Tywithay

Were you having issues before or after you flushed the bearings? Sometimes adding a lighter oil will make the bearings spin much faster, so you have to add a little more tension/brakes to slow it down some. They typically come packed with grease from the factory, which slows the spool down making it easier to cast, but hurting distance.

90 days with a receipt sucks? I have returned numerous things to Gander and never had an issue.

Mine don't have much, if any, back to back handle play, but you can slightly move it in and out. A couple of the knobs (I have 3 Tatulas) have a little play and could probably use another shim. I am just too lazy to open the knobs up and add a shim at the moment, because I don't care. I have used braid, mono, and fluoro on mine for extended periods of time and have experience zero issues with any kind of line. The only problem I had was one of the reels had a rough bearing, the one that sits right on top of the AR-bearing under the handle. It got gunked up and wouldn't turn well. I flushed it out really well, oiled it back up, and now it's super smooth.

I'd look at the Kistler KLX rods. As light, more sensitive, and better components than the Duckett.

I don't think they're really on "sale." They're a Cabela's exclusive reel and they've had them on sale since the day they came out. I'm sure they're a decent $40-$50 quality reel.

2 years out of a $40 reel is more than I'd expect.

It's more a knockoff of the Ambassadeur reels, IMO. I have a friend that uses round reels like these exclusively. Probably not the best option, but they're useable. You will likely struggle with weights below 1/2oz, but for bigger baits it'll throw them just fine.

You just have to keep cutting each loop and pulling off little pieces of line until you get the the spool. I would bet money that everyone on this forum that uses a baitcaster has done it at least once. It sucks, but it happens. I blew one up a couple weeks ago because I was casting from the bank and my plastic worm caught up on a small bush behind me. Didn't notice until it was too late and POOF, had line wrapped around my head, birds landing on me; it was terrible.

If you use the Metanium, you won't want a Curado anymore.

Not definitely, or companies would stop using them. There's always a chance that the guides could be damaged because they're made of a softer material than a quality ceramic. That doesn't necessarily mean that it WILL happen. As I said before, I just don't like the sound the guides make when line is coming through them. It creates a lot of vibration and gives me less feel of what my lure is doing. Some folks like them, they're just not for me. Another thing that changed my mind was at a fishing expo, I watched a guy from Fuji take a piece of 220-grit sandpaper to a SiC guide ring.....it didn't even scratch it.

Fluorocarbons are just as abrasive, mostly due to heat build up. It's much harder than braid as well. I know braid used to kill the old aluminum oxide guides, but not so much anymore. All of the grooving issues I've seen recently have involved fluorocarbon and SS or Recoil guides. It is especially true for the tip guide. If a rod has a tip guide with no insert, I'd replace it immediately.

Yes.

You could buy an *** and have a better rod.

I'd find one of the previous model Daiwa Excelers. The magz braking system is user friendly, and it's a solid reel that will last a long time. They're about $50 on sale.

Tatula rod. They're excellent and were made for the reel.

For wacky rigs you want a fairly soft tip to help impart more action into the worm. It would likely handle weightless plastics just fine. I throw my weightless 3" and 4" senkos on a 6'10" medium Shimano rod.

I wade around huge snapping turtles all the time. They don't go near humans. I've waded Florida ponds before, never gave much thought about gators. I didn't see any while I was there though.

I've never had one groove, but haven't used many for very long. I just can't stand the sound. They're very abrasive and make a lot of noise/vibration, especially with braid.

I'd just wear my waders and get away from the weeds. It also allows you to cast parallel. You'd only need a heavy action rod if you're throwing weights that justify needing a heavy rod.

Not as much as a premium fluorocarbon, but it's as sensitive as a stretchy fluoro like Invizx or other copolymers.

This line works well as a main line, though it does have some memory. It is not a fluorocarbon though, not sure where you got that. It's a monofilament line, just has a resin coating on the outside. They claim it's as clear as fluorocarbon, and it may be, but it has every bit as much stretch as a regular mono.

Mono is far and away the easiest knotting line. Fluoro will hold an improperly tied clinch knot a little better, because the line is not nearly as slick; it kind of catches itself. They'll eventually fail if not tied properly anyway. I've been using the improved clinch with mono, fluorocarbon, and braid, for 25 years; never had a properly tied knot fail me.

For deep crankbaits, I like 12lb Sunline Supernatural. It's about as thin as other manufacturers 10lb, or less. Helps them get deeper, quicker.

Tatula

The mojo is certainly not what I'd call a "crisp" rod. They're heavy and dead feeling. I'd go with the *** every time in this instance. Fishusa has a St Croix Avid 6'8" med xfast rep sample on sale for $135, that'd be even better.