Darren.

That was a perspective picture. I.e., the perspective of the bat in the picture makes it look larger than it is in reality. It is more in the foreground than middle of the picture. Like when you hold a bass far out in front of you, it looks bigger than it is. Unless you went to Lake Baccarac in Mexico, then all bass are that big no matter where you hold it.

Welcome Hervé!

Welcome aboard, Charles!

I have two Stradic 1000FI reels, and a Lexa 2000. I like them all -- a LOT. Been extremely impressed with the smoothness of the Lexa in every aspect, but especially the bail. There's something about it that I like better than all my Shimano reels (also have a Sahara and a couple Spirex reels). The Lexa has a more positive engagement, solid clicking. None of my Shimanos are as good, IMO, as the Lexa here. The Stradics are extremely smooth, and at the price I paid for each, they better be. But the bail arm on one needs to be fixed, I may send it to DVT when I can. If I had to buy a reel today in the price range of the Lexa, I'd very likely pick another Lexa over the Shimano offerings.

If you are talking spinning reels, it shouldn't have any problems. I use 10lb PP as well, and I think I've got either 8 or 10 lb mono backing on each of my spinning reels. Never had any problems with digging. 10lb is pretty light on a bait caster, but not unheard of. I've done it. I prefer 20lb as the 10 can definitely dig in more because of the diameter and nature of how the bait caster reels in the line.

The longest rods I use (currently) are 6'3", and I've got a 1000 on a 6'3" Compre, and one on a 5'9" Compre. The Lexa is on my Avid currently, which *was* 6'3", but is now about 5'9" due to breakage. Will be traded in under warranty when I can do so. Not sure what length I'll get, and if I'll cross-trade for a 6'2" casting rod. Now before you say "ha! shorter rods is why they balance!" realize I've also paired these same reels in-store on 6'6" to 6'8" rods of various brands. The Stradic was amazingly balanced on several, including the BPS Carbonlite in those lengths (which was a great balance). I'm between 5'6" and 5'7", and just happen to prefer the shorter rods for the type of kayak fishing I do. Hate my rods getting tied up in low-lying trees, bushes and such. Balance to me is probably similar to you, I want the tip to be up around the 10 o'clock location, or 45 to 50 degrees up from horizontal. And depending on the length of the rod, and comfort, I too will put my hand above the reel. But typically I wrap my pinky around the reel stem. Definitely want the weight to the back of my combo. Just my preference.

Mark's right IMO. I use braid on all my reels, spinning and bait casting, and use mono backing. Now if I had a shallow spool, like they have on a lot of reels in Japan, that are designed for braid -- probably straight braid. But for me, money is an issue, so I stretch a 300yd spool of braid as far as I can.

You can use a 3500 for "finesse", but realize that term is debatable. Just about any lure can be "finessed" on any setup. If you're strictly talking light baits, light line, I personally feel the 3500 size is big. But realize I prefer smaller reels. I'd pick a 3500 size for in-shore saltwater stuff. I do most of my bass fishing with 1000 size Stradics, and a 2000 size Lexa. I caught the 6.6 pounder in my avatar on one of the Stradics. Plenty of power to land a fish of that size and larger (which I have caught on same reels). I've never lost a fish due to the reel being underpowered. What I'd look for is to balance your rod and reel together where YOU feel most comfortable. If you like the 3500 size, then put it on several different rods at your local BPS to better help you get the feel.

As for an 18" leader, for me, that's short and in need of replacing. But that is ME! I like a leader to be in the neighborhood of 6-10' in length, depending on what I'm doing, conditions, etc. Sometimes I'll make my leader two spans of both arms stretched wide. Water clarity can help you with that decision. Ultra clear? Perhaps a longer leader will be best. You have to experiment and decide that fact for the way you fish.

