SeanW

Interesting, because in these parts most are moving to Abu. I got a bunch of Curado's and they are all for sale. Dont seem to be going anywhere at the moment. >

Is your STX the older model or the newer version? How do you like your PREMIER? Does the lightweight help? Do the 6 bearings cause a difference in performance compared to the STX or Curado? Not sure where ya got the 6 bearing from. I have 4 brand new Premiers and they have 9 bearings. They lighten the reels many ways but 2 of them are the bearing count, but they use a higher grade bearing. The other is removing a few drag washers, as it is reduced to about 18lbs of drag. There are other difference's, but those are obvious. The handle on the Premier is very "Cozy" if you will. Its inviting, makes ya wanna hold it. The performance is awesome, much like the STX, but a bit easier on the casting effort. Its a bit smoother all the way around. Think of it this way, they took a great reel(STX) and made it better. Its the lightest in class, and meant to compete with much higher priced reels. Its the way to go if your after a very light combo. If you are gonna pair it with a not so light rod, then I feel its kind of a waste. Keep in mind the Veritas and Verdict are lighter then most rods 2-3 times their cost. So pairing it with either of those makes a super light combo at half the price of others. I still love my STX's, and Ill use the hesk out of em. I just got 4 more along with those Premier's. I just pair them accordingly. My worm and lighter jig rods get Premier's, flippin and punching get S's and STX's, reaction baits get STX's with the exception of my rip bait rod. Optimizing a combo is the best way to save money, and experience subtle difference's.

They have not received their order yet.

Im pretty sure my STX's are lighter the the E7 I had, but I could be wrong. As far as durability goes they both show wear marks, boat rub and that kind of thing. But I think the Revo shows less in the same amount of time. One thing I hated about the Shimano is the plastic parts( which I broke). The biggest difference is my Revo's dont screech when I cast em.

I think the new signature name is RC. His site as not been updated in a year, but they refer to the square bill as a RC.

Being on the staff wont sway my opinion. I have a rod sponsor that is not Abu. I just liked the Veritas so much Im adding em in and moving the others out. So based on my experience fishing the Veritas, and having played with the Verdict at the show, Im very confident. By the way when I play with a rod, I have a reel with line and a casting plug. Yes I carry it with me.(I keep them in my truck)

Your not hijacking, your on subject. Yes the Verdict is noticeably lighter and more sensitive. Not sure what else I can say about the rods. They are great rods, and there is nothing a that price that comes close. Get a few, you wont regret it. Me Ive got 2 of each.

You are not giving up any back bone in most cases. What you get is a different location in the rod before you hit the stiffer part of the rod. As I mentioned earlier the MH is gonna be more versatile and I think better for fishing jigs up to 3/4oz. If you are gonna be throwing heavier jigs most of the time then maybe you want the H(me Id still go with the MH). If your gonna be punching over 1oz then the H might be better. I really prefer a MH for stuff under 1oz. It gives ya a bit more loading for casting and when a fish bites. Yes I find MH to be a bit more sensitive. Im also a tournament fisherman. I rarely use a H action rod. I have many wins over the years. A MH flippin stick is still gonna give ya plent of power to dominate 10lb fish. I like them for detecting more bites, and having a second longer before the fish spits the bait.

After fishing the Veritas? The Veritas is just flat out lighter. But to be honest I thought the Powells were fine. Im still gonna be using the 7105 as my 1oz to 1.5oz punch rod. Im using an Irod Punch rod for the 2oz stuff and a 7'6MH Abu Verdict for 3/4oz and standard flipping.

My experience says Revo STX hands down. But we ll know its preference for each fisherman,

Ive used the Powell 775 Enduarance and the 7105. I preffered the 7105 cause I like the longer rod. Then again Im switching to the Veritas and Verdict this year.

extended and Im guessing about 4 inchs. But each handle style is a different length, so +/- a inch or two. The flippin sticks might go down to 7'1

Ive handled em both, and alot of flipping sticks for that matter. Personally I prefer the MH for most applications. I only prefer the H for heavier then 1oz flipping/punching. So I am ordering 2 of each. If you can only get one Id say the MH is much more versatile.

