Hogsticker

I've been eyeballing that exact blank for a while now. Please give us your thoughts after you get some time on the water with it.

Smackdown is a lot like SS8 minus the fraying. Likely from the coating they use. It does everything very well. To me it's like the Defier of braids. Premium casting, little to no noise, ties knots super well and easy. Feels and fishes fantastic

Torzites - Heck yes. That Aero reel seat is super comfy. Good choices

That's an unreal deal for sure

Another custom Rod thread with no pics!? If the discrepancy isn't worth mentioning, why mention it? I sure would like to know what blank makes the ultimate shakey, Senko, tube stick. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess it's an Mhx high mod.

Mono - Sunline Defier. Nothing else compares. Braid - Seaguar Smackdown. Best braid I've used to date. Fluorocarbon - It's a wash and really depends on what characteristics you're looking for in a fluorocarbon.

I think the OP is MIA

It's a little rough, not as smooth as the likes of smack down, 832,or SS8. It seemed about the same as original power pro to me.

I didn't care for the bubble handle grip or the huge cork lock down foregrip. Even with those the rod was still light as heck. Super thin blank, and it was indeed tough. Sensitivity in my hands was so so. Not the greatest, not the worse. The rods are a little dated but they catch fish none the less.

Go to White Elephant and get a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth rod while they're still in circulation

Get a Klx!!

Sounds like you already put the Invizx on your cranking set up which is an awesome fit, and you're asking if you should purchase more to use for plastics? Or do you have some left over? If you don't, I would opt for something else. Too much stretch for single hook baits imo. I would get some Sniper or braid myself.

Oh Tom.

Welcome to trout fishing in 17 degree weather. I pull a minnow jerkbait behind the boat in December and January. Covering water for scattered fish. It's boring, but beating the bank at these Temps is painful, and ice in the guides is a pain.

I had one of those. It was garbage with thin diameter lines

I didn't read every post, but this is useful. My question is this. So I figure out how much backing I need using this method. Say I determine I need 65 yards, but I'm taking it off a 300 yard spool. Do you just figure 65 yards via the Ipt and handle turns?

Will have a new Rarenium 2500 in a few days!!

7 ft Kistler Klx medium heavy crank, rip, twitch. Moderate fast

The rod was built with the intention of a Luvias 2506,weight, stripper guide, etc. It has ss sic Fuji K guides. I strapped a 6.7 Oz casting reel to it as I don't own any other spinning gear. Not sure if the shape of the reel makes a difference in balance, but it was a little tip heavy. It balanced about 3 fingers above the foregrip. I should likely just stick to the original plan, but that rarenium keeps staring at me.

Thanks Tim.

Retrieve means nothing. It's all about that tight spiral! I fish it like anything else. The colder the weather gets, the slower it gets dragged. I've even dead stuck one in 17 degree weather, water in the low thirties. Caught some dandies that way. Few and far between, but some real footballs.

Tatsu. It would be backed with mono on a regular spool. With a shallow spool I wouldn't bother with backing. Either way, I'll use 100 of the Tatsu now, and change it out with the remaining 100 next summer

Let me throw one more thing at ya. 8 lb fluorocarbon. Shallow or regular spool?

Perfect. Thanks fellas

And yeah, I kinda put the cart before the horse, but it is what it is