rippin-lips

It's just an average $100 rod. As mentioned above it's a broomstick and tip heavy. As long as your lures weigh 1/2oz + it'll be fine.

It's only money so buy yourself a high end reel and enjoy it. Just remember that there's Daiwa and Shimano... then everything else.

I must have been lucky as my Cashion looked nothing like that one. It was a 6'9 mh and my first 'higher priced' rod that I ever purchased. I used it all the time and it never failed me. My experience was a positive one. I even spoke with the owner Matt on the phone and had my rod assembled with a different reel seat than what it normally has on it. I thought that was pretty nice of them to do at no charge.

Phenix did that years ago. I prefer the drop drop shot style but none of my rods have hook keepers on them. Most Jdm rods don't have them. I use a cable tie.

Megabass XX - Jerkbait Special It's what it was designed for.

I use the 3/0 4/0 all season long and I've never had one get ruined. It's my preferred hook for most things.

You can throw them on a medium casting rod just fine. They aren't as light as people seem to think. 1/4oz is plenty good for that. I fished them on a light powered casting rod since it was more fun to use with light line and river smallmouth.

The season just changed and the water temps are starting to drop. It's that late summer/early fall transition around here. Another couple of weeks and it should be really good fall fishing. Fingers crossed.

They are a site sponsor already

I'm slowly switching all my reels over to it. It's quieter than either version of power pro and 832. I run #30 on casting gear and #10 on spinning. I have some #20 ordered to try out next on a couple reels. For the price of it I think it's tough to beat.

I've noticed no difference in the blue verse red oil that they supply. I've even got a few bottles that are a gold color. All seem to be low viscosity and work well for spool bearings.

Look at ipt and not gear ratio. One reel could actually take up more line 'ipt' but have a lower gear ratio than a different reel with a higher gear ratio. An inexpensive but good reel is the Okuma Rtx 25 or 30. I've had mine for years and it's been dropped,dunked,dragged, and it's still as good as it was when I got it. It's my dedicated river combo for smallmouth. It gets a workout. The drag system is smooth too. Something I look for in a good spinning reel. I believe @Bluebasser86 has been using one recently also and is enjoying it.

I actually lol'd at this. The slammer is a proven hand made bait verse some injection molded piece of plastic. I think my 9" slammer had a date of 04 on it. That was $55 well spent if you divide it by 4,380 days.

Seal it now or seal it later. It doesn't matter.

BFS - Bait Finesse System It is a style of fishing that's very popular with the Japanese anglers. It's commonly associated with light baits under 5 grams,light line in the #4-8 range, and light or even ultra light power rods.

It's fooled at least one fish.

Abu Aurora

I have a Phenix Recon 2 - 682 light for sale in the flea market. Nice rod but I don't use it enough. Boca's are decent and run $25. I probably have an extra set of those around also.

Zodias has a 6'4 light that you can get for about your budget. They also have the 6'8 in a 2pc and that would be my choice. That reel will benefit from a good set of bearings. I've never had that happen on any casting reel I've owned. I've used down to #10 braid and #6 fluoro

Have you ever weighed the baits to see if it's a true 1/8oz? You might be surprised by your findings. Here are some things I regularly throw on my light 2 power casting rod. I have trouble seeing a medium power rod getting any usable distance on a 4g bait. A 4 and 5 inch senko are pretty heavy and isn't difficult to throw with today's gear. Even a weightless trick worm will come in near 6g with a hook. Still plenty doable.

Your best bet for a rod is going to be something made by one of the Japanese companies. BFS is a lot more of a common technique for them. There is a Zodias rod in the lineup that will work but it's not sold in the states. It comes in a 6'4 or 6'8 light power. Major Craft makes some nice rods and so does Megabass.

I use them for trick works also. I use lead nail weights and trim them to length depending on the rof I'm going for.

Newly acquired MB monoblock bespoke limited - Grigio Titanio

If you're still hooking them and they aren't coming off then I'd say don't worry about it. I use them all the time for wacky rigging senkos and trick worms. I've never thought much about where the hook placement is.

St. Croix has been known to fish on the heavier side of their ratings. That could be a reason why they feel similar to each other. Op - I had the Recon 2 713 ml and I used it for some jerkbaits and smaller cranks. It did the job pretty good. The only issue was Phenix rates the rod as a fast action but it fished like a mod fast. It worked but I prefer a true fast action for those techniques.