.ghoti.

kLuo, I use a medium power, fast action rod for shakey heads; mostly 1/8oz Gammy skipgap shakey jigheads and 3X worms. I use a tuned up Fuego. With the 50E you could go down to an 1/8oz jighead and plastic with no problems. You have two spinning rigs now. That's all I have. I'd add the baitcast rig your talking about.

kLuo, I don't think there is any advantage a light baitcaster will have over a spinning rig. A decent ML spinning rod, 2500 size reel and 6lb test combo will toss 1/16oz baits with ease. And you won't have to spend a lot to do so. To get a baitcasting combo with the same capability, you will spend a lot more. Go less than a 1/16oz bait, and spinning gear is your best bet. For most, less than 1/8oz means spinning gear. I tend to use baitcasting gear almost all the time. I'll pick up one of those first two combos I mentioned when most folks would pick up a spinning rod. But there are times when I would be better served with a spinning rig. I know that; but that little Croix/Alphas combo is so much fun. A one pounder gives me a good fight on that rig. You'll have to decide for yourself how much cash you want to put into a very specialized piece of gear, if you want a baitcast rig. The other question is; what are your other combos now? Will a spinning rig give more versatility? Probably so.

No matter how far you push the envelope, it's still stationary.

OOPS. I just noticed where your from pondassasin. In your neck o' the woods, a 3 power Loomis is definitely a finesse stick. What I suggested is way too light for your area. Sorry. I should pay a bit more attention. :o

Here's an example of what finesse means to different people. My lightest finesse baitcast combo is a StCroix 6'9" ML-XF, Daiwa Alphas 103 and #8 line. I use it for drop-shotting and wacky jigs. The wacky rig I use most is a 3X french fry and a 1/32oz Gamakatsu Wacky jighead. The whole thing is about 1/16oz. My next step up finesse rig is a Helium LTA, 7' ML-MF, another Alphas and #10 line. This is my dedicated fluke rod. Next up is a Loomis 852 GLX, Alphas and #10 line. This is my tube rig, and is for me maybe a step out of finesse territory.

Clever. That's why I brought this up in a different thread. I just started removing the shields. Doesn't take near as long to get the bearings clean, but those small Daiwa sideplate bearings are a PITA.

I use Dawn, hot water and a toothbrush to clean everything except bearings. Occasionally I'll get an older reel, with a lot of crud and corruption in it, in which case all the metal parts are soaked in solvent before washing. I prefer lighter fluid (naphtha) for bearings, and remove the shields when possible.

Hard sell? Hard headed maybe. :D I've been on an upgrade program for about three years now, and my reel collection is where I want it to be. Almost. Just need a few parts and some tune up polishing and my reels will be all set. For rods I've become very partial to St Croix and Setyr. 6 Croixs and 5 Setyrs. All other rods are one-of-kinds. A couple of those I intend to keep. The rest I had planned to replace, over time, with either Croixs or Setyrs. I'm going to give these new Pinnacles a shot, and if they perform over time as I think they will, I'll be adding more to the line-up.

posted on the Pinnacle board also Just got back from a trip to the Tennessee River, smallmouth fishing with Kent. I had this combo in my hands, and all I can say is WOW. I am impressed. The fit and finish on this rod is as good as you will ever see on a production rod. Right up there with a custom build. It has a little more "bling" than I normally go for, but it's done so well that I actually like it. Very nice trim rings and winding checks, plus the cork on this rod is the best I've seen in years. Don't know where they are getting their cork, but it is top shelf. I've been in the market for a couple of rods, having two more reels than rods at present. I had just about decided to get one of the new St Croix Rage rods, and one of the Falcon Wendlant rods that TW has on sale for $100. I changed my mind. TW has two of these rods on sale; a 6'6" MH-F and a 6'8" M-XF. I'm going for the 6'8" for sure. I am still trying to make up my mind about either the 7' MH-F or the 7'3" MH-F. I want this for small jigs. The 7' is listed for that app, and the 7'3" is listed as a C-rig rod, but I like the idea of a little more length for pitching small jigs. Maybe one of you Pinnacle guys can help me decide?

Just got back from a trip to the Tennessee River, smallmouth fishing with Kent. I had this combo in my hands, and all I can say is WOW. I am impressed. The fit and finish on this rod is as good as you will ever see on a production rod. Right up there with a custom build. It has a little more "bling" than I normally go for, but it's done so well that I actually like it. Very nice trim rings and winding checks, plus the cork on this rod is the best I've seen in years. Don't know where they are getting their cork, but it is top shelf. I've been in the market for a couple of rods, having two more reels than rods at present. I had just about decided to get one of the new St Croix Rage rods, and one of the Falcon Wendlant rods that TW has on sale for $100. I changed my mind. TW has two of these rods on sale; a 6'6" MH-F and a 6'8" M-XF. I'm going for the 6'8" for sure. I am still trying to make up my mind about either the 7' MH-F or the 7'3" MH-F. I want this for small jigs. The 7' is listed for that app, and the 7'3" is listed as a C-rig rod, but I like the idea of a little more length for pitching small jigs. Maybe one of you Pinnacle guys can help me decide?

