PatrickKnight

I think all the reels with Coreprotect have some seals. I think the Nasci is a great reel at the $100 price point and the FK is a great reel at the $200 price point. Shimano really does have spinning reels down to a freaking science.

I agree the FK is the best spinning reel I have ever used for $200 let alone finding one for $180.

You can get a Shimano Symetre for $69.99 at Cabelas right now. I personally think this is the best deal going. I would go with a 2500 Shimano but Daiwas 2500 are normally comparable to a 3000 Shimano.

The Nasci has the Hagne gear in it but from what I can tell lacks the line management features of the Symetre.

FB without a doubt. Its better in every way.

I would get them both in hand before purchasing. With this model making such a splash at the $100 price point it should be fairly easy to get your hands on them.

Looking for a spinning rod for throwing up to 1/4 jig heads tipped with plastics and hair jigs of the same size. Budget is 200 and I thought I was looking for a more moderate fast action rod but after the discussion so far I think I am under powered for the jigs I am using so at this point I think I am looking for a medium power fast action rod.

Thank you for the insight sir! Now I just get to hunt for a new medium power rod

Traditionally Shimano's 2500 and 3000 have been the exact same with a different spool (I know its this way with my Stradics) however I have heard that Nasci does not hold true to that and the 3000 and 4000 share the same body. I don't know for sure because I haven't seen them in person yet. One thing to keep in mind the 3000 is 6.2:1 and the 2500 is 5.0:1 so that might play a larger role in your decision than line capacity. While I admit I do go with Shimano more often than not, but I do not think there is a better reel at the $100 price point than the Nasci from any company.

With St Croix rods running on the heavy side do you think a 7 foot ML or M Avid would be better? Or do you think the medium extra fast Fenwick World Class would be a better choice?

To answer your questions I am talking spinning gear and as far as jig size 1/4 oz would be the heavies I throw normally is 1/16th or 1/8th oz. As far as hook size they are all either 2/0 or 3/0 hooks with fairly long shanks. I also should be clear when I say jigs I mean jig heads or hair jigs not a typical bass jig with a plastic skirt. I honestly never thought it might have been lack of penetration!

I fish the Great Miami River more than anywhere else. When I cant get a bite on anything else I can normally get something on a 4 inch green pumpkin curly tail thrown at large rocks at the head of faster moving water. Cast it upstream and let it drift down, then when you feel it run into a rock pop it off the rock. From my experience smallmouth are pretty aggressive almost all year and triggering a reaction strike from them is normally as simple as getting it in front of them.

Regular Power Pro for me but I did just get a spool of 832 to try out.

I have seriously thought about these but the extra fast tip is turning me off a bit. Its is really hard to say no at that price though. Never looked at this line before but I will. How does the Sierra compare to the Champion line? I have tossed around the idea of going with an Avid but (I may very well be wrong here) they have been to standard at the 200 dollar price point for a while now and I thought some of the newer rods on the market would offer more at that price point. The only 7'6" I can seem to find are all extra fast actions.

So after really deciding to go hard and heavy after river smallies I find myself looking for a new rod. Currently I am using a Fenwick HMG 6'9" ML but I am wanting to upgrade to something in the 200 dollar range. 99% of my fishing is done with jigs tipped with some kind of plastic. I use 10 lb braid with or without a leader. I find myself losing about 45% of the fish I hook so I am thinking of maybe going to a slightly slower action rod so it will have some give since the braid doesn't. I am looking strongly at the Megabass Levante 7 foot shakey head rod and the Shimano Zodias 7 foot medium power rod. I would prefer to try to find something closer to the 7'6" range but I cant seem to find a mod fast rod in that size range. Reel for this rod is a Shimano FK 3000. Do you guys have any suggestions I might look at?

Glad im not the only one on the forum who prefers spinning tackle.

Just go with the Star it's a great rod.

I agree with you to a point. I was in the market last month for a replacement for a 15 yr old Stradic FG, and I walked out with an FK over the Ci4+. I would do the same all over again if I needed a new reel. The main thing I don't like about the Ci4+ is its really hard to find a 7 foot rod that balances well with that reel.

This is my go to when nothing else works in the rivers and creeks I fish.

Tatula if your budget is $100.

As someone who is in the market for a new spinning rod thank you very much for this link!!

How would you say the IMX stacks up against the Megabass XX series?

Thanks guys for all the feedback. I am strongly considering a couple of rods for my next purchase both are 7 foot medium power mod/fast actions, so I think I will safely be able to use either one for tubes as well.

About 90% of my fishing is done with spinning gear and I use 10 lb on my ml set ups and 15 lb my medium set ups. I also use a mod/fast rod for my medium power and a fast action for my ml.

I buy high end spinning reels because I use spinning tackle much more than I do casting. I recently just upgraded a 15 year old Stradic FG 2000 to a Stradic FK 3000 and man the difference is much more than I was expecting.