Kidflex

The best rod under $200 imo is a hammer. You won’t regret it. If your willing to spend a little bit more, for $219 monster tackle has the lamiglas infinity rod 724c. It is an amazing stick!!!! Sensitivity is unbelievable.

I have the 72mh zodias. although you can throw a 1/4 oz t rig with the rod, it feels right with at least a 5/16 or 3/8oz imo. Great light jig/pitching rod also. Sensitivity is on par with the avids I’ve owned in the past.

Go braid and use the 12lb as a leader

You do not have to have a receipt. Send the rod in, you will get a replacement with an equivalent rod. No questions asked. Pretty fast turn around too. Your new rod will only have a 1 year warranty though.

Yes it matters. Take the same person using a $40 setup and let him use a $400 setup. He will detect more bites and catch more fish. Can you catch a lot of fish using cheap gear? Most certainly. Wil you catch more with higher end gear? Absolutely. Of course someone who is a great angler with cheap gear can outfish a novice with the most expensive setup but that is comparing skill level vs equipment.

4/0 if I had to pick one size

The chronarch 50e was discontinued a few years after the curado e. They are the same reel, those parts might still be available. Worth a shot, great reels.

Try something more subtle at those bed fish like a trick worm, senko or creature bait. A short drop shot is pretty effective on bedding fish. I throw spinnerbaits more prespawn and in the fall.

The heavy power hammer has plenty of power to drive any hook in any size bass! The rod has a perfect action for t-rigs. No extra effort in hook sets. One of the lightest rods on the planet. These are the first rodsive seen that started using Winn grips. Castaway followed then everyone else including lews. The lews med hvy is heavier than the hammer heavy rod. Sensitivity on par with loomis glx series. No rod in this price range can compete with hammer.

I’ve used mendit to reattach a claw on a rage craw and it held up suprislngly well for being so thin. Save the parts you can and maybe can Frankenstein an extra bait or 2. It can save the day and has for many anglers.

Just use a black sharpie. You or anyone else won’t notice it. If it fades, reapply.

I have the 1st gen envy black 7’1” medium xfast spinning rod and it is accurate and more sensitive than my 6’10 med croix legend elite. I also have the 7’1” envy black heavy xfast and it’s a broomstick.

Hammer! Super light. I’d get the 7’ or 7’3” heavy model. You’ll be surprised to feel how light and sensitive that rod is. The 1/2oz will feel too heavy with the medium heavy version, I have both. The heavy version can fish 1/4 oz t-rigs and up to 3/4 oz football jigs very well.

If your maxing at 3/8 oz jigs and using like 5/16 and lighter Texas rigs I’d suggest the glx jwr 853. I like it better than my nrx 853 & 893. That rod has a certain mojo. The mbr 844 is in a class of its own. Great stick. I use it with 1/2 oz Texas rigs though.

I stated it feels like cheap plastic not he uses cheap plastic. My black widow rods reel seat looks similar but feels cheaper. I had a reel come off on a hook set first outing with the rod. The area where the back part of the reel foot gave out. Part of the plastic that is recessed to accommodate the reel gave way. I also had the tip guide insert pop out at the same time the reel seat failed. I contacted edge and they could care less. The way it locks up doesn’t feel the same to me either. I’ve used loomis rods with weibe reel seat for almost 20 years and this isn’t the same quality seat as the original. Just my thoughts.

Not sure if the conquest will be $200 better than the glx 844, but the glx 844 is an amazing stick. I have 7 glx and 3 Nrx rods and the 844 will never leave my boat. Another rod not mentioned from the OP are the steez rods. They have been the most used sticks I have since I got them. To me the sensitivity is greater than my beloved loomis rods.

4/0 or 5/0 Gama skip gap hook work well for me. If I’m using lighter spinning gear I’ll use owner 4/0 J light hooks.

That new “weibe” reel seat he uses now is nowhere near the quality they used to be on the old loomis rods. Feels like cheap plastic

Pi*s poor customer service. Cheap components too.

Punching would work. Use any small profile beaver type bait. Depending on how far the matted grass extends from the shoreline you can throw weightless plastics(flukes, senkos, trick worms etc) into the areas where the grass dissipates.

Try a hammer rod. 7ft or 7’3” heavy. Incredibly light and sensitive. Plus you can use it for more than than just frogs and jigs. Very versatile. These rods get used as much as my nrx/glx/steez rods.

30lb braid to a short 20lb fluoro.

The TCS rods are surprisingly good. Highly underrated and very capable rods.

If I had to choose only 1 rod to fish with it would be a gloomis glx 844mbr. Not much this rod can’t do well.

It’ll be fine. I used old irons throughout the 90’s on catfish & buffalo and black and red drum in saltwater. Tough as nails