kickerfish1

Best bet would be to buy the Avids. Not sure why you mentioned a ceiling of $400 - $450 and want upper echelon sensitivity. Like anything else in life 9/10, you get what you pay for. If you think you are going to get high end feel from a $200 rod go for it. I ended up selling it off because I felt for bottom contact baits it was not in the same class as the GLX or NRX. When you are used to that level of feel when you use something that isn't on that level for feel techniques it leaves a little to be desired. Got a good deal on one locally but I didn't see the need to keep it. Plus the E6X to me just looks ugly and the rods are bit heavy. I agree with you of those two the IMX Pro is the better choice and a step up over the prior IMX. If you are satisfied with the IMX Pro given the price point in Canada you can probably get by just fine with them. Those price points in Canada are pretty steep. Is that from a local shop or could you find more of bargain somewhere in the US and have it shipped to Canada? I don't know if you have inquired from the guys at the Tackle Trap about shipping up that way but I would give them a call and see what they say. They offer rep samples on many GLX/NRX rods and you still get full warranty too.

Sort of depends on the lake and structure. I really like a senko or weightless plastic like a fluke if fish are shallow. If fish are more related to the bottom it would be hard to beat a drop shot or flick shake (small 1/8 oz or less head with a small wacky rigged worm). I have had more luck on the ned rig for smallmouth than largemouth but that would be another pick. But at the end of the day small fish will eat big fish baits at times and big fish will eat small fish baits at times.

If you are wanting some suggestions I would look at: 1. Swimjig or spinnerbait casted right parallel with the dock. Great for picking off active fish. 2. Some sort of flipping bait - Either a jig or texas rig 3. Tube- Great choice to put on a spinning rod and skip it right up there. Also it seems like you can make a pretty easy presentation with it.

Can only be the work of the lockness monster.

You can bank fish with any rod you want. Their are plus and minus qualities of each. There are not a ton of heavier duty spinning rods out there so that may be something to consider if you have lots of weed beds in close proximity to the shore. Why not take one spinner and one caster with you. Seems the best of both worlds and carrying to rods and small back pack would be pretty easy and still allow you to travel lightly and cover ground

If the budget per rod is $400(ish) and there is a need for 6 rods I would be looking for something like: Loomis GLX MBR 844 - This rod can do a lot - Rep sample price - Around $360 Loomis GLX MBR 843 - Another extremely versatile rod - Rep sample price - Around $360 Loomis NRX 873 CRR - This is going to cover many of your jig and worm apps - Rep sample around $400 Loomis NRX 852 s - This spinning rod will do a lot of finesse work for you - Rep sample price around $390 For the last 2 rods I would say choose them based upon your specific needs and how you fish. Either the MB Destroyer FMJ or the NRX 894 This will be for larger jigs, C-rigs, bigger texas rigs- A bit over $400 The last selection I would probably pick something shorter and ligter in power. Anything from the 893 or 853 NRX to the 802 if you throw some pretty light stuff. Price will be right around $400 again. The Loomis GLX and NRX and MB Destroyer rods will all give you that top notch sensitivity. They will all be towards the top end of your budget but IMO will not leave you wanting more especially when there are not much better options above that. I am not a huge fan of the Loomis IMX or E6x rods so if you want the good stuff from Loomis stay GLX/NRX. Now the Kistler ZBone and Phoenix K2 will be right up there with the others. Problem is you would need a great sale to bring that $500+ MSRP down to $400ish. Oh, and I am sure someone will be along to tell you check into a custom. Yes, that is another option for sure. Just remember that you will need at least a pretty mid to higher end blank to get to the level of feel as the rods noted above. So lets take a blank that $150 to $200, then add in $100 for build labor and supplies, $60 for a solid set of guides, $40 for reel seat, handle grips, winding checks, thread wrap, but cap, and then another $25 to ship. By my math you are probably going to be in it for a minimum of $350 to $400 not to mention the wait time involved plus all of your own decisions as to what gets used. If time isn't a concern it would be worth a look. Just know there is a lot of things involved. I have 4 customs with another on the way. Hope this helps...

My outfit of choice would be hard to source but well worth it. Rod - Shimano Cumulus 6'10 MH (Note this is the most over rated rod... it is more of a medium at best) - Reel - Daiwa SV 105 Line - #8 Yozuri hybrid Why this outfit? The outfit weighs next to nothing thanks to the 3 oz rod. This make it much less tough in the fatigue dept to work poppers in jerkbaits. The reel is a what I call a mag finesse reel that is great at throwing this size of bait. The line is small enough in diameter, floats pretty well and is very strong with a breaking point much higher than most 8# lines.

What are you looking to spend? If you have never had a custom built before you are going to be in for sticker shock. Better be prepared to spend a minimum of $200-250. You won't get a quote for anything under that unless the builder is a friend of yours charging nill for labor/shipping, and supplies.

You can probably tell your friend to shove it. I don't know anyone that wouldn't take a mid to high end Daiwa or Shimano over anything Lews has to offer. I have zero issues finding parts for any of my Shimano or Daiwa reels. Sure when anything is discontinued it will be tougher to source parts. I sold off my Lews reels two years ago and have had zero desire to buy or recommend one again. Your "reel guy" is entitled to his opinion like anyone else...

You have the dreaded look of fear of a man about to embark on a bathroom remodel! Great fish!

