Tywithay

I put a small drop of Alchemy oil on mine. The noise didn't bother me a whole lot, just felt like they needed a drop of oil. It did quiet them down some as a bonus.

If you're thinking about which line needs which knot, you're thinking way too hard. I use one knot, regardless of whether it's braid, mono, fluoro. I don't even remember the last time I lost a fish due to knot failure with any line. The big key for me was getting away from the crap line and using good stuff like Shooter, Tatsu, and Sniper. I hated fluoro at one time, but now it doesn't bother me at all.

I actually prefer not having a trigger on casting rods. I generally don't take them off anymore because it voids the warranty and kills any hope of resale, but in the past I have sanded the trigger clean off. Much more comfortable to palm for me.

If you want to throw light baits, I recommend the SV1000 spool. Other options would be the RCS1012 or the Megabass 1010 spool, though those are more expensive and harder to procure. The SV1000 spool is about 90 bucks, it will completely transform the reel.

I've broken one rod in my life. Was catfishing with my cousin and we had our rods propped up side by side. He was off doing something and I was getting some nibbles. All of a sudden, his rod got smashed and I yelled to him "hey man, your rod!" Well, as luck would have it, my rod went down at the same time so I set the hook with the fury of god and he ran full speed into it and got smacked in the face. Snapped it right in two and we both missed our fish lol.

My stepdad has a couple baitcasters on spinning rods. He can cast them every bit as well as a baitcaster rod. Still looks kind of funky though. I don't think I could even try something like that.

They're very nice. The bearings are PACKED with grease out of the box. Make sure you keep the brakes up at first, because until those bearings break down it won't cast that well. After 10-20 casts, it seems to start loosening up, and actually casts really well.

I fish my jigs on 15lb Tatsu, or 17lb Shooter. If I am fishing around moderate cover or rocks, the Tatsu is plenty strong. I use the Shooter if I am throwing directly into stumps or some nasty stuff that's going to really be rubbing the line. It seems like it's impossible to nick that stuff, tough as nails.

One of the most fairly priced, low memory fluoros is Invizx. Sunline Sniper is very good too, but a little stiffer. I'd suggest 12lb, unless there's some rocks or cover, maybe bump it to 14/15lb. Improved clinch is what I use and it has worked well. Just make sure the knot is very wet when you clinch it or you can burn the line and it will be very weak.

He said it has 4+4+1 bearings, meaning the 1016. Ballistic is 5+1.

I like 15lb Tatsu. Casts great, tough as nails, extremely sensitive; basically perfect.

There's a bearing and bushing under each knob, but it will support 2 bearings under each knob.

Can't chuck for any distance if your crappy reel backlashes unless the brakes are fully engaged.

If I'm using baitcasters, I'd rather have a quality reel. I've used poor quality baitcasters that basically made me swear off of them for years because it was so frustrating. The rod doesn't make nearly as much difference for me, though I like using nice rods as well. Give me a $30 rod and $300 reel over the opposite, anytime.

Phenix M1 8' Heavy Swimbait rod and a Daiwa Lexa 300.

Here they are.

Give me the Megabass F5-75X7 Extreme Mission and the Steez Ltd SV 105xh.

Hedgehog air bearings, JDM shallow spool, carbon handle. These are all nice additions. Color coordinate screws and knobs to match your rod as well.

There's been a handful of different designs on the market for balancing kits.

Red disappears underwater, but that line does not. I don't think it would make much difference, but likely wouldn't hurt anything.

The blanks on the new models are slightly different. They both use SCV material, but the Xtreme features TET, while the Elite does not.

The handle on the Xtreme is very uncomfortable compared to the Elite, in my opinion.

That rod would be perfect for what you're looking for.

I've used the FH, FI, FJ, MgFB, CI4, and CI4+. The two best are the FJ and CI4+ by a long shot. The FJ is very robust. It feels smooth and powerful. The CI4+ is smooth and feels plenty solid, but the light weight and carbon do give it a different feel. Both are great reels.

8lb fluorocarbon isn't really thick enough to have management issues. Typically, people use conditioner on stiffer lines to make them handle better. I've used KVD and didn't see much difference myself. Fluorocarbon isn't supposed to absorb water or anything like mono, so I'm not sure how it would do anything, but some folks seem to like it.