Tywithay

I got the mountable as well as the zipper pull. Not sure how I plan on using either, to be honest. Thanks for the tip though.

I usually use my knife or the blade thing on my aluminum pliers, but I ordered one of the Line Cutterz things to try. They look the part.

I tried taking out a couple of my dad's old Ted Williams reels and Daiwa ProCaster Pr10. They still get the job done, but we're definitely spoiled by the stuff we have today. Those others look better in my display case than out on the water.

Go grab 5 quarters and hold them in your hand. An ounce makes very little difference. A properly balanced outfit will offer more advantages than lighter weight, unless it's a significant amount. As far as gear ratios, it wasn't more than 7-8 years ago you'd read reviews about the "blazing fast 7.1:1 ratio." Nowadays, people seem to think they need super speed to catch fish. They have their place, but aren't a necessity. 8 and 9 ratio reels are made to catch fishermen more than they're made to catch fish.

I bought a fancy new jig stick this year and told myself that I was going to dedicate myself to it. I think that was February or March and I still haven't used it even once. I keep buying jigs and trailers, but never seem to use them, for some reason.

The H2O stuff has always been a good value. I use their cranks quite a bit. The old Mettle reels were made by Daiwa and had interchangeable parts with the Laguna and Exceler. The M3 is made in Korea. The non-handle sideplate looks very similar to the 13 reels, but not sure if they're interchangeable. I don't know about the TAC40 reels, but most reels are made in a handful of factories, so it's pretty easy to narrow it down.

I held one at gander and aside from the weight, it felt pretty decent. Definitely a nice looking rod. No clue how it fishes though. I just wonder how much cost is eaten up by the fancy packaging and blingy components. Is there anything left for a solid blank? I'd probably buy an M1 or Zodias if I wanted the carbon butt, but that's just me. I doubt this Emperor is a bad rod, but at that price point there are a lot of really good rods, so it's hard to justify the leap of faith.

610MLF Omen casting rod

The Ballistic was not great, but the MX and 1016 are still some of the best casting reels I've ever used. I definitely recommend looking at the used sales though. Quick way to turn a $400 combo into a $200 combo.

I, too, would recommend the Fuego CT. Excellent reel, even at the retail price, though you can find them quite a bit cheaper if you look around. It is basically identical to the $130 Tatula CT, aside from the line guide. You should be able to snag one for about $75-$80. Rods are pretty much an endless vortex of options. As others have mentioned, a MH is probably going to offer the best all purpose use, and differ from your other setup enough to not overlap. I'm really fond of the Daiwa Tatula and Tatula Elite rods. They're lightweight and offer a lot of performance for the money. The Shimano Zodias is another great rod. There's a new model coming out this year, which means the previous model should be discounted at a lot of retailers. Sales this time of year are a little screwy with the covid, but there are deals to be had if you look around. You can definitely save some coin. The fish don't care if it's a prior generation and a $200 rod doesn't fish any less productively if you pay $140 for it.

Originally, Steez meant "Style with ease." I don't know how or why it stuck, but it's pretty recognizable today. For me, the new Metanium has been the most pleasant surprise. I expected it to be excellent, given the price, but it has blown away my expectations. I've given thought to just getting rid of my whole arsenal and replacing them all with Metaniums.

It's pretty much identical to the Tranx. Same frame, just a different color. That's why, if you didn't like the Tranx for whatever reason, you're probably not going to enjoy this reel.

I grew up using spinning for the most part. Bought my first Ambassadeur at 16 and loved it for heavier stuff, but realized very quickly that I still needed spinning. Today, I have baitcasters that can cast even the tiniest of crappie jigs and don't often use spinning. I still have some very nice spinning gear though and there's just something fun about fish pulling drag on a spinning reel that no baitcaster can replicate, even with a clicking drag. I have tried to find more excuses to bring my spinning rods with me this year.

They roll their own blanks for the Zolo and Enox models at their sister company Hydra. The Ikos is the only model that uses blanks from overseas.

In reality, outsourcing some manufacturing jobs creates several new jobs for American import/export companies, customs agents, etc. I've worked in manufacturing for 20 years and have seen both the good and bad.

There's already a number of USA made options. Most offer little value for performance though. That's the downside to higher paid labor.

There's a thread on TT. Turns out it wasn't supposed to be shown until August, I guess. It's basically a Tranx frame with Curado K colors.

At this point, I don't think I'd trade my Certate LT for a Stella. It's probably my favorite reel, spinning or otherwise.

Pretty sure tackle trap still has 36mm to 34mm spacers available. That would greatly increase the spool compatibility. Then you could get one of the super lightweight honeycomb spools. From the cheaper Ali spools all the way to super expensive KTF stuff.

We've already seen everything. I wouldn't pay that much for a Stradic, because there are far better deals. Depending which model Stella, that could be an average to great deal. Sounds like it's a JDM model, so you'd have to match the year to the corresponding US release. If it's 2010 or newer in excellent condition, then it's a pretty good deal. If it's an FI or FJ, it's a great deal.

Winn grips will dampen vibrations more than a couple grams of added weight, especially weight in the butt section which will improve balance. Shock absorption is part of the reason the grips were invented in the first place.

They can ultimately release whatever they want. Nobody forces any of us to buy any of it. Luckily, there's hundreds of options.

I've only caught one fish on my KK Megajaws (15" wiper) but it handled it with ease. I've used it on a couple trips now to sling crankbaits and it casts well, retrieve isn't the smoothest, but it hasn't struggled. For $45, it has been decent. I don't know if it will still work a year from now though. I have a Fuego CT that I've had since they first came out. I could probably own just those and be totally happy, if I weren't an addict.

Yeah it's the new one. I really want one for a Daiwa Rebellion rod, but I can't justify it either. I just bought a second Metanium and an SLX MGL to play with. Need to sit myself down and get it together. Morethan is super tempting though...

The Pe1000 was $368 this morning on ebay. I keep looking at them, but can't talk myself into needing one.