21farms

i have the bucoo micro 6'6" MH/F. it weighs 3.5 ounces, making it my lightest rod. i really like the fat foam handles...they really fill up my hand nicely. i've had this rod for a few months now and still haven't used it so i can't say how it fishes yet but i think the MH/F "herm"-action (as they call it) will be very versatile and i plan to pair it with my curado 50e for target spinnerbaiting. i have a veritas 7' M/MF (4.1 ounces) that i love too but the stupid locking ring and the "hook" in the trigger bother me.

this is not uncommon...i've read similar stories at the TT forums

i'm with LMG and DVT regarding the thinner diameter braid digging into itself. i've noticed this problem on my revos a little using 30 lb. braid and it is really bad with 15 lb. braid. interestingly, in the revo owner's manual, abu makes a point to brag about their wide-angle crosswrap feature which is supposed to eliminate this problem but, as far as i can tell, that is just stock language they put in all their manuals and does not actually apply to the revos or the max-series. i do not experience this problem with thin braided lines on my curado 200s.

i've had all three (actually, still have the 50e and the TPSS). in terms of light lure casting performance, i'd rank them sol first, 50e second (even with orange seals), and the lew's third. i have no idea why i sold the sol and kick myself for doing so.

i preordered two STXs from THUP also. i emailed them this morning about the september 1 ship date and here's what they said:

actually, we're already at IM-10 with the shimano cumaras

i like ordering directly from shimano the best...they're fast and the shipping is cheap. their website has all the schematics with all the part numbers you need for ordering.

didiego, you are the man! thanks for posting those links...i think yours is the most-definitive answer i've ever seen to this question.

i buy 1000-yard bulk spools of seaguar through poorfish outdoors. i use 15-20 lbs. test for spinnerbaits, squarebills and football jigs. i use 12 lbs. test for most soft plastics and 8-10 lbs. test for jerkbaits and 6 lbs. test for dropshot, shakeyhead, tubes and dartheads.

the two happiest days of my life were the day i received my revo SX and the day i sold it ha-ha seriously, do a search on this forum for 'revo SX' and you'll find hours worth of reading. i've been fishing baitcasters for over 35 years and i'm pretty good at it. i've owned dozens and dozens of reels—probably close to a hundred—and i have never had a more jekyll & hyde reel than my two SXs: amazing one moment, pull-my-hair-out frustrating the next. even the two that i had behaved differently from one another. my advice: wait for the third generation SX...abu garcia is replacing the magnetic brake system with a more-traditional configuration and should work better.

i'm totally with smalljaw. the super long gestation period is a serious red flag to me. that and the significant redesign of the rear of the handles makes me wonder. at some point, i'll probably pick up a duckett rod. still, i wasn't at all thrilled with the way boyd duckett threw e21 under the bus when he started his own rod company...that was not cool.

since many daiwas are still made in japan, the exchange rate is the main culprit for their current high prices. i'm very thankful for daiwa as many of the features that are now commonplace on modern reels and that we take for granted were innovated by daiwa and/or first appeared widely on daiwa reels. the current style of magnetic brakes, inline thumb bars, low side-slung gearboxes, swept handles are all examples. their magforce-V and Z brakes are still the most simple-but-sophisticated brakes in the industry. they're continuing to explore and utilize alternative materials starting with magnesium and continuing on with zaion and other carbons. their twitchin' bar didn't catch on and the jury is still out on their T-wing system but it shows that daiwa is continuing to push the envelope. i appreciate that they continue to pour money into research and development instead of just copying everyone else.

i bought one years back thinking it was a poor man's lamiglas XMG50. it thought it was okay. i did not find the handle slippery when wet BUT it gets very hot in the sun, necessitating a dip in the lake before handling it on summer days. i ultimately returned it under cabela's excellent "fish free for 90 days"-policy (which is now 60 days) because the rod felt heavier than i would have liked.

i palm my casting reels 100 percent of the time so it is a huge consideration for me. i agree the the shimano curado E-series are very comfortable, probably because they're so low profile. i've found most others not bad too with the exception of quantum reels...most of those have this weird bulge on the non-handle sideplate that just irritates the heck outta me.

