Arv

IMO, biggest difference between the original Speed Spool and the other two is the absence of centrifugal brakes on the Speed Spool. I won't buy a reel w/o centrifugal brakes so I wouldn't go any "lower" than the Tournament SS. If you don't mind only magnetic brakes I think the Speed Spool would be fine. If you look on the Lews website, they have good descriptions of their reels where you could do a more in depth comparison.

Nice fish!

Nice man! More than I caught the past few days. IMO, any fish is a good fish this time of year

stick worms

I don't have a lot of experience with fc line, but of all that I've used I like Sunline Sniper the most.

10 - 15# fc or copoly. I use 12# Yo Zuri Hybrid.

The old Shimano Compre travel edition with cork handles. I've got one that I use exactly for those applications. I don't know if they still make it with all the new series out now, but if you can find one I think it would be worth checking out.

Rage and Havoc plastics. I mostly jig and worm fish.

I think spinning outfits are a very important tool to cover the spectrum of fishing applications. I do think you can get by without them though. There are lighter power casting rods that you could pair with smaller reel like a Shimano 50e series and light line and do the same things you would with a spinning set up. I know some guys that only use spinning reels, I don't see why you couldn't use only baitcasting reels.

1. A good jig trailer - I don't think there's a formula for this. It all depends on the fish, time of year, water clarity, etc. I focus mostly on size and weight of the jig when deciding. I'm not a big stickler on color, as long as it looks close its always worked for me. Bottom contact jigs, I use a craw trailer. Swim jigs, I mostly use a paddle tail trailer. However, if I don't have a specific pattern I may use a Rage Craw on a NSCB Flip N' Swim jig to cover both applications. The Rage Craw has great action and can act like a twin tail grub (a popular swim jig trailer) or, obviously, as a crawdad. You can also hop/stroke a swim jig across the bottom to make it look like a dying baitfish. So, in summary, a lot of things can make a good trailer, just experiment and find what you like best. 2. To prevent plastics from melting, I keep them in the original package and do my best to keep them out of extreme heat. 3. I'm not sure if they will lose scent since I keep them in the original pack. 4. Craw trailer length can be varied depending on what you want the jig to do/look like. If the fish are finicky I'll usually use a smaller craw trailer on a 1/4 oz jig (I really like Strike King's Rodent). If the fish are more aggressive I'll usually use a larger presentation. However, the skirt size has a lot to do with this as well. I have some smaller finesse jigs that I tied myself that have thinner, shorter skirts than you would find on a "normal" jig. But I also bought a Berkley Gripper Finesse jig to try it out. This is a 1/4oz finesse jig but it has a very bulky skirt. I like it because it has a larger profile and a slower fall than my other finesse jigs. As a general rule, I like the skirt to expose the claws and a little bit of the body of the plastic. Hopefully this is helpful

Green Power Pro

Dobyns 702c, Curado 51e, Sunline Sniper 10#. I use it for other applications as well (weightless plastics, wacky rigs, finesse jigs, etc.) but I love this set up for shakey heads up to 1/4oz.

Do you have an idea of what applications you plan on using this rod for? I have some MH/F rods for sale in the flea market that are priced to your door that could save you a chunk of change if you're interested. Killer deals pop up in there all the time so I'd check through there and see if you can snag something at a great price.

I'd use it for pretty much all my treble hook lures except for deep diving cranks. I'd go with 10#, maybe 12# test tops however. If it was a DEDICATED squarebill/lipless rod I could see using 15# but that's only for ripping cranks out of cover and weeds. I would also recommend a MH/M rod for that specific application. I'm actually planning on the 7' M/M Carbonlite rod being part of my next set up to handle smaller cranks and jerkbaits. I held one the other day at BPS and I actually liked it a lot. I usually don't like foam handles but these were different. Enjoy the new rod! The rest of your rod/technique pairings seem fine to me. A lot of that comes down to personal preference in the end, but I can't find anything that I would change if that was my arsenal.

Yeah, just trial and error would be my best suggestion. While dehydration and electrolyte imbalances do play a big part in cramping, I really doubt that's the cause of what you are experiencing. If that was the case I would expect you to also experience cramps in your shoulders, back, legs, feet, etc. as these will be working just as hard, if not harder to keep you standing upright for long periods of time while fishing all day. With that said, carrying some gatorade or 50/50 gatorade/water wouldn't be a bad idea.

I handled the Carbonlite the other day at BPS and I like the feel a lot more than Veritas. I'd go with either the Carbonlite, Mojo Bass or Compre. I have both the Mojo and Compre and I like them a lot.

Whats your price range? At the Dick's around here I can get a Berkley Lightning Shock up to a Shimano Cumara.

I got straight fc for shakey heads. I usually use a Dobyns Champion 702c with a 51e. I have 10# Sunline Sniper on here an I reeeaaallly like it. I don't go anything over 1/4oz.

Got a Curado G off display because they were out of stock. It worked great before I sold it. I definitely checked it over as good as I could in the store before making the purchase, and yes I got a discount.

Nice!

Just Merry Christmas to you too!

First off, my brother doesn't bass fish anymore, he's straight flyfishing now, so I get all his old tackle, boxes, bags, etc. which has turned out to be a very nice addition for no money. Then 2 BPS PQ's, a Phenix M1, some other lures and terminal tackle, and my brother is also building me a custom casting rod on a Batson blank for worms and jigs. I've been very blessed this year.

You? Shimano? Noooo... lol

Cramps could be a lot of things. Whenever I've had cramps, its been because of the reel seat, especially on moving applications. My guess is there is more torque on the rod, and consequently your hands, because of the resistance of the lure moving through the water. It would never be a big deal for a few casts, but eventually I would get cramps in my palm and my pinky finger. The shape of the trigger grip was not comfortable on my hand and eventually would make it hurt. I switched up my rods, kept the same reels, and no more cramps. Deeper diving cranks will probably encounter more resistance due to the depth with which they dive. Also, a high speed reel could add to that resistance. This is all me thinking on my own, so it may not be accurate, but hey, makes sense to me. My suggestion would be to try a different set up, switch up your rod, reel, gear ratio, etc. and see if that helps. For deep diving cranks a 4-5._:1 ratio would definitely be the way to go IMO. Hopefully something works out. I know its a pain to have to battle hand cramps when you're out on the water.

I guess it depends on your definition of affordable. You could spend anywhere from 80 to 300 dollars. With that said, it seems that at any of the price range the reels are at least up to par. I have a Tournament SS and I like it a lot. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them.