PGA Dropout

Pretty sick. Will turn a few heads. I don't know if the country needs defending from the bass, but you can never be too sure.

FG knot

Bantam XG. Compact winch.

Great spool. Casts well for an SV reel. Palms ok. I have two 6 gears. Lots of spool options, though sadly many of them are now OoP or hard to find. I like them a lot, but "palms ok" in 2021 is kind of a killer when there are so many options that disappear in average size hands.

My Zero Adjusters needed adjusting; one was toight, the other was loose. I love the difficult to turn knob, but a clicking cc knob accomplishes the same. Not touching the knob is putting a lot of trust in the Thailand factory.

Japan Tackle had some Alphas SV spools last I checked. I had one in an R edition and presently a Sol. It's a nice upgrade over the stock spool but a bit short on line capacity. Good light line spool, as others have mentioned. I run 12 lb. Assassin on mine.

843 all the way, based on experience with previous gen of both rods. 853c is not a moving bait stick.

Spend ~$37 more and purchase a new ALX Enox. I own two with a third in the works. Lovely rods; nice build, ECS seat, made in the USA. I can't say enough good things about them.

Washington Americans. You can even keep the logo and mascot. I'll send them my invoice.

They've been a Tatula for a while.

I expect nothing and I'm still let down. If this reel was a spice, it would be flour.

Get the NRX 803 if you fear missing out. You might gain some sensitivity, especially in lighter weights. This is where the 3 power NRX models shine; I don't know if a better 1/8 or 3/16 Texas rod exists. Cold water, straight fluoro, light bites? Forget about it. However you will lose balance and ergonomics. Recoil guides also bother some people. They're far from perfect rods, which is a shame because they cost just about perfect rod money.

ALX Wizard spinning rod, couple jigs, and a L O T of tungsten.

Oh yeah, that's good catch.

When I was real concerned about Pike, I threw Pline CXX. Tough as nails. Lots of memory, but line conditioner helps.

ALX, baby. Made in South Carolina, US of A. Kistler uses NFC blanks so that is an option. Hammer maybe as well.

4/0 weighted Beast for the 4.8. 4/0 weighted regular Owner for the 3.8 I think.

Currently, Gojira, Be'lakor, old 3 Inches of Blood, old Arch Enemy. In general, death, thrash, new wave British, and folk/fantasy. Also, being from Detroit, I am obligated to own a Black Dahlia Murder shirt. ALSO THIS

Fair play man. Different strokes. I dont disagree with ya on the theory. Whatever gets the fish in!

Yeah, sure, I dont necessarily disagree. I feel you didn't much read my initial comment beyond the first sentence. I agree, keep the pressure on. But how do you keep pressure when the fish suddenly changes direction or jumps? In these situations, sometimes a fast or extra fast rod unloads. Keep in mind I'm specifically talking about true fast, higher end graphite rods with a high recovery rate. For example, the Expride the OP uses. A Loomis MBR, for example, loads deeper despite being also rated as Fast. I don't have issues with swimming jigs or chatters on an NRX MBR. However, I do have issues on an NRX JWR of the same power.

If your trailer moves your skirt, there's no need to shake the rod. This is my main reason for preferring a paddletail when swimming a jig outside of cold water. Straight retrieve, pump the reel handle, pop the rod, pause it, kill it, let it hit bottom, hop it, crawl it, etc. Experiment until you start getting bit, then repeat what got the bite. If the fish are hitting but not committing, change something (speed, color, trailer, so on).

Tatula 3: 3D Tatula: The Revenge Tatula V: The New Blood Tatula VI: The Freaks Tatula VII: Tatula Lives! Tatula VIII: Tatula Takes Manhattan

Two thoughts: 1) fast rod unloading during the fight and causing pressure on the fish to be lost, as described in my post, and 2) fast rod may stop loading before the fish has sufficiently engulfed the bait, especially on a short initial strike, causing the angler to inadvertently take the bait away from the fish. Keep in mind, you can and will catch/land plenty of fish on a Fast action rod throwing a moving bait, especially if you run a bit of stretch in your line (straight fluoro, nylon, etc). However for the purpose of technique specificity and dialing in equipment, I am of the opinion that more Moderate rods feel better during the bite and fight. Of course, this may necessitate a step up in rod power, but that's a different topic altogether I think.

I want to second the grease comment. Definitely worth opening them up if you're handy. Both my SV and Elite felt real dry after a month or so of use. Worth getting your hands on the Elites too if they have them out. Well worth the extra $50.