Smallmouth Hunter

Tatula is alright reel. I would rank it over the zillion but definitely under the shimano 200e. Under the 50e as well. It just isn't smooth enough or ergonomic enough to compete with the e series IMO.

lol. what? I have used a tatula for almost a year now with braid/fluoro/mono (currently braid) and this have never happened..Don't smack talk on something you have never used.

Daiwa PXR also do that.

depends how aero-dynamic it is, but for the most part, yes. The 200e spool is 3ish grams (20%) lighter than the I.

i have had both. Curado I casts better with heavier stuff. It feels MUCH better when cranking a resistance bait too. Mine wasn't too packed with grease, but the knobs were leaking grease grease throughout the first trip. I should've wiped them off before going. After I got home from that trip I took the knob off and threw in some bearings that were oiled, and it's been great ever since. I also flushed the spool bearings and that helped too. Real easy to do, and the performance upgrade is well worth it.

Lol $50?! I will jus stick with 832. Best braid I've ever used by far.

Lew's customer service - call or email.

I have a 6'6" medium fast casting rod that is brand new for sale in the flea market forum (shameless plug). Throw me an offer. A little bit shorter, but it should be fine. I have used medium power avids in the past for cranks and they work great.

The *** would not be a good choice for a deep crank rod.. The action on the *** rods is faster than most fast actions and you will lose fish because of it. If it were my money, I'd get the veritas 2.0 winch or even the old gen veritas. I like my winch rods.

Curado 201e. Better than any daiwa I've ever used including tdz r+ and zillion R. Kick myself everyday for getting rid of it but I will have another soon.

how crisp is the blank on the 6'9 mlf? Others can chime in too

Both my lews reels had this problem..

Lews reel are the best pitching reels I've used.

Don't boat flip anything over 1.5 lbs

it was, and medium sounds like the way to.

it's gonna be a long wait for one of them.. I've been waiting since the classic show this year. I'm guessing it won't be until the end of this year, or worse, next classic show or Icast. I'd pick up a used Chronarch if I were you.

now imagine how small the '14 conquest 51 will be if it actually comes out!!

i am waiting on some $$ right now, so I can't pull the trigger yet, but I'd probably choose that based on what I've heard so far. I am a little hesitant about the XF action since I am going to be using braid. I had a 7'1 tatula casting that has an XF action and I lost a lot of fish on that rod when using braid. Probably lost 50% of fish.. As soon as I started using a rod with a slower action, I started getting in 75-90% of fish. The tip on the tatula was very stiff though. From what I have read, XF only refers to the where the bend is on the rod, not how stiff the rod's tip is. Croix rods with XF action seem to still have the soft tip that their fast action rods do.

I might go up to 15 lb if I have any issues, but the 10 lb looked thick enough in store. Dunno if it will cause issues though.I am going to be fishing some clear water so I would prefer to use the most thin braid possible to eliminate any line shyness. In the past, 30 lb braid with no leader was outfished by up to 5:1 compared to mono on any given day. It could just be a confidence thing though.,

Carbon graphite is like saying "aluminum aluminum". Carbon IS graphite.I had a shimano Compre 7' or so that I sold a while back because I didn't like how heavy it was. I had a medium power fast action. It was just about perfect for most techniques, but it's lure rating was closer to that of other manufacturers ML. I always thought that shimano's M was other brands ML, and shimano's MH was other brands M, etc. is that how it is or no?

If it makes a difference, the heaviest ill ever go would be just over 3/8, and I'll be using 10 lb braid..

Alright I'll take your advice. I've never used a ml spinning rod so I don't really know. also, now that I think about it, i think the St. Croix spinning rod I held in store was actually at 6'8 m XF. I am not a huge fan of XF action, but from what I've heard, fenwick's XF isn't quite as fast as st. Croix's XF.

Can't decide between ML power or M power on a new spinning rig. It will mostly be used for drop shotting (1/4-3/8 oz weight) and some shakey heads (1/4> jig heads). Will use 10 lb PP braid, with an 8-12 ft 8 lb fluoro leader. I am specifically looking at the fenwick smallmouth elite tech series. Can't decide between the 6'8 m XF or the 6'9 ml F. I fear that the ml will be "whippy" and more moderate than advertised. I also fear that the M will be too powerful and I'll be skiing the fish in. The other rod I'm looking at is the avid 6'9 ml XF. I held another st. Croix in this same exact model in store and I loved it, but us rather pay less and it's always fun to try something new, so the fenwick ETS is really my first choice. Does a st. Croix ml have about the same amount of power as a fenwick (generally)?

Magnetic linear brakes are always braking the spool throughout the whole cast, so technically it slows the spool down throughout the whole cast. The only reason they feel like they are braking at the end of the cast is because they are weak and don't have as much of an effect at the climax of spool rpm. Centri brakes are the opposite in the less reels and many other because they taper off, applying braking force only when it's really necessary.

Keep in mind that a 5/16 oz jig along with the skirt and trailer will weigh closer to 7/16..