J Francho

Exactly this!

The lake, location, cover, and boater's style will determine what you'll need. If I'm fishing a tournament on Erie, then I'm bringing 5 spinning rigs, one for tubes, and four for drop shots. If I'm fishing Cayuga, I'm going to only bring two spinning, one for wacky or finesse, and one for Drop shot. The rest will heavy jig and worm, medium jig and worm, and a cranker. If I'm fishing Oneida in the summer, then I'm bringing four flipping sticks and a frog rod. I could go on and on with scenarios, but I think you get the gist. Talk it out with your boater before hand, and get an idea of what you'll be doing and do some lake study. You'll know what to bring once you've done your homework.

People will pay for a custom color, and should. Determine a minimum order that makes it worth your while, and possibly offer a discount on a very large order.

Totally agree, Mick.

Long casts are part and parcel of deep cranks and big swimbaits! I have a custom mid size swim bait rod rated to 5 oz. that has spiral wrapped micros, and the thing performs flawlessly. I don’t have any connection knots, though using straight coolly.

Weekend of the 8th, I was floating on the Schroon River, catching smallies and bluegill wearing shorts and a t, while my girlfriend was in a bathing suit. Pretty crazy!

Can't say about the lower diameters, but the 50# I have feels very slightly bigger than 50# PowerPro. Indeed the specs reveal the same. The only thing I've noticed is after prolonged use, it fades a bit, like every single braid I've ever used. I prefer the internal centrifugal brakes on the Assassin. On a budget reel, I'd rather deal with a more hassle free brake system. Set it and forget it. Just adjust the spool tension for the weight of the bait.

Lol Here:

Doubt it. They're in stock at TW.

Because it really serves us well to lie to you. Jeez. Do you all realize we have to be EXTRA diligent in our reviews because one iota of doubt would betray the entire site, future sponsors, and most importantly our members trust. Yes we receive the gear in exchange for our input (good, bad, and ugly) and reviews. Since I wouldn't be very likely to buy an entry level reel, this would be the only way I'd test the gear. I receive no compensation for this. So, my question to you personally: would you rather I lie to you than actually use the gear sent to us for review? Would lying help you trust our input more? Your comments included mentioning their service was not as good as other - totally unfounded, since you never bought the product. You called the product cheap. Finally, you said you don't trust moderators opinions. You're not ruffling feathers, you're setting a tone that shows you haven't got all the info, and you don't really know what you're talking about. Don't buy a Kastking. Buy a Kastking and [fill in the brand] reel in the same price point, and higher price points. Fish them, and you tell me about both. That's basically what I've done. Thanks to the rest for respecting the extra work we do for members. I know I must sound snarky, but that's not it. Our sponsors want to engage with knowledgeable members on this site. We become the mouthpiece for them. We attend training classes, watch videos, use the gear, and report back. There's no cloak and dagger, pulling the wool over people's eyes.

I use Owner Beasts.

Sorry for your loss, Tom.

Freshwater scallops!

I tried them the instant they came out, before they were a sponsor here, and loved them. Great frog at a reasonable price.

Isn't that just an excuse for not having an uninformed opinion, though? I mean, I'd have done the same, had I not actually been encouraged to try the stuff out. It's been a bit of an eye opener. BTW, the reel is worth it just for the real CF handle. Better than I can say about some other "established brands'" fake CF "look" handles.

Those measurements are based on average thickness. I'm not sure if there is some standard for sample pool and sample length. You'd want to take several along the line, then average them. That said, braid is over engineered, and strength to diameter is much higher than needed. I generally go by feel, and choose a size that works for me. I don't need 50# of strength, but I like how that size handles on a typical low pro baitcaster.

That isn't going to happen. They DIRECT to the consumer, rather than to another retail channel. There is no warehouse, no markups. They have been around for more than a few years now, and have a pretty loyal following. If that doesn't do it for you, that's fine. Reading reviews is not always the best, I agree. But you are HERE, and actual anglers that use the stuff are telling you their experience.

My thoughts exactly.

I've pretty much given up on passing any connection knots with micro guides. The only type of rod I like them on anymore are cranking sticks, and use straight fluoro.

The bite is hot up here as well. My friend has stuck quite a few over 9 lbs. and one over 10. Same style baits, interestingly. I haven't really done much to chase them, but they are out in full force, actively feeding on most lakes I fish.

https://postimages.org/ Or right click in FB, and copy image location to paste here. That fish was a slob!

There are several threads that have mentioned excellent service and support from KastKing. If there is an issue, they typically issue a replacement. Trust me, we wouldn't bother to have a sponsor that wasn't on the up and up. The company was started by Syracuse U. students that wanted to offer affordable gear.

I look after a particularly good or bad day, but I never came up with conclusive results. Moon may play a part, but I think it's a small part of a much larger equation. I fish when I can, not when some chart tells me to.

Exchange it under warranty. Definitely not normal.

There are two types of Braid: Super power, a 4 carrier, and SuperKast 9, a 9 carrier. I've used the former since spring in 50# size on an Assassin reel. Both have held up to the task. Is it as good as a $175 reel? Close, but no. Is it good enough? At $50, I'd say so. I'm impressed. It definitely outperforms many reels in the $70-100 range, and features similar entry level reels. I'm not sure what you mean by "deceptive marketing." They spec reels out to Chinese manufacturer, and sell direct to the consumer, cutting out several middle men, therefore able to offer them at a lower price.