skeletor6

7foot mh/f rod with mono is a good start. Put a 6.X:1 gear ratio casting gear and it will be a decent versatile setup

It is an easy one for me. I bought and own both. The FJ, to me is the better reel. I dislike the grip on the FJ, the color scheme is not as appealing in real-life to me as the FJ (subjective though). The FJ feels smoother, has X-Ship and it feels more solid in my hands. With that said, the lightness of the Ci4 is fantastic as I thoroughly enjoy lighter equipment. I would go for the FJ, unless the weight of the Ci4 is necessary. Let me finish by saying that they both are very nice reels, I am just comparing one against each other. The shortcomings of the Ci4 are in no way bad enough to make me want to get rid of the reel. Actually they are minor. It is still an excellent reel in my opinion. You are likely to be happy with either reel.

Agreed, weightless trick worms and baby brush hawgs are very light. They also sink very slowly. 15lb diameter mono would further slow down the sinking of these baits, thus, creating more slack. If you are having success using these weightless, then you should switch to a sinking line, or just add more weight to your setup. Also, the slow descent of these baits gives the line a longer time to get blown around by the wind and the waters current. This information is just in addition to what was said above me.

What is your point? How often you fish is in no correlation to the performance of fluorocarbon. So since you've read about fluorocarbon having knot problems and breaking that means its true? In fact, shock strength, wind knots, lack of abrasion resistance, poor performance in wind and current, belly, lack of slack line sensitivity are just a few issues with braid. Does that mean it has no place in bass fishing? No, every line has its strengths and weaknesses.There is not a perfect line. All lines (braid, fluoro, mono, copoly) have their place in bass fishing. Your statement that mono and fluoro do not have a place, is in its entirety wrong. That may be an opinion of yours, but it is surely not shared by those who fish bass tournaments for a living.

You are kidding right? That must be a joke As far as I am concerned, mono and especially Fluorocarbon are phenomenal for bass fishing. Braid would work well for grassy situations. In reality, braid, fluorocarbon and mono can all be used for spinnerbaits. I am not a huge fan of yozuri, but it actually gets the job done well in this area.

Japanese domestic market. United States domestic market.

The easiest way is to spray directly on the spooled line and let it soak. Some use a towel while applying the line which would be more even. Either way, the product works well and increases manageability and casting fluidity. I use it on all kinds of line and found it particularly useful on fluorocarbon.

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I find most will agree slack line sensitivity is at the very least poor with braid. Just as most will agree tight light sensitivity is phenomenal with braid. That is besides the point. Directed directly at the question at hand, one can actually use braid for everything. You just need to use the leader system and get good at tying alberto/modified albright, or those uni-uni knots. It won't be great for every technique, but if you only have one rod or a limited number of rods it might be the way to go. Also, it can enhance "dead" rods to the point where on a tight line you can actually feel what's going on. My friends Abu Black Max combo is a testament to that. What I pointed out earlier was just in regards to my personal use. Your situation is clearly different and requires different circumstances. Fishing with 2 rods requires a different approach. Being a budget fishermen, braid is cost effective. The line lasts for years and one can get decent quality at a low price. This is unlike fluoro where one has to at least get mid-grade fluoro otherwise they will be dealing with a headache. I feel mono is often forgotten in these conversations though. It is not a very exciting line, but it can get the job done with just about every technique.

Biggest advantages to me are skipping, spot casting, and close-quarters maneuverability. I primarily will use my 7'5'' NRX, but there are times where I may switch down to a 7'1'' Cumulus or even a 6'8'' NRX depending on if I decide said advantages are worth utilizing. There are restrictions which calls one to use a shorter rod. I certainly wouldn't want to be using such a long rod on a kayak, or fishing around branches. Why I primarily stick with longer jig rods is I prefer the hooksets and being able to reach out which keeps me in tune with my bait better. One could argue subjective preference for those matters though.

Darren's opening post had substance. He shared his experience and practice. Gave plenty of information for why he was satisfied his purchase and did not make any propagandist rants that deserves the treatment he received. Being a fellow owner of this reel myself, I found his statements to be accurate and informative. I would suspect someone who is looking for a good and objective review of this reel to have learned something from Darren's accounts. I appreciate the information shared by Darren and all others who are willing to give objective and semi-scientific accounts about their experiences with equipment. It increases the knowledge base and informative reviews on this forum. So those looking to spend their hard earned money on equipment are not mislead and get the most for what they paid. Sure, its an open forum and everyone has their right to say as they please, but a little respect for someone trying to help others is common courtesy.

I use braid for frogging only. I feel there's a better line for every other technique. I couldn't imagine cranking with a line that doesnt stretch and gets cut by treble hooks. Furthermore, lack of slack line sensitivity negates the point of having a very sensitive rod. With that said, on cheap rods it does offer a way to feel whats on the bottom. Tight lines only though. And the longevity and lack of memory are positive features as well. Don't see the point of using just 1 line when there's such a wide variety of options.

