TorqueConverter

You might want to consider the BPS Stick-O as an option. They are far more durable than a Senko and, in my opinion, have a better flutter on the fall when rigged wacky with a little bit of weight in the hook.

I just got back from Okoboji, in the wind with a PQ, and its braking system handles the wind as well as any other dual braking reel out there. I wasn't targeting the bank so it was fished with mag brakes off, making it no different from a centrifugal reel. You may want to upgrade to a 90 mm Handel if you're puling big baits. Magforce z 3D works very well in the wind and I like it better than the Doyo stye dual braking on the PQ if you're looking to get a bait on target rather than bombing it over a weedbeed. If you're looking for max distance then the Magforce Z 3D set to distance and a PQ running just the centrifugals are about the same. You might want to look at one of those plastic Diawa T3B abominations because they sure do cast well.

I bite the head off of a Space Monkey and pair it to a KVD swim jig. The Space Monkey is crazy durable and has just as much action as any rage craw or chunk.

The claim that fluorocarbon lines are less visible than other translucent mono filament type lines is unsubstantiated. This claim is based on refractive index of the fluorocarbon and that its reactive index is similar to that of water, making the fishing line less visible to fish, is marketing hype. The biggest problem with this myth is that it plays on people's ignorance of what refraction is and how is affects transparent objects. If you really want to talk about the optical effects of refractive index, then you must talk about lenses and viewing an object through that lens Criteria for observing the visual effects of refraction when used as a lens: 1. It must be used as a lens. It must be held up to the eye and viewed through. If you don't treat it like a lens then any effects stemming from the refractive index cannot be observed. Fish have to be aware of the line and attempting to look though it to even begin to observe the visual clarity of the line. The fish must be aware of your line and keenly interested in looking though it. This =/= invisibility. 2. The lens mush be of high clarity. There is no point in discussing the refractive index of a material unless the material is of a very high degree of clarity. Refractive index is broken by lenses that are cloudy or are translucent. Fishing lines are translucent. 3. The lens must be of a reasonable size to view an image through. If your lens is microscopic and only viewable through a microscope then is no point is discussing the ability of a naked eye to detect the optical effects of that lens. The diameters of fishing lines used in bass fishing are so small that even if they were clear as glass, they are so small that they require a magnifying glass and to even begin thinking about viewing an image through them. 4. Cylinders make terrible lenses. There is so much optical distortion present in cylinder shaped lens that any discussion about the refractive index of the cylinders is made moot. A 10% deference in refractive index in a cylinder is not discernible (unless the viewing image is a white/black checkerboard) to the naked eye due to the inherent distortion in the cylinder lense. Fishing lines are cylinders. At this point this invisibility myth is busted and when the difference in refractive index between a fluorocarbon line and a mono type line is going to be around 10% -15% at most, there was never anything to debunk in the 1st place.

Thanks for the answer.

I use a high vis braid so I don't become cross eyed line watching and pair that up to a leader made from some sort of clear plastic single filament fishing line, such as Big Game.

Here's my situation: I have an HDS 8 Gen1 console mounted and an HDS 5x model# 140-27 (no GPS) mounted up front. I would like to know if it is possible to display the GPS/chart of the HDS 8 onto the screen on the HDS 5x. Its been really annoying fishing offshore in 30mph winds trying to stay on a high percentage spot when I have to get up and stare at the HDS 8 at the console to figure out where I'm at. I'm tempted to throw a Lowrance ethernet cable at the two, but I don't want to waste 50 bucks on a hunch. Has anyone gone down this road?

I use lots of settings on the mag portion of a dual braking reel, including having all mag on and all mag off. If I'm turning the mag portion off it is to gain some casting distance bank fishing.

Assuming you are going to be throwing 3/8 oz baits and above, then a #30 8 carrier braid, such as 832, is the line of choice. If you plan to be lighter than 1/4 oz than a #20 or lighter is worth looking at. As far as rods go, when fishing heavy cover and in doubt, in my book, go Abu Garcia Veritas. My father can't into baitcasters and I have him on a Veritas MH paired to a quantum Accurist PT spinning reel as a T-rig and jig casting/pitching set up. An oz rating for baits is needed to really recommend you a rod and line to pair to that reel.

Medium-heavy is typically used when the rod is built to throw heavier baits. I like a mod-fast action with glass blanks and a moderate action with graphite blanks.

Fireline is a terrible braid. At the strand level it is really neat but Fireline is so poorly braided together that it is not even round out of the box and quickly flattens out. It is and always has been a braid, just a terrible one. Fireline quietness through the guides probably a combination of the slick coating, it's softness once the coating wears off and the low number of weaves per inch. One of the things I really liked from Fireline was that is was nearly unkillable. It seemed like when it would be exposed to something abrasive it would fuzz up like a piece of felt rather than have chunks taken out of the strands.

