bigfruits

a MH fast action around 7'. what is the price range you are looking at?

i think $100 rods are the best value. maybe a bit less for moving bait rods and a bit more for bottom contact rods. choose a good brand and choose a light weight and well balanced stick. over the years as your quiver gets larger you may end up swapping some rods out for more expensive "less value" rods. once that happens you can never go back!

i can tell you that the CNQ843 is considerably stiffer and more powerful than the NRX843 and the old GLX843.

your choices look good. yo zuri and sniper would be good choices for 2 rods and their intended purposes (never tried the super natural). both very easy to manage on spinning or casting gear. i highly recommend kvd line conditioner. sunline defier for the cranks and tatsu for the jig and spinnerbait rod i could also recommend. for a dedicated jig rod id look at shooter FC or braid with or without leader.

curado 70/71 or a used Aldebaran Mg

burke lake can be cruel but she gave me a nice treat yesterday in about 4 ft of water. 5lb 15oz.

Ive ordered from these guys several times in the past with no problems. a bit pricey. a search of the good JDM sites might result in a better price. http://japantackle.com/tug0000083.html

lots of upgrades for them too if you get bored in the winter. shallow bfs spools, handles, etc. i find the stock handle a bit short, i ordered the Shimano Exsence DC for my Core which is a bit longer. That handle was a better value than the aftermarket ones of the same length that i put on the two 09 Aldes.

the Aldebaran Mg is the only low profile reel that stood the test of time in my collection. As mentioned, it is the old US Core reel. Same body as the old green Curado 50/51 I believe. I have two of them and a Core. You have the option to put 7.7 Shimano Brenious brass gears in it or 8:1 aluminum gears in. The latter requires a cheap mod. The reels cast great. No external brakes but thats not a problem. A little taller than a Curado 71 body but a small frame no doubt.

its ok to fish a worm on a moderate if it is powerful enough to get the thickness of the hook you are using into the fish. a med power crankbait rod would not be a good choice but a moderate heavy flipping rod would. lot of variables with all things fishing. once you have a fish on, IMO the ideal action would always be moderate as it would keep a more constant pressure on and help prevent slack when you cannot keep up with the fish by cranking your reel or by moving the rod. a faster rod might help yank him out cover faster before he digs in however.

if it has similar action and power to the nrx version, its a winner!

run some line through the guides and tie it off to table or have someone hold the line. put pressure on the rod until you hit the backbone and that should give you a pretty good idea of the action. this is also useful with rods with the actions already labeled. one company's fast may be another's extra fast etc. power is also not universal.

i have extra spools for my reels and i have 2 or 3 of the same model for some. excel helps me keep track of what line is on what spool, what spool is on what reel and what reel is on what rod.

it makes you worse because they dont backlash as much id recommend spending $100 or more on a Shimano or Daiwa for beginners. If the beginner knows that hes in for the long haul and money is not tight, a $300 JDM Shimano is my recommendation. I do not think a $300 reel will make the beginner better over the $100 reel but the smile will be bigger. if the beginner spends $50 on a BC reel and ends up fishing for years into the future, that $50 will end up wasted when the reel collects dust after that person has upgraded. you will get more out of a $50 spinning reel IMO.

i use straight FC on both spinning and casting for senkos and other weightless plastics. for casting id prob go for 10lb.

Hello, I have shipped and received dozens of rods and have been lucky to never have had anything lost or damaged. I plan on selling quite a few rods soon and had some questions about what should happen if a rod is lost or damaged. Is it up to the buyer or seller to make the claim with the shipping company? I ship via FedEx if that matters... If the seller does not purchase insurance to cover the full amount of the rod, does the seller take the hit? Is the buyer responsible for purchasing additional insurance? I hope to never need to use this information but its always a dice roll. Thanks in advance, -Z

its great for those. it ended up becoming my "medium" jig rod though. 1/4-3/8oz plus plastic. it can handle 1/2 but not ideal IMO. great for t-rig when cover permits. its a bit faster than the original version XX DSR and doesnt cast quite as far. Its definitely more crisp and sensitive. many prefer a slower action for chatterbaits but i like a fast type.

those are my two favorite rods in my collection, the fmj and daemos. followed by nrx and old glx (maybe because i havent fished the newer version). the fmj is well balanced and sensitive (in my hands) up there with NRX. not too long as many jig rods are getting. swapped out a NRX 873 for it and dont regret it - the 873 is a great rod IMO 1/2 oz plus plastic is ideal for it. 3/8 still feels great. can double as a "light" frog rod and good with larger single hook moving baits.

MB FMJ without a doubt!

id get a MH Fast and just stay away from deep cranks.

i clean the cork with Dawn soap and warm water, let dry and apply a coat of U40 on all of my rods.

for those techniques id get 7:1 or faster.

i dont mind paying $300 for JDM Aldebarans and Metaniums especially when US Curados are $200. The $400 US price for Metaniums and Aldebarans is a bit much IMO.

couple more things, not sure if theyve been mentioned. you might be releasing the bait too late in your swing. put some muscle into it. not saying youre weak, just that you might be scared to break the tip. do an exaggerated lob, putting plenty of power into it but dont whip it fast as to break the tip. do a constant acceleration. like casting 4oz of lead from the surf. sorry if this is basic, not trying to insult. i think a lot of bass anglers arent used to casting larger baits and the different type of cast needed to get distance.

slamming down in front of you sounds like the rod isnt loading but you saying it feels heavy and bends the rod quite a bit kind of counters that... when you cast the rod is it loading well? the rod should bend as you swing it and kind of help "catapult" the bait at the end of the swing. i think if you do these things below you will find your answer. 1. cast a-rig with your MH crankshaft rod. 2. put the curado on a lighter rod and cast a 1/2oz spinnerbait. are you getting the distance you expect? 3. cast a 1/2oz spinnerbait on your current a-rig set up. did it go further than the a-rig?