Triton Man

I just got a new symetre and so far I like it and have no complaints. I took a close look at the pflueger purist as well and probably would have been just as happy with that one. I had a president once but the bail kept closing on the cast and causing my lures to go sailing away so I have avoided them since but everyone seems to say they are the best deal in a budget reel.

I did pick up a zara puppy because I've had good success with them from shore but not from my boat. Resisted buying anything else but a good price on those baits.

Reel in a bit slower, downsize the main blade a size or two if you want to keep the speed up, or add extra weight to it by pinching on a split shot to the hook or just ahead of the head if you dont mind how it looks. You could also put a couple wraps of wire around the rubber band that holds the skirt and it will be partially covered by the front half of the skirt during the retrieve. Are you using a trailer on it also? If so you might want to try without it and see how it handles. If no trailer fixes the problem then try different trailers till you find one that doesn't cause the problem.

I know very little about all the differences in each and every shimano model and only own a few but one of them is a new symetre FL size 2500 that I put on a 6' st. croix premier ML. They match very well together. I bought it as my trout/panfish rod but I am sure it will see some bass action with smaller lures. Since bass season is currently closed this rod has been the only one seeing any action so far this year. No complaints with the reel so far. One observation is it seems like the graphite frame doesn't feel as cold on my fingers as my aluminum frames. A positive in my eyes. I liked the price and the x-ship and also got it for 10% off.

As my family has grown I've had to cut back on my hobbies from when I was a single man. But fishing is definetly the main hobby. Hockey fills in the winter time once a week, skiing has fallen way off for me. I gave up summer hockey and a golf league to give me the most chance to fish and I go till the last lake freezes. Only ice fish a little bit.

I finally got a chance to test the 12# line a little bit. Only made a few casts with one lure but it does cast nice and the sensitivity seemed as good as regular braid. Pretty much the same as everyones first impression. Hopefully people will continue to post reviews after a few months use.

Thanks for the link. I'm sorry I missed that somehow. I even tried to do a search.

I have a pair pair of Maui Jim sunglasses that I like but are starting to get scratched up. They also dont sit tight to my face so I find myself straining my eyes because of all the extra sunlight coming in the sides and bottom. I have been looking at some Costa Blackfins with the copper lens in the polycarbonate lense due to cost and weight. But I was wondering how good the lenses and frame comfort is of these much less expensive Strike King glasses. $40 dollars is almost cheap enough for a blind purchase of them, but if they aren't worth it I'd like to hear that first. They have good reviews so far on TW.

Its about all I have ever used. I dont have enough experience with power pro to compare though. I dont think there is much difference between the two. I'm sure some one will tell you the difference is huge and you'd be a fool to use one over the other. Spiderwire is usually less expensive though. I've used 8#, 15 and 20# mainly, and 30#, all on spinning gear for spinnerbaits, spooks and frogs usually. I switched to a palomar knot from an improved clinch knot and stopped having my knots slip.

I dont think you are paying anything extra for this reel to be able to fish in saltwater. It is a very nice reel and would be a good match to a SC Premier rod.

I decided to exchange the 8# I bought and got the 6# after all the comments on here and comparing it to the line I've been using. Looked online at different line thicknesses and it seems like yo zuri just under rates their line. The thickness of their 8# (12# breaking strength) was the same as many others 12# line thickness. Same with their 4# breaking near 8# was similar thickness to most lines 8#. I dont know when I will string it up though since I had already prepped my rods for the season and try to get a season out of my line. I also just recieved my spool of 12# supercaster line and bought a 4# and 8# spool of p line fluroclear since there were lots of good reviews of that as well. I spooled the 4# on my new 6' sc premier med lite with new symetre 2500 and that line seemed like a perfect fit and so far is very manageable although I haven't caught anything on it to test sensitivity yet.

