Poolshark

I try to carry as little as possible. So I bring a couple of rods that might be the most useful where I'm fishing. I like simplicity so for bank fishing I keep a spinning setup, a 7 mhf casting rod for most single hook baits, a fiberglass rod for trebles( small to medium plugs) and a flipping rod. More often than not I know the place I'm fishing in advance so I'll have an idea of what I need to bring. Anymore than three rods is a pain.

Wouldn't worry about it. My 70s do the same thing.

It will work fine for now. If you find it needs tweaking as you gain more experience, then you can upgrade it to your liking based on what you feel your flipping stick provides or lacks

With lighter stuff, I doubt you you will see a ton of difference. The curado throws light stuff rather eeffortlessly, but I would call it a long distance caster. Anything over 1/4 ounce and it's really a wash. I personally don't believe that there would be enough difference in casting distance between the two to even give it a second thought. It would be a non issue for me

I own both of those rods and I think you will be happy with either of them. the newer mojo bass is a good rod for the money. I use it along with my other high end st Croix and it doesn't feel as if it lacks anything minus a little power. I think that the handles on them are my favorite out of all the Croix rods. 5 year warranty. The Ike is slightly more sensitive, slightly more powerful than the Croix. It has stainless guides but I do not prefer the EVA handles (that's your call). 3 year warranty the only bad thing I've found about Abu rods is I have noticed some with slightly crooked guides. I don't know if the means anything on the water but ive noticed it. check out the 7'4 medium heavy as well.

The Ora winch was designed for deep crankbaits. Depending on the gear ratio the bb1 is a solid deep cranking reel as well.

Some suggestions that I like for the price St Croix mojo bass 7"4 heavy fast for heavier cover and heavier swimjigs/frogs and also the 7"1 mhf in modest cover for spinnerbaits, smaller swimjigs and smaller frogs. They go for around 139

I like the medium for smaller plugs and the medium heavy for lipless cranks and spinnerbaits, move never owned the medium light but it sounds like a fun rod for the stuff under 1/4 ounce. the crankin stick line is a great value and all of my bass pro rods have held up well. Minus the micro guide models which I've lost a couple of inserts.

The perfect rod that meets all your specs would be the g loomis Mbr 843. The e6x inshore model. I own one. It will do everything you need listed. It's rated 1/4 to 3/4, 7 ft long and designed to throw light jigs. It also makes a good spinnerbait chatter bait rod. They make an e6x inshore model with a black matte blank, full cork handle and light blue trim. The guides are normal sized and salt rated. It's a fast action rod but not so fast that it will tear the hooks out of the trouts/redfish mouths (with care) and it has enough backbone to turn a snook from running for the mangroves/pilings ive had some other inshore setups but this is my favorite

If I read correctly...The floro is breaking at the hook and not the leader? its not your rod or reel. I just focus on what knot you are using to tie the floro to the hook and make sure by testing its strength before you use it. Ive been using the snell and improved clinched knots and have not had any failures yet. Though I have had once or twice when using the improved clinch knot, that I burned the line at the knot by not apply moisture before I cinched the knot tight. That will cause it to slip/break. Especially with techniques that require a firm hook set. Hope you get it figured out

I found a couple of gently used ci4s at a local place for a steep discount. They look new with no boat rash and have been cleaned and serviced. I popped one open and everything seems good. My question is how do these reels compare to the curado 70 as far performance. Are there any known issues with them? Will the materials used in this reel hold up to salt water? Just thought I'd ask before I bought anything.

Thank you dvt. I break them down and have them cleaned once a year and oil them sporadically. i know shimano only supports reels for so long so I wanted a minimal amount of stuff to keep these things in shape. Good to know. It was just something new to me and thought I'd poke around for opinions. I love that particular reel and wish I owned a few more of them. Thanks for the input

Interesting...

Thanks again gentlemen. I pulled apart my curado 70 today and noticed that the worm gear is made of a plastic or some type of composite material. I was a little shocked. Does anyone think this will effect its longevity? i have never noticed that before on any of my casting reels.

Thanks for input.

I have some older reels that are still in good condition but I was wondering..... What are the commonly worn parts on casting reels other than drags or bearings that are worth aquiring for future use. I would like to keep a small stockpile of parts that will keep some of my discontinued reels in service indefinitely. the reels I'm referring to are namely curado d series, b series a Calcutta d and an old shimano stradic 2500 fh. i know it's worth buying newer stuff and I will, but these particular reels have some sentimental value to me. Thanks in advance for your advise

In that range I'm personally all about the curado 70 /bass pro carbonlite or Abu Garcia Veritas. Great reels, featherweight rods. There are ton of different companies to choose from. You will get many opinions...... Personal preferences. Use the search thread and you'll see what I mean

Curado 70 is a solid choice. I'm throwing weightless trick worms, 1/8 ounce rattletraps and poppers with and getting as good of distance as I was from my spinning setups. Even when throwing into wind, I'm getting as good of distance as I was with the spinning setup. Leaving all four breaks on and adjusting the dial to 4.5. Not backlashing. im almost tempted to give up the spinning rod altogether now that I can use this reel for the light line techniques and not have to deal with wind knots.

I think that the x fast action supposedly helps with hook sets with the medium powered rod. Especially if setting the hook from a distance. also, I feel it helps twitch and work the small plastics a little better. I used for a long time a 6'8 mxf spinning setup and 8 lb fluorocarbon and it worked really well for me. As of late, Ive switched to a medium fast avid and a curado 70 and honestly think that the casting distance has gotten better and when spoiled with light braid/ floro leader I've not noticed any difference in hooking landing them. I like this because I hate line twist. So I think it comes down to what you prefer. So long as the rod has a soft tip for casting and enough backbone to set the hook.

The weight of the jig head should be correlated with the depth you are trying to achieve. I use a quarter ounce in shallow water, otherwise just slow your retrieve a bit

After a certain price point (given you want durability out of your reel) ... It comes down to a level of refinement that you might prefer, but isn't necessary. Tighter tolerances, lighter spools, retrieve feel, bells and whistles... Whatever floats your boat. I've settled where I find I get the max durability/ performance ratio for the money and I've been happy there. I'd rather own two curado 70s than a one metanium. But that's me and I won't spend my valuable time convincing others to do the same. Your life, your money. Whatever makes one happy and helps one have fun on the water,

I still have 3 of them. They weigh nine ounces and are a little bulky. They have heavier spools than the modern reels so light lures can be a little tricky. on the flip side they are very easy to break down and are probably the most indestructible reels I own. Externally mine look a lot better than the calcuttas I bought years ago. I've retired them now but mine still look and fish as well as they did when I first bought them. I have curados of almost all lines but if I have a choice I'm using the newer ones simply because of the ergonomics and cast ability. But if that doesn't bother you than go for it. i think dollar for dollar they were some of the best values shimano ever offered

The old thinking is that aluminum frames have less flex when reeling under heavier loads. It really only mattered to me when fishing high resistance lures. That being said I haven't owned a graphite framed reel in so long that the newer composite reels might be a little better. I still prefer aluminum for the rigidity and keeping gears lined up better under load. The casitas I own does not feel quite like my curados. i assume aluminum frame and pinion bearing as others have pointed out

I like them and they function well as said above. That said, if I were spending any substantial money. It would be on a reel with an aluminum frame at minimum. I I wanted another shimano...i would personally rather buy a used curado or citica over the casitas.

The rod you mentioned is one of my favorite rods but I can tell you from personal experience that it will cast and retrieve a squarebill crankbait nicely, but I lost way to many nice fish on it to consider it a good rod for throwing anything with a treble hook. Other hand, I think a solid composite rod will land a much better ratio. Just my experience....