J Francho

I put some weight on it, but I put the most weight on my own experience. I put a less weight on reports from forums, but they can be considered as well. Problem is that you only hear from the guys that got a bad reel. The other guys you hear most are the brand worshipers. I'm guilty of that myself. I try to weed through the subjective bits, user error, and what are basically complaints about the whole system rather than that particular product. Stuff like, "those rods are too heavy," "my reel locked up after fishing in saltwater once," "brand X baitcasters suck because I can't cast a baitcaster," "never caught anything on that lure," 'that 4# fluorocarbon line broke in my hands," or other such things that really do not make sense when you scratch below the surface. Now, ten guys come on and post an issue with a reel in just a few days - something might be wrong. As I get older, I've discovered common sense is truly uncommon.

Maybe the natural lakes and bays around me are different than yours, but while it may be about a weedy flat, there is usually a reason one flat produces better than others. Main lake points with strong secondary points and a flat in the middle with close proximity to deep water are what produces here. That is probably universal in many areas that feature this type of structure. My three largest fish this year came from areas like this. They may have been flats fish, but really they were structure fish. Earlier in the year before the weeds came up, the fish were on those points. The last ingredient I've noticed as well is gravel bottom. Over the years, while fishing a particular water through out the year, the patterns begin to emerge. I can't always predict where the fish are biting, but I can least narrow down the water to major areas to work. Once fish start biting, look for new spots on that water that mirror the spot you're catching fish on. Sounds simple when I type it, but it takes time, and the learning process is constant.

I think you meant to say "Shimano or Daiwa." A Quantum isn't an upgrade.

That's my move as well.

My experience is that I prefer to fish with Daiwa. I prefer magnetic brakes, and Daiwa has the best.

I don't have any Devil's Horse, but I do have a couple of old Heddon Dying Flutters. I generally fish them aggressively, with a "Wooooosh....1/2 sec. pause...wooosh...1/2 sec. pause...woooosh...longer pause....repeat." You can always tone it down as well.

Sounds like a solid start. That rod has specs that describes most people's idea of a good all purpose spinning rod. My son has one, except he uses a older Stradic. That gear should last you years and catch plenty of fish.

RW, you must be taller than I, since I prefer a 6' for TW, LOL. I'm a short guy though. I wish their 70MHM were on sale. I need a rod slightly heavier than my 70MM for really big lipped cranks.

didn't say that.i said it doesn't help balance like some people think.it looks nice but does nothing for balance.if guys like it then that's fine too but don't think it makes your rod more balanced because that's dead wrong.i would buy one and then balance it. If the heavier tip is a bad thing, than don't you think the manufactures would add some kind a weigh to the butt of the rod? They cannot possibly know what reel you intend to put on the rod. High end gear, like a Steez rod and Steez reel are designed as a balanced system. Otherwise, you can use the balancer kits available. Personally, I try to find a rod and reel combo that balances out naturally, rather than add weight to the entire setup. For example, my 6'6" All Stars work very well with with my Daiwa Capricorns and TD-X reels. Yet the same rod with a Zillion Anniversary Reel on that same rod fished terribly. The reason? The Zillion was too light, by about 2 oz. causing a very butt heavy rod. I like them a little heavier in the handle for my fishing, but this was bad. It was also odd putting that glitzy, expensive reel on a $100 rod, but I've used wackier mongrel rigs, LOL.

Do what Wayne said, and check the guides. I think its just that braid feels different from what you are used to. I also notice a slight increase in effort required with spinning gear, but not enough to be any kind of detriment.

Only true if the reel itself balances in the center of the foot, which is not always the case.

I voted Cabela's. It is a Daiwa. It is better.

You made a wholesale statement that split grip rods are tip heavy. This not 100% true. If you have to add significant weight to the butt end of a rod, either some compromise was made with regards to seat placement, guide selection, reel choice or grip material. Adding weight to the butt end to balance the rod should be an exercise in fine tuning, not correction.

You might PM a mod to have this moved to the Central Bass Fishing Forum.

First you need to determine whether it was a snakehead or a bowfin. A snakehead has an elongated anal fin, whereas the bowfin's is short. Bowfin: Northern Snakehead: If its the latter, you really need to call the Mass. DEC or whatever agency is responsible for the fisheries. They need to know where this animal exists.

You must be right, I'm sorry. I'll not worry about balance and weight anymore when selecting rods.

A well maintained Shimano or Daiwa reel is a time proven winner. All the others are probably OK, but they haven't proven themselves to me and many others like the BIG TWO.

I've used XPS, P-Line 100%, and Seaguar CarbonPro with good results. I generally use 8-12# line for cranking.

Dragging of flipping? If its flipping them t-rigged, I like a fast and heavy rod. I've been doing quite a bit of draggin' in Lake Ontario this year, and by far I favor a longer moderate taper, medium power rod for this. Heavier, faster rods work fine for this, but after hooking the fish the the softer, slower rod does a better job of taming the fish with a heavy tube weight that wants to come unbuttoned.

I'd pay attention to the guys that are teaching a technique or style of fishing over things that are simply regurgitating marketing hype. Even if they are selling something - there are still bits and pieces to watch for. For instance, they might be selling a brand of crankbaits, but as they demonstrate that crank, notice that they are using a lot of deflection to trigger a strike. Take that bit of info home with you, not the particular bait they were selling.

Just go to their website, and you can confirm it yourself: http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/reels/spinning/Symetre_FI.html. No spare spool listed, and yet some of the other models list one. Sounds like you don't get one. Every single one of my Daiwas has a spare spool. They also have less twist . Seriously, Shimano makes great stuff too. That is a major boo-boo by Shimano not to include one at that price point. In fact, the person that buys that will probably look to use that reel for multi purpose, rather than buy multiple reels, and that will alienate the price conscious buyer.

I have some Kistlers, Avids, All Stars, etc that I love, and I'm seriously considering adding a few 7' MH/fast rods. After looking at the Powells, its hard to say no to them. They are a fine rod - as fine as many more expensive gear.

Muddy is right on the money. Look for a sale or clearance item. I was able to get my Kistlers for <$100 by looking for sales. You'll get a much better rod, even if it is last year's leftovers, than anything that normally retails for $50-100.

Palomar or Uni when a Palomar is impractical will be best with braid.

What kind of braid? What rod? Are there grooves in the inserts? Is this the first time you've used braid?