Just a little FYI, these are all Skeet designed. Go and check out his signature series by Lamiglas. You can usually find em at some bigger tackle stores. I mentioned it earlier I think in this thread. Skeet prefer a slower bend. I think many of the Elites do(not a majority). There is plenty of back bone, and they are sensitive enough. My opinion after fishing em for a few months was that they are a decent rod. A bit heavy for my liking, but the rod action and design was nice. Casting distance is great. Just as a side note, they are selling a ton of those rods and his fugly reels. And to answer your last question, the answer is yes. Depending on the part of the country it is most likely another brand of Skeets.

I've fished spooks for years and have had much success with them, fishing them fast and slow. I have tried them with fluoro before just for grins and it was much more difficult for me to achieve a walk that satisfied me with the nose down. I also tried holding the rod tip high and I discovered very quickly that I don't walk a bait well with the tip high. I have to give you kudos if you can achieve a satisfactory walk with a large spook on fluoro. I can see using it if you want to turn a topwater bait into a wake bait. If you can walk it tip down you can also do it tip up. It is a little different walk, but very effective.Just like anything else just takes a bit of practice. I do fish it tip down at times, but its a speed walk so no time for the line to sink. I think part of this is that I just dont throw em as much as I used to. Wake baits have kinda replaced the Spook for me( 60%of the time).

Im certainly not saying one is better then the other. I was just curious how many fished with what. The best thing i did was incorporating lefty's into my arsenal. If your rippin all day it makes in nice to change hands. The biggest advantage is avoiding fatigue, but after using both for years I have developed a favored R/L reel depending on technique.

I selected yes because I ese it for walking baits, but thats it. I work that bait with my rod tip high so the line doesnt sink much at all. If Im gonna pause for long then Ill use braid. I use mono for everything else except for frogs which is also braid. I should add that I rarely fish a spook slow, I want it jumping out of the water so I fish it fast.

Alright wise guy.

Rip baits and cranks-Im a Lucky Craft guy all the way Cranks- I have also been using the Jackals and Spro's lately. Top Water- Standard Spooks are still a favorite, but the Paycheck Baits Repo Man is a must, as is the Rico popper. All of my buzz baits and spinner baits are custom made for me through a friend.

So what do you fish. Personally I fish left and right handed bait casters. Its based on technique as to which one I use. But in light of what is going on with Takahiro Omori it made me think. If you dont fish with both I can tell you it makes a major difference in my fishing. For flipping and pitching I dont have to switch hands, so Im ready immediately. I actually incorporated this because of tendinitis. Good new is Ive had no problem since.

Good choice on the Veritas 7ft MH. Its a great jig rod fr sure. If your a shimano guy shoot me a PM. I have 12 of the older Curados Im getting rid of, great value. All are SF series and in great shape. I have L and R.

The 7'2 worm/jig rod was the first one I bought when they came out. It is a great rod, I did some heavy flippin in the grass with that rod and really liked the tip. The rod loaded great, lots of power to get the fish out. Good choice on your rods.

Price is no longer a determining factor is rods. The Skeet Reese rods changed the rod market for ever. Just 10 years ago there were few choices for top shelf rods. I fished Loomis GLX rods back then. But what ever one choose to fish it was costly. Now we have a mountain of rods priced under $200 to choose from, with many under $150. Many of those are lighter and more sensitive then those $375 GLX models I fished 10 years ago, and they are noticeable lighter as well. As for fishing your 4000 series reel, sure it will work. A 2000 or 2500 seems a better match, but if it maintains balance then it really doesnt matter. I did find the Veritas to balance very well.

Veritas is a very sensitive rod.

are you ready for it? Pre-Spawn is just about on top of us here in California. January is when those big girls are really feeding up for the spawn. Feb they are giant and catchable. I just love this time of year. Ive been catching some really nice spots and smallies recently, but January usually signals the LM bite coming on.