bigturtle

micro serrated scissors

open water, id go 12lb as well, but in cover i think id step it up to 17.

if you size up your hooks and bait, you need to size up your line. if you are throwing the small stuff, 12lb isnt good

sufix siege

daiwa ardito

ya, you dont want the ugly stik or cherrywood because its way too heavy and will wear you out after some time of twitching. just get another tatula.

Its the ease of casting, not so much the distance, that makes TWS great

I had the HMG for a year or so and it was a good rod. its worth the extra price over the HMX, and feels a bit sturdier and a tad lighter. Sensitivity wise, its "meh". I can feel a strike if its strong enough, but light bites will be hard to detect. I have not used the Abu Vendetta. As far as 1 piece vs 2 piece, you will definitely lose sensitivity, but enough for you to notice? I wouldn't know. You should try them in your hands if possible, as 2 piece rods will tend to be tip heavy(as far as cheaper ones go), due to the extra material in the joint area. Fenwick's warranty service is very reputable and hassle free for the most part, so that may be a factor to consider.

Fenwick Eagle offers a 5'6" MH-Moderate, Fenwick HMX offers a 5'3" L-Moderate. http://www.fenwickfishing.com/fenwick-freshwater-rods-fenwick-eagle/fenwick-eagle-spinning/1363879.html http://www.fenwickfishing.com/fenwick-freshwater-rods-fenwick-hmx/fenwick-hmx-spinning/1363883.html Theres no ML, but there are UL, L, and a MH..... They can run anywhere between $50-70, cheaper if you buy on sale

if you are using lighter lures, say less than 1/2oz, you might want to use 10-20lb braid, for anything under 1oz, 20 or 30 lb works fine, you would want to step up to 40-50lb if you fish very heavy cover. its all personal choice, but most common sizes are, as you said, 20 and 30lb. I personally use 20lb braid with 8lb mono leader.

if you don't know what to do with the extra feel from a $400 rod, you might as well be using a $50 one

i dont carry liquid soap around when i fish, and I can't remember the last time my knot itself failed due to poor tying. I never used nanofil, but its probably just that line that needs special skin care.

Ya, wetting the knot to prevent heat build-up during the cinching is a common practice thats applied to every line, except braid.

love inline spinners, I make my own with different blade configuration and sizes and, its a good numbers lure. I only use 0-4 size blades

Ya

I think the best rod under $150 is the Ugly Stik.

Prop

heddon tiny torpedo in baby bass

I use 30lb braid with 14lb mono leader for my swimjigs up to 1/2oz

you have other sv reel or just this one? might be a faulty SV spool since its not unheard of.

are you tightening the knot too quickly? no matter how good you moist it, if you tighten it too quick, it can still get damaged. If not, then its probably the line.

thats rather odd, my breaks are on 4-5 since i mostly use it for 1/4-3/8oz baits.

did you set up your spool according to daiwa recommendations, with the tension just enough to prevent the spool from moving side/side? I have the JDM Alphas and I had 5 backlashes since i starting using it a year or so ago. 1 from messing with the spool, 3 from failed skip casts, 1 from a nose dive fail cast. I dont cast SV reels very very hard, because the spool inductor sometimes gets jammed in the outward position and can mess up following casts.

my thumb isnt as educated as some of the others', but doesnt matter because SV spool too good

if i threw a #4 spinner in my bathtub, does that count?