elkriverangler

Junkyard, I can;t speak about the Pearl Model SC but I can tell You the Avid is a much better Rod than the Premier. I Fished Premiers for Years and they are a nice Rod but the Avids are a lot more sensitive with better components. Darren, You will love that 6'3 MLXF. I have one as well as a 6'3 MXF. I use the MLXF primarily for Weightless Senkos and the MXF for Weighted Tubes, Craws and other Plastics. Paired with a Shimano Stradic FI 1000 it don't get much better for River Smallmouth Outfits. I picked up a Fenwick Smallmouth 6'3 M awhile back and paired with a Stradic 1000 it is a very close second to the Avids. Eli

I asked this question on another Forum so I am looking for opinions here too. Does anyone Fish the Bandit 100 Cranks around Standing Timber and Laydown? Do they have the same characteristics as a standard Square Bill like the SK KVD's and other similar SB's as far as Deflection and less tendency to hang up in Wood? What is different between the Bandit's and the Standard SB's?

gall, I mentioned in my previous post that I have a Pair of the Visionary Lenses in my Oakley Half Jackets. I have the Slate gray Color. They don't seem to be mirrored to me but they are definitely Polarized. I had the Factory Oakleys in them but they got scratched and I didn't want to pay the price for Oakley replacements so I went with the Visionary Lenses. I am very pleased with them for the Price.

gall, If You decide to stick with the Oakley's you can get a Pair of Visionary Lenses off ebay for the Straight Jackets. They go for around $20. They aren't Oakley Lenses but they are still a good Lens for the Price. I have a Pair of Gray ones in my everyday Oakley Half Jackets and I like then real well. For Fishing though I wear a Pair of Costa Fathoms 580 P with Copper lens. I really like the Copper Lens for Fishing

My Favorite Craw Rigs for River Smallmouth Fishing are a Winco's Predator Craw in MudPie Color or a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw in Green Pumpkin Magic. I Fish them Rigged on a Mister Twister Weighted Keeper Hook 1/8 OZ with a 2/0 Hook.

I can't speak for the Compre but I used SC Premiers for Years and they are very good Rods for their Price Point. I agree with DarrenM, the ML's are actually closer to a Medium in the Premier Series. The Premiers are available from Cabelas with a Split Grip Eli

I like that Recon and SX. I tend to like the Darker colors better than the bright colors. My Favorite Outfit based on Color is my SX on a Falcon Bucoo Rod.

I have a Stradic FJ 1000 that I use for River Smallmouth Fishing. It is the finest Spinning Reel I have ever used. Smooth as Silk and a lot of nice features for the price.You should be able to pick one up on Ebay for a little less than $150 I wasn't crazy about the White color at first but it has grown on me. I have a couple of Stradic FI's too and they are nice Reels but the FJ is a cut above.

I agree with Raul's advice. I fish almost exclusively for River SM. I use an SC Avid in ML Fast for Cranks and Topwater and a couple of SC Avids in M and ML for Senkos, Craws and all other Plastics. The ML Fast works much better for the Trebles but I love the X fast action for Plastics. BTW, That Fenwick SM Rod is nice. I don't own one but I have handled them and they are a nice Rod.

I have the Gen 2 Revo S and the Gen 2 Revo SX 2012 Model. I have never had any issues with either one and like them both real well. The Revo SX does have the Dual Braking system and the S only has Centrifugal. The SX is maybe a little smoother but outside of that IMO the S is just as good for less Money. I was looking at the Gen 3 S at Cabelas today and they are very nice. That white color is growing on me.

I have 3 Stradics 1000's that I use for RIver Smallmouth. 2 are FI's and 1 is an FJ. All are fine Reels but the FJ is a cut above the FI's. There may be better Reels out there but the FJ is the smoothest Reel I have ever used.

For my River Smallmouth Fishing I fish mostly Finesse style with various Plastics. Practically all of my Fishing is done out of a Kayak Senko's or Dingers in 3-4" Size rigged Wacky or TX Rigged. 4" Worms and WInco's 3.25" Predator Craw as well as Kalins and Berkley 3 & 4" Grubs. Like Darren I love the Shimano 1000 Stradics for this style of Fishing. Mine are mounted on Shorter 6'-6'3" ML and MLXF Avids. I use Power Pro 20 in Hi Vis Yellow with a 6-8" 3-4' Mono Leader

I will jump on the Stradic FJ Bandwagon. i have had a 1000 Size that I use for RIver Smallmouth for a couple of Months and it is an outstanding Reel. I also have a couple of Stradic 1000 FI's that are fine Reels but the new FJ is a notch above with a few more features than the FI. The new Saros with the X ship and the new material does sound interesting but at about the same price point as the Stradic FJ I would have to go with the Stradic.

I have done real well this Year with the 3.25" Predator Craw made by Winco's Custom Baits in PA. The color I use is called Mud Pie which is a Green Pumpkin with Copper and Purple Flakes. Zoom's Ultra Vibe Craw is pretty similar in shape and the Green Pumpkin Magic color is close to the Mud Pie color. He also sell's a "Flutter Head" Weighted Hook for rigging the Craw that helps reduce the snags on Rocks. They are a bit pricy though. I have been using the Mr Twister weighted hook in 1/8 Oz and it works a lot better than a normal Jighead for snags.

I have the old Model Vengeance in 6'3 M and it is a very decent Rod for the price. I have only used mine for Spinnerbaits but it could handle Worms and other Plastics alright even though the action on the 6'3 leans more to the Moderate side of Medium. I had a Vendetta 6'3 M and they are a well made Rod but just a little too stiff for my liking. I have not fished with a Sellus but I have handled them and they are a nice Rod if you like Rods on the Stiffer side. The Shimano Convergence is another nice Rod for around $60