bigfruits

you can prob find a st. croix avid for around that price if you do some research... AVC66MF AVC70MF id get a 6.5' or 7' med or med hvy rod with a fast tip for an all-around rod. i also recommend Falcon, Fenwick, Rogue, and Shimano i've heard very good things about Dobyns, B&R Outlaw, Kistler and Powell

loomis mbr783 imx or glx

i like black with black blades at night. white with silver or gold blades on bright days / clear water. chartruese with silver or gold in heavily stained or muddy water. if its very cloudy and i dont get much sun reflecting off of the gold and silver blades, ill use a blade matching the skirt color (white or chartruese). willow blades will make the bait run faster and give off less vibration(sunny,clear water). colorado will slow it down and give off alot of vibration (night, cloudy, muddy). the smaller the blades, the faster you can present them. i only use a trailer (grub rigged tail down along seam) in murky water to add bulk. in clear water i fish them very fast, muddy i go slow. 6'-7' baitcaster, fast action, matching lure weight for me.

i use spinning for jigs and plastics under 5/16oz and everything else 1/8oz and under. its all personal preference.

get them a normal spinning rod. you'll be surprised how fast they pick it up.

st. croix avid or legend tournament

beautiful! its too bad they still allow skiers wow that makes me want to go home. all i have here in dubai is an indoor slope that i hit every month or so. just ordered a rome mod from sierrasnowboard on their 60% off sale that i wont be able to use until next season. check out their website if you havent been there before. best snowboard deals anywhere. cheers -z

what do you guys feed your aquarium bluegill and sunfish? do they eat those hikari balls you feed cichlids? thanks -z

anyone ever read Cormac McCarthy?

ive had luck swimming jigs with grub trailers over grass in the potomac river. ive never tried it on smallmouth. i swim it over the grass and let it drop into holes/pockets. not really a with a steady retrieve.more like long slow hops. i think of it as a bulkier grub presentation or a spinnerbait sans spinner. i rig it tail down along the seam... that being said, i tie on a spinnerbait alot more often than a swim jig.

KVD's!

i havent tried the revo or pflueger but i agree with the Gone_Phishin and have seen these reels in your price range recommended alot on here: chronach mg (if the spool is big enough for you) http://www.***.com/descpageRLCSHIMANO-SHCSF50.html curado E Revo SX or STX

id suggest a bcr802 and daiwa pixy or presso. ive never used a presso but i hear pixy is a better deal... i believe the bsr801 is a spinning rod....

the ideal rod for me would be 6.5' to 7' spinning rod with an extra fast action. id prob get one with a lure rating of 1/8 to 3/8oz. id suggest st. croix avid or better or loomis imx or better.

i agree with roadwarrior. you can prob also use it for drop shot and shakey head jigs. the only thing i wouldnt use it for are crankbaits.

"It" Stephen King... read it back in middle school but don't remember much of it. great book

i think yes, someone has used it before.

slower ratios (5:1) are good for deep cranks because you exert less energy. like riding uphill in the small cog of your front derailleur if you are familiar with mtn biking... for baits that are moved with your rod (plastics,jigs) i like a faster gear ratio (7:1) to pick up slack quickly when setting the hook and to reel the bait back to the boat faster to get it back to the strike zone asap. if you like to burn your spinner bait you might want a 7:1. i think 6:1 is a good all around ratio. keep in mind, this is all personal preference.

id also suggest sjr843s or sjr783s IMX. if you look around you should be able to find them for close to $200.

ive tried several different brands and shaky2 is my favorite by far.

all the sticky has to say is rod: loomis or st. croix reel: shimano or daiwa

thanks everyone. let me ask one more thing, whats the difference between the two models? isnt the fast sink the same as the wake/slow with more weight added or is the empty bait heavier overall than the empty wake/slow? cheers -z

id like to purchase the waking/slow sink version. i cant find the weight anywhere. id like to know if can use it on my mbr844c. does anyone know how much they weigh? i realize it depends on the amount of tungsten balls you use. http://www.***.com/descpageSWIMTRUTUNG-TTMISS.html# thanks -z

yes

im thinking of trading my st. croix legend tournament spinning rod LTBS68MXF (3/16-5/8oz lure weight) for the legend elite or legend extreme version. this rod will be used for 1/4-5/16oz drop shot,t-rigs,shakey jigs and skirted jigs w/trailer. the difference i see between these two rods from reading the specs is the recoil guides, split grip and 40 dollars. how do you guys like the recoil guides? i know they make an annoying noise when casting braid but i dont plan on using it. has anyone tried the legend extreme?