHH, man!!! We'll do better next year." Those days were disappointing most of the time. Unless your a PATS fan, it's hard to describe what it feels like to know your home town team is about to go 19-0. Miami fans know what I'm talking about, ALMOST. Nah, just kidding. That's N.E. arrogance for ya. ;D Seriously, those of you who follow football for a long time know how it is when a team has its days. You have the bandwagoners and haters popping out of the woodwork. I hated the Cowboys and Niners for the longest time. Now, I barely remember who they are. (Joking aside, Dallas had a good team this year.) You figure at 18-0, you'll have more than the usual of both since no team's ever done that before. And, really, there is no such thing as a boring season of football. Unless, of course, you don't really like football. I could care less who the Pats are gonna beat in the Super Bowl... but man, that NFC Championship game had me glued to the tv. Anyway, GO PATS!!!! Make us prouder (if that's a word.) 8-)

Just my 2cents, but I know a few guys that fish Quantum reels that haven't had any problems with them. They love 'em. I have a buddy that went out and bought an Energy PT and kinda had a hard time with it because the cast control was tough to dial in. He hadn't been fishing a BC for all that long. I have a couple Citica's, and he tried one out while we were fishing one time. He wouldn't give it back becuase he could cast it so well. He really enjoyed using it because he could spend more time fishing, and less time learning to use the BC. Here's where my 2cents come in. Given that you kinda just started using a BC, I really think that Shimano did a great job between the spool weight and the cast control to make it an easy reel to use. I think you'd really enjoy using it. Oh, and the quality and feel of the reel is right on in that price range too. +1 on the Citica. Sorry I didn't have anything useful to add on the reel you asked about though.

That is a NICE FISH! That was fun to watch.

When I saw them at the store, I thought they looked and felt like a quality rod. The price was pretty reasonable. Their website showed some pretty good reels available as a combo with those rods, so I figured they must be decent. I have never had to replace any of my Loomis rods (knock, knock), but are they pretty stiff about the "manufacturers defects" thing? I think that's pretty cool that Cabelas stands behind their rods like that. For all intents, a 25 year warranty is just as good as a lifetime warranty in my book; especially if they replace them when accidentally broken. I know some of the guys on here like the Shimano Crucial rods, too... pretty much in the same price range. I ask about these because, like most of you, I'm a big time gear junkie. I have some reels that need a stick, and I gotta slow down a bit 'cause I got a kid on the way. Was looking for some good rods in the $150 range.

Does anyone have any experience with any of the Cabelas XML rods? We had a Cabelas open up near home a little while ago, and I was looking at some of the XML rods. Does anyone know if they make the rods, or does someone make them for them? Was wondering if they're any good for the money. Thanks.

> Don't think that I have a Gander Mountain near me. I thought I got a good price on a 68MXF Legend for 160 bucks. You definitely got a great price.

I've never had the chance to actually field test one of those reels, but I did order one from Cabelas a couple years ago because I thought it looked interesting. At the time there was only one model level with a carbon fiber body ( I noticed that there are some less expensive models now.) Right out of the box, the thing made this aweful sound when retrieving with the handle, like the main gear was rubbing on the sideplate. So, I boxed it up, sent it back and got a Stradic. That's the only experience that I've had with one of those. If you get one, I second the post on letting us know how it is.

Where did you get the price on that Legend Tourney rod? That's an awesome buy. The Avids were a great price also.