Sonik

Ike says $120.

I've looked at the current Prodigy. I thought about it for when it goes on sale. Do you know if it's Magforce or Magforce-Z? My catalogs say Z but the site doesn't.

It's the extra letters in the name in the logo. The sensitivity of the line and rod directly transfer that weight directly to the fish. Or something.

The telescopic handle just allows the rod black to recede into the handle about 6" to allow for storage. It's not a problem for a lot of people because their rod lockers are 8'+ but mine won't fit a true 7'6"+ rod. If the handle shrinks at least 6" it'll be fine. You would not want to fish with a telescopic rod that wasn't extended.

So the question was about the reel on its own merits and againt the standard Tatula lineup including the Type-R.

I love the ZX rods. I wish I had bought those instead of the *** Blacks.

I think it depends on what you want to spend and what you can use. I'm sure some people have a $400 reel on a $400 rod and I won't talk about that. Right now, I have a 7'3" H *** Black with a 7:1 Lew's Tournament Pro with 65lbs PowerPro braid. I did the 7'3" because my rod locker won't fit anything longer. I am looking to bump to a 7'6" with a telescoping handle. I don't believe the durability, weight, or sensitivity will be an issue. For this option, I'm looking at Cabela's Fish Eagle 50, the Bionic Blade and the Extreme from Bass Pro, and I've seen a couple Daiwa options like the Team Daiwa T and Procyon. Reels I've looked at would be a Lew's Super Duty, Tournament, Tournament Pro, Cabela's Arachnid, and Cabela's Prodigy (on the low end).

Well, I searched and didn't find any topics on this reel. Looks like a blue accented Tatula Type-R but with 12 bearings and $20 less. Still picks up 34 IPT, Magforce-Z, etc it looks like. I'm a Lew's guy and went shopping a while back for something in the $125-175 range for a reel for a new flipping stick and saw the Arachnid for $179. I imagine Cabela's will put it on sale for $150 at some point. I'm not one of the guys that gets into the guts of a reel and knows whether one is good or bad based off of what factory it came out of in China or Korea so I don't know where Cabela's cut corners on the reel. Any thoughts on this reel on its own merits and versus the standard Tatula lineup?

For being 20 minutes from Kentucky Lake, the Paducah, KY store doesn't have a thing. I don't see hardly any F&S rods. Just a bunch of el cheapo Shakespeare combos and 10' Mr. Crappie rods. I think 90% of their store is clothes. Even the Gander Mountain across the road is a joke. I went in last night to look for the rods and didn't see anything. I told them I was looking for the 7'6" F&S bass rods and they took me to telescopic crappie jig poles. Their store is a joke and has been a joke. Can't stand them. The Gander was the same way and they did a reflow and redesign and supposedly got new management. It was better for a while but nowadays the fishing department is empty, disorganized, and overpriced. I am forced to buy tackle from Cabela's and TW online. Ok by me I guess.

Nope but you hear about high end rods snapping on casts all the time. Typically, it happens after the rod has been stepped on or cracked and then it takes the slightest bend or flex and it goes. I won't say a telescopic handle is lighter or more durable than a 1-piece. I'm saying that's what I have to go with if I want a flippin stick to fit in my rod locker. Still would like to find one with a more moderate action for heavier/deeper cranks. That will be trickier.

With on-demand content being the way of the future, you don't need a TV network to cover it. A lot of poeple don't even watch TV. They stream shows off Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. I can see subscribing to BASS or FLW and watching live all day through internet on a smart TV or computer or tablet. The real challenge is getting the action on film. Golf succeeds in all day telecasts by switching between competitors and showing their actions. The only difference between that and fishing is you know when a golfer will hit a shot, not when an angler will catch a fish. Maybe put it on a 15 minute delay so productiom crews can select the catches, misses, and other things of interest. The main problem I see is the distance. Golf courses are big but they aren't Kentucky Lake and Okeechobee big. How do you keep cameras uplinked and powered all day on the water and their signal back? I don't know.

I hear that but we'll see. I may make a trip up to Louisville soon and I'll swing in the Cabela's near there to check them out. If they go on sale before then, I'll order it and return if necessary. Now to get a reel for it. Lew's Tournament or Pro probably. If I can get it combo'd with a Cabela's reel, I may try one. Both made by Daiwa, the Prodigy looks ok and they have a new 12 bearing "Arachnid" model.

Restrictions like that will only push tournaments to the unrestricted months making those even more crowded. The problems with fish mortality that I see happen more with "tailgate tournaments" in my opinion. People without proper care or procedures during these hot months.

What's golf? My Cabela's Tournament ZX cranking rod has Winn grips. Love it! I see some custom rods using them now.