i dunno what works but i can tell you with authority what does NOT work. i bought a bulk spool of sufix performance braid in 65# test in fluorescent neon fire and was shocked that it did not glow under a black light. i went back to regular ol' clear fluorescent blue mono for night fishing.

back in the day, i had the lew's speed spools made by shimano and ryobi. for the time period, i thought they were fantastic performers but i did have problems with them, especially the ryobi-manufactured one...the metal guide that rode the worm gear under the levelwind was continually wearing out and eventually, i couldn't find the parts anymore. after i got the the shimano bantams and daiwa megaforce low-profile reels, i stopped using the lew's altogether. although i do get nostalgic, i find modern reels are superior in almost every way...more rigid, more solid, smoother, and much more reliable.

i was reading a thread in another forum where some guy says he casts 80 to 100 yards. i thought, "that's nearly impossible!" but no one else seemed to think it was out of the ordinary and so i was left feeling seriously inadequate and alone i've never used a tape measure but i know i definitely cannot cast the length of a football field. i'd guess i can cast 50 yards tops.

yup, i had one of the original bantam 100s with the slippery-when-wet wood handles and two of the bantam 10s with the lew's-style paddle handles. i also had a lew's speed spool made by shimano and one made by ryobi plus a few of the early daiwa low-profiles. along the way, i also had almost every iteration of abu-garcia's terrible pre-revo "low profile" reels. i wish i had all those old reels still

just some trivia if you're interested: 1. as far i can remember, only quantum offers reels in the 150-size. 2. the introduction of the curado E-series in 2008 was very significant because it offered 200-size line capacity in a 100-size body and was only available in 5:1 and 7:1 gear ratios, skipping the general-purpose 6:1 gear ratio altogether. 3. regarding the 'bantam' designation, i'm not sure. my guess is that 'bantam' was initially used to denote low-profile reels smaller and more compact than shimano's round reels.

the 3-digit number usually refers to the reel's frame and/or spool size. typical sizes for freshwater casting reels are 50, 100, 150, 200 and 300, with finesse reels usually in the 50-size and musky/striper/big swimbait reels in the 300-size. 100 and 200 are the most popular sizes for freshwater bass. some companies change the last digit to a '1' to denote a left-handed model. the letter following the 3-digit number usually refers to the generation of the reel. for example, the curado 200B is the second-generation of the 200-size curado while a curado 200E is the fifth-generation of that reel. the last digit typically denotes the gear ratio: either '5' for 5:1, '6' for 6:1 or '7' for 7:1 (note: has come into usage only recently with the introduction of choices in different gear ratios). using shimano as an example, a curado 200C is a right-handed, third-generation 200-size curado reel while a curado 201G7 would be a left-handed, sixth-generation 200-size curado with a 7:1 gear ratio. remember, each company has their own naming convention...the above is generally speaking. hope this helps.

nope, there are way too many good rods (and reels) out there to limit myself. besides, i believe that 'variety is the spice of life'. i purposely buy many different brands just to experience different things and see what they're like. this is not to say i don't have favorites (because i do) but i have found things to like and dislike in all of them.

it's a huge deal to me. years ago when my reel collection was small (2 to 4 reels), i wanted them all in 6:1, averaging about 24-26 IPT. i figured i could easily slow down or speed up as needed. however, when shimano came out with the curado Es in only 5:1 and 7:1, i bought two of each and they really opened my eyes. now, instead of me adjusting to the reel, i fish at the pace that's comfortable to me (fast). the lower-speed reels really are easier to use when pulling high-resistance baits. and, as my reel collection grew, it made sense for me to have the right specialized tools for the job instead of being all-purpose.

g.loomis must be using their their new disappearing blank™ technology...in the photo, all i can see in the fisherman's hands are the rod handle and reel

i love loomis IMX, GLX and NRX rods but the GL2s are heavy and dead feeling in my hands.

i have two 3G STXs preordered through THUT at 20 percent off $199. expected ship date is 9/1. i also have a daiwa lexa 100 preordered through "the online retailer whose name can't be mentioned" at 15 percent off with and expected ship date of 9/15.