Sure is. A lot of your super cheap graphite rods have very moderate actions and are well suited to functioning as crankbait sticks. I'm guessing it has something to do with the amount, modulus and wrapping of cheap graphite sticks that make their actions moderate. A couple of cheap rods that would be suited for crankbaits off the top of my head are: M power Berkley Cherrywood M power BPS Graphite Series M power Abu Vengence M power rods that come with cheap reel/rod combos (black max for example) I like a centrifugal reel when it comes to throwing cranks and one of the best cheap centrifugal reels is the Pfluger Templar. Do keep an eye out for sales. For example. the BPS Nitro Tournament Z is on sale for $60, the same as the Templar and down from $100. It is Korean built, aluminum framed, externally adjustable centrifugal reel. Much better than the Templar and the same price at its limited time sale price. Sales, obviously, can be a great way to pick up items on the cheap. I'm a believe in a good action when it comes to crankbaits and that a good action can be had at any price point. Expensive crankbaits are not necessarily going to buy you better actions but it will typically buy you increased durability, hook quality and nicer paint jobs. The BPS XPS, Academy H20 crankbaits, Strike King and Normans are some of the best cheap cranks out there. The Cabelas Pork Chop and Grave Digger are worth a look too.

The line digging into the spool on a bass type baitcating reels is what I am referring to. To make it more clear. I am speaking about #40 and below Power Pro 4 carrier not being well suited for fishing for bass using baitcasting bass tackle. Tarpon? Not one d**n to be given.

I don't see what is so expensive about the Japanese internals on the T3. One could probably develop an American reel from the ground up built in the USA by Americans that would run circles around the T3 for $400. I still have to scratch my head at the $400 price tag of the T3. Yes, the T3 RCS 1016 is not a true finesse reel but it is close enough IMO in that it throws unweighted plastics well and is also $200 at TW pricing. That's dirt cheap for any baitcaster that is even remotely finesse orientated.

You and I see eye to eye on the T3 reels, well, for the most part. While I love the T3 design and how Daiwa integrated the TWS, my issue with the T3 is that it was $400 reel that, on the inside, was indistinguishable from a $100 reel and despite being technicality amazing, the Zaion frame makes the reel feel cheap when held in hand. The reel uses Magforce z 3D,has a Zaion frame and non handle side plate, leaving one to question where the money went with the T3. Those features alone cannot explain the $400 price of the reel. The T3B is even worse and strikes me as a T3 family reel built out of the T3/Daiwa parts bin. Why would anyone make a 40% carbon fiber plastic reel for the sake of weight reduction and then stick brass gearing into it? Why is only half of it painted? Why do the painted parts look so terrible? The T3B makes absolutely no sense and is only justifiable at the $100 clearance pricing TW is offering. I get the T3 existing as sort of a finesse reel and the $200 is very attractive, but $400? Not. Even. Once.

Super 8 slick is definitely better than the old Power Pro due to it being an 8 carrier braid with reduced factory goop coating. I'm not convinced that it's going to be enough of an improvement on spinning tackle to justify switching, but hey, satisfy that curiosity and go for it.

Yes, there is a reason why the T3 reels are on clearance

I'd stay away from Power Pro unless it's their 8 carrier. That old 4 carrier stuff is not very good below #50. #30 Suffix 832 is probably where you should start.

I view the T3 as more of a finesse reel and that finesse reels are a specialty product one goes to when wanting to cast very light weight baits on baitcaster. I think you'd be better off starting with a Curado I or Tatula than a T3. Scratch the T3B (Ballistic) off the list. There is no reason to go T3B when the Tatula exists.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Prolite-Special-Casting-Combo/product/1311080716304/ http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Tourney-Special-Rod-and-Reel-Baitcast-Combo/product/1209270507094/ These are probably your best bets.

I never understood why anyone would balk at a Korean reel, made in China branded as a Quantum and then praise another Korean reel made in China branded as [your reel name here].

Wouldn't that be VW? I thought Audis were just VWs with the Olympics' symbol on the front.

The 705Cb is definitely the rod to use for lipless cranks and topwaters. The rod is actually fast to somewhat extra fast in action, providing the rod with a long backbone not found in most crankbait rods and certainly not in those stubby backbone moderate graphite sticks. The rods action and light weight are the most impressive features about the rod which is good because it is scantly furnished. Generally speaking glass rods are thought of as more durable than graphite rods. This is a huge can of worms to open. but I personally that graphite is the more durable material for a rod and that the reason the consensus believes that glass is more durable is because many of us grew up with giant, thick walled, big diameter glass rods that were nearly unbreakable. When you take fiberglass and form a rod with the same blank diameter and wall thickness as graphite, I begin to question the durability of that rod. I love my Powell Diesel Glass but it's super light weight and has the some blank diameter as my graphite rods. If I break it, I will buy another one the same day.

Not all braids are the same, so if you are really concerned with dig problems, then be sure to select a line with a high degree of roundness. Suffix 832 is very round and maintains its roundness over time better than any #30 I've ever fished. I would definitely stay away from Regular 4 carrier Power Pro because of it's roundness problems. 832 and some of the other 8 carrier braids are your best bets.

You realize the Tatula has extra moving parts related to the TWS and the T3 has no additional moving parts compared to a non TWS reel. The Tatula's TWS is more mechanically complex than the T3 but is hidden from sight. The Tatula is still the better reel because it's not a plastic abomination like the T3B. The T3B feels like sub $60 reel in your hands where as the Tatula feels so much nicer.