Dawson

lt. Scrap, I am going to echo what you just said, because I agree 100%. I have owned many (possibly hundreds) of different baitcasters. Each reel has it's own personality. But I can say one thing for ALL of the Quantums that I have owned, they are reliable, smooth, and have a great feel. I have yet to break one. For what you pay for them, I think they outperform most reels if you are going dollar for dollar. For 70 bucks you are going to be hard pressed to find a better baitcaster than the AC500CX.

That rod will work fine for you. I own one. The only reason I recommended the Acadia rods is because you can get 2 of them for 50 bucks, and although it sounds too good to be true, I can attest that they perform as good as some of my 100.00+ rods. They are a great value. I have yet to break one. No, they don't have the feel of a Loomis, but they arent 200 bucks apiece either. They are just very good, very durable rods. You would think I work for them or something but I don't. Check out their website before you buy a rod. Read about the F-series rods. If you are going to be bass fishing, I would not recommend any length less than 6'6". There are many reasons for this. Increased casting distance, more reach when parallelling the bank, etc. 6'6" is the perfect length to me. But remember, all of this is personal opinion. Other guys may have other ideas for ya. Just giving you my opinion. Good luck!

I vote either Sufix Braid or Yo Zuri Ultra soft. Both of these are killer on a spinner.

Ok here is what I would do if I were you, based on personal experience with these products. You said you were a fan of Quantum. If you want a great inexpensive reel, go with a Quantum AC500CX Accurist. They are around 60-70 bucks. I have 3 of them and have had them for a couple years, and have absolutely NO complaints about them... and I fish my equipment HARD. They feel great, they are super smooth, great anti-backlash, and durable as an anvil. If you want to try other reels, the ones that come to mind are... Abu Garcia Revo S, about 89.00. Bass Pro Shop Rick Clunn Signature series, around 79.00, Bass Pro Shop Extreme baitcaster, also around 79.00. All of those are great reels in my experience. Ok as for line, I would suggest Trilene XT. Absolutely one of the best lines made, and won't break the bank. You can also pick it up at Wal-Mart! My favorite line is Sufix Elite or Sufix Siege. Those are just a little more expensive. For a rod, if you don't want to spend a fortune, go to the acadiasports website and get the "buy one get one free" deal on the "F" series rods. I suggest 6'6" length. Great, durable rods for a great price. I think they are 50.00 for 2 of them. These 25.00 rods really do perform like some of my other 100.00 rods. Hope this helps you out some. I have a couple Quantum AC500CX Accurist reels on Acadia F series rods that just WONT break! Solid as a rock. -Brad

I wanted to make a comment real quick about my experience this last week with Sufix Siege. My line of choice for my baitcasters is Sufix Elite. I also like P-Line but the P-Line has a little more memory than I like. Anyways, I had yet to try the Siege (I guess because I was completely satisfied with the Elite). I fished every day last week with the Siege and, WOW I am impressed! I am picky about my line and this stuff is really impressing me. I landed a 6 lb largemouth with a scum frog, and he blew up on it right smack in the middle of a bunch of logs, sticks, and lilly pads. I had to fight him all the way through the thick stuff, slicing lilly pad stems all the way, around logs then under the boat. I know it was hard on the line but it held up great. Caught maybe 15-20 other small bass throughout the week, line performed great. I think the color is smoke green (something like that). So, if you havent tried it I suggest it. I am spooled with 14# test. I never thought I would say this, but it just may be as strong as P-Line CXX!! We will see.

I have had mine for nearly a year now. Fished last summer, fall, and all this spring. I fish my reels hard. Almost daily use. I have had no problems at all. I love the feel of it, I like the twitching bar (especially for topwater frogs, and worms), great product in my opinion.

In my experience, any of these will do great in the rip rap and logs.. PLine CXX, YoZuri Hybrid, Trilene XT, Suffix Elite.

Palomar, and here is why. I tied the trilene knot for years, but noticed it has one weakness. With the trilene, you have a little coil of line, that can possibly be a pretty big target for a bass's teeth. If you are not careful, that little coil can get scraped by sharp teeth and become weak. With the palomar, you don't have the long coil. Also, in my experience, the palomar is somewhat stronger.

Greetings! I have a question about line. Over the years I have tried a lot of line, and I am to the point where I will only use 3 brands on my reels. I am picky about my line. I only use Sufix Elite, P-Line CXX, and Trilene XT/XL. I am impressed with all 3 of these lines. Lately, I have been reading and hearing this buzz about Yo Zuri line. So curiousity got the best of me and I ordered some Yo Zuri Hybrid line to try on my baitcasters. 12 lb test iirc. How would you say this line stacks up to the forementioned? Is this line all that it is hyped up to be? Thanks! -Brad

Hey, just thought I would add my .02 worth since I have learned so much from this website. Awesome website guys. Anyways, I consider myself a fairly serious fisherman. I don't really fish in too many tournaments, but I live on a lake and I fish nearly every day. I ordered 2 of these rods and put a Diawa Megaforce on one and a Quantum AC500CX Accurist on the other. This was last fall. I have fished HARD with both of these and I love em! No problems so far, and I can say I have put them through it. I got them both for 60 bucks I think. Best bang for the buck out there in my opinion. I don't think I will be buying expensive rods anymore. If I recall it is the F series that I bought. I am getting ready to buy 2 more. -Brad