I always remove the shields from spool bearings to get them as clean as possible. I have all Daiwa baitcasters. The larger spool bearing poses no problems. The problem is the small spool bearing: the one mounted in the sideplate. I have a difficult time removing these shields. Sometimes I can't get them both off. I have started leaving one shield off this bearing. I install it with the shield facing the spool. It makes subsequent cleaning much easier. Anybody see anything wrong with this?

watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=XVTga6GmbGw&vq=medium#t=74

A tube has been my bait of choice in the fall for several years. Rig it weightless and work it on top. By adjusting the weight you can fish it dead slow on the bottom in any depth, or change the rate of fall. Get it weighted just right and you can do a slow walk-the-dog at almost any depth in between. Or just swim at, controlling depth by weight, line diameter, and/or speed. Very versatile. I had in mind to cast the Eeliminator in the same role this year, but work and weather have conspired to make this year's fall fishing a complete bust. I haven't fished in over a month.

You already have the edge you need. It's between your ears. Learn how to use it. There is no silver bullet.

38 Super, thanks for the clarification. I couldn't remember the correct name. Which rods do you have. I'm looking at the 6'10 MH. Are the rods you have true to their rating? I thought the one Cara I tried was under-rated. That was a medium that felt to me like a MH. I want a rod in the MH range; a little softer would be OK. Something heavier would not be so good for my intended application. I'll be putting either a Fuego or a Zillion on it, if that helps.

Thanks John. I did not know these were made in Mexico. I believe I'll have to get my hands on one, and not order online until I do so.

I haven't done any serious research into these rods. That's why I haven't pulled the trigger on one just yet. What do mean the non USA made backing? Just curious.

This one, or the 7' M-F. One thing to keep in mind is St Croix's penchant for under-rating their rods. A medium power Avid is equivalent to most other's med-heavy. A MH Avid is basically a heavy power rod. One I've had my eye on, and will probably buy before next season, is the new St Croix Rage rod. From the specs, it sounds like a Avid blank, with micro guides, skinned foam grip and minimalist reel seat. All for a slightly lower price than the Avid series. If you like the Cara series, TW has Clark Somebody's sig series rods on sale for $100 right now. These are basically Cara rods with foam grips. I'm about to pull the trigger on one of those. I don't have a Cara but I've fished with one of my brothers, and I would rate it on par with an Avid, maybe just a bit better. At $100 these are a true bargain. I have two more reels than rods, which I find unacceptable. :D The Rage 7'1" M-F and the Falcon 6'10" MH-F are probably going to be what I buy for those two reels.

Where is the break occuring? If it's up the line from the bait a few yards, then it's a kinking issue. Flouro will kink enough to create a weak spot if a backlash is "yanked out". Pull them out gently. If you have the tell-tale hook or curve at the very end of the line, your knot is breaking. When tying knots in flouro you must lube the knot liberally and tighten the knot very s-l-o-w-l-y. I wouldn't worry about the heat much. Line is extruded under high temperatures. You will not get the interior of your Tahoe anywhere near high enough to cause this problem.

I don't change out line, but I will take different combos based on expected conditions. I use light line all year to begin with. My baitcasters have either 10, 12 or 14. In clear water, low weed fall conditions I tend to leave the combos with 14 at home.

I've had both Fuegos and Curados. Kept the Fuegos, sold the Curados. Nothing about performance; all about ergonomics. The way I hold the reel, my ring finger kept getting pinched by the levelwind. Not really pinched, just in the way. It was annoying so I got rid of them. I have 6 Fuegos; all tuned, or tweaked as I prefer to call it. I've polished all the drag washers, spool ends, contact surfaces of the spool engage/disengage mechanism, and gears. Added a BB to the levelwind, added a 4BB handle, and installed ABEC 7 SS spool bearings and Carbontex drag washers. I use these for a variety of applications. One is on my crankbait rod, one is on my spinnerbait rod, and one is on my deep crank rod. One is a spare reel I have no rod for. Two are on matching rods, both used for finesse plastics. One combo has a 1/8oz Gammy shakeyhead jig tied on all the time, usually rigged with a 3X worm. The other has a T-rig; 1/16oz weight and 2/0 Owner rig-n hook, usually rigged with a Rage Baby Craw. That is a wide variety of weights and wind resistance; and the Fuegos perform nicely for all of these apps. To be fair about it, the Curado E's would also do just fine for all these apps.

The original balsa Shallow Shad Rap. I use it as both a crankbait and a jerkbait.

Never. I like both of my jobs too much to turn them into something I used to do, and I like fishing way too much to turn it into a job.

Glenn, after all the time I spent going through the articles on this site, you would think that this particular piece of information would have found a repository in my mind. LOL They say memory is the second thing to go.

That's the best answer I've seen for this question. I've been skunked more than once everywhere I've been. Except Trophy Country. I'm gonna have to guess at least 30% of my trips end in a goose egg. Maybe more. I call those trips "casting practise".