Tywithay

I think it's a Dicks exclusive spinning and baitcaster.

Gander is having the same trade-in thru the 19th, in case anyone is interested.

I think brakes from Pure Fishing might be a better fit. Though, I can't remember if they made that reel or if Pinnacle did, it's been about 10 years ago.

I don't think I've read a single negative performance review on the Tatula. It just seems ergonomically they're not for everyone. As far as I am concerned, that's pretty good. I do agree that it's a good idea to hold one before purchasing though, because they aren't a fit for everyone. I'd recommend that with just about any reel out there, to be honest.

If you speak with Powell, and they stand behind their product, they should probably offer to make it right. I had a *** with epoxy all over the blank and all over one of the guides. EMailed Matt over there (think he's one of the owners) and he said he'd send a brand new one and a return label to send back the other rod. Ended up getting a new rod and he threw a 13 hat in the tube with it. Never had any experience with Powell, but I've heard they have good customer service.

Sometimes I'll go to Cabela's for lunch because they have the Cottonwood Grill in there...that's usually an expensive sandwich. I don't think I could walk through a Dicks, Gander, Cabela's, or BPS without spending money.

My Edge is probably my favorite rod, but for the money I spent....it should be. My favorite rod company is ALX at the moment. Their rods are incredibly good, but that's not the only reason I like them. My favorite thing is that you can have a custom rod built by them for only slightly more than the retail price. I really like that they'll work with you and help design the specific rod you need and not charge an arm and a leg for it. I have 2 and they cost roughly $50 more than retail, even though I added quite a few goodies. When you contact the company, the owner emails you back, not some secretary. I like having customer service and ownership being one in the same, because I know he'll listen to what you have to say and stand behind his product.

Flipping rod. They're versatile because they can handle flipping and pitching, as well as swimbaits, small a-rigs, big crankbaits, c-rigs, etc. A good rod to have in the arsenal.

For $109, you could buy a RCS spool to make it even better and still be 25% less than retail. I agree it's a steal.

That reel is a 6 pin centrifugal system and you're missing your brakes.

Sunline Defier, Defier Armilo, and Toray Polyamide Plus are the three best I have ever used and nothing else is even close. They're pricey so I'll use XL or Super Natural in a pinch. The top 3 are the best of the best and they last a lot longer than typical mono.

I have 4 Tatula's. I will say they don't palm as well as my Chronarch CI4+, but not to the point it bothers me. I just grab them and go fishing. I never take the time to think that maybe it's a little wider than something else.

Most people prefer a longer rod for a-rigs. If you can save another $20, TW has a powell diesel 7'6MH for $59 and a Ballistic 7'3XH.

The IMX line is where they start to kind of catch up, so to speak. The GL3, Mossyback, Bronzeback, and especially the GL2 didn't quite live up to the price for me. I wouldn't buy another GL2 for even $100. I think a lot of the cost is the lifetime warranty and the name on the rod. That said, the GLX and NRX are truly things to behold. The IMX is a great all around rod, though there's been recent rods on the market for half the price that have had similar sensitivity. Sensitivity isn't everything though. Loomis still has some mag bass tapers and such that are the standard by which other rods are judged. Whether or not they're worth $300 is up to the buyer. I personally wouldn't pay that much for one, but if a rep sample came out at $225ish; I'd try one. I really wouldn't pay retail for any of their rods, even though the NRX is probably worth it if you value sensitivity, but there's enough sales and rep samples available it makes no sense to me to pay full price.

Not a braid fan, but I do have a Tatula spooled with some Cabela's Ripcord8 and I like it better than both Power Pro and Super Slick. I had good luck with Samurai, 832, and FX2 in the past and the Ripcord8 is right up there with them. Plus, Cabela's has sales all the time. The stuff just came out and I already bought it for 20% off a few weeks ago. Made in the USA too, if that matters to anyone.

http://carrotstix.com/products/ They have a website. They haven't added the wild orange rods, but they're pretty new.

It's a good reel, it's just a discontinued model. I don't recall them having any notable issues. There's a new Energy that was released last summer, that's why the particular reel on Cabela's is so low.

I'd go for the 30. I think the 35 is better suited for jigs, t-rigs, and things of that nature. The 35 would feel a little out of place on a 6'8" rod to me.

Can't really comment on the BMS because I haven't used it. I do have some 12lb Shooter Green and haven't noticed a lack in bites due to the color. You might lose a slight amount of casting distance, but it would be negligible. A lot of that has to do with the rod, more so than the line. You should still be able to cast them plenty far.

If you're wanting a spinning rod, you have to get the 6'11". The 6'10" is a casting rod.

If there's two reels that perform equally well, I'll buy the one I think looks better.

I used to hate braid, so I stopped using it. Decided to give it a try again last year....still hate it. The lack of stretch is nice, but I really couldn't find anything else I liked about it. I've always been a mono fan, but I have switched to mostly fluoro on my setups. I have 8lb Tatsu or Sniper on my spinning reels, my weightless plastic baitcasters have 10lb and 12lb Sunline Shooter, my jig rods have 15lb Tatsu, and my moving bait rods all have 13lb ,15lb, or 19lb mono depending on the bait.

Sniper isn't as limp, nor does it have as good knot strength, but it's fairly comparable. I have used 8lb Sniper in lieu of Tatsu for the same reason, to save a little cash. I found Sniper on sale for $8 at Gander last year and bought several spools, so that's what I've been using lately. I think you could use 8lb Sniper and you'd be just fine. I actually just spooled up my newest spinning reel with some 8lb Sniper this morning. I usually wait for the big 25% sales to buy Tatsu because I don't like paying retail for it either.

I think it's plenty tough enough to handle jig fishing and would excel at pitching. I just like using mine for other things because I feel like pitching jigs is a waste of talent. It's such a great caster, I feel like I need to be throwing stuff with it.

I prefer the Avid, if for nothing other than the full handle. I'm not the biggest fan of split grip rods. I also much prefer the guides on the Avid over the Aetos. Best rod in that same price point to me is the Kistler KLX, and I don't think it's that close. I'd buy one of those before I looked at anything else.