Winn grips are where it's at. Grippy when dry, tacky when wet, never squishy, and always soft.

I've been doing some searching and it looks like Cabela's has their Fish Eagle 50 in a 7'6" telescoping handle model. That may be what I go with. It's not on their website but it's in the catalog I just received. I believe the Fish Eagle rods go on sale periodically for $50 (from $90) and are highly regarded in the price range. I am in love with their ZX rods at their $70 sale price. I wish I knew about those before I bought 4 *** Black rods. I really just like and feel good about Cabela's fishing products. I love their Pork Chop and Grave Digger cranks. I've looked at trying out their plastics over my usual Zooms. I think I'll try the Fish Eagle broom stick.

Still a good reel! I don't own one but I have handled a friend's Speed Spool (not the LFS) and it was pretty good. He got it for like $50 after rebates. I haven't handled the LFS but everyone says they're better than the old model so I'd say you're going to be happy with it.

I have a BB1 Pro (multi-stop version) in the low gear and it totally turned me on to cranking in 2014. I like the multi-stop better than the regular anti-reverse. I would recommend the "Z" model with multi-stop versus the traditional infinite anti-reverse models if you're going to make it a cranking reel. It gives you a whole new feeling on cranks and a little more forgiveness for treble hooks. If it's for stuff like jigs, spinnerbaits, and worming, I recommend the Tournament line.

So, I think this coming year I'm going to try to get more specific with my longer rods. I have a 7'3" H/F *** Black that I use as an all around flip/pitch/punch/frog type rod. It barely fits diagonally in my boat's rod locker. I have been searching for rods with telescopic butt sections where the blank recedes into the handle. I understand that there may be durability, weight, and sensitivity concerns for some folks. Others will say to but the standard 1-piece and keep it on deck. But that's not the route I want to go. I was looking for some ideas on rods. I have found the Kistler Magnesium which is a bit out of my price range. I think Johnny Morris' store's best rods are the Extreme and the newer Crankin Stick have telescopic models under $100. But, I try not to so business with them for personal/political reasons (BoA) but I worry that's going to be the best option. Are there any more that anyone can think of? Definitely need a flippin stick but would like to add something with a little more moderate action for deep diving cranks so I can fish Kentucky Lake ledges this summer with something other than a Carolina rigs, jigs, and dropshots.

How is there not a stickied post for $100-200 rods and reels? Maybe one for "favorite flourocarbon" and "all about braid". There's a dozen posts on this every week. Opinions and information are not hard to find.

Cabela's has a combo deal for a Pflueger President and Tourney Trail rod for like $59 on sale. I got the 7' ML/F and it's been fine. Cabela's also has a dropshot specific Tournament ZX rod that goes on sale for $69 and I think it's 7'1" M/XF. Personally, I don't understand how you have such a difference in rod styles. Some do a light rod or one with a slower action and others are more medium power and extra fast actions. I let my weight sit on button constantly and impart just enough movement to make the bait dance. So I like the lighter powers.

I was a victim of the bargain Bass Pro hooks. I bought a bunch on sale and have been working through those as quickly as possible. I'm moving to VMC. Fantastic hooks and better prices. The Ike Approved line is good. I bought some flipping hooks in the Ike and Heavy Duty versions and I wouldn't hesitate to get the extra hook for the same money on the Ike. Their EWG and other standards are fine as well. Eagle Claw has some flipping hooks that I'd like to try. I think they're about the same deal as with the VMC, maybe cheaper.

I liked the Cabela's outside of Louisville, KY. I was pretty excited when it opened. I lived down the road in Lexington and was sick of having to drive through Louisville traffic into Indiana just for BPS' stuff. Maybe it's a blessing I moved back to far western Kentucky, I would be flat broke hitting that Cabela's up. It's plenty big. Very open. I feel like there's more product than decorations. Unlike BPS which has 10,000x more crap hanging on the wall of a single store than what you'll find in all the novelty restaurants put together east of the Mississippi.

I'm throwing my vote in for the Cabela's Tournament ZX. I think they were on sale for $69 a few weeks ago. I have 4 *** Blacks and if I catch the ZX back on sale, I will probably load up on them and then try to sell my Omens. Not that the *** is a bad rod. For ~$100 it's hard to beat. It just doesn't fit me like the ZX does. I'm in love with those rods.

I fish P-Line Floroclear almost exclusively. It's a hybrid line. Mono with a fluorocarbon jacket. To me, I feel like I get the benefits of flouro (invisibility, low stretch, sensitivity, doesn't absorb water) with the benefits of mono (floats, inexpensive, low memory). People will disagree with some or all of that but it's never let me down.