PGA Dropout

Big fan of the Northstar Original. I like the light hook and thin weedguard. I also throw the Flip n Swim, Siebert Swim Jig, and Dirty Jigs Swim Jig. I like a bullet head but any pointed head is usually fine. Always 1/4 oz, unless the pike have eaten all your 1/4's, then 3/8 oz. Bluegill pattern strongly preferred. Trailer is a Rage Craw or any paddletail that will rock the jig on a straight retrieve. Little Dipper, Little EZ, Easy Shiner, anything in the 3.5 - 4" range. I trim the skirts just a bit longer than the bend of the hook, shorten the weedguard to just about cover the barb, and snip some strands out of the back of it to maintain flexibility.

Yeah no need to swing. Reel down and lean into it, especially with (sharp) light wire hooks. As far as bites, you get thumps, nips, tap-tap-taps, WHAMs, and why is my line slack? OH.

Check out the ALX Toadface. I have a similar rod in the Enox line, the BMJ, and it's amazing for single hook moving baits and lipless cranks. I imagine it would be a nice 2.5 squarebill rod as well.

Your rod 'may' be a little fast for single hook moving baits. A high quality graphite rod, like the Expride, is very responsive; it will load and unload very quickly. Fish changes direction, jumps, etc and the rod unloads, pressure is off, fish throws the hook. You really have to be on your game and aware of your equipment; it's easy to make a mistake and lose a fish. This is why many folks, myself included, have come to prefer a stout but more moderate action rod for single hook moving baits. Alternatively, a lower end fast action rod will unload a bit slower. I do understand the appeal of doing it all or at least most of it with a single rod. During spring, I often found myself fishing a swim jig on a Loomis XF, just because that's the rod I had with me. With higher end fast action rods, I'm trying to end the fight as quickly as possible; get their head above water and ski 'em in. Keep the rod low and loaded and grind until you've got 'em. Don't be afraid to adjust your drag during the fight if necessary. I hope some of this is relevant and helps.

Rise from your grave! My good buddy has several Powell rods and loves them. I like how the Endurance looks a lot. Purple is good.

Always worth discussing reels at different price points, especially with Daiwa having many similar products priced only $50 apart from one another. When the new Curado drops, we'll talk about that 'til the cows come home.

Yep, lot of discussion the last few months. A forum search will bring up a lot of opinions. Short version: I like it.

You shouldn't have issues keeping up with fish running at you or anywhere on a 6.3:1 ratio. These days I only really look at high speed reels for frogging or in compact frames to keep the IPT up. My starters are all 6 gears outside of the 8 that usually frogs. Since the summer grass came up, I've been all shock and awe with straight braid and heavier rods, but my 1/4 oz and under plastic setup for the spring was similar to what you're looking at: Tatula SV, Loomis 853c JWR, 12 lb fluoro. I personally would not buy the current Curado 70 over the new Tatula SV; I expect an update to the Curado lineup "soon".

I like it a lot; well-balanced and comfortable to palm. The Expride lives up to most, if not all, of the hype.

Bank fishing setups for the rest of the summer! Expride 72H and Bantam MGL, 50 lb Powerpro Enox BMJ and Zillion SV, PG spool, 50 lb FX2

Northstar Original in 1/4 oz and Flip n Swim in 3/8. New Gill, Chris Craw, Salsa.

The ALX Enox are just about the best in the price range. 10% off readily available from ALX or dealers. I have the BMJ and it's good, real good. Balanced, surprisingly sensitive, and has that deeeeeeeep flex. A 5 year warranty is the icing. They have a 7' mag finesse casting rod that you might be into. The Expride is no slouch and I would gladly fish a bunch of them. I have the 72H and it's a hammer. Love the aesthetic as well. They make some 6'10 rods which are a nice option. The Expride is possibly a bit better suited to bottom contact, being what you might call a "true fast". Still versatile, but lacks the deep loading in the blank that makes the Enox BMJ such a good moving bait rod. I feel the Enox is more sensitive but both rods are light, balanced, and a pleasure to use. The Enox also has the blank-through ECS seat, which is the best seat. I do wish there was a Loomis in the price range worth buying because the 843 MBR would be right up your alley.

Nah, get the 894 if you want the 894. There's unfortunately no guarantee the new NRX will be a performance upgrade (though I hope they will be). The NRX rods are still the sensitivity standard for a production rod how many years after release? If you're ready to drop NRX money, don't settle.

For me, the ergonomics on the Bantam were the main draw; it's a very nice reel to palm and it's good on a variety of seats. However the performance is also very good. The reel is a winch and an excellent pitcher with a variety of weights. Tanky is absolutely the word; I use it to frog, flip, and punch. The new Met has a similar frame concept as the Bantam so I want to check it out as well. I feel the Tatula Elite is also worth a look. I have the PF model and it's very solid, surprisingly so. Other users praise the Long Cast for its versatility. Palms great, feels good. Unfortunately if you're not into the T-wing, there's not much in the way of a production Daiwa I could recommend. The Alphas CT seems popular but I do not own one.

Bantam MGL behaves a lot like a Daiwa. A Bantam replaced my SV103.

The new Tatula is a surprisingly good caster, both long and versatile. Not terribly refined and no bells, whistles, or bling, but it palms great and does the job. If someone had a max budget of $200, I would recommend a new Tatula SV, no question. However, the issue is in what lies just above the price point; for $40 - $50 more, you get the Elite which feels a lot better, more solid and smooth. For $100 more, you get the Zillion SV, which has a monster spool in it, feels far more refined, and has better components (and bling!). If you can swing it, I feel you get a lot for your money.

Go get that record boys.

Been puttin a hurt on em flippin a PBJ Rage Bug and/or a Bluegill Menace. The bubble trail a Menace with an ounce makes is ridiculous. New favorite punch bait?

I'm all Assassin for fluoro currently. Handles well, inexpensive, not too stretchy. Be sure to treat it with something like KVD Line n Lure after you spool it and let it sit overnight. I've never felt the need to do anything other than that.

Sensitivity is subjective and with lower end to midrange gear, I don't think line choice matters so much. Big Game's fine. I'm straight fluoro outside of frogging, punching, and topwater, so I'm not a lotta help when it comes to nylon. Going to throw my two cents in: I've been using fluorocarbon in some capacity for around six years. I've used cheap and expensive lines from multiple brands. In that time, I have popped exactly one knot that I wasn't intentionally trying to break. In practical fishing situations, I believe the knot strength complaints are overblown and many stem from folks who are unwilling or unaware that you have to use certain knots and apply some form of lubrication during the tying process (if I get COVID, it will be from slobbering all over my knots). Sure, line conditioner is pretty much mandatory, but I use that stuff on nylon and copolymer as well. You'd be amazed how well CXX behaves after its been soaked with a little Line n Lure. I imagine it would be super good on something like Maxima.

I urge anyone who is still trying to find the fluoro for them to try Assassin. There's something about it. Smoother braid is not a selling point to me. I want to saw through them lily pads. I also don't want to sink into those same lily pads. 832 has never appealed.

Real hard to argue with original PowerPro as a starting place.

I have an Expride and it's a nice rod. Definitely strong performer for the price. Also some sub 7' options. If you can swing just a little more cheese, the new ALX Enox rods are mean. I have a BMJ and I am surprised by the sensitivity and versatility of the rod.

Well there's always the 745. Loomis JWR is a good idea. Depending on the jig weight, hook, and line, I would look anywhere from 853 to 855 (89x if you want the length).

DC has been around a long time; there's no reason to act like you've discovered some secret sauce here. I will have one at some point (I like the sound), but I'm not in a hurry. A Bantam DC would get my money right quick though.