craww

Thanks stephen, I'm a fan of the avid and above from S.C., but have only handled the 5' UL (maybe its 5.5' its been awhile, too short regardless). Ive always read and heard good things about the Pheonix's, I may give them a call.

A little out of the loop on current products. Looking for a true Light thats not a noodle, It doesnt need to be XF or anything but I hate a rod flexing down near the real seat like so many do. Main Technique would be throwing 1/16 oz open hook jigs- shad darts and spro phat flies on most uses, and also an occasional small crank like the bigger yozuri snap bean...In terms of power ballpark, a st croix L would be bordering too stout to give an idea to those familiar with their deal. Length would be over 6' and top out around 7'ish.....And yes spinning. Budgets flexible- would rather not get above $200 or so. I know, I know, custom is the right way to tackle this most likely- (Ive been wanting to fill this niche for years but never seem to get around to it). The shad runs at the door so thats kinda making a factory rod the route to go. Anyone with anything in mind? Maybe some trout guys or JDM saavy types know a thing or two? Thanks!

The internals of their current, non swedish round reels hold up ok. But the paint scratches if you look at them funny, and badges and caps fall off constantly. Also people see reels like the BCX (or whatever its called) that kindve looks like a low quality ambassaduer, (and not know that it isnt) and the brands name gets run down. They also keep slapping colors or logos on the same reels without changing things. And the value w/the round reels just isnt as good as it once was.

"Good" can be subjective. You didnt respond to DVTs question about where. If youre reffering to spool bearings there are trade offs. I run rem oil in spool bearings usually. Its a very, very light weight lube...Much more than Hot sauce, bantam oil, most if not all the rocket fuels, etc. But you need to service youre bearings more often- I'll do it every 5-6 trips but enjoy it. A heavier viscocity oil wont be as high maintence, but theyll slow a bearing down a bit more. Which may not be a bad thing, a heavier weight got my Curado k to behave itself. It was TOO free with a drop of rem oil. Also temp plays a big role in viscosity. A lighter oil may be better in winter if distance matters.

Unless its a pretty aerodynamic bait, not much under 3/8 oz. As much as people love the new curados, they arent as good all around casters as some previous gens. My E's can cast 1/4 cranks a long way with the correct rod loading. The K wont touch them on the lower end.

I love the newer shimanos but these brakes arent my favorite- I like to push a reel to limits and enjoy a more "free" reel while keeping a ready thumb. These brakes can vary more and require more tweaking to meet my preferences... even going between semi similar baits. More adjustements, external controls, etc are nice...but Imo they fixed a problem that didnt need fixing. To answer the question and stop rambling- 1-2 internal brakes and external dial as needed. If I feel I can go down from two to one, I bring the external dial to max at the same time and work down from there. Some baits are more forgiving and little trouble, but something like an air-grabbing spinnerbait can be a mild hassle.

Suspending jerkbaits...Tis the season, and they catch fish- but I hate pausing them.

For what a BG can be had for with a little shopping I cant see ever spending more on a spinning reel.

Alberto tied as crestliner states. And something Ive started to do, which after two uses seems to make a difference is tieing a hitch or two in front of the leader connection to make a ramp of sorts. Not eaxactly scientific, but the "tick" going through the guides seems to be reduced and the guide inserts/knot banging into one another is mitigated some.

Thats right up there with the "well why are u selling it?"...I get why they do it, but its annoying. As long as what Im selling is what Im saying it is, its none of your business.

Will you actually get in trouble here for saying where you bought something?

Falcon bucoo crankster. Nice, comfortable rod.

People have no shame. One of the reasons I like to put "Firm" at the price Im looking for.. Year before last the neighbors lab mix knocked up my choclate lab. Beautiful puppies that the kids fell in love with. We posted them online, I think for 40-50 bucks or so just to recoup a bit of the money in shots/worming/food etc and get serious folks. Said we'd like for them to go to someone with a yard. Wasnt making a dime of the dogs. People sell mutts for several hundred bucks around here. I had people haggling daily. One guy- Not making this up- offered a "massage" from his wife? I can negotiate a bit, but man; I just dont get how people can go through life with zero shame like that.

Ive found in the real world, slower rods dont necessarily help keep fish pinned with aero and hydronamically "tossable" baits like traps. Everyone focuses on the hooks tearing the fishes mouth- but youre also conceding a split second of give back to the fish. The key with not losing big fish on rattlebaits is controlling that head. Every decent trap fish I hook the rod tip goes down, often into the water and I lean into them when needed, especially when they come up top. Had my struggles years back on a lake that didnt allow boating and there was a huge flat with a creek channel that big fish just loved to bite yozuri Vibes at the end of a long cast. Tried a few different rods including fiberglass cranking rods. Glass was in fact the worst on long casts. I have a few rods I use without a real standout but a Falcon Cara 7' H Fast Lizard dragger- that fishes much more medium heavy and Mod Fast- is probably my favorite.

Get the Daiwa. Im a fan of the BGs...Ive owned a few of the revo spinners, theyve never failed in any way mechanically and I fished em pretty hard. They do have a tendancy for little badges and caps to suddenly be missing when I look down at the reel, and the paints awful.

I never found the couple I have to be anything special in terms of getting bit- (the rippin rap was ok- but wasnt the greatest in that style of rattlebait for the way its intended to be used). But will admit I have 3 or 4 lipless baits that I typically use with consistency, and didnt throw them a great deal. The old leash is short, maybe too short lol. Rapala has gotten to be pretty aggressive with releasing and discontinuing lures. The Xrap walk 14 was a favirite thats long gone. The Brat looks to be a good one but I need to fish it.

I prefer the crisp feel of an XF before the fish bites when moving through structure but more give once its hooked lol. I have a few XF arachnid rods that are like that. There were a few other rods that have touted they do the same traits, and supposedly were legit but it never really took off.

Its got a ton of line capacity but is still light enough for tip up presentations. I'd fill the spool up with backing, top it with braid, and find a good 7' Medium Pwr Fast action rod and fish senkos and the like. Maybe even throw smaller, lightweight frogs and such in lighter cover.

I think the type of cover its rubbing has a lot to do with it...I fish alot of wood for example, and have zero reservations using 15lb braid in it, have for years with shakeyheads and various single hook plastics and smaller topwaters . A similar diameter mono, which is what 4-6 lbs, you can feel the deformity in the line when rubbed against wood or even a basses mouth. If it loses 25% of its strength, thats too much. I also havent had any problems with braid around smooth, river rock. But Im not one to knowingly drag it across something either. A little rod english goes a long way. Now enviroments like rip rap, chunk rock and jagged concrete, I get what others see.

It should be a good game..Philly looked amazing last weekend at home, but call a spade a spade- after the OL injuries there may not have been a less talented offense 1-11 on an NFL field this season than Minn. If you ever could pick a year to make a run in the NFC it was this one for sure. Philly to their credit does have a complete roster without any glaring holes and 2 good lines. Top to bottom theyre alot more dynamic than the Pats honestly. Still I'll take the team with the best QB of all time- and figure Belicheck/Patricia with 2 weeks prep keep Foles in check enough to put Tom in position to win it in the 4th.

Great write up! I hadnt really considered running a longer tag and heavier weight, but its a great idea that I'll explore. Definetly less invasive without the sinker there directly below the bait. The paticular area mentioned above is a labrynth of shallow river back waters that turn into creeks. Theres small pools everywhere between heavy, thick millfoil. I could see your set up working well. You could cast past beds with the heavy sinker, and theyd probably practically hook themselves with that hidden in the slop.

Drop shotting on beds. Spent a good while in a back water river area with fish on beds and Tx rigs, jigs, shakeyheads, couldnt buy a bite, had to get pretty close due to grass and they were real skittish.. I believe theyd JUST locked on as alot of gills and gar where in the area but not active around the beds. Ended up tieing on a drop shot w/a paca craw trailer of all things. Proceeded to catch every fish I targeted that afternoon and a few days later in a another area. A light bulb went off that day. What better way to keep a bait "on the spot" than a drop shot?

One of those things I sometimes want but have never gotten around to getting. If I want to add a very small amount of oil without breaking down a reel I just use a tooth pick or safety pin, stick the tip in the oil and place the small "ball" in the little race way or whatever nook/cranny . Just keep gravity in mind. I also do it with spool bearings after flushing, lot easier to control how much than with an oiler. Lay them out, squirt a tiny blob on a cutting board beside the bearings. Redip as needed. The bearing will throw a lot of the excess oil on its own though if u go too far, just get the viscosity of lube right.

The last 3 or 4 times Ive went I dont think I even bought anything..The instore inventory has gotten to be slim pickens...A lot less reels, luckycraft aisle is now about 2' of space thats mainly pointers. Many lines have disappeared. I see no reason to go back honestly unless something in a flier catches my eye.

Lucky craft RC or RTO. Adjust size depending on water/mood and manipulate the rod tip for depth variance....Ive used many others including the LC a bunch without the same results...Regarding the LC, whether its mental or there is an actual difference I dont know- but they just dont get the bites the clunns do for me.