Arv

I use the same. Dicks has some decent deals going on now too.

What TN said. I have a Curado 51e and I love it. Its light and does a great job casting lighter lures. I have it paired with a Dobyns 702c for shakey heads, light jigs, weightless worms, etc. but a lot of guys will use them for heavier presentations as well.

Nice. I have the 695CB paired with a Lews TSS. They are great together. I think you'll be very happy with the set up.

IMO, get the Endurance. Thats an awesome deal at 109, I just picked up the 723 after reading this thread. If you want to throw jigs up to 3/4 I'd go with the 714 or 725 depending on the cover you're fishing. I think you'd be happy with the rod. Powell makes a great product.

You have a nice selection in that price range. You could look on the lower end if you wanted to save money. the BPS PQ runs 100 or less if its on sale. A Revo S, Citica, Lexa or Tournament Speed Spool will fit in that 130-150 dollar range. Going towards the 200 dollar range the STX, Chronarch 200 or 50 or Tournament Pro would all be worth looking at. Also, keep your eyes peeled on the flea market. Great deals pop up there all the time.

green pumpkin, watermelon, junebug

I think they're a great rod as well. I just personally don't like EVA and I don't think my small hands and the reel seat go together well. But its nice rod for sure.

I just put 10# Ultra Soft on my spinning set up. I'll let you know how it does when I get a chance to take it out. Hopefully tomorrow

I have a Powell Endurance 695cb with a Lews Tournament SS spooled with 12# Yo Zuri Hybrid. I love this set up for squarebill and lipless cranks. I can cast 1.5's nicely and if I want I can launch a 1/2 oz lipless crank about a mile and a half. I don't think Powell makes the 695cb anymore but if you can find it somewhere I would recommend it. I think it would fit your needs well.

yup

IMO, its personal preference and depends a lot on what you're going to fish on each rod. I use 6:1 for everything.

Its a good deal. I don't know if you should buy them though. That depends on a lot more than if its a good deal or not.

I use everything aside from heavy punching/flipping/pitching and swimbaits, mostly because I don't have a set up for that. My go to lures are lipless cranks, spinnerbaits, texas rigs, carolina rigs, jigs, shakey heads, weightless plastics and drop shots. Not necessarily in that order. You just gotta figure out where they are and what they're biting.

Personally, fishing GY Senko's side by side with Yum Dingers and BPS Stick-O's, I can't say I see much of a difference in the number of fish that I catch. However, that is weightless texas rigged. If I'm fishing a wacky rig, I only use a GY Senko. I just don't feel like I get the same action out of the others when the hook is in the middle.

I use 12# Yo Zuri Hybrid.

My recommendation would be a Dobyn's Champion. I have a 2 power Champion, so its ligher than what you are looking for, but reagardless it is by far my favorite rod. Very light, balances GREAT with my 51e Curado and its very sensitive.

I think getting a BC set up is a good idea. I used to be solely spinning and now the majority of my set ups are baitcasters. I wouldn't recommend switching your hands in your transition to casting gear. Stay with what's comfortable. As far as your first baitcaster goes, I would recommend getting something with an aluminum frame and centrifugal brakes. A 1-peice aluminum frame is much more sturdy. I'm not sure what the Black Max has. I recommend centrifugal brakes because, in my opinion, it will be less frustrating to learn on. From my experience, learning on a baitcaster, my nasty backlashes would come at the beginning of the cast because I was not used to the touch/technique involved in the casting method. Centrifugal brakes affect the spool more in the beginning of the cast, when the spool is spinning the fastest. Magnetic brakes will affect the spool more towards the end of the cast. Now, I'm not bashing magnetic brakes. I just feel, from my experience, it will be easier to learn on centrifugal brakes. Its not at Dick's, but I will recommend it anyways. I really like the Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier. It is on sale now at BPS for 80 bucks. Most will say that its a steal at retail price - 100 dollars. On sale, it is hard to find a better reel for the price. The reel not only has a 1 peice aluminum frame but it also has a dual braking system (both cent and mag brakes). I have 2 and I think they perform just as good as my other higher end reels. Then maybe take your discount and buy a rod and line or something like that at Dicks. Just my 2 cents.

I have a 7'2 H/XF. I think the M1 is a true XF if you ask me. I don't have any experience punching though so I can't really say much on that issue unfortunately.

BPS Pro Qualifier/Carbonlite Combo. $100 PQ reel and $120 Carbonlite rod together for 160.

Great reel. I think its on sale for 80 right now. That's an even better deal than its normal price of 100.

The Pro Qualifier is on sale for 80 bucks right now. I'd jump on that. I have 2 and I put them right up there with my other more expensive reels. For the money, it will be hard to find a better reel IMO, especially at $80.

Weightless Senko, T or Wacky rigged. Finally a drop shot with a Robo Worm or Zoom Finesse Worm

Big enough for me.

Haha, line not wrapped around the tip, although I have missed guides and wondered what was going on. To answer your question, I am very comfortable with baitcasters. I have 5 others and have no issues with them.

I agree, 30 yards isnt bad. But when I can sling the rest of my reels much farther than that I feel like there is much to be desired from this reel.