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I think I had the same rod. St. Croix chooses to make such a small hand grip behind the reel seat on their split grips. And they shape them down so abruptly that there is no place for a mans hand to grip. Not an issue for pitchers or those guys that throw from the palming position maybe. The new shimano are just as bad, virtually nothing behind the reel seat to hold on to.

I wonder if they were having long term problems with the magnets. I'm sure they were man made not rare earth magnets so they have a limited lifespan. I kind of like the idea of not switch for saltwater use. Perhaps make it more durable. Has anyone been able to handle to new Energy,Catalyst or Accurist yet. I'd like to hear some hands on impressions. The white black and red Accurist is calling out to me.

If you set your drag properly a med. rod will handle it fine. I use med. spinning on inshore saltwater and it handles tarpon to that size fine. You might loose a few till you get your drag setting right

Retired Cop

Maybe with all the house brand and Revo reels that simply come out of a different backdoor of the same factory, there isnt much interest in putting more of the same old stuff on the shelf.

I fish a lot of wacky rigged senko's out of a yak. It is hard to keep slack out of thin braid on the yak, wind always being a factor and pushing you ever so slightly towards your bait. I've settled on Owners Weedless Wacky wide gap hook in 1/0 but used to use a lot of circle hooks for this tactic. Hook set becomes much less important with them, just be sure to find a non kirbed style.

Noticed it a lot especially early on in the day as the sun is rising. Could'nt stand it. I dont think I'd ever sell a rod because of it but I did convert back to mono. A wrist injury is causing me to pick up spinning gear again and I'm struggling with the other negatives of braid, trying to get used to it.

I have that rod and its a skipping dream! Excels in any close quarters fishing. Best with a light reel for balance.

Bass shows and mags are making a big deal to say its nothing lately. Never in over 50 years of bass fishing had I seen it, heard of it or caught a fish with it. I've been buying tons of old bass magazines from ebay and prefer reading them to newer stuff. I've never found a mention of it in any bass periodical from the 70's or 80's. In the last 3 years it now seems to be on every bass I catch. I think its indicative of our declining water quality.

Gambler Ugly Otter

Ditto, doesnt help one bit. I think using a loop knot is more common with us saltwater anglers.

Yo zuri Trembler Minnow. It has a senko like wiggle when paused.

I always take off the split rings and use a loop knot on all crank/jerk baits.

Hey I'm your neighbor down in Englewood. First if they planted mangroves be careful, they are protected. DEP will monitor their development, Ive been chased out of similar ponds here in Englewood. If the state thinks they are going to flourish there, its probably going to be too salty for bass to flourish especially if there is a direct connection with the gulf. I've caught bass in canals off of Charlotte Harbor but they were tossed there from across rain weirs etc by idiots. They weren't coping well with the salt like they do up the Myakka River where they can travel and adjust to the influx of the tide. Also don't broadcast plans to stock freshwater gamefish in Fl. The FWC will go after to you for stocking without permitting and they do have agents monitoring forums like floridasportsmans forum and aggressively making various wildlife violation cases.

My fishin' buddy strategically waits for the very moment a slow bite has me in a daze and yells "pow" as loud as only a hawg calling country boy can do. One day I'm going to show him and have a heart attack.

I think it gets worse when you start to build/make your own lures. Not only do you have supplies for building but you start making color combos you probably won't use just to enjoy making them. I've got a thing for trying new hooks too so I end up with organizers of the latest ewg's to trebles to real fancy wacky hooks.

Watch the reel seat on the Veritas. My fishin' buddy has to tape his to prevent it from coming loose while in use. Ive seen his reel fall off, perhaps it has to do with the way he holds it. But I have the same problem with my Veritas casting rod too. Just fyi

Not a site sponsor but a guy who is a old Ambassadeur expert. Jerry Foran at hookless.com

Yup, wow what a laugh he's got! Contagious in person I bet

You got 2 expert reel repair men and a retired reel repair expert telling you it means nothing in the real world! I bet if a shimano reel engineer watched and studied those stupid you tube videos showing guys doing that, they'd tell you not only is it bad for your reel's internals but that it would void your warranty.

Thats because your paying for 'style'. OP, I've spent upwards of $350 on a rod before, and find myself holding a standard Premier more often.

Topwater, walking the dog or rippin' a propbait. I prefer to use wooden baits over plastic and have really gotten into custom made regional baits. I'm really getting into using home made bucktail jigs using zonker strips to make creature type jigs.

They are a magnet for angel hair algae down here. I switched them out to Gammy ewg trebles pretty quick.

All depends on your style of fishing I guess. I wouldnt use 50-65# braid when I tarpon fish and I like to use a fiberglass rod. Use what works for you.

Not in my saltwater!