aavery2

I understand you dilemma, but truthfully it's just a reel. If you leave it to your children, what would be the value in a reel that you purchased off of e-bay? I am sure that when the times comes for you to pass things along they would prefer things that you actually used and meant something to you. I know I would.

Might give a look at the *** Black, they get good reviews, and there are several here that use them and have positive things to say about them. They have 3 or 4 rods in the Medium power and Fast action, should be able to find one that meets your needs.

These are the rods the OP said he was looking at. Best is subjective.

I like the FC option for med and deep running crankbaits, although I am certainly not against using a good Co-poly line either. Reason I asked there are several here that like braid for cranking, I think a glass rod would work well with the lack of any stretch in braid. I prefer the FC and graphite for general cranking duties. I think it just really comes down to how each person prefers to tackle it.

I want all of the original wiggle warts that Beaver Lake, AR has taken from me back.

You have to fish what you have confidence in. You might loose just a tad bit of sensitivity going to the slower action, but may not be noticeable. The rods you have listed will all work well, and I own a few of each. The LTB is my choice for sensitivity, with the Dobyns and Avid being very close I just think the LTB is a little crisper. In terms of balance the Dobyns wins that easily, the Avid and LTB both can seem just a bit heavy in the tip when you get into some of the longer rods. For me when you talk contact baits, sensitivity is king, and for that reason alone, I would choose the LTB over the other two, but not by much. Between the Dobyns and the Avid, I choose the Dobyns, I think the sensitivity between the two is too close to call and may be model specific, but with the better balance going to the Dobyns that would be my order of preference. LTB, Champion, Avid

I like graphite in general or composite for deep cranks, but it really is a personal decision, I will say that glass rods have come a long way from the old heavy glass rods of years back. What line type you plan on using for your crankbaits?

Man I completely missed he wanted a Champion. 3 power in a Champion starts to get a little iffy at 1/2oz for me I usually go to the 734 right about that weight.

I'm surprised, I thought for sure you would recommend the 744.

What was it that you disliked about the XF action?

Come on Man, that sticker on his hat is not that cool J.K.

I think you have some bad information or have gotten into some sort of a scam. If they can't export, how would they return your reel?

I don't know what the actual dia. of the line you intend to use is so I used .018 dia. which is kind of standard for 25lb test. At that line dia. you would be able to fill the spool with 115 yards of line. If you can give me the actual dia. of the line you intend to use I can get you a definite answer.

I own a Sig sp2022, I often refer to it as the poor man's Sig 226. It has a very similar size and feel to it, but is not the gun the 226 is, nor should it be at half the cost. It operates flawlessly, I just don't see it being an everyday carry gun with so many new smaller framed 9MM pistols available. I own and like very much the XDS single stack .45, the draw back is obviously the number of rounds you can carry even with the extended mag, which I feel is a must for people with larger hands. I mention this pistol because it is also available in a 9MM. If I was going to go with a Sig in 9MM for CC, I would take a look at the 938.

Gen 2 Premier is my favorite, I fish several of them, if you can find them for around 125 that are not all rashed out, they are a steal.

Since you have made these statements, why not introduce yourself to us so that we me know you. My point is that it is easy to make statements when no one knows who you are.

somehow I would have guessed that

I have heard it makes all your fish feel like giants if you fish them in this manner....

I don't like it as much as the previous model, but it still looks better than the Stradic FJ.

I would like to answer your question with a question. Why do you care what other people do with their money?

Spro McStick 110 and McRip85 in Blue Bandit / Clear Chartreuse LC Pointer 100SP and 100DD in Ghost Minnow and American shad, so many great color choices in the line, hard to list only a couple. Luck E Strike STX 4.5 in French Pearl and Pro Blue.

I hear you. I can't seem to get them any deeper than about 10-11 ft.

I still have an old Abumatic 60 that my Grandmother gave me as a child. I received it in about 1970.

If you guys have not had the chance to use the Sixth Sense Crush 300DD, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. I think these are the closest thing to a custom bait that you can buy in a retail type setting. I have had good luck with these baits, and will bet you will also. They also have the 500DD that is listed as reaching 20-28ft. Best thing is they are inexpensive at 7.99. All in all a very solid bait.