PatrickKnight

I have fished the vast majority of rods near the 200 price point (because this is about as high as my budget allows me to go on a rod) and I can safely say the IMXs I have fished bests them all in sensitivity (I just don't care for the super fast actions of the pro line).

I live 15 minutes from them in Dayton. They make some amazing products.

If a Stradic isn't in your budget do yourself a favor and get the Daiwa BG. I have fished just about every 50-150 dollar spinner out there and the BG is the best by a good margin (Ultegra is close but would still take a BG). A lot of people get turned off by the weight but in real world use I can hardly tell the difference between it and my Stradic FK.

10 lb braid to 6-10 lb mono leader.

Just took the handle apart and the handle knob is rivited on, so my question is it possible to swap the entire handle assembly for one off a 2500 size LT reel that has the smaller handle knob?

So I took a trip to my local Field and Stream to check out some reels in person. It might have been that these were demo reels but every Lews I tried felt "loose" lots of pay in the handle as well as handle knobs. The Daiwa Tatula CT felt amazing and fit my hand well. Is it possible to swap an SV spool into a regular Tatula? I would like to be able to swap spools around based on what I want to do with the reel if that is possible. The Curado K felt like a great reel but a good bit heavier than the Daiwa. The Curado 70 also felt extremely solid. Looks like Lews is out and Daiwa is currently the head of the pack simply because online I am able to get them a good bit cheaper than the Shimano offerings.

Had the Tatula spinner been out last year I wouldn't own a Stradic. Under $350 Daiwa is kicking Shimanos butt.

Due to a really bad experience with ebay a while back I won't purchase from there but those Daiwa reels are priced really well on Amazon. Really thinking about a Tatula at this point. After seeing a couple reviews of water ingress into the Curado K I dont know how well it would handle the salt. Surprised more people don't fish the Lews reels. They seem to be priced right for the features they offer. Thoughts?

Try a BG! For 100 bucks there is no better spinning reel on the market imo.

So I am thinking of picking up my first baitcaster in many years. 99% of my fishing is better done with spinning tackle so I have never felt the need for one but for some reason I just want a new one. I have been looking at the Curado K (and 70), Daiwa Tat CT Type R, and the Lews Pro G. I know nothing of modern bait casters so I was hoping you guys might be able to point me in the right direction. I am going to try to buy a used reel to save some money but the 200ish range is where I am looking (this is the new price not the price I am hoping to pay). Also this reel might see saltwater action from time to time when I visit family on the coast.

Never thought I would say this but after my last phone call to Dobyns, St. Croix might have some competition in the customer service department when it comes to the fishing industry.

There is a reason so many people use the IMX and Avid line. I had the chance to fish one of the new IMX Pro rods late last season and it was a bit to fast for my tastes. For my fishing the Avid is the benchmark I use to judge all other rods both in action and sensitivity. One rod line I really like is the Dobyns Sierra series. Its not as sensitive as an Avid or an IMX but for the fishing I do the slightly slower actions really help me in landing more fish. One thing to note about them is they tend to be tip heavy when compared to an Avid or IMX so a super light weight reel wouldn't be the best choice imo.

I like the lime green high vis as I find it a bit easier to deal with than the high vis yellow of PP. That being said the white Windtamer is the best high vis braid I have used. I fish a very rocky river and felt that 832 was more easily damaged than PP or Windtamer. I have never used the 8 carrier PP this is all 4 carrier original PP.

10lb braid to leader on the xf rods 15-20 lb braid to leader on the mh rod. I would throw everything under 3/16 on the xf rods and everything over on the mh rods.

I gave 832 a solid go last season and this up coming season I will be going back to original Power Pro. 832 isn't worth the cost increase imo. The one line I have used that is worth the cost increase is Fins Windtamer.

I use 3000 size Shimanos and 2500 size Daiwas for everything. Then again I only use braid to leader.

I am a huge fan of the BG reel. I would put it right up against my Stradic FK in every way other than line management. For a rod the Dobyns Fury 703 would be a good companion.

https://www.amazon.com/Daiwa-Tatula-Spinning-7-Feet-Medium/dp/B00FPQU02M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1514376033&sr=8-2&keywords=daiwa%2Btatula%2Brod&th=1&psc=1 That rod will fish right along side my Dobyns Sierra (703) as far as sensitivity and will be a good bit better than the Fury line. The only thing I don't care for is the really fast action as I like a bit more of a moderate action to my rods.

If you don't want to spend more than $100 the BG is a hell of a reel for $100. It compares very closely to my FK in performance. It doesn't have the refined smoothness but at half the cost I wouldn't expect it to.

First off skip the Revos imo, when it comes to high end spinners Shimano and Daiwa are a class above everything else. The main thing you get is longevity and overall ease of use. Most bass fisherman tend to skimp a bit on spinners but since its all I use I can say anything from the Stradic and above you really see what Shimano is all about. Also that Luvias is a remarkable reel. If you have a 300 dollar budget the Luvias is where I would spend my money for 200 I would go with a Stradic FK (I personally don't care for the Ci4 as I find its so light it makes most rods pretty tip heavy). As of late I have been extremely happy with my purchase of a Daiwa BG. It is hands down the best 100 dollar spinning reel I have ever used. If I could go back to Jan 1 of 2017 I would buy the reel below and be happy very very happy. However I am still happy with my FK and BG combo. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-RLSDAIWA.html?from=basres

7 foot ML HMG or a Dobyns Fury 702 would be great. I think the Dobyns is around $110 though.

For $100 get yourself a Daiwa BG 2500 and be done with it. I am a self admitted Shimano fan boy but that is the best $100 spinner I have ever used. Its so good that if I could do it all over again I would just buy a couple of BGs instead of my Stradic FK.

That is exactly what my Sierra does with my Stradic on it. On a side note love the avatar! Used to own the knife still own the strop.

I have been using 10 lb hi vis 832 this season and I am pretty happy with it. That being said I like regular Power Pro just as much and its a good bit less expensive. Best braid I have ever used is Fins Windtamer but its hard to find local and I do my best to spend my money at my local tackle shops. I use all 10-15 lb but both the Fins and PP are thinner per pound test than the 832 is with the PP being thinner than the Fins.

I have switched over to Mono for leaders and have seen zero difference in fish caught but have seen a huge difference in money spent. All my rods are braid main line.