NJBasstard

Heres what helped me.. 1. Keeping the reel set exactly as I do any other time. (No brake adjustments and loose spool tension leaving just a hair or side to side movement like I do any other time) 2. Heavier weight skips easier. (My biggest mistake was trying to skip 1/4oz jigs and light plastics. A 3/8 or 1/2 jig with a bulky trailer skips much better IMO) 3. I was just trying to hard. Once I stopped forcing it and whipping the rod so hard my skipping improved a lot. Other than those things it's all just a matter of thumb control. I'm still not great at it but I'm working on it.

They're nice considering they can often be had at 20% off or more, but I think it will depend on what your use to using and what you plan to use them for. As much as I like them I wouldn't pay retail on one. If sensitivity was top priority and I wanting the best bang-for-buck <$200 rod I'd look at St.Croix, Daiwa, Cashion, Falcon or a few others. Dobyns definitely shines in balance & customer service though.

The only two that come to mind are the Quantum Accurist ($100 retail) and the Daiwa Tatula Elite Flip/Pitch ($250 retail).

I have both St Croix & Dobyns. Compared to the Dobyns the St.Croix is a little tip heavy but the overall weight of the rod is less. From what I understand (don't know for sure) Dobyns uses weights in the butt end of the rod to balance the rod. If that's true than that would explain the overall weight of the Dobyns being more than St.Croix and a number of other rod manufacturers. Even though the Dobyns weighs more it actually balances so well that it feels lighter in my hand. That said, I'm happy to fish either one. For what it's worth all of my experience is with rods around the $200 price point. I can't comment on the high end stuff from either company.

I think 5-10mph is just just about perfect. Maybe it's all in my head, but there are times I feel like enough wind to put some chop on the water can really turn on the bite.

As you can tell by the replies you've got already, it's really all preference. That 6.4.1 you have picks up 26" per turn, which is what I prefer for my squarebills, spinnerbaits and most other moving baits..though I rarely fish water deeper than 12 feet. Depending in what you plan on using it for I'd say keep it.

A conversation between Kistler and some customers that happened on one of there Facebook post back in late January. You can read some of it in the link posted on the last page, but it seams Kistler has since removed all but one of there responses.

I have some Kistler rods and have recommended them to others in the past. After seeing how they handled things on Facebook a month or two ago I'll take my business elsewhere. By the way, Dobyns is doing a 40% off sale for all members of the Dobyns Community Facebook page. The sale is for every model in there inventory. Sale started today and ends April 6th.

A toothpick works well if you don't have bobber stops

I'm in Southern Jersey. Chatterbaits, ned rig, crankbait, Fat Ika rigged backward on a 3/0 or 4/0 dragged across the bottom. This is what's worked for me the past couple weeks.

My personal favorite spinnerbait for pond fishing has to be the War Eagle Mike McClelland Finesse. It hasn't caught me the biggest but it's got me the most fish. Both the Mouse and Shiny Shad color in 5/16 are a go-to for me in small shallow waters.

I just got the same reel a week ago and got a chance to use it over the weekend. First thing I did was flush & oil the bearings and spooled it with 30lb braid. I went out with two brakes set, the external brake max out at 6 and tied on a 1/4 jig w/ trailer to start. I just started by making short side arm cast to get the feel for it.. did some over head cast and gradually backed the external dial down little by little. I had the dial down to 2.5-3 after an hour or two and felt I couldn't get much lower without overrun. My first impressions of this reel is that it's very unforgiving at first compared to my other reels, which are mostly Curado 50 & 200E's and Citica G series. Maybe it's because I'm not use to the SVS braking or the spool on the 70 is just harder to tame than the previous generations. My advice would be to spool up with 10lb line minimum if you're having trouble and tie on something a 1/4 ounce or more at first. Start with both brakes maxed out if you have to, making side arm & overhead cast, and back off the brakes little by little when you feel comfortable. I'm not sure what your experience level is with baitcasters but if you don't have a trained thumb I feel your going to have trouble at first with the 70. Don't go trying to bomb cast to the middle of the lake right away and consider pulling 15 yards or so out and taping the spool if you have too.

