Dave T.

I have the Shimano oil, and it works great. I also have Ardent's "Reel Butter" oil.. also works great.

If I could have only one suspending jerk bait in my box... it would be a Pointer 78.

Good for you man! You're going to love that rig in the river.

I agree 100%. If your going to take it apart, do it right... clean everything thoroughly before re-greasing/re-oiling. Also, call me "finicky", but I like to make a small scratch mark on the main pinion gear and another scratch mark on the top of the ring gear and line them up when I put the reel back together.

I prefer a Zebco spincast... but they don't make them anymore... guess I'll have to go with rat's arse. ;D ;D

Won't hurt to have a couple 78 & 100 SP Pointers either.

My son has the 6'6" MF and the 6'8" MXF, and I've had a chance to use them both. Pretty darn nice rods, and I would agree what others of said here... they are a little light in power, but work fine with the finesse stuff.

Two other good options in the "under $150" range are the Powell Max rods, and the TFO (Temple Forks Outfitters) rods. The TFO rods come in at around $100.

Well, add another one to the list of St. Croix fans. Excellent rods, reasonable price, and a good warranty. I think the trade-up options is also very nice. However, I'm still disappointed that the top of the line Legend Extreme comes with REC guides. Those guides just don't cut it for me (and a lot of rod builders). I think a $350 rod should come with TiSic guides... never mind the $450 NRX that also has those guides. With that said, my Legend Extreme, and LTB are certainly excellent fishing tools.

Same thanks here... got my second CI4.

As most others, I think it sucks that Loomis changed their warranty program. However, I have to agree. If you have a broken rod in your hand that cost over $200... getting a new one for $100 is still pretty decent. On a side note, for the time being (saying that quietly ;D) I'm glad my rods are St. Croix's.

For $140, the Powell Max spinning rods are an excellent value. The 6'8" MLXF rod would be great drop shot rod.

Al Gore said this would happen!

Between my son and I, we have 3 Supreme's, a few older Stradic's, a newer Stradic FI, and I have a new CI4 (no question - my favorite). We have had a couple of issues with two of the Supreme's, and we've probably seen the last of them because of those issues. The older Stradic's had issues with binding when they got wet... the newer models seem to have resolved those issues. I've had several Diawa's in my hand and was very tempted. They are a very smooth reel, but lacked the retrieve speed that I prefer. Plus, my buddy has a couple, and they seem to eat bail spring pretty quickly... at least for him. ;D The two things that have sold me on the newer Shimano's are the fast retrieve speed and the beveled lip on the spool. I'm pretty sure the beveled lip increases casting distance, and I'm certain that it reduces issues with line loops/knots. It also makes filling the spool a no brainer... just fill it to where the bevel starts.

Here's a link to a growth chart for the North Branch of the Susquehanna in NE PA. http://www.nbsmallmouthalliance.com/growth.html You growth rate will be even less.

I love Sufix Performance Braid. The new Sufix Stretch Braid is awesome on spinning reels. Looking forward to trying the new Sufix 832 Braid.

I'm sure these will be fantastic fishing rods. However, I would have been more impressed with TiSIC's all the way down the blank (especially given the price). I'd also have to see those wraps in person... look a little gaudy in the pics I've seen. Then again, the rod may be so superior that one could overlook the guides and wraps. Anyway, for a price of over $500, I'm sure they will be offering a 100% warranty, and guarantee a "boatload" of fish on every outing. ;D

Decent equipment is fun to fish with. Great equipment is a PLEASURE to fish with, and will make a good fisherman even better, and the whole experience even better. It's up to the individual to determine what prices and equipment fall into those categories. Even the best equipment wont' do much for a bad fisherman.

My son bought a spool of the 20lb Sufix Stretch Braid for his spinning reel to use for smallies. So far he likes it. Right out of the box it is softer and more supple than the regular Sufix, and casts beautifully with no knots or tangles... certainly a plus on spinning equipment. Knot strength seems to be good also. To be honest, I can hardly detect any stretch at all... but I guess it's there? Time will tell on how it holds up.

Matt does some beautiful work... that's just another fine example. Let us know how it fishes... I bet it will be "sweet".

LOL ;D

Personally, I think the larger hard baits (of any type) are easier for the fish to pick out as a "fake". With that said, I've caught my share of smallies on larger baits, including the Baby Torpedo and other larger top water lures. Seems like you have to catch them in a bit of a feeding frenzy to catch a large number of fish on larger baits... but it does happen. Still, the smaller baits are more consistent. I'm sure it has something to do with the size of their prey on a day to day basis.

I don't mind spending the money on good equipment... but I don't like spending it two or three times to get the equipment I want. I buy high end St. Croix rods, and higher end Shimano reels because they have the feature I want, and perform as expected. Would I be just as happy with Loomis rods and Diawa reels or some other good rods and reels... I'm sure I would, but what I have works extremely well for me, and I can spend the money I would spend experimenting on other equally important things... like my ATV. Anyhow, if that makes me "biased" towards those brands... so be it. I'm quite sure I could become biased towards other brands if I had money to burn. I sure won't bash other brands without hands on experience and good reason.

Haven't tried them all, but I've tried a bunch. For my smallmouth spinning rod setups, 20/6 Suffix always ends up back on the reels. With a little use it becomes nice and soft and extremely limp, and yet remains very strong, abrasion resistant, and holds a knot exceptionally well. The only thing I don't like about it is the noise in makes in the guides... but I can live with that given all the other positive attributes.

Thanks Suskydude... I may try a ZZ Pop and see how similar it fishes.