5fishlimit

Done and done.

I have a few unopened packages that I would be willing to sell you if you want. PM me if interested.

I think they try to fool people into thinking it is decent quality by saying it has a high number of bearings, but that is never a solid measure of quality. Higher bearing count does not equal quality!

I picked up the new Daiwa Fuego spinning reel at the end of last season, and have been really happy with it. I also have a Pfleuger President, and feel you can't go wrong with that line of reels.

I have the clear and green color in 10# and 12# that I bought from Ollie's last year. I've used it as a mainline, but didn't care for it too much. At least I didn't find it to better than Yo-Zuri Hybrid. I personally felt that the line was less manageable than other copoly lines. Right now I am using it as line for backing on the reels that I use braid.

Zoom finesse worms, Jackall cross tail shad, and keitech swing impact.

Those little round mailing stickers you can find at any office supply store work really well, and are removable. You can stick it on the rod, the reel, or the reel seat. I know some company makes a rubber band type product with line information.

This will definitely have me looking at the Tatula platform again now that they were able to reduce the size of the frame.

So then the above statement.... ....is negated by this statement because you are adding more weight to one end than you have on the other. Again.... Science!

I've never held, or heard of, a rod that would balance right at the reel seat with no reel mounted on the rod.

Science begs to differ.

The weight of the reel has a lot - if not everything - to do with how a rod balances. It's plain physics. Think of a basic lever, and the point you balance the rod being the where the fulcrum is located. When the weight (in this case the reel) is increased at one end then the point of balance (or location of the fulcrum) shifts to counter that additional weight. Case in point... I have a 7'6" rod for A-Rigs, and when I put a Daiwa PXL-R (5.8oz) on it the balance point is about a 8" in front of the reel. When I take the same rod and an OG Zillion (8.6oz) the balance point moves backwards to about an inch in front of the reel. If that isn't the reel playing a role in the balance then we are throwing away about 2300 years worth of physics. Thankfully, the principles of Archimedes have stood the test of time.

I would consider using a different presentation with your setup. I don't see how a 1/6oz mushroom head jig and TRD would weigh 3/8oz. Different tools for different jobs. The football jigs and worms are fine. Ned rig, not so much.

I would use a spinning rod for the ned rig, and 14# is too much line for that rig, IMHO. 6#,or 8# is what I would be using.

What weight jigs are you talking about? 3/8oz, 1/4oz, or down to 1/8oz?

I think you will end up regretting your purchases. Like others have stated you should try to save up some more money to get a better quality reel.

The shadow raps are a d**n fine lure! Scatter raps, not so much.

If you can I would suggest taking your rod to a retailer and trying them out. Put different reels on the rod and see how they feel to you. In the price range you are looking for you will find really good products from all of the major players. You should look for the features that best fit your needs, and go from there. You will get as many different answers from many different people on this. At the end of the day you should follow what feels good for you. Oh, and to really maximize your dollars I would look for used reels in the flea market here. I've gotten some AMAZING reels for a fraction of the retail cost.

What dictates the usage are the fish. If they aren't biting the bigger size them moving down is a good idea. Setup will be with whatever ml/f spinning rod I have on me.

According to my insurance company they said that I just need to keep the receipts for the reels and rods. Pictures of the lures is what they suggested.

I stopped by a larger store near my parents house and was able to get 6 packs of Jackall plastics @ $2.60/ea. 2 scissor combs in crawdad, and 2 in green pumpkin/chartreuse. 2 packages of the 5" flick shake in watermelon red flake. I'm happy I stopped in. I think these scissor combs will be interesting with a punch rig.

I started using straight FC, 6# Invisix. I learned how to dropshot on Lake Erie in about 25 to 50 feet of water. It worked, but the deeper the water the more the stretch of FC showed itself. I feel that extra little stretch gives the fish a little advantage to throw the hook. I use either 10# Seaguar Smackdown (6# FC leader) on one setup, and 15# Kanzen (8# FC leader) on the other. One has a 3/8oz weight, and the other has 1/2oz. These two rods, and a tube, are all you need for Lake Erie, IMHO.

With the swing impact - and their EZ Shiner - I use a MH/F rod for the 5" size. A soft tip as stated before is also very helpful.

Yes