I read a lot of positive reviews so I decided to pick up a spool of 8lb hybrid since I like to use 8 lb on my spinning reels. I've been using spiderwire 100% fluro that was on clearance a few years ago so I stocked up but have run out now. I fish a lot but cant spend a lot so I hope this line will work as a good replacement. Does it feel and act more like a fluro or a mono? I wont get to test it for a couple weeks probably due to frozen lakes and bass season doesn't open until the end of April when I can finally test it for real.

Even more great information. Thanks again, I really appreciate all the info on their in house line of products.

Thank you DS40 for all the info. I shop at Gander Mtn frequently and always wondered about the rods and reels. I have a guide series rod I enjoy fishing with. I bought a GSX Titanium spinning reel that came with a free Gander Mtn Vortex rod a few weeks ago when their spring fishing sale started. Sadly I have already returned both. The spinning reel bail wouldn't close most of the time after only about 30 minutes of use and the reel seat screw was cut to short on the rod to even secure my new reel. I was disapointed but decided to upgrade to a Shimano Symetre reel and got half off the new GS Elite spinning rod. This rod is very similar looking to the *** *** rods but was $35 dollars less with this deal. My buddy bought the *** rod in a matching lenght and action and I will be comparing them if the ice ever gets off the lakes here in Michigan. My biggest concern with the GS Elite is the grip on the spinning rod. Its shaped pretty well to get your fingers closer to the blank but not sure it will be comfortable after lots of use. The *** grip seemed very comfortable and is tapered off at the top instead of boxed off like on the GS Elite. Hopefully performance is the same, actually, hopefully the GS Elite has better performance since thats the one I bought! The GS Elite is 40 ton Japanese Toray Carbon blanks vs the 30 ton in the *** but that doesn't determine sensitivity alone.

I USED to use the improve clinch knot with braid but occasionally lost lures because of it. Switched to the palomar knot for braid and haven't lost a lure since. Use it.

I use spinning equipment 95% of the time and more and more the grip is becoming a main issue in my rod decisions. I hold it between my pinkie and ring finger of my right hand since thats where grabbing the line with my pointer finger is most natural. I dont shift my hand around after the cast because I like to always be ready to set the hook or make another cast. I have a Loomis IMX because I found a good deal on it and ordered it online without ever handling one before. I agree that the screw down is a terrible design on such a nice rod. The threads are right on my pointer finger and thumb and like you said the cork fore grip is too far up to even touch so there is no need for it even to be there. But then I have a veritas with the same screw down handle but they got rid of the cork foregrip wisely and added an uncomfortably large fastener to go with the exposed threads. I have a st. croix eyecon rod and the handle is comfortable. I was very close to buying a fenwick elite tech smallmouth rod because that is also a very comfortable handle. Another very comfortable design is the *** black *** spinning rod. I handled my buddies new one and would even chose that over the fenwick but both are nice. Also, when fishing in temps near freezing its nice if your fingers and palm are touching as little metal as possible like these designs try to incorporate.

This is interesting because I just upgraded my ultralight combo this weekend with a good sale and took a long look at a 1000 yard spool of 4 lb test (not line thickness) berkley fireline they had on clearance. I wasn't sure I would like it enough to need that much of it since I would have no other use for it if I didn't like it. My concern was how well braid that thin works with bobbers and crimp on weights. Seemed like mono would do just fine for a rod I wont use very much anyway.

I almost hate to admit this but my MVP would have to be my two-piece Gander Mountain IM-8 Guide Series spinning rod. Its a 6'6" medium fast action rod for only about 60 bucks but its the one I use the most out of about 10 rods. And I have some "better" more expensive rods including a m/f SC Avid (I like it, grip gets a bit uncomfortable for jerkbaits all day), m/xf SC Mojo (decent with senkos), 6'3" m/xf SC eyecon (my main jerkbait rod, thought the length and grip style would be good, pretty happy) mh/f Veritas (really dont like it much, reel screw is annoying, too stiff, not that sensitive), g.loomis IMX m/f (still getting used to it, dont like the grip set up but casts far and starting to really like it), fenwick HMX (never really felt right, stripper guide seems to be too small) mh/f quantum allilance (little sensitivity), two baitcasters that I almost never use, m/f quantum tour (can't feel a thing, just weight at the end of the line means I caught weeds or fish) and h/f sc mojo frog (terrible with frogs). Since its a two peice its always in my car and gets used whenever I get a minute or two to cast a lure from shore. When I fish at night I basically only throw a single colorado bladed spinnerbait and this is the only rod I want to use because it just seems more sensitive than my others. Makes no sense but thats how it seems. Its also my favorite for throwing hard jerkbaits even though a two-piece can be annoying by coming apart I deal with it happily. I've tried to add a jerkbait rod since I dont like to take the time to switch from my braid spool for throwing the spinnerbait to my fluro spool for the jerkbait but I havent found one I like as much.

I consistently use the rapala knot with fluro and mono and its been reliable. With braid it's not reliable but a palomar knot has been. I don't know and haven't tried many other knots to be able to tell you if its the best or not. As a weekend angler I haven't found a reason to stop using it yet.

I also have had equal success on my x-raps as I have on my pointers.

There should be no difference in power or action but there will be a slight decrease in sensitivity in the 2-piece, but you may not even notice. The two piece are better if you need to transport your rod in your car often, but usually you can find a way to transport one piece rods in most cars. I have one 2-piece rod that I keep in my car at all times because its not in the way.

I just recieved the IMX so I took it right out to open water at the river and gave it a very fast comparison to my avid. It seems like I am going to like it but it did not blow the avid away....yet. Comparison Test: 6'6" med, fast Avid and 6'6" med, fast IMX I used the same Quantum Energy 20 spinning reel with 6lb Spiderwire 100%fluro and casted a husky jerk and a 4 inch Senko with both rods. Both seemed to cast the same distance with both lures. Bottom contact sensitivity with the Senko rolling along the bottom seemed equal to me. The IMX is a slightly softer action and smaller blank as shown in the lure ratings Avid-3/16 to 5/8oz IMX-1/8 to 3/8oz Handles- both are the same length and reel seats are in identical positons. Prefer the Avid for reel screw below the reel so all my hand is on the cork instead of my index finger on the screw threads as on the IMX. Balance-both were identical at just under my index finger while holding the reel between my last two fingers. Weight-no perceivable difference to me Guides-one less on the IMX, also IMX stripper guide is smaller and closer to the reel. (Slight weight reduction?) Results Way to early to actually test the IMX and 20 minutes on the river is not ideal. I do really like it though and think it will be a great companion for the Avid I have. Those two rods could cover almost all my usual fishing needs. I have two Energy 20 reels so I will be able to closely compare them this year. At this point though, I'm glad I got the IMX on sale for less than a regular priced Avid because I dont see the benefit of paying $80 more for the regular priced IMX over the Avid. Maybe I will change my mind once I fish it more and will post again after I do that.

I have a gander mountain guide series rod ~$60, that is a 6'6" med. fast two-peice that I use a ton. I keep it in my car for when I drive by somewhere but also use it in my boat. Its only because I've bought more expensive rods that I've started to see its not quite as sensitive as them, but still no complaints. If you don't want to spend very much I think its a good one. Online the shipping can be free but some rods are 5 bucks extra, a two peice shouldn't be though. They were having a 30% off sale on their tournament rod, so you could get that one for less than the guide series.

I also ordered a st croix eyecon 6'3" med. xf that I was planning on using as a jerkbait/skipping/topwater rod and possibly drop shot but maybe I will return it if the loomis is going to fill that niche better.

Thats good to know. I do have an avid and like it, currently my most expensive rod. Like everyone I'm always trying to upgrade my tackle if its within my budget. I am hoping to take the imx when it arrives and my avid and mojo and test them all with the same reel and lures to really compare them.