DaveT63

Nice setup! I can't help with places to fish, but I know you will enjoy fishing that rod and reel!

Keep in mind another way to get better quality reels cheaper is to buy used. Watch the flea market here, or keep an eye on fleabay. I've seen the older Curados go regularly for $70-80. Those Bantam Curados are tough to beat for the money. I've also bought a Pflueger Patriarch for $100 through the flea market. That place is great when you want to upgrade, and can save you plenty of money to buy otehr gear. Same goes for rods and tackle.

I have roughly 12 St Croix rods, from Triumphs to Xtreme's. I absolutely LOVE them. That said, I also have a couple Loomis GLX rods, and they get very comparable fishing time to the Elites and Xtremes. I would be hard pressed to say which is better. Both are fine rods. I've never used Loomis CS, but can vouch for the CS at St Croix as being first class.

There is a St Croix 6'8" MXF in the Flea Market for $90 plus shipping. This is an absolute steal at this price! You won't find a better rod for this money.

I think you will be very happy with that reel. Get it super tuned and I KNOW you will be happy.

The Core 50/51is a SWEET little reel! It is as smooth and light as my Steez reels at much less money, unless you find a used Steez cheap. The core won't let you down. But i also agree with RW about the Curado 50E.

I Like It ALot,ButThink I PRefer My StradicCI4 A Little BIt Better. I Don't Think You Will Be DisAppointed With.It ThOugh.

Brad Paisley also did "Catch all the fish, drink all the beer". Pretty funny song. And if it's been referenced in one of the previoulsy posted youtube videos, I apologize, but I can't view youtube on this computer.

My woodworking and my Corvette (I keep the 7' one-piece rods in the truck) have taken a back seat to fishing. But I recently adopted a horse, which is a whole new world to me, and it seems he takes more of my fishing time than I anticipated. But it's also rewarding enough to me to be worth the sacrificed fishing time.

Usually either my St Croix ball cap, or a wide-brimmed straw hat.

My only suggestion is to use some sort of keeper on them! I lost a $200+ pair of prescription sunglasses overboard last year. Strap those glasses on! Dave

Unless you have your heart set on a MHM, St Croix has a 7'2" MM Legend Xtreme cranking rod in their bargain room for half price. $185 plus shipping of about $15. You can't beat that deal with a stick! www.stcroixrod.com/shop/catalog/freshwater-23-1.html#

I Don't Know About The ***, But Keep In Mind The Avids And Legends Come With Lifetime Warranties. Fantastic Rods, Too!

I haven't tried the Dobyns yet, but can vouch for the G Loomis GLX and the St Croix Legend Xtreme/Elite. Love both, but I think I prefer the Xtreme just a bit more.

YOu don't say whether you want spinning or casting, but if you are OK with drop-shotting using a casting rod, and prefer the split grip, you can step all the way up to the St Croix Legend Xtreme 6'10" MXF for $5 more than the Avid right now in their bargain room. They are clearingout last years models, with the same great warranty as new. That is a deal that is tough to beat. http://www.stcroixrods.com/shop/catalog/Freshwater-23-1.html Otherwise, for $60 more, you can get the Legend Tournament Drop Shot rod. Another idea is to get the Avid and find a rod maker cut the full handle cork down to a split grip, or even try it yourself. Or have DVT custom make you one. Dave

Yep, Mike is awesome!

What type of rod do you guys use for smaller swim baits? things like the Jackall Giron, smaller Matt Lures, and similar size paddle tails? Thanks, Dave

I have not used the MHXF, but that MHM is fantastic for what you want to do with it.

I will be fishing a couple small tournaments on the Potomac River this year. This is the first time I've fished anything besides a pond or lake. The area we will fish is a bit brackish. Before I ruin some gear, thought I would ask. I know a couple of these should not be used in salt water at all. But is brackish water ok if i clean them well afterward? And how in-depth would that cleaning have to be? Rinsing with fresh water, or complete, tear down? Reels in question are Steez baitcasting reel Pixy baitcasting reel Core 51Mg7 baitcasting reel Patriarch spinning reel Stradic CI4 spinning reel Thanks! Dave

Thanks for the link and the input! I suspect the guy that organized our tournament season picked Mallows Bay is because he has fished it in numerous tourneys he's fished in while the other 5 of us are unfamiliar with out, so we gotta do some research. Dave

Maryland guys, anyone here familiar with the Mallows Bay area of the Potomac? I and some friends have a little mini-tournament there on March 17th. I've never fished a river before, just ponds and relatively small lakes. Looking for some ideas on where and what to fish at that time of year. Thanks! Dave

Thanks for the input. And my mistake on the "upgrade" comment. I clarified with a while back that I can't use the upgrade plan for bargain room rods. I just meant that I don't consider the Xtreme blanks to be better than the Elites. Both are SCV blanks. The difference comes from the finished rod configuration, with the split grip and recoil guides on the Xtremes.

Thanks for the input, all! I was trying to take advantage of the bargain Room specials on the St Croix website, but the 72MHM is pretty much the only rod I was considering. Of the rods they have available, I have a 7'MF Xtreme that I love, but don't need another of, and I've got a 7'ML Elite for drop shotting already, so the 610MLXF, to me, really isn't much of an upgrade.

Looking at buying one of these. Is it that much better than my Avid 7'MHM to make it worth the investment on a rod for moving baits? TIA, DaveDave

Looks like a nice setup! I love using UL gear for bass. Enjoy it!