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Stuart Scott was an icon at ESPN. I have enjoyed his commentary for many years. He will be missed.

You have a true gift.

You are correct, everyone is entitled to an opinion. But don't you find it hard to offer an opinion about a product that you have never used? Informed opinions are what help people, repeating what you have read and heard offer little in the way of value.

This is a recent thread that discussed the Ned Rig, there is a good video in the thread. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/147809-ned-rig/

Whites or Hybrids for me, they hit hard and fight harder, lots of fun to catch and not bad to eat.

If you can afford the upgrade cost I feel like the difference between the two rods is worth it.

Personally I think your reel is fine, the PQ has proven itself to be a good caster. Two things you can do that may improve your casting distance would be to have someone help you flush the spool bearings and re-lubricate them with a good quality oil, a longer rod in the 7' range will also make a noticeable difference.

IVCB offers a level of adjustment that most centrifugal brake systems don't . This adjustability may increase the reels ability to cast lighter weights. With this said, most modern reels in this price range are going to be very capable of casting weights down to the 1/4oz range. Once you decide to go below the 1/4oz range your entire system, rod, reel and line have to be very balanced to achieve good results. Most reels that are very capable of casting in the 1/8oz and under range are built with that specific task in mind and sometimes are designated as BFS or Finesse models, their price tag is usually a little steeper than your everyday performers.

When you fish a company's entry level equipment, it does not provide you the opportunity to understand how good some of their upper end offerings really are. Many company's entry level equipment is outsourced so they can keep cost down and compete in that market segment. You may want to consider offering opinions based on the equipment that you have personally used, rather than making bold sweeping statements about an entire company. Once you have the opportunity to gain experience with some upper end equipment, I think you will be pleasantly surprised and just how well St. Croix competes in that area.

A new fish net that is really cool, and a G Loomis Bronzeback SMR811S-SP spinning rod. I think this rod is going to be very good for the Ned rig.

I own several Abu reels, most of them are Gen2 reels with dual braking, I also own an MGX with the IVCB braking. I have become very comfortable with and prefer the dual braking. With that said the IVCB braking works well, I have had no problem getting the reel dialed in and casting well, it is a very adjustable system with something like 28 settings. Either of the reels will serve you well, choose the one that feels the best to you and don't look back.

So you have me curious about how you have come to this conclusion. Which St. Croix rods have you owned?

Thanks for the chart, I was wondering how linear the braking is. Thought maybe there would be a curve in there somewhere.

When you're asked to appear on the T.V. show Hoarders, you may have too much fishing tackle. Maybe.

The other variable in this that has me really interested is mass, mass of the spool, it decreases with each revolution, so the Counter EMF is acting on a lighter object towards the end of the cast.

Translation - Warranty period

I am interested in your theory that magnetic braking is uniform throughout the cast. Can you explain how it is you believe that the magnetic force remains a constant on the spool during the entire cast.

I'd pick up a new hobby, fishing would not be enjoyable enough to me to continue with it if I was only allowed to have 1 rod and reel.

I'm curious, what color were you using?

boom goes the dynamite, high kick.......

I have fished a large variety of frogs over the years and have come to settle on two. My favorite is the Jackall Iobee frog in bluegill, brown, and white. This frog has been the easiest to walk frog out of the box that I have tried, good hooks and good durability, the best part is that you have to do nothing to the frog out of the box, tie it on and start using it. I also use the Spro Bronze eye frog in two colors that produce well in this area, killer gill and natural green. I bend the hooks slightly and trim the legs to help it walk a little easier. As someone else mentioned, once you get that first big bass explosion you will be hooked on frog fishing.

I have an MGX and I have been happy with it. I had the Core 100 also, I got rid of it, mostly because all of my other reels are ABU's but also because I feel like the MGX is a better reel overall. It has a better handle,carbon fiber and supports 4 bearings, slightly longer than the Core at 80mm. weights less 5.4 vs 6.1oz, available in LH(JDM) RH and a couple of gear ratio, I also prefer the braking system for its adjustability, really helps with the lighter baits. The revo also has all the bells and whistles that you would expect with an upper end reel, clicking spool tension and drag star. While the MGX is not a true finesse caster, it will cast light baits well, it has no problem with anything in the 1/4oz weights. On the right rod it is capable of casting baits in the 1/8oz range a short distance, but does not pitch them well at all. I am using stock bearings in mine and an upgrade to Air bearings might make a difference. I find it very easy to cast and is as smooth on the retrieve as any other reel I own. My only problem with the reel is the profile, I have large hands and it almost feels too small to me. Probably because I am use to the size of the Gen2 Revo reels, but these days I find myself using my Gen 2 Revo Elite IB more often. I don't know that I would pay retail for this reel, but you can easily fiind them new for 250, and I think it is a good deal at that price.

If the bearings had as much grease on them as the rest of the reel, that would definitely eliminate any free spool.

Daiwa uses a free floating spool, in this reel, so there is no spool shaft that protrudes through the inside of the pinion.

I see what your saying, but once the reel is disengaged none of those parts have an effect on free spool.