S Hovanec

I prefer M/XF rods for jerkbaits and topwater.

Every pack of Do-it dropshot swivels has a much more in depth warning than that on them.

Come to think of it, i believe PacBay Quickline comes in 10'.

I think the 10' length is going to limit your selections. I built a 10' 7wt Sage One last year for a board member and he loves it.

My favorites were the old matte SCIII and the old matte RX7. The TiCh is also nice.

If you bought a RodGeeks in dark blue and did a side by side comparison, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference without looking at the labels. Plus,the paint job is better on the RodGeeks. Or, you can get it in just a matte clear if color isn't your thing.

If it doesn't break when I static test it, I'm never gonna need the warranty, no matter how long it is. I think more companies are realizing that and shortening their warranties. Wouldn't bother me if it was one year or even less.

Since you only mentioned those 2, I gave my input on the one I'm most familiar with. Neither one would be in my rotation. Avid or Avid X would be my choice in the mid-level arena.

The Cashion could shed some weight if they were more careful with the epoxy application. It has 3x or more than is needed. It looks terrible and adds unnecessary weight.

Haven't owned either, but have done repairs on both. From a build standpoint, my vote is for Denali. I've never seen a more poorly executed build than Cashion.

Cause 300 yds of braid on a reel is a waste when 50 yards will do the trick. I can spool 6 reels with a spool of Powerpro by using mono backing.

If the Loomis Mag Lite is anything like the NFC Mag Lite, it will be underpowered for throwing the jerkbait, IMO. I have no experience with the Dobyns. I am very familiar with Croixs, especially the MLXF. That one would be my choice.

They are designed like that to allow for wear. If it fit flush, it would eventually get too loose to stay together. It's an old school design, but still effective.

I'll put my $0.02 in based on my obeservations over the years. I have had and still have many of the Croix MLXF, MXF and MF rods. IMO, there is a power missing between their ML and M models in the freshwater line. That power can be filled with their inshore ML rods.

$250 is a typical dropshot bait order for me!

I now have a box full of Mosquitoes for all of my dropshottimg needs. Leaps and bounds better than the Gammies.

Mine were size 4 Gammie Dropshot on 6# fluoro and a MLXF rod. no way should a hook break on 6# line.

This is why I gave away all of my Gammie dropshot hooks. Broke 2 of them fighting fish.

Wood chips were flying this morning. Test run on an ugly block revealed the block wasn't so ugly after all. This thing is soooo cool. I need to get some acrylic in here now! Time to go upstairs and install a new dishwasher.

A 2500 CI4 isn't enough weight to balance any of my 6'10" rods, so no way will a 1000 even be close. You have to step up to a metal bodied reel to achieve what you want.

Just picked up some bits last night. Might run a reel seat or 2 this weekend.

If I had the extra money and space, I would have had that 13x40 I posted a pic of on the first page. It was marked down to $1500.

From ones you mentioned, the only two that stuck out are Cashion and ALX. I wouldn't fish a Cashion if you gave it to me. Fit and finish is the worst I've ever seen on a production produced rod. I never handled a built ALX, but I have played around with their blanks at the 2013 ICRBE. They felt light and crisp. I wouldn't be afraid to try them.

If it wasn't on sale, $695. However, it was on sale for $595 plus an additional 20% clearance.

You can use it, but it may not perform ideally for jerkbaits. I prefer an XF action for jerks.