I've been running straight braid or braid to leader on everything since 2011. I go no higher than 20lb on spinning and no less than 30lb on casting. I keep two spools of flourocarbon for leader.. one 6-8lb for spinning and one 12-15lb for casting. I know many people prefer mono for certain applications but doing without it hasn't hurt my fishing at all. If I was only taking one rod it'd be a MH/F baitcaster with 30lb braid & flouro for leader. It couldn't do it all but I think it'd be the most versatile.

For 1/4 and 3/8 jigs?

I assume the difference is for weight reduction on the MGL spool? I assumed they were almost the same since they advertise each as 70's and appear to hold the same amount of line. It does seam odd that the Curado weighs less that the MGL overall. After reading more and seeing the comparison video I have no doubt either will handle the 1/4-1/2 jigs I'll throw a majority of the time. When in the kayak or on the bank my jig rod often doubles as my frog rod and I'm not sure how either one will hold up to that abuse.

When I searched the MGL the first thing to pop up is this, which mentions the micromodule gears. http://fish.shimano.com.sg/content/fish/asia/sg/en/homepage/ProductPage.P-19SLXMGL.html Wether thats true or just an error on the site I'm not sure. What bearing are you referring to in the Curado? The MGL being $118 and the Curado at $140 the cost is pretty close. Is the Curado more of a workhorse than the MGL?

Yes both the SLX MGL 70 and the Curado 70 have SVS brakes from what I understand. Curados on sale for $140 and the MGL for $118 at the site listed in the previous comments. Wish I could get my hands on both to compare but I can't. Hopefully someone who has experience with both chimes in with more info. Edit- Shimanos website also list the MGL has micromodule gears as well.

Thanks that's $20 cheaper than what I've found assuming it's free shipping. Not sure if you're in the US but if so did you have to pay any customs fees?

Looking at the SLX MGL and Curado 70's both new for the same price. I know the MGL has the lighter spool and the Curado has X-Ship. I have no experience with either but aiming for something high speed that palms similar to my 50e's. I swap reels from rod to rod sometimes but I'd mostly use it for 1/4-1/2 jigs. Maybe try it with hollow body frogs if it can handle it. Any other differences I'm not aware of besides lack of warranty on the MGL?

I finally got around to checking what you guys suggested and sure enough that was it. The AR pawl was bent but when I tried to straighten it out I chipped one of the ears. Removed it, reassembled everything and now itsworking good as new. Thanks a ton for the help guys!

Hey I browse here a lot but haven't posted in years. Having trouble diagnosing the issue I'm having with my Curado 50e. I get a clicking sound on the retrieve that almost sound like when you get a loop in the spool. No noise when reeling with the spool removed. Goes away if I turn the reel on either side and only does it when reeling in. Still cast and performs normal. Was wondering if anyone here has come across this issue and could give a clue to what it could be?

Just take a good look at the schematic and take your time. Once you've done it once or twice it's simple as there isn't much to them. Hardest part is not losing such small pieces.

That looks to be a Strike King Structure Bug in PB&J color.

I should have said in my original post that I have one of those small Cabelas 8amp batteries I'll be using for now. The problem I'm having with putting it in the front hatch is that it can't sit flat due to the 'V' shape. It can also fit through the center hatch which would give me a much flatter surface to work with. I'd feel more comfortable with it strapped or bungied like DarrenM suggested but I don't know what I'd attatch too inside my hull.. so it looks like the velcro method is my best option right now besides placing it in my rear storage area. I'll take a look at it again later today and see if I can figure something out.

Well I used the search function and only found topics relating to battery boxes and such so I apologize if this has been discussed. Where is the best place to put a battery in a SOT kayak without it moving around? Most of the pictures I've seen are of DIY battery boxes placed in the front hatch with what looks like nothing holding them down but velcro.. and I'm not sure how that would hold up in rough water. Do any of you guys have tips or pics of how you did yours that you could share?