kickerfish1

My favorite JDM Shimano is the Exscence DC. I have yet to find a reel that can compete with it.

A three headed monster! Nice!

There are too many factors that are associated with bass growth. One of the biggest is the strain of bass. What you will find is that there are 2 main strains of bass. The first is a northern strain and the 2nd is Florida strain. The Florida bass grow bigger and faster. Part of that is due to the longer growing season. Other factors that influence how bass grow is the amount of forage and the number of bass in the body of water. If there are lots of smaller bass and limited prey options the bass population will be stunted and growth will be minimal. There are bodies of water here loaded with 13 inch and under bass. You can catch lots of fish and very few if any that will be over 14 or 15 inches. Lastly consider habitat available as another reason why fish may or may not grow quickly.

I fish rods from various price points. On the lower end are Elite Techs and the higher end are Megabass, Cumulus, NRX, Dobyns Extremes, and a custom K2. I tend to buy new during sales, Rep samples, or closeout models. I will never pay retail for a rod.

Berkley Havoc baits are cheap and effective.

That is true in that they seem to go against logic when looking at the numbers. Fortunately I know a few guys that fish LOTS of Dobyns rods and also have had good luck communicating with the Dobyns brothers in regards to getting clarity in what I was looking for. Loomis is another manufacturer that can be somewhat confusing. The key in getting some understanding of their rods lies in the series... IE (MBR, BCR, JWR, FPR, CBR, CRR etc..) For example their 873 CRR rod is far from being a typical 3 powered rod. Prior to the introduction of the 894 and 895 it was the most powerful bottom contact work and jig NRX rod offered. It is much more powerful than the 893 another rod labeled as a 3 powered rod but again one rod is a JWR and the other is a CRR. It is difficult having to buy rods sight unseen but doing enough research and talking to trusted individuals helps quite a bit. 90% of my rods were bought online but hours of research and communication went into each purchase.

Not at all, but it is inacurate to say the 5 represents a medium.

The "5" is a MH not a medium. Also they are generally a "mag" MH and fish more powerfully than a "4" powered heavy in their lineup.

I would 2nd what Goose52 posted. I have at one point owned many of the same reels he referenced. The only one I felt was junk was the JM Carbonlite in the charcoal color at 5.9 ounces or whatever it was. Very grindy gears and aweful under load to the point it seemed like the reel was going to fall apart. All other reels are good values for what they sell for on sale. I too would consider the BPS line of reels to be budget friendly or low end on the price scale.

I'm good. Looks like a death sentence and blood pressure boiler to me.

Sorry this is close but not correct. Invisix has more stretch than Sniper. Abrisix is half the line that Shooter is especially for stretch and feel.

That is another option though the OP was listing the FJ and CI4+ as his choices. The new "FK" is the replacement for the FJ. Another fine option to consider...

Tatsu is IMO the best flourocarbon on the market right now given all of its qualities. It would be the line to use if money isn't an issue. Sunline Shooter is one of the most sensitive flourocarbon but has more memory and doesn't have the best handling but the trade off is less stretch and more feel. Sniper I what I call a good compromise line with out the big price tag. I would call it a poor mans Tatsu. I almost exclusively fish all flourocarbon and my reels see Tatsu and Sniper almost exclusively.

Both are great reels. The simplest difference is in weight that stems from the materials used. If weight is an issue and money is also of concern consider getting a Stradic 1000FJ. I bought mine NIB for about $115 shipped.

Yes sir! That must be a fun machine!

A nice 3headed monster! Good choices all around.

Or drop shot those fish next time. It is my go to for cold fronts and late fall and early winter fishing.

Hair jigs are a good bet.

Praying for the best. Kudos to you and your pops on the fish!

50 series Shimano perhaps?

Thanks for the link Jon!

It may be easier for me to list what brands I don't use.

Thanks Matt! I am just NOT happy with the current offerings Shimano has available in the US. I have NOT sold any of my Gen 1 Cumara rods or Cumulus for that reason. Only the Ultima and Glorious intrigue me. If it didn't cost so much to ship them into the US I probably would have bought one of each by now.

I have a previous generation Sahara 2500 in the shop for that vary reason. It is being looked at and worked on. Sadly I may not get a chance to use it until next spring. Seems like the problem has been brought up several times on the Shimano reels under $100. I have yet to have that happen on any of Shimanos higher end offerings. I would send it in if you feel like you want to keep the reel around if not sell it. You may be able to get a good deal on a Stradic FJ if there are any of those around on clearance.

That is an excellent outfit Matt! Can you comment on how the Poison Ultima compares to the Cumulus rods (price aside)?