no39

Thanks! I have a bag of random old plastics I use to dropshot. I think it was a darter type bait like this.

I just made a deck the shape of the bow out of 3/4 plywood. I drilled through the gunwales and fastened it with stainless bolts. I also ended up making a recess for the foot pedal too.

Quick stop after work.

I have a 14 Deep V Mirrocraft that I put a deck the same height as the original bench that works out fine. Large boat wakes and waves over 1.5 feet seem to be an issue. I added a pedestal seat and it mitigates those problems a great deal.

I've used the 10lb for the mainline on my dropshot. I don't think they make it any lighter weights. The PPSS8 on my dropshot rod has been there for three seasons now. The initial supple feel does deteriorate pretty quickly with heavy use. KVD line condition does seem to help a great deal. Eventually, the weave starts to loosen and the line appears yarn like. I always simply cut off the bad and tied a new leader back on. Mind you I typically fish clear, open waters of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario so YMMV.

My main smallmouth technique is dropshot, which I use 8lb braid with a 6lb fluoro leader. The smaller diameter braids never seem to bind up as much as the thicker ones.

I would say this is a notoriously difficult one to answer. No particular brand is safe from the pitfalls of poor design and short-sightedness. I have yet to find a reel under 80 dollars that wasn't a complete headache. I'd advised you to try actually with others setups for a few casts and figure out what shapes/sizes/features/weights matter to you.

Stradic CI4+. I have the sustain 2500fg and the girlfriend has the stradic 2500 ci4+ and on my scales the stradic comes in at 7.2 oz and sustain (with kickstand) at 9.9 oz. They both have the nicer handle big round eva foam handle and water proof drag. I bought the stradic new from ebay for 175. shipped.

I own a chronarch ci4+ and a curado i. They share the same braking system, but the curado i's is a little less intrusive with its adjustment dial for the braking system is moved to the edge of the sideplate. I believe the chronarch 200e has the older braking system which was a little less refined than the SVS. I can find a new curado i for less than 150 shipped which puts it ahead of the 200e and ci4+. My only gripe with the curado i was the redesigned thumb bar. I have a few caenans, a core, a chronarch, and they all have the same style thumb bar. As coldsvt said, there's something odd about the curado's thumb bar. The curado i has a wider thumb bar that just "feels different". Whether or not it makes a difference, I don't know, but I definitely noticed it. The weights are similar between the curado i and 200e. TL:DR: Curado I So for about twenty to fifty bucks cheaper you get a reel that has a better braking system, similar weight, and a more ergonomic design. Minus weird thumb bar.