FishTank

That's kind of how I feel about the 821. I also have the 803S NRX+ and I use it for wacky rigged senkos mainly but I have tried a spark shad with a 1/16oz head on both and the 803S will out cast it. Weird. For the Ned Rig and Dropshot the 821S is fine. I have a suggestion (but not a recommendation).... BFS gear. I have a few rods in upper price range but this set up will put you under the cost of an NRX+.... Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse 700 and a Shimano Aldebaran BFS. This set up has been a lot of fun for me for finesse fishing. The rod can do whatever in the light finesse category and the reel seemed like a cheaply made toy at first but it has proven to me that it can handle all sorts of stuff. Also, why I say just suggestion instead of recommend. It's different and something I would research before going that direction.

I have not fished the 901 but a local shop had one a few months ago and I was able to hold it in hand. It was definitely a nice rod but I wouldn't describe it as a do all finesse rod. The tip is very whipy. I don't think I would use it for jerkbaits, spybaits or small swimbaits. I could see it being good for ned rigs and tubes (not sure about drop shot) but from what I was told at the shop and from what I have seen online, people use it for hair jigs like the Marabou which to me says smallmouth. For the stuff you have described, I have been using the 821 NRR with the exception of the 3in Spark Shad/Keitechs and finesse jerkbaits(Nanahan size and smaller). I have switched to throwing those on BFS gear. The only thing with this rod is that I think it would be almost exactly like your Expride. Which makes think..... What's wrong with using the rod you have for those techniques?

Which Orochi did you get? I was eyeing the Whipsnake before I got bit by the BFS bug. I always see and read nothing but great stuff about these rods.

No, not all. I was going recommend that one as well but didn't want to give you too many choices. My favorite color so far has been Kasumi Ito. Two other baits I like, the Baby PopX and the Baby Griffon.

This would be my guess as well. You can test the PS bearing with a pen/pencil depending on the size and for the AR bearing you can put the sleeve inside it and turn it forward. My experience with Daiwa reels has been that they sometimes add too much grease or none at all. If it feels bad I would clean it and add oil to it. They usually don't go bad on that new of a reel.

Those baits should work. I have used all of them except the tubes. This rod to me sort of odd and it took some getting use to but once you catch fish with it, it's no big deal. It's listed as having an x-fast tip and a moderate mid section. So hook sets are quick but once you start fighting a fish, it softens up. Also, I would advise against setting the hook hard. Most of the small hooks penetrate easily. I would also pick up some of the Megabass Great Hunting baits. They have been fantastic but again I would get some extra hooks. I also like the 3in OSP DoLive craw for ned rigs but there are cheaper versions.

I went down the BFS rabbit hole this year and it has been a blast. No regrets so far. I may not be catching big fish all the time but I am catching more fish than ever. As far as a rod recommendation, you are going to be hard pressed to find a rod that will do both bass and trout for $150. And if you hook into a musky with some these tooth pick rods, you are asking for trouble. My favorite rod so far for BFS style fishing has been the Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse (700) and you could probably find it on sale now for around $150. Great rod that you can throw a variety of baits on. I have thrown top water, 3in Easy Shiners, cranks and few small jigs. I have landed good size fish on all of them. Also, whatever hard baits you buy, be prepared to change out the hooks on a regular basis. They get bent up pretty easy.

Lucky Craft Pointer. It runs around $15 but can be found from time to time cheaper. Suspends better than any bait I have found.

That is really cool. Definitely going to try it.

I adjust mine on occasion but very little. It just depends on the lure and the wind conditions. In general though, once it's dialed in, it's good to go for about 90% of my fishing.

I had a few of those. Great bait. Ghost minnow was my favorite color. Not sure of an exact replacement but the Manns 1-minus come to mind. I would replace the hooks but not a bad bait. In Lucky Craft, there is the LC SSR but it's a different profile. One other I like, if you want a loud bait, is the Megabass Over Rev Crank. It's a one knocker that stays right at the surface. It's bigger than the SSR but will cast a mile.

GYCB Double Tail Grub or Strike King Rage Tail.

I have a few favorites..... Daiwa Steez CT or the SV, old Shimano Chronarch 51e, Shimano Core 101, and finally a Shimano Antares 70A.

BFS soft plastic. I've had a great time fishing BFS hard baits but have been avoiding the micro soft plastics. It's just something that requires more patience.

I missed the part where you mentioned the No Jack. Great jig. Might be my favorite swim jig next to the one from Sieberts. I had good luck with the black and blue and dirty shad.

The OSP Zeroone has been a great compact jig for me. Any color has caught fish but they can get pricey if you don't order from Japan. One of my favorites below.....

If you are looking for things that scare fish away on the water.... The noise you make on the boat with line out of the water is small compared to the trolling motor and the transducer in the water. If you step on the boat frame or on the deck, that could scare fish. The list is long for noise you can make and I would put braid through the guides towards the bottom. Even though I am not a fan of braid as regular line, I do use it in heavy vegetation with jigs and flipping a beaver. I have never thought the sound would scare fish away but the loudest braid I can think of is 832. Not bad line but to me it's loud.

Forgot.....Simple Green and Simple Orange.

Acetone for bearings and I have tried two cleaners for reels.... Reel Butter (it's not bad, don't like their oil and grease though) and Lucas Oil Reel Cleaner. This stuff does a great job. I have also used Dawn. Works well but can leave a residue.

Thanks...I did buy one size bigger. The wool socks I use can be worn down to about 0⁰ with no issues. The Sealskins I have are also waterproof and insulated. I think the original price on the one I have were around $100 but I found them in a bargain box at REI last year for $5. Got lucky.

I have these boots. They are great but be advised they are waterproof but do absorb water on the outside and your feet can get cold with a standard pair of socks. I wear either wool boot socks or a pair of Sealskins.

There are two from Megabass that might be close. There is the Dog-X Jr. Its about 3in. Its definitely a finesse bait. The other is the Karashi. It is a very slow sinking bait that you can walk just under the surface. It is slightly smaller than the Dog-X