Stasher1

x4 I use it for everything except spinnerbaits and large cranks. For those I switch to the San Diego Jam Knot.

Pflueger Patriarch 64WLP spooled with 12# Sufix Elite and mounted on a 7' M/MF Kistler 'Alton Jones Crankbait Special'

It would look a lot better if you could keep the red-headed step-child out of the pic.

x2 x3 I've got a brand new Curado E7 sitting next to me right now, and it's nowhere near as smooth as my Patriarch.

Sashimi

Life's too short to fish with ugly equipment or ugly women.

They're extremely smooth and great casters with 3/8 oz lures and up, but not so great with anything lighter than that. That's really the only reason I got rid of mine.

x2 I actually find it rather interesting and will probably invest in a couple...or see how I can modify a couple of my extra spinnerbaits to pull to the left or right. I think some time spent experimenting on a handful of $1 WalMart spinnerbaits could produce something functional...

Yeah, I've really got nothing better to do than troll fishing forums bashing Shimano. : Show me a single post I've made bashing Shimano in the 408 day I've been here...or anywhere else for that matter. I'm simply sharing my personal experience with a brand new Citica. I'm sorry if it offends you. The warranty will still be good if I decide to send it back tomorrow, next week, or next month. Why be so quick to complain when the "problem" may work itself out wth a little break-in time? You guys seem more upset about this than I am. : You know what they say about opinions...

Well, after lubing my new Citica E and spooling it with the cheapest mono I had (10# Cajun Red), I took it out into the yard and made several casts. It's nowhere near as smooth as my Patriarch, but it does cast very well and the drag has loosened up a little bit.

I put one of ***'s "Strokin' Toads" on my little scale, and it weighs in at a whisker less than 1/2 oz. Rigged on a large EWG hook, and it'll be over 1/2 oz.

I agree 100%, but I'm also willing to give it a chance to loosen up a bit on its own. I'm going to take it down to the shop in a little while, clean/lube it, spool it up with some cheap line, and see how it casts. If it doesn't loosen up to what I feel is an acceptable level, it'll go back to Shimano for repair/replacement. I just wanted the OP to know that buying a Shimano doesn't always guarantee it'll be problem-free. They have their lemons, just like any other company. Now, I'm not saying mine is a lemon...but my first taste of their baitcasters definitely has a tang to it. ;D I love their spinning reels, though.

I think you'd be surprised how much soft plastics weigh when they're rigged. A 7" Power Worm, 1/8 oz bullet weight, and 3/0 hook weigh about 3/8 oz. according to my little digital shop scale, which is usually fairly accurate. A solid-bodied soft plastic frog/toad will weigh quite a bit more. I think that rod will be fine.

I'm going to give it a chance to loosen up before I contact Shimano for service/replacement. I cracked the seal on the box, so I know it's brand new and hasn't been mis-handled, so I don't feel it's the seller's responsibility to make it right.

About 15 minuters ago the mailman delivered my new Citica 200E, and I've got say, so far I'm not impressed. It's nowhere near as smooth as I expected, it will hardly free spool at all, and I can't seem to get the drag to back off fully. This is my first experience with Shimano's baitcasters, and I really, REALLY hope the Curado I ordered is ALOT better than this. :-/ If I had to do it over again, I'd choose the Revo S.

Kistler offers a football head-specific rod in their Magnesium TS line... http://www.kistlerrods.com/p/KR/c-mt-worm-fishing-jig-rods/MgAJFHJMH610.html

I bought an E7 and a Citica 200E this week for less than $250, shipped. I only "needed" one of them, but I figured I'd try them both and see if the E7 is really worth the extra $$. If nothing else, I can swap gear sets to build a Curado E6, and keep the Citica as a loaner.

x2 I use a 7' Kistler Magnesium TS "Alton Jones Crankbait Special" M/MF, but I don't throw any deep-diving cranks. I stick to lipless and shallow cranks.

They've been selling like hotcakes since they came out, so only makes sense there'd be a bunch of used ones for sale at any given time. I think anybody who paid retail price for theirs will take a beating on it when they try to sell it. With brand new ones available on ebay for $150 tyd, a used one would have to be priced below $120 to even make it worth buying.

While they're not the greatest prices, they're comparable to similar services from other makers' dealers.

I was paying $100/500 rds for Federal XM193 5.56mm back in '04-'05, and $90/1000 for Wolf .223 Heck, I remember turning down S&B 5.56mm @ $4 a box because it was just too expensive. The war drove up the price quite a bit, add to that the global demand for raw materials and the panic buying surrounding the last election, and the cost of ammo has become too high for us workin' stiffs to waste it blasting at paper targets.

I'm not a big fan of their guides, but the rods certainly are light. I'd like to see a custom build using one of their blanks and perhaps their reel seat, along with a set of Fuji titanium/SiC guides.

I rarely peg a weight, but when I do I use a toothpick. I keep a small pill bottle full of them in my terminal tackle case.

I have a Symetre 3500 spooled with 30# PowerPro that I use for jigs, soft plastics, and the occasional spinnerbait. No problems at all. It's the same diameter as the 8# mono I had been using.

You already own a few STX's, so why not try out the Patriarch? If you buy it on ebay and you'll save a bunch of money. That way you'll take less of a hit if you decide you don't like it and want to sell.