Tywithay

It has its time and place. There are times when the ultralight finesse bite is the only way to put fish in the boat. So, it's valuable to know you can still land a 10lb fish on light tackle. Other times, you'll want 65lb braid and winch them out of a minefield of timber. That's the beauty of having so many different options available to us fishermen.

Found another old one. Flathead on a 5' UL All Star rod with a Sahara 500FD and 2lb cajun. I was trying to catch bait sized bluegill to use for catfish and this one took my jig.

It's about average sensitivity compared to most $100-$150 rods. They fish slightly heavier action than similarly rated Dobyns rods. They're nothing spectacular, but they're good solid rods with good components.

Depends how badly I want something. I never really pay full retail for anything though. I have a couple combos in the $700-$800 range, but that's not necessarily a limit.

I hate it.

I am in the same boat, kind of. I love using plastics to catch fish, but I can only get them if it's weightless. I've spent countless hours fishing t-rigs and never caught a thing. I can literally cut the line and pull the sinker off, then catch a fish on the same bait. I don't know if it's because KS bass are tiny compared to other states, but I usually go as light as possible. Not always fun with the 30mph+ wind we get every day.

FB has the newer Hagane Concept. It also has a magnumlite rotor for much lighter startup inertia. To me, the FB feels a lot more rigid and refined than the FA. If I was forced to pick a Shimano, I still prefer the Stradic FL, but for $150, the CI4+ is an excellent deal. I'll probably grab another one just because.

I bought tons of that stuff from Walmart on clearance. Not a huge fan, but it works well enough. For me, it's Tatsu. 6lb spinning and 15lb casting. That line can handle everything. You can fight crime with a spool of Tatsu.

Doesn't get much better than that.

Caught this 19lb channel on a 6' LF St Croix Premier with a Fuego 1000A and 4lb Sunline Super Natural. Set the drag properly and you can catch anything. You'll ultimately lose some fish with light gear because of snags. I had a giant flathead spool me once on the same combo, but that's fishing.

Did you test actual breaking strength, or just the 10lb listed on the box? The 10lb Maxima is closer to 17lb actual breaking strength. Suppose that's why people assume it's so strong. I wish lines were sold by diameter instead of some arbitrary number, but as you pointed out, even the diameters are often incorrect.

If you want slack line sensitivity, it's pretty much fluorocarbon, then everything else.

The new blanks have a little softer action than the original black and gold rods, but they're still pretty true to the power. Rods are a little heavier overall weight, but balance better.

I've always considered the Calais/Antares to be the best built and best preforming baitcaster, in any given generation. It's an absolute marvel. It just suffers from being overweight. With the trend towards lighter reels and rods, it's tough to put an 8oz reel on a sub-4oz flagship rod. They're also a pain to maintain. The tolerances are so tight, even one little grain of sand can wreak havoc.

I'm a sucker for a good deal and often find myself buying a bunch of stuff that's not cohesive in any way. That's why I have like 8 rods in the corner with no reels ? However, when I'm looking for something specific, I usually start with budget, then work my way down the list with applications, spinning/casting, etc. I like to settle on a rod before choosing the reel. One, because I have an addiction and I like to match colors. Secondly, if it calls for a longer or heavier rod, I may need a heavier reel to balance it all out. I like to get the rod in hand and get a feel for the balance. Typically not as issue with lighter action. Are you going to use it from the bank, boat or kayak? A longer rod may offer better actions, but could be cumbersome on the bank or yak. I don't know how everyone else does it but I'm an aerospace engineer by day, so I tend to overanalyze everything and spend more hours researching a combo than actually fishing it.

My shakyhead/finesse baitcaster is an Alphas CT SV and a 6'10" ML Omen. Had a Tatula SV on it, but the Alphas seems more up to the task. I wish the rod had a little lighter tip, but it's a fun rod to fish with. There's several different options out there. It really depends how much you want to spend, and/or if you want to add aftermarket spools. Once you start down that path, there's no going back.

Tatula Elite LD for effortless distance and value. Steez SV TW because I can throw 1/16oz crappie jigs, 1/2oz crankbaits, weightless plastics, and on and on, without even touching the mag dial. It's an incredible reel.

Last generation they released the Stradic FK, then the CI4+ FB, so I'm guessing there will be a new CI4+ at some point later this year. There's an SLX 70 in Japan, so maybe that will make its way over. There's also a Scorpion MGL, so I would assume the Curado will get an MGL spool upgrade in the next year or so.

If the reel is going on that big of a sale, it might be worth grabbing it and just keep saving for a while longer to put it on a nice rod. That CI4+ is going to haunt your dreams, because you clearly have your sights set on one. The bait monkey is one tough sob.

I've caught a ton of bass with a Finesse TRD on a 1/16oz jighead, with a bobber about 30" above it. I call it "desperate."

You're limited by the system, in my opinion. The 4x8 DC has more options so you can fine tune it for maximum distance, but the Curado Idc4 doesn't give you many options. I've found that on 1 it's too little braking, on 2 it's too much at times. To maximize my distance, I have to set it at 1 and use my thumb anyway, so it offers little benefit.

I imagine it's breaking at the knot because most 8lb braid has a much higher breaking strength than the box will let on. Some as high as 20lbs. Even the best fluorocarbon is usually 85%-90% knot strength. The braid will take a lot more on a straight pull. The difference, braid has nearly zero abrasion resistance at 8lb, because it's extremely thin. If you're fishing around rocks, it doesn't take much to cut it. If the angle is right, it'll just slice right through it. Longer leader may help some. Breaking at the knot on snags is a good thing, in my opinion. I'd rather lose 10' of leader than sit there trying to pull braid until the hook straightens.

When I was sitting in the house, it felt quieter than the SV. Out on the water when there's actually resistance on the line, I can't tell much difference.

I caught a big carp in the mouth with a crankbait early in the spring. I had just caught a 29" walleye a few days earlier in the same area, so I thought for sure I had another monster. It was at night, so you can imagine my disappointment.

I had that 766 and my honest first thought when I first used it was, "this is a really nice $150 rod." Just sucks they charge $260 for it. I really like the few Dobyns that I've owned, but I don't think they offer much bang for your buck compared to some other rods on the market.