I don't fish either much anymore. I fished drop more than C-rig, now I fish more mojo and TX, with wacky the most. My waters don't go much deeper than 20', and that's in a flooded reservoir situation. But they're not the same action, as stated. One has the weight above the bait, the other has the weight below it. I'd consider, though not a hard/fast rule, drop shot to be more of a vertical presentation, while the C-rig is more of a horizontal/dragging presentation (altho drop-shotting can be done that way as well).

That is my guess, too. With the Exceler and Tatula, it seems the Lexa is not needed. Something has to separate it from the Exceler. Perhaps that's the Magforce-Z and 10 bearings. Dunno. Anyone's guess.

I'm going to agree here. I have two Shimano Stradic 1000FI models (which I love), and a Daiwa Lexa 2000. The Lexa is a stout reel, works extremely well for its size and cost. Is it a Stradic? No. But it is a fantastic reel for the money. I also have several other Shimano reels sub $100 and love them, too. You can't go wrong with either brand, IMO. Pflueger makes a fine reel as well, but when I was in the market, Shimano won me over all the rest. When the Lexa was introduced, I had to have one and haven't been disappointed. I've got a Lexa bait casting reel, as well. Look at the Lexa, the Shimano Sahara, and Symetre (which is more to your price point). Both are excellent reels that can handle both fresh and salt water (if that's of any importance to you...is to me).

Welcome!! Another Virginian added to the fold!

Interesting... What Grantman said is what I understand the differences to be. Not the Magforce Z, tho. That looks like something new.

What is patience? Never heard of it... Heh. 4 boys from 16 to 9. Been fishing with them all their lives. Each is so different. One will give up after 5 minutes of not getting a bite, the middle two are patient and will fish till they catch something...for the most part. #4 is a mixture. He's not perfected his casting skills but thinks he's got it. Pobody's nerfect.

Welcome aboard, Tyler!

There is no hard/fast rule as to the length of a leader when bass fishing. Gary Yamamoto likes his leader long enough to reel onto his reel when fighting a fish. Me? I like to stretch out leader line one or two spans of my arms held wide. Some folks like a 2 foot leader and nothing more. One thing is for certain, if your leader line is in good shape, the longer the leader, the less you eat into your braid mainline. With my method, I can tie quite a few hooks before needing to change out the leader. Experiment, find out what works best for you. These are just ideas

Well, tip-heavy is a subjective thing. For me, when I put my reel on the rod, I want the tip to feel as if it isn't there. Super light, easy to lift. Tip-heavy tends to show up after hours of fishing, too. If a rod makes your arm tired when using it for soft-plastics (TX, Mojo, Wacky), constantly lifting, dropping, lifting dropping, it's tip-heavy. Again, we are all different, so what I consider tip-heavy may not be what you consider tip-heavy. For me, if when I put my reel on, I hold it the way I like, and the tip goes down fast, that's tip-heavy. If the tip goes down slow, it is less so. If it goes down little to not-at-all, it is tip light. That's why I personally suggest each person test a rod (if they can) with their own model of reel. See how it feels -- how YOU hold it. Every rod has a balancing point, but we all hold rods differently. So a balancing point may or may not be the best way to gauge if a rod is tip-heavy/light. All my 2 cents, so take it for what it's worth

As a father of 4 boys and no girls, welcome to the club!! Congrats!!

Welcome aboard!

I've got two cork Compres, but my buddy picked up a 6'8" spinning rod of the new model, and yes, it is a bit more tip-heavy than the cork handled models. I've handled it, very nice feel, but I'm the opposite of you, I don't like tip-heavy. Comparing the Compre, Veritas, in-store, they were pretty even, at least the ones I handled. Might give the tip-heavy nod to the Compre between the two. But it's been a while since I've had them in my hands. I always compare rods when I hit the local BPS. Habit. But my tip-heavy may not be another person's tip-heavy. So your opinion may vary. Get your hands on them if you can, feel the weight as you close your eyes...put your reel(s) on them if you can to get the balance.

These are my brands of choice. P-Line Floroclear and YZH both in green and only use them for leader line.

Welcome aboard!

Hi Chad, and welcome to the forums!

Hi Sam, and welcome to the forums!