bugman

I have the Avid AC73MHF and love it. I use it for all the reasons you mentioned plus frogs. Match it up with a quality reel spooled with your favorite 20lb co-poly or braid and hit the H2O!!!

The Exceler is a great reel. The spool is designed to eliminate line twists. The 2500 & 3000 are the same reel except the 3000's spool will hold more line. IMHO I would go with the 3000.

I have looked at the Revo reels and think they are great reels. I wanted a 7:1 ratio reel so I was going to buy the SX. I had the salesman put it on a rod for me so that I could see how it felt in my hand. I have large hands and I could not grip the reel with my left hand without my thumb getting in the way of the line guide. I need a reel the size of a Curado 200 because of my hand size. I always suggest getting your hands on any reel or rod befor you buy one, I'm glad I did with the Revo. If the Revo feels good to you I would not hesitate to buy it.

I was referring to $150 for the rod. I had my mind set on the Stradic but will appriciate suggestions on other reels in the $120 range.

I have two that I use. 1. A small pen shaped file that has a groove down the middle. I keep this in my pocket or attached to a vest. 2. A file about 5" long with a plastic handle that is flat on one side and angeled on he other. I keep this one in a tackle box or on the floor of my boat near my pliers.

I fish mostly with baitcasters but would like to pick up a spinning rod for finesse fishing. I want to match it with a Shimano Stradic 2500. I also have a budget of $150. Any suggestions would be appriciated.

I have been hearing that Izorline Patinum is on of the hottest line on tour. Just wondering if anybody is using this line. If so what do you think of it? What baits do you use it for?

I like the St. Croix Avid AC62MXF for jerkbaits. A 6' MF would be a good rod that would also be good for many other baits.

I agree with Alpster, "use whatever feels good to you" you don't need a rod for every type of bait. I think if I could have only one baitcasting set up I would get a 6'6" MF rod and a 6.2:1 reel. There are many good rods & reels that you can get on a budget. I don't know what you want to spend but a nice set up for under $200 would be a St Croix Permier rod (PC66MF) and a Shimano Citica reel. I like Croix rods because they tend to have soft tips and work well with cranks. If you shop E-Bay you can get even more for your $$$$

River: Live crawfish, Yum 2.5 crawdad Lake Eire: Tubes and plastic goby on football jig

I have not used the Chatter-frog but have looked at them in the store. I fish the Chatterbait alot and have landed many nice bass with them. IMHO I think the action of the Chatterbait is what the Bass like. The chatter-frog looks to me like it should have the same action. If I want to change the action I change the trailer or remove the skirt. The chatter-frog did give me the idea to remove the skirt and trailer and replace it with a plastic frog such as the horny toad.

I went to Gander MT today and compared the 6'2" and 6'8" rods. I found out that about 4" of the 6" difference is in the grip behind the reel seat. The 6'8" has one more guide and is about 2" longer from the reel seat to the tip. IMO I like the feel of the longer handle and I think it would come in handy when fighting larger fish.

The seed has been planted!!

I think your on the right track with the Exceler/Croix setup. The 2500 or 3000 are good all around size. This set up may be just above the $150 limit but not by much. I also like to buy from local shops. I think the relationship you develop with the employees and other customers is well worth the extra cost you might pay. I'm not sure it really cost you more in the end anyway. The local shop I go to will have sales a few times a year with MFG reps and fishing pros in the store. These sale/show have 10-20% discounts and many freebees. Also the local shop I go to will spool up a new reel with free line.

Thanks again for the helpful information. The local tackle shop I buy most of my gear is having it's spring show in a few weeks and I'll pick up the AC68MXF then. ( Sorry, Hot-N-Tot the bait monkey will have to wait) All I need now is about a foot of ice to melt off of my favorite fishing holes and I will be set!

Rat-L-Trap chrome/blue & Smokey Joe I have had problems with the chrome flaking off. My dad tells me that the bone white plactic under the chrome also is a good color. If he has a trap that the chrome is comming off he will scrape the rest off and fish it that way.

After getting much good information on the AC68MXF from another thread I plan on buying one soon. But before I do I would like some info on the AC62MXF. I know the "62" would be a good Jerkbait rod but how will it compare to th "68" for weightless plastics, Spinners and Rat-L-Traps? The reason I ask this is because I tend to favor shorter rods for accuracy and limited space in my 14' boat. I have never fished a XF rod before and I am not sure how length effects this rod.

One last question about the AC68MXF? Out of all my rods I use my PC60MF the most. I fish out of a small 14' boat and I like the accuracy of shorter rods. I see Croix has an AC62MXF. My question is how will the 6" difference between these two rods effect what I can use this rod for? I have never fished with a XF rod before an I'm not sure how the length effects the hook setting and fish fighting ability of this type of rod.

Thank you for all the information about the Croix AC68MXF. This fourm has always been a great source for information due to fishermen like yourself. Because I already have AC66MHM, AC73MHF, PC60MF & PC70MF rods I will buy the AC68MXF and pair it up with my Curado 7.1:1. I think this will round out my medium power rod inventory.

One of the reasons I asked this question is that I think the AC68MXF would be a good rod for weightless plastics but I would only buy it if I could use it for other baits. What other baits would this rod be good for? I have a PC60MF that I use for spinnerbaits/Jerkbaits/Top Waters. Would a AC66MF be a better all around rod or is it to close to the PC60MF? I also have a PC70MF that I use for long casts with spinners and buzzbaits.

After you hook up a Bass with this rod do you have problems with them throwing the R-trap?

I was checking into a few St Croix rods and I saw that the AC68MXF was highly rated as a Crankbait rod in the rod selector area in the Croix web site. I was suprised to see a XF tip rated for cranks. What crankbaits would you fish with this rod.

I picked up some P-line CXX extra strong in 10lb. It has a larger diamiter than the CX but should be stronger. Is this a good line for cranking?

If the quality of the rod is more important than the reel I would go with Falcon Cara for $130 & Shimano Citica for $120. If the reel is more important to you then a Croix triumph rod ($60) and Shimano Curado ($200) set up would be good. I think the Croix Triumph and premier are about equal. The triumph is less expensive because it is assembled overseas.

I use the Castaic on a Croix 7'3" MH flipping stick and like being able to engage the spool with my thumb. It's not just a "time" thing but I like how smooth the cast feels when I don't have to rush to switch hands. Some right handed fishermen will use a left handed reel for flip/pitch so they don't have to switch hands. one problem you could run into with using a left hand reel is the line might get caught on the handle when flipping. The only down side to the Castaic is that when you palm it with your left hand you will bump the flipping switch and engage the spool. This makes it hard to keep the spool open if you want to. That being said, I love this reel but tend to only use it for flipping and Pitching.