PatrickKnight

I used to fish the coast a lot both Texas and Florida. I always use a 3000 series spinning reel on a medium or medium light power fast action rod and 10 lb power pro. This set up has landed redfish up to 33 inches without an issue. I really don't see the need for a medium heavy power rod.

So you see plenty of drop shoot rods that are about 6'9" - 6'10" ml with an extra fast tip. However what makes a good tube rod? Such as length, power, and action. Also to be clear I am talking about tubes on jig heads in clear water through rocks.

Thank you very much for all the reply's! I was at my local Field and Stream store messing with the Megabass today (my Stradic balances great on the Megabass) and just so happened to end up at the Fenwick rack. I already have an HMG that I like and I started to mess with the 7 foot medium Elite Tech and the 7 foot Medium Aetos rods (I really liked the lure rating on this one 1/16 to 3/4). For those of you who have fished these higher end Fenwick rods how do they stack up against the other rods I am looking at? Also my Stradic balances very well on both of the Fenwicks as well.

Most of the time its a jig with some type of plastic trailer normally a 1/8 - 1/4 oz head. I also use braid with a leader (10lb power pro to 10 lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid). I do a have a 6'9" ML Fenwick HMG I can sub in if I go to jigs or drop shots with really light wire hooks. Also incase it helps most times I am targeting smallmouth with a rocky bottom I don't fish a lot of timber just because its not very common in the areas I fish.

So I just got a Stradic 3000 FK and I am looking for a rod to pair it with. My price point is right about the 200 dollar range the ones I am considering are the Megabass Lavante 7 foot Shakey Head Rod, St. Croix Avid 7 foot medium power, Shimano Zodias 7 foot medium power, and the Kistler KLX 7 foot medium power. I do 95% of my fishing with a spinning rod because the rivers and creeks that I fish are best fished with small jigs and light weight lures so this rod will be my main set up. Also the only rod of the four listed that is available locally for me to mess with is the Megabass which felt nice but its so new that I haven't been able to find many reviews. So I am hoping you guys might be able to give me your opinions on these four rods. Thanks!

All I use any more is braid. Sometimes I'll use a leader sometimes I wont.

4 inch green pumpkin curly tail grub on a 1/8th jig head.

I use a Shimano Curado CU-200 5.1:1 for A-rigs and large swimbaits. It has the needed line capacity, a great drag (keep in mind this reel is over 10 years old), and plenty of power. You can find them used for 50-70 bucks and they are still rock solid. They may not be as small and as smooth as some of the current market models but I doubt you can find any reel that is any tougher than this one.

Thanks for the links!! They provided some great feedback into the brand. I really wish I could find more on the spinning reels then again I am very much in the minority who prefers to have a spinning rod in his hand vs a casting rod.

I was just wondering why these reels don't seem to get mentioned very much? I know the Perfecta rods get recommended from time to time but I don't recall ever seeing the reels get mentioned. I went up to Gander Mountain this evening and messed around with the Optimus and the Producer XT spinning reels. I was really surprised at how smooth and solid these reels felt. The Producer blew me away when I saw it was an 80 dollar reel. The Optimus felt every bit as solid and smooth as my Stradics do. So am I missing something or are these reels just flying right under everyone radar?

I back all of my spinning reels. I use spinning much more than I use casting and I use braid on my spinning reels so I back them to keep the braid from slipping. I dont back my casting reels because the line I use is not as expensive as the braid I put on my spinning tackle but if I ever put something like Tatsu on a casting reel I would back it just to save on cost. The braid I use ranges from 10-20 lb and I back with 8 lb Stren original for no other reason than I got a unused 2400 yard spool of it for 10 bucks at a garage sale. As for how much I think a lot of that depends on the target fish species since I take several trips to Florida each year I only put about 50 feet or so of backing and put the rest with braid. If I was going with 6 lb line for bass I think 40-50 yards of the Tatsu would be enough and the rest backing.

Get with Mike over at DVT and ask him to super tune one of your older reels. You will then understand what it is.

Shimano makes awesome saltwater spinning rods but I think it is a bit much for bass fishing. If you want a rod to do both I think the Compre inshore line would be a better choice.

For $100 I don't think you can go wrong with the ones you listed but I do think you need to add the Symetre to your list. I would take your rod to a local tackle store and see which balances the best with the rod you have.

I used yellow PP prior to trying white Fins Windtamer.

This is another reason to go with the HMG imo.

I would take your rod to a local tackle store and put some reels on there to see what balances the rod. To me weight means nothing and balance means everything. Also with Shimano the 2500 and 3000 are the same reel with different spools. Since I back my reels I will always go with a 3000 because I have never felt that having more line is a bad thing even though with bass its not really needed.

For 100 dollars my choice is defiantly a Symetre 3000 or 4000 depending on how it balances the rod. Other great choice are the Okuma RTZ and the Pflueger Supreme. Another great idea to see what you can find used.

Anyone local to the Dayton Ohio area the Dicks at the Dayton mall still has two for this price in stock after I got mine.

I really enjoy my ML Fenwick HMG. I have really enjoyed using it, it is really sensitive and all day comfortable. For 100 dollars I cant imagine finding anything better.

I would like a suitcase full of money but since odds are that wont happen I would be happy with a nice 6.4:1ish baitcast reel.

In my eyes there is no better spinning reel on the market in the 100 dollar range than the Symetre.

I use braid almost exclusively so leaders are a must for the fairly clear waters that I fish (at least in my head they are a must). What knot were you using? Mono, fluro, or co-poly leader?

This is my whole reason for wanting to try fluro. I cant comment on the wind knots because I rarely get them and when I do its my fault.

I own two that I have had for 10+ years with a single issue. The only thing I wish was different is both of mine are 5.1:1 and I really wish one was higher speed then I wouldn't be in market for a new reel right now. I paid just over 100 bucks for mine when I got them and I doubt you can find anything anywhere near 100 that will match them.