jj'sbassinforfun

Nice! I see a few in my future. Definetly an SX.

I just picked up the Orra S20 and so far its very smooth and casts well. Compared to my old Quantum SS its light, But has a solid feel. I'm liking it a lot! I would expect the SX to be even better.

I am hoping Abu(or should I say purfishing) brings the Alt to the USM. I liked the MGX, But it needs more pop/flash IMHO. Will have to wait until Icast 2012 to see.

6 BC's and 1 Spinning

Spinning rod is in the boat for light plastics and dropshots. And its used everytime I hit the water at some point during the day. But I am guilty of neglecting the spinning gear. After 20 plus years I finally upgraded my Berkley power pole and Quantum snapshot. Yet every season there is one or more new BC combo's added to the line up! BTW its a Vendetta with an Orra S20 and its So smooth compared to the old clunker!

Powell glass for around $70

I just picked one up from TW and so far pretty please. I have thrown DT's(6-10-14) with no issues.

I must be an odd one, I perfer the SX over my S or STX. I get much longer casts without the centrifugal. I also have been tempted by the Daiwa's. The price of the exceler(and some cheap tuning) is hard to beat. Just gotta get me a zillion crazy crankr one of these days! Upgrading the older all black SX's with the newer 2010(red highlights) mag assembly helps them a lot. There are 3 extra mags on the newer red models.

At first I didn't match much. Now that I have been monkey bit! Yes, I try to match as much as possible. I also like to color match as well.

My fav so far is a revo SX(2010-red) I picked up for $75 used. My shimano citica is so close though! Then its a Daiwa exceller a long with my Pq's. The reel I paid the most for is my least fav(revo stx). I think its all in whats the wallet says. For a low dollar thrill BPS PQ's are hard to top. I have had my mitts on a Steez, PX-R, Core and MGX. All sweet stuff, But sadly, just not in my price range.

I picked up 2 CL's(1 rh 7.1:1 and 1 lefty 6.4:1). The lefty was smooth, But the righty was draggy. I tore it apart and did a clean and lube. Bearings were packed full of grease. So I tore into the lefty JIC! For the money? I would go with the PQ's or the Lew's TSS for few $$ more. But I wanted the EVA grips. Next time I'll just add them or the CL handle to a PQ!

I didn't know Lowrance was using Humminbirds tech. I will price check both. Thanks for the tip!

Very purdy! Enjoy the new toy and post lots of big bass pic's!

Yes, Believe it or not, It only has 35 hours on it. Pretty much just sat in the garage and hardly used. No errors on the computer and good compression. Fired right up from a cold start and idles fine. Haven't done a water test yet, But will before final payment is handed over. I haven't seen a similar model, But other 1999 and 2000 Stratos are listed more like $9K and up. I think I got a good deal. Boat is supper clean with very little wear on anything. About all I need to upgrade is the electronics. Which I have a HDS 5 for the bow. I'll need to get something for the helm. Might even get the StructureScan.

The reason the pinion doesn't work from the winch to the premier is the premier has infini spool II. There is a gearset for the rh STX that should fit the premier. If you need the part number? Let me know, I'll dig it up and post it. You'll have to be more creative if its a lefty! I think you'll need to use the gears from a lh toro in that case. But not confirmed.

Well my son and I are moving up a bit. We just put money down on a Stratos w/115hp Evinrude DI. Hopefully it will be a decent bass boat for us. Our first real bass boat. I think the price was fair at $7500. I'm just wondering if this is a deal and if other members have had decent luck with Stratos? Looks to have all the options we need to start fishing some local tourneys. But yet still just go out and have some father son fun!

You can save a couple of bucks with a BPS PQ or cabonlite. I'd also look at the lower gear ratio of 5.4:1. If you must have a revo look to the winch for crankin, Specially with the deep divers and heavy plugs.

Top water poppers are fun as all heck with a fly rod. Even if your only catching dinks its still a riot!

7 ft. MH/ Mod works for all my crankion needs. Lipless too! I tried a fast and seemed to pull them loose too much. Moderate is a bit more forgiving, So the fast became my swimbait rig.

Well said. Some nice eye candy posted so far! Watch it the "monkey" is lurking!

If I had KVD's cash? I'd do the same and every combo would be mucho bucks. So for me its the best reel I can afford on the best rod for the condition I can afford. Maybe I'm just frugal? Some rods are balanced for certain reels. If you try to match the weight(close), You'll get a similar feel. Or balance it with some coins if need be.

I'd put the burner reel with the braid on the heavy rod. Extra speed will get them out of the wood/grass. Plus the extra speed gets it back to the boat quicker(with less effort) once the bait is out of the strike zone. I use a 7 1/2 ft Vengeance with an STX HS for jigs/Texas Rig and Carolina Rig setup. I also try to keep my count to about 5 setups, No room in my lil boat.

Mono or Flouro for cranking. Braid is for wood and weeds in my boat.

I'll be ordering a Ardent Edge Tournament soon. I'll report back after I can beat the pudding out of it. We'll see how the drag tracking handles a 20 LB stripper!

I was eyeing the Ardent Edge Tournament (black and red one). So I am glad you spent the time to write this all down for us. Really hoping it performs well. I really want to have an all American reel in my arsonal. Wish me luck!