upnorthbassin

I've been using the 6# on some spinning reels and I recommend it. I like trying new things but changing out this line is on the back burner because I really don't see much competition out there that looks that tempting when strength/price/manageability are all factored in. It's top notch in the first 2 categories and does pretty well in manageabilty overall too...especially the 6#. Even the 12# which I've spooled some of my casting reels with is pretty manageable too especially when compared to a lot of fc stuff out there.

Looking at an inflatable...something like a Zodiac (looking at Zodiac/bombard/seamax/etc). Anyone have one? Would be used mostly solo in ponds and rivers...some smaller lakes probably too. Will probably put a 7hp motor on it or maybe sometimes just a trolling motor. Seems like they are pretty rugged and stable even in the smaller sizes. Anyone have one? Are they easy to stand up in with the aluminum/wood versus inflatable floors? The only thing close to those that I see are stuff like sea eagle makes and the others aren't that much more for the entry level models.

He never said which rods he bought or how much he paid for them. There is no way to calculate a profit if you don't know those 2 numbers. My example was just numbers showing the cost being covered, not a big profit. That's why I said it's a safe bet. If you don't like it...no money lost. You never know....he might have gotten a way better deal than that. You could be right though....he could be looking to attract buyers instead of get rod suggestions. I just gave him the benefit of the doubt. Who knows.

Doesn't seem shady at all to me. If you saw a $350 rod for $175 but you couldn't try it before you bought it, it's still a safe bet because if you don't like it you can always get your money back. All it costs you is a bit of time to sell and ship it and you might even make a few bucks. If you like the rod then heck...you got a rod you like for a great price. Nothing wrong with that at all. Lots of people buy and sell gear constantly. If someone is selling a dozen of them.....there's nothing wrong with buying them up and selling them for a profit if you want to do that. That's business. The real question is whether or not you will be as happy with the replacements. If you're not....it's not as easy to go and get the more expensive ones back for the same price. I say keep them. Rods are like jello. There's always room for more. Whether you learn to drive in a hyundai or a bentley.....you still gotta learn if you want to drive.

I'm hearing a lot of good things about the Diesel crankbait rod. I'm getting curious enough to maybe spend some money on one. For $69....I can live with no warranty and if it's as good as people are saying..... I hope it's not just hype.....I'm thinking it isn't since some of the people I know that are saying good things about it are also the same people that seem to shell out 2-5 times that much on rods on a somewhat regular basis. The veritas winch can be found for a really good deal right now but it might be a better choice for mid-larger cranks whereas the Diesel seems like it would be more geared towards maybe mid-smaller size cranks. I have a lot of stuff that could probably be tossed on either (around 1/2oz or so) so I'm debating maybe a winch too. Hmmmm.....

I have the 12# hybrid on it now. I gotta say this stuff seems tough from experimenting with it a little bit. Even the 6# line I have on some of my spinning reels is tough as nails. I haven't had a chance to give it a proper test yet though. If I'm as happy with this as I am with the 6# stuff.....I might just end up switching most of my stuff over to hybrid.

Value is subjective. Look what people paid/pay for beanie babies. When you have a limited number of an item, it costs a lot, and you can only get it from limited sources, it makes some people want it even more and they're willing to pay for it too. If I had extra money (that's a funny thought isn't it?) I wouldn't mind trying out some of their stuff. Why not?

Haven't had much luck with river smallies this Nov. Seems like after the first week of Oct here (which was a GREAT week for river smallies for me), I'm either on them or I'm not. I've mainly been in the not category. The storm and the water levels made things crazy for a bit too though.

5" Senko or Yum Dinger. Buying more of the Yum lately because they are way cheaper and last longer.

I'll spool up some 12# hybrid and see how it does. The reason I ask is because a lot of people are dead set on using mono for these applications and I haven't been really using much mono in general for freshwater stuff lately. It's been good so far on my spinning reels (and more people seem to like it for casting than spinning) so I guess it deserves a shake at this. We'll see!

What's your preference? Also which lb test? Will be used on casting gear. Thinking of trying sunline super natural possibly (pretty small diameter so unsure of which # line to go with). I've also been using some yozuri hybrid on some of my spinning reels lately and it seems good so far so I'm thinking of maybe trying the 12# hybrid on these. I don't want to get into any exotic stuff that costs a fortune and is hard to find. Debating going with mono or a copoly line.

A pair of needle nose pliars or hemostats works just fine for putting the o-rings on. Takes a few seconds to do. If you buy o-rings used for automotive applications, you can get them for a fraction of the price and they are the same thing.

Ok. Got the rod and took it for a test drive today. I really like this rod a lot so far. It's very light, sensitive, and very well made. I also like the Kigan 3d guides. It definitely doesn't have the power of my St Croix Avid medium rod....it's almost in between a medium and a medium light when compared to a St Croix. Maybe it's because of the length of this rod (7'6") but it still has a decent enough backbone behind it and the leverage to get a good hookset with a t-rig. I almost don't know what to do with this rod because it doesn't seem as technique specific as some other rods (even though it says so)....but at the same time I feel it would be really good at many different things. So far, so good!

I have one. Cabela's was selling the hibdon 800 sx model for $50 so I said what the heck and got one. It's made fairly well and it's not as goofy looking as their older series reels. It casts pretty far and the little seesaw thing seems to lay line adequately although it's not perfect. Here's the thing...would I pay $130 for this reel? No way. For $50 you'd be hard pressed to find something better though. I say overall it's not bad. A lot of people will automatically say it's crap because of the levelwind and because some of their other reels leave a lot to be desired. I bought it in a "ah, what the heck" moment and I have no regrets. If someone was looking for a beginner casting setup, Cabelas is selling that reel for $50 and the Abu Vendetta for $50. That's a $100 combo that's a heck of a lot nicer than the other $100 combos I see for sale.

Just ordered a 763SF the other day and wondering what people thought of them. I bought it on a whim because it was a really good deal. Any reviews?

There is/was a company in Texas called Revelation Reels. It looks like they don't have a website anymore though. I think Ardent is one of the only ones you would be able to walk into a box store and buy. There was a few niche companies but most of them make/made really high end offshore stuff and fly reels...not many of them made any spinning gear. Even Van Staal sent their production overseas now.

Ok, I had to just go and get a Dobyns 763SF for the Avid's big brother for when I'm fishing more open areas and want to send some plastics into the next zip code. I hope I like it. Now I need to get another reel....again! What am I thinking? First I want to get a shorter rod because most of mine are 7' and then I go and get another 7' and then a 7'6" after that. At least I'll have a variety I guess! After using a 6'6" the other day I think the 7' is closer to the sweet spot. I hope 7'6" doesn't feel ridiculously long. Well....I do have some 9' and 10' rods so it probably won't but I don't use those rods for the same purpose.

Be careful where you get your lead from. A lot of wheel weights aren't lead anymore (some states actually outlaw lead wheel weights). Other sources may not be 100% lead and may contain other metals and/or chemicals. If you're using scrap, look for stamps on materials or know what they were used for to give you a better idea. It's getting harder and harder to find free/cheap scrap metal since the prices skyrocketed but it's out there.

I've tried a few different types. I haven't had many problems but I don't really care for it..especially in heavier line. Too stiff, too much memory. It works pretty good as a leader but these days I'm not really sold on that either. Right now I'm experimenting with yozuri hybrid and my initial impression is better. I won't completely rule it out but I can't really say too many great things about it either.

Took the Avid out today for a test spin. Wow....what a difference between that and the Triumph. It's a completely different animal. Nothing against the Triumph but the Triumph feels like a baseball bat compared to the Avid even though they are the same length and both MF rods. I put the supreme xt on it and spooled it with 6lb yo-zuri hybrid. Casts a mile with less effort (noticeable increase in casting distance), sensitivity on the rod is very good but hard to tell using hybrid versus braid. The braid definitely magnifies the sensitivity on the rods I'm using it with and makes it hard to compare without using the same line. The hybrid seems very good so far but too early to tell until I use it more.

Well, I got the Avid 7' MF. I haven't tried this one yet but I know the avids as a safe bet. I put the supreme xt on it and can't wait to see how it does.

Just figured I'd start this one up again since no one seems to have any info on this reel yet. Anyone?

I say Pflueger Supreme XT. They seem to last (knock on wood) and they are lightweight too. I also like that they still throw in the extra spool which some other companies are doing away with lately. Even the regular old $50 President is a good reel for the money.

I just got 8000 yards of the Yo-Zuri Hybrid 6lb in the mail the other day. Just spooled some today to give it a test run. This stuff is so cheap ($25 for 8000 yards including shipping) that I figured what the heck, if I don't like it...I can use it for backing and spool up reels for anyone I know that wants to try it. I did a few very unscientific tests with it and the results were good so far. This stuff breaks wayyy over 6lbs. Their website says 11.something and they aren't lying. The knot strength seems noticeably better than the flouro lines I've been using. One thing I've noticed with flouro line is that you need to be careful with your knot tying. make sure it's really wet when tying or else you'll get break offs pretty easy. I have bought the lines that everyone complains about like stren flourocast and vicious.....and maybe I've been lucky but I did not have the breakoff problems that others are having even after plenty of use. I still didn't care for them though. I'm still on the fence with flouro in general though.....it is pretty stiff with good amount of memory and even if you're careful with your knots the knot strength still isn't as good as mono or braid. I go back and forth using it for leaders because I'm not 100% sold on it yet.

The specs on that *** look good for the money. Other than that I don't know much about them. They have a nice look to them though. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to get the 7' Avid MF. Even though it's not the exact spec model of the Avid series that I want (they don't stock that one and I can only get deals on in stock rods), it's a heck of a deal at $120 new and I already know I like the Avid series so it's a safe bet. Everything else in the $100-130 price range doesn't seem to do it for me and the ones that do are $180-$350 or so. I think the Avid is closer to those than other choices and I can save a few bucks too.