Tywithay

What's the point of having 250 yards of line on a spool though? Even using a 15' surf rod you likely won't cast 100 yards. .016 diameter is 25lb for most Japanese lines, so a 20lb line in those brands is still quite a bit thinner as well.

Give me 5 great combos over 10 ok combos. I sold basically everything a couple years ago and upgraded, won't go back. I had spent stupid money to have 30+ rods and reels, most of which I never used; now I have 7 and don't even use all of those either. Quality over quantity for me.

I had problems with the same bearing seizing up. Flushed it, oiled it; good to go now.

For what you'll be casting, I wouldn't spend the extra money for the Chronarch. The Chronarch is a far better reel, in my opinion, but if you're casting over 1/2oz; it won't really matter. If you changed to a Curado I vs BB1 Pro, you'd have a closer comparison, in which case I prefer the Curado over the BB1 Pro as well. It just feels more refined and a little smoother to me. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice, but I definitely wouldn't spend an extra $100 for throwing jigs, frogs, and t-rigs when the other reels will launch them as well as the more expensive option. If you were going to be throwing lighter baits, the CI4+ would be a better choice.

I would question some of your pros and cons, because some are completely false. That said, I have fished in certain situations when a bass absolutely would NOT hit a braided line, but were biting my buddie's same exact lure on monofilament. We were fishing in somewhat clear water, visibility was about 5-6 feet, catching smallmouth bass. He caught 16, and I caught 1. I tried both straight braid and braid with a leader, nothing worked. Unfortunately, I only had the one rod with me at the time, but it was clear what the problem was. I've tried braid in a number of different applications and I just can't stand it. The lack of stretch and sensitivity while taut is a plus at times, but the things I dislike far outweigh the good for me. If I need a lack of stretch and extra abrasion resistance, I'll use a high quality fluorocarbon. If 20lb mono is too thick, you're probably using the wrong line. 20lb lines here in the US actually break around 27-30lbs in most cases, so they feel like weed whacker string. If you get a line like Super Natural, Senshi, Defier, Defier Armilo, etc., the line is much thinner at that exact breaking strength. I have 19lb Defier on a spinning reel and it lays just fine, because it's super limp. Try that with 19-20lb Trilene and good luck to ya.

I've left one side open on some of my bearings. I just leave the open side facing me for easier maintenance down the road. You won't have to remove them to add a drop of oil.

Shimano uses several different bearings, I believe. I've had some with removable shields and others without removable shields, in the same reel. This may be the case with yours.

I'd say you got a lemon. They have Fuji Alconite guides. Not exactly a bargain basement guide train. The micro version has K-series Alconites.

I went to academy a couple nights ago, they didn't have these in stock yet here. The regular Ethos rods are pretty sharp for the money.

I'd probably do a leader, since it's 10lb. I'd never recommend straight 10lb fluoro for any spinning reel. Tatsu is very limp, but it's still stiffer than most monos. Anything over 8lb is pushing it for spinning reels, or it'll come flying off the spool. For dropshotting, I recommend straight 6lb or 8lb.

Depends on the manufacturer and how they put it on the spool. You can't just make a blanket statement like "off the bottom," because it could be top or bottom. If you put the line on the spool the same way it comes off the spool, it's going to fly off the spool. You want it to come off the filler spool the same way it goes on the reel, that way the line kind of hugs the spool.

5' M Ambition rod, with a Shimano Sienna set you back about $60 for the combo. You could nearly get 2 for the $100, so they don't have to share. The rods feel great, been considering buying one for myself just for crappie fishing.

10 years ago 7:1 was pretty much unheard of. As far as I know, people were still catching fish on the same lures we use today. Obscene gear ratios aren't a necessity, they're more of a luxury feature.

Don't know about the Pro series, but I'd save a few more bucks and get the KLX. It will blow away any other rod in that price range. My KLX rods are much more sensitive than my Dobyns Champion at a much lower cost. You can use a code to save 15% on the KLX as well, comes out pretty good in the end, for a far superior rod.

Just cleaned my stepdad's black max the other day and the drag washer was pretty much glued in there. I'd advise removing the washer and giving it a good coat of drag grease to see if it fixes it.

Use it for the same thing as the other one, just tie on a different color/weight/etc., and have it at the ready.

Hard way - Look at schematic to find out how many should be there. Remove shims from under cast control knob, and under the bearing on the non-handle sideplate, see if the count is right. Easy way - Add one under the cast control and see if it fixes it.

Sounds like you're missing a shim or something. I've had no problems with the spool tension on mine.

http://www.mudhole.com/Rod-Building?search=5mm

I've thrown from 1/4oz to 3/4oz with the Curado I and haven't needed to change the brakes, just a slight turn of the spool tension. It's as easy to use as any other system I've used.

I must have got a bad I then, because mine's not finicky at all.

I've done the trade in thing before and love it. Nothing like getting rid of stuff you don't even use to get a bunch of shiny brand new stuff. Congrats on the rods, you're going to love them.

Yozuri is one of the thickest lines on the market. The 8lb is as thick as Sunlines 12lb. The breaking strengths and diameters are much higher than the label rating.

Oddly enough, that Revo Premier is actually wider than the Tatula. It is a little different shape though. I actually like the added weight, it certainly helps balance out a rod, and ultimately feels better overall for me.

At 135, go buy the Curado today. I'd buy all of them