DaveT63

Some great deals on that site. Avid spinning rods at $135 is almost a no-brainer, and that Daiwa BG3500 at $72 is a steal. I might have to jump on that.

The BG is a great reel, but it is heavier than most others you will find in the price range.

I hate that they put the hook keeper below the reel seat. My MB EMTF has one there, and the first time I used it, I almost got both treble hooks in my hand when I picked it up.

Put a tip on it and give it a shot. I MIGHT be serviceable, but that's a lot of rod to lose. I bought a used Megabass Destroyer Daemos that UPS damaged in shipping. They broke two inches off the tip end. I got my money back and got to keep the rod. I put a tip on it, and use it for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. I have no complaints about how it fishes, although I'm sure it isn't like it did before it was broke.

I've never tried waitlist but I fished them on a 1/8 oz T-Rig on a regular basis. I would at least give weightless a try.

I've got the 51E on my crankbait rod. Love it. Probably one of the few reels I will never get rid of.

Thanks for the tips on cleaning this mess up. It was my own fault. I bought this boat used several years ago. I have replaced the TM batteries a couple times now. But since I ONLY fish TM only lakes, the outboard hasn't been started in years. The cranking battery is only used for my fish finder, and I just plain forgot to check it every so often. When I got it out, the date on it was Feb of 2013. Lesson learned.

Finally uncovered my boat this past week, and found out my starting battery had literally broken. The maintenance caps came off, and the top was separating from the case. There is battery acid in the battery tray and in the compartment. I carefully removed the battery to dispose of it. I quickly dumped two boxes of baking soda everywhere that looked wet, and have left it to soak up the acid. Anyone know what I need to do next to clean this up and get the replacement battery installed so I'm back up and running? Thanks, Dave

New Daiwa Zillion SV.

I'll second the custom build from JLS Custom Rods. Not the same, but he built me a rod once and the quality and craftsmanship were impeccable. He will build it to your specs, including choice of blank, reel seat, guide train, color, everything you want, at a reasonable price. Also, don't forget about DVT. He's a sponsor on here and does great work as well.

My local Ollie's has the Jackhammer Stealth Blade for $7.99 right now.

I have over 50, but like others have said, they are for multiple disciplines. Bass rods, inshore rods, fly rods, ultralights. Then I have a bunch that I have bought at yard sales and flea markets because they were either deals too good to pass up or some other reason. I bought a St Croix Premier ML casting rod for 1 dollar at a yard sale, and an old Abu Garcia Conolon spinning rod like the one I used when I fished with my dad as a kid for nostalgia's sake.

My local Ollie's had 8" and 10" Castaic and Reaction Strike soft body trout swimbaits for $6.99 to $8.99, LC cranks and jerks for $7.99, and Suffix Siege and Elite 1000yd spools of 6 and 8 lb test for $9.99.

First thing to keep that problem from creeping up again is to get rid of the cat....?

I have an Alphas SV105L on my 842 and it feels great. But then again, my 842 is the OG style with the full cork handle and what I believe is an ECS style reel seat.

I tried this, but on every rod I added to my cart, it said the special coupon did not apply. Do you have to do anything special?

St. Croix makes several lines of inshore rods, including the Avid and Mojo. I think Midway USA is having a special right now on St Croix rods. They have an Avid Inshore 7'6" in both Heavy and Medium Heavy available.

Check Amazon. A while back I got a large spool of 30lb Suffix 832 for a really good price. Don't recall exactly, but it was a good bit cheaper than PP.

As long as the warranty is still in effect, they will help. If you broke it through your own fault, they will replace it at a pretty significantly reduced cost. Sure beats buying new. First thing I would do is call them. Great customer service, they will explain all your options.

My thoughts exactly. My Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'10" MHMF has almost the exact same specs. Try what you have, I think you'll be fine.

I don't have the 7'4' HF, but have 2 LE 7' MHF, and an NRX 843MBR. Sensitivity seems to be ALMOST as good as the NRX, but the SC is stouter and I feel more comfortable fishing heavier weights with it than with the NRX. I have no doubt the SC 7'4" would work well for what you want.

St Croix's Legend Elite 7'4" HF rod will handle up to 1 1/2 ounce.

I've got a TD-Z like that. Tried it out for a bit and couldn't get used to is, so I went back to my regular TD-Z reels. This one sits on a shelf right now.

Not sure whose "or else" scares me more, the bait monkey's or my wife's. She tends to get REALLY upset when I buy myself stuff this close to Christmas. She almost divorced me over a Stella I jumped on for $200 last December.

Does this count? Found it this morning leaning against my mailbox. Top end of an old Ugly Stik with an old spinnerbait tied to it with white braid. No evidence of the other end anywhere to be found. Guessing it was someone who knows how much I love to fish.