timsford

Check on the hedgehog site, there is a kit that fits most newer daiwas

The ultimate gill and u2 gill are my favorite pond baits and I've caught fish on them in big lakes too. My 10 biggest bass have all come on these out of ponds in TN and ga

Try using smaller stuff like new rigs, drop shot, shaky heads, small cranks, topwaters, spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits work too. And try to match the hatch with colors. Most ponds around here only contain pan fish like bluegill and crappie, crawfish, and frogs for forage, so I always try to use something with those type patterns.

Big game is the toughest mono I've used. Just an FYI you can go a little higher on the lb test strength than what's printed on the spool. I have a friend that uses 14 lb big game on a 3000 size shaman reel and it works for him. If you want really strong line though braid is gonna be hard to beat. I'd say you could probably use your current reel and 30 lb power pro, unless of course you just want to justify a new reel lol

They are made by either doyo or banax, which are suppliers that make reels for basically every other "manufacturer" besides daiwa or shimano. They make reels for Lew's, Abu, Lew's, duckett, okuma, quantum, and others

If you like lamiglass, the infinity got a very high review on tackletour.com and is supposed to be a very sensitive rod comparable to much more expensive rods. Lew's makes pretty good reels, but the curado is an aluminum framed reel that is very tough. Lots of guys use them in saltwater.

The scorpion 1000xt is a more all around reel than the brenious. It's basically a curado 50e, while the brenious has a shallow narrow spool designed for light braid. It all depends on what you want in a reel. The scorpion will handle the widest range of lures, and if you want to go super light you can always buy an avail spool to swap in. The only reason I would look at the brenious is for light jigs/ plastics because of the faster ratio. I don't like braid because i fish a very rocky Highland lake though so if i wanted a faster ratio I'd just swap gears in the 1000xt

It should be fine for everything except deep divers, and they won't damage the rod unless you try throwing one of the magnum 1 oz plus baits, but you will most likely lose fish because of the fast action pulling hooks lose. I use all sorts of rods for stripers depending on the lure I'm throwing. Everything from a med action spinning rod with 10 lb mono, to a heavy action bait casting combo designed for swimbaits. It all depends on what lure you are using and how you fight the fish when you get the hooks in a 15-20lber. You have to make sure the drag is set right and that you let the rod fight the fish and wear it down. What baits are you wanting to throw for stripers? In my neck of the woods the best baits are anything that imitates shad. Lipless cranks, larger floating minnow style baits like long a's and red fins, soft jerks like the magnum super fluke, and bucktail jigs are what I catch most of mine on. The main thing is to find the bait fish and you will find the stripers. This time of year a white or burple b15a bomber long a retrieved steadily near the surface at night is my go to. I use a mh/ mod. fast cranking rod for these, but your spinning combo would be fine with mono to compensate for the faster action. As for a baitcaster, if you want an all around rod for heavier stuff than you already fish and price isn't an issue, I'd be looking at a 7ft or so mh/ fast rod to handle everything except larger swimbaits. If you like the St Croix then the legend elite 7ft mh casting should be perfect, but edge/nfc, loomis, phenix k2 and many others are all amazing rods. I'd probably get the legend elite or have a custom made on that blank if you want different grips. As for a reel I'd look at daiwa or shimano. I like daiwas so I'd probably look at a t3, steez, zillion, or try to find a sweet tdz. Since you are just starting out though the steez sv, sv103 (og zillion with sv spool), or any of the sv reels are very user friendly when it comes to casting without backlash. In shimano their dc reels like the antares/Calais dc, metanium dc, excense dc, conquest dc are very friendly when it comes to casting. All these reels are quite expensive to most fishermen, but are of the highest quality and technology available. Sorry for the super long post I got a little carried away

depends on your definition of lightweight lure.. A tatula or tatula ct is about the best reel i know of available at that price. There arent many reels that can cast under 1/4oz or so effectively, let alone under 100 bucks. If you are trying to go lighter than that, you would be better off using spinning tackle imo

Dobyns makes several cranking rods in the champion lineup. They are more expensive than the fury though. I like a shorter rod for shallow stuff because I do a lot of target casting to cover. Usually around 6'6"-7' max length. As for deep cranking I like a rod around 7'6" to get longer casts and better hooksets in deep water

I'd use stuff that displaces more water than a senko or roboworm. Texas rigged ribbon tail worms and creatures, craw and bluegill colored cranks, jigs, Colorado or Indiana single or tandem spinnerbaits, black buzzbaits, or my favorite a bluegill swim bait like the mattlures, savage gear, huddleston, or little creeper. Or since it's hot during the day, try a black spinnerbait, buzzbait, jig, or Texas rigged worm at night

I'd go with the bait caster also. There are a lot of good rods in that price range. I'd be looking at the St Croix rage or avid neo (both have scIII blanks like the avid, avid X, and new mojos) on sale on the St croix site, or the 6'9" Fenwick smallmouth rod. I like a medium power fast action though for those techs. If you want a more moderate rod I'd look at the Fenwick 6'10" med heavy/ mod fast. It's more like a medium to me but us awesome for cranks to 10' or so, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and about any reaction bait I've tried on it. The falcon bucoo trap caster, Dobyns fury, and the daily tatula are all more moderate blanks and can all be found around that price also.

I'd definitely scoop up the calais. Like said above its hard to find one for that price. It is heavier than the met, but it's the top of the line shimano. The met is an awesome reel too, but it's not a calais.

I like trilene XL on spinning reels. Usually 10 lb test for all around use. I'd suggest mono, but braid will last longer and work better in the Florida weeds. In braid I'd suggest 20 or 30 lb test. I don't really like fluorocarbon on spinning tackle because of memory, unless you want to spend the money on tatsu

The Lfs design reels haven't been out that long. 2 maybe 3 years. They replaced the regular speed spool reels

I'd try a 2 piece rod instead of that. Or a travel rod with 3 or more pieces if a 2 piece is still too long. I'd try some in hand if I could but yes, you can get stuff way cheaper online. There are lots of cheap places to buy lures and stuff. Just look around for sales on lures and terminal tackle. If you are just starting out soft plastics and a selection of jigheads, hooks, and sinkers is enough to catch bass. Do searches on ned rigs, shaky head jigs, and drop shooting to learn what to use and how to fish each technique. Good luck and welcome to the forum

The scorpion 1500 is same as curator with different color. The chronarch is the next reel above both.

I've never had a Matt lures come apart on the cast. Both are great baits. These 2, the regular ultimate gill, and the giron are my favorite baits, especially in ponds and smaller lakes

Duo g87 series for deeper depths Normans, rapalas, spros, and lucky craft shallower

They already make a 752 and 753. They have a 753 mag bass taper that is listed as an xf taper with a lure range of 1/4-3/4 for around 90 bucks that is a high mod blank and a 753 mag bass xf with an xf taper that has a lure weight rating of 5/16-7/8 and a price around 60 bucks and it says world class on the blank. If I'm gonna pay the money to have it built I'm wondering if there is a big difference in sensitivity between these 2 blanks since the price difference isn't too great.

I'm looking at having a mh casting rod built for larger 1/2 oz+ jerkbaits in a 6'3" length. I know I can have the blank cut to that length, but I've been looking at blanks that length already to make the process easier. I saw an mhx mag bass high mod in that length and power with an xf taper and also a mag bass xf that is half the price and says world class rod series on the blank. Are these blanks true to ratings and how's the sensitivity? Has anyone used either or both lines that can compare with other blanks or factory. Sensitivity isn't a huge issue with jerks, but I'd occasionally use it for baits to heavy to skip with spinning tackle. Would I be better off paying more and getting an scv or other premium blank or are these a better buy. Thanks for the help guys and any reviews or opinions are greatly appreciated

The ci4 isn't magnesium. It's made of ci4 (reinforced plastic basically)

If you want a bulletproof reel that will last forever and handle ANY fish you hook, I'd definitely get the daiwa. There's a reason it's still being made exactly the same as it was in the 90's. I had one for almost 20 years and used it for everything from live bait for pan fish to swim baits for double digit stripes and never had a single problem. I wish I had never sold it. The Pflugerville are nice reels but will never last as long as the SS tournament

A friend of mine had one of those rods, and Imo it's like most abu rods and is an action heavier than rated. Instead of a med it fishes like a mh. If you want a more sensitive rod, I'd look around for some sales, at outlet places like ffo tackle for bargains, or used on the flea market forum or other places. There are a couple of Fenwick on ffo that are much better rods than the price they are going for. A lot of stuff will be going on sale soon after icast.

The two a stocks several winters during the winter. The 2 nearest me (the elk river and duck river) both have trout year round. The elk has browns and rainbows and the duck has only rainbows. There should be a river fairly close to you if you try searching the twra stocking schedule you can find a river close to you