Why do people insist on digging up threads from 4 years ago?

Try this along with tightening down your drag more and see if this doesn't solve the issue.

I have more reels than rods. Simply put mono, fluorocarbon, and braid I use for different things. Simply switch out a reel on said rod and I have something I can use ideally for a separate technique. Case in point I have custom MHX Hi mod 874. It is a great frogging rod but also is a really nice bigger jig rod. I have a Scorpion 1000xt with 12 # Sniper I use for jig fishing but during the frog bite I have a Exscence DC with Braid I will swap out and use. Plus it is nice to have a few spare reels on hand. I have had a few random things happen over the years while fishing. One of which involved the reel locking up all the way to where the handle could not be turned at all. Also was dumb enough at the beginning of the season once to check the settings on a reel after I serviced it. Had the brakes all turned off, tension knob lose, and drag backed way off, made a cast and blew up the spool and line. Couldn't salvage the line so I had to cut and respool. Therefore it is nice to have one casting and one spinning spare reel along. I also have about 10 all rounder outfits and another 15 that are technique specific. Whether you need more rods or reels is totally up to you.

Is it more of a rattling sound almost like something broke of inside the rod and rattling around every time you move it?

Could be a number of factors as mentioned above. Something else to consider. How lose or tight is your drag? The reason I ask is this...so say your drag is set in a way that when you pull line out or a fish pulls line out you can visually see the braid digging itself into the spool. Most would argue casting or spinning you want some give and take with the drag system so setting to near lock down or completely locked down should be avoided. But look at frog fishing as whole. Heavy cover, usually some bigger fish, having turn them away and out of cover. I would consider tightening down my drag on my baitcaster while fishing. This should eliminate some of dig in from either violent hook sets or fish pulling drag. Just remember to loosen it up some while the reel is not in use.

There are not many sponsor I go out of my way to support. Mike at S.O. is one of them. Think I have placed over 5 substantial sized orders from him over the last few years. Always a great guy to work with, fair prices, and a great product!

The prior model Escence DC. I bought two of them for about $240 new from Japan. Furthest casting reel I have used. Dobyns Champion 705 CB glass cranking rod for $160 new from Cabelas years back. Daiwa Airy Red Pixy with upgrades for $160. A pair of Majorcraft speedstyle rods new for $200.

No comparison in sensitivity between the NRX series and the Dobyns Champion Extremes. Looks and balance I would give to the Extremes but if you are talking weight and feel the NRX tops them. The Helium 3 is built on the NFC IM blank. Step up to the Zbone for the HM blank (Intermediate vs High modulus). The Helium 3 will fish between the NRX and Extreme on feel alone. The K2 by Phoenix is an amazing and superlight rod. I would put the feel right up there with a NRX. For the record I own at least one Champion Extreme, K2, H3, and NRX. If it was me I would be looking at the NRX 852 or 853. The TackleTrap has rep samples typically of these rods that will carry a full warranty and will come with the wrapping and decals on them like a new rod but at a great discount. The 853 would be better if you are around more cover or if you were referring to 3/16 or 1/4 oz plus plastic which could easily get to or above 3/8 oz. Another option for that kind of coin would be the Megabass rods. Performance, looks, and balance. The new Orichi XX rods or the Destroyer rods would be worthy of consideration. Only downside is they rarely go on sale except if you happed to find rep samples or closeout models and these rods are not discounted during the retailers sales.

If the bearings are not damaged in any way I would simply clean them and relube them. The gains from aftermarket bearings are not going to be night and day noticeable. Perhaps quicker startup speed for the spool, more distance with less effort, and a small gain in overall distance. If I were to buy upgraded bearings it would the HH Air or ZPI bearings.

Either is fine. I use and have used both lines for years. Both lines are a little bigger in diameter than some of the mid to higher priced lines. Both lines are pretty strong especially the Hybrid stuff so I typically get the line in a few sizes smaller than I would buy in a premium line. Exampe - For spinning I get the 6# instead of 8 and for casting I get the 8 or 10# instead of 12. On the casting setup the 8# is used for jerkbaits and topwater while the 10# is great for most plastics and lighter jigs. Also note I like my line smaller than many people run. There are not many fish over 5 or 6 pounds here and no zebra muscles. Cover is your typical rip rap, wood, and weeds.

Depends upon what you are talking about exactly. The Smallie Beaver or Baby Rodent I like to use a 3/15 oz tungsten weight with a 2/0 EWG hook. For the standard size Beaver and Rodent I like a 3/0 or 4/0 EWG hook with a 1/4 oz weight. You can obviously increase/decrease the weight as needed depending upon depth or desired rate of fall.

Fire up the weedwacker and lawnmower. Chop Chop!

The Tat handle assembly or Zillion assembly would be good picks. These are relatively inexpensive and are designed for reels that use a swept drag star. If you have a reel that has non swept drag star you will need a straight handle.

20# mono is too light for that size of reel. I would move up to 40# and probably add a wire leader too! Seriougly 6 or 8# would be tops. Adjust your drag accordingly and make sure it is not your knots that are failing or frayed or damaged line. I use 6 and 8# line all the time for bass fishing. Never an issue. I don't even use anything heavier than 13# mono for my casting reels.

You should give that thing some cheeseburgers! Get a little meat on its 'bones"