Well said. Enthusiast is the key here. The reel is excellent for finesse applications. Spinning reels are excellent for finesse applications at a much lower cost. If you want to use casting gear to do what spinning gear can then it is going to come at a price. Just know you are wasting your money if you do not pair it with the right rod. The rod is just as important in this decision. As far as convincing goes, the aesthetics are great on this reel. It can be modified very easily and effectively. With bearing upgrades the spool will spin as you approach an iron mountain. Many upgrades are possible, there is a large fan-base. Resale value is high and being able to fling 1/8oz jigs a ways out there would be pretty cool.

Great Questions. First off, you are never going to know 100% that you are making the right decision. TW lets you sample reels and if you are wanting to compare every reel in your range its not a bad way to get your hands on the gear. Furthermore, you can really stretch your performance by buying used. For example, that $120 can turn into a $200 reel which will get you a lot more to your money. Lastly, you should rely on sources that have used the equipment and attempt to objectively share their experiences. Those, who own gear from several manufacturers often are some of the best sources. Biased and propagandist styled reports of equipment often are inaccurate and unhelpful in your search. I've spent hours talking with sources I value highly and reading through countless threads on multiple forums and still will not know if I am making the right decision. You have to have confidence in yourself, your research and make that leap of faith.

Glad you like the reel Darren. Have a few myself. There is no perfect setting as far as the breaks. It can vary by how well its greased/lubed, the weight of the bait, the rod being used, etc. Just continue adjusting until you maximize your potential and how you wish to cast. Before modifying my 50e, 1 break engaged would cast 5'' wacky senkos on a 7'5'' rod a considerably long ways. With Abec 9's and Supertuning there is no way I would even consider having 1 break on, even with oil on the bearings. As far as noticing a difference between Daiwa's magforce breaking system and the centrifugal system on the Chronarch, it makes sense that the difference is not highly noticeable. Daiwa has the only magnetic system that is actually good enough to stand alone and get the job done well. Having your breaking system influence the initial speed of the spool is its most important function. As one can, manually, and more consistently manage the speed of the spinning spool towards the end of the cast as opposed to when the bait first takes off.

2 piece rods are certainly less sensitive than 1 piece. Also, there are issues with them not being perfectly aligned or twisting while in use. 2 piece rods are more convenient than they are effective. I have driven with 7 rods maxing out at 7'5'' in my car with a passenger before. It can be done. A "do everything rod" does not exist in my opinion. I have friends that will argue that his medium heavy (action not labeled) 6 foot rod can fish every technique. I feel otherwise. And echoing what others said and its been said many times before, true 7 foot MH/F rods are the most versatile and is always a good place to start.

The technique dictates the rod which dictates the reel imho. If otherwise dictated, one must suit a rod compatible to the reel. I am not privy to said reel, but surely I would take advantage of the used market and any considerable sales to make the most out of what I had. A used cumara would be great.

Great post ^^^

Yes. That rod could launch 3/8oz jigs with trailer (totalling over 1/2oz) and it was great at it. But throwing jigs that were true 1/4oz did not yield similar results. Its really fast and stiff tipsection just did not make it a rod great for what I would consider finesse jigging. The term itself is ambiguous to the person and there isn't a specific guideline to what a finesse jig is so I give it a pass. Point is, rods can be named anything. Do not get caught up in what its named to do, because the rod might be excellent at some abstract technique that you might have otherwise not tried.

I had a St. Croix labeled "finesse jig". Not sure what their idea of finesse was, but it was far from fulfilling those duties. Point being, what the rod is labeled is not always in tune with what its good at. Or what it is good at for you the individual. Most spinnerbait rods are in the mh/f variety which is a good all purpose power and action. You should be fine. Just be glad you didn't get a cranking rod.

Weight savings. The blanks at its most efficient state in raw form. Any materials added reduces this efficiency. The new cumara embraces this principle by using minimal amounts of materials. Thus, a very light and sensitive rod.

One rod is not going to fish all of these techniques well. You might want to add a cheap setup in there and use it for your topwater and cranking techniques, and throw that $200 into a nice bottom contact rod. That rod should be able to cover your spinnerbaits and buzzbaits as well. If it were me, I would go with a Phenix Recon 715c. They have a slow enough taper to cast a wide range of baits decent, are very light and should cover the techniques mentioned. Another good option would be a gen1 Cumara. They float around at some very good prices and they are high performing rods.

I fancy highly with rod performance. I would much rather have a higher performing rod with an okay warranty than a lower performing rod with a great warranty. If I do not like how the rod performs then its warranty becomes negligible at that point, because that rod will be sold. That being said, rod performance is subjective and I believe that there is a great misconception with some of the companies out there and how they handle their warranties. Shimano and GLoomis warranty programs are not as inferior to St. Croix as many would lead to believe. There are plenty of companies with excellent backing of their rods as prior accounts in this thread have mentioned.

It will be interesting to see where Powell prices these. You would think since powell has a rod in the sub $100, Sub $150, and Sub $200 price point that it might be priced even higher. Time will tell, thanks OP

Echoing the H2O mettle suggestion. It's tough to beat for its price. Had two of them and now only one. Both were very reliable, consistent, and would cast further than higher priced reels side by side. I like that they incorporate centrifugal breaking systems that, at a glance, look similar to Shimano's. I have since upgraded, but never did I regret the purchase of those reels as they were a stepping stone to the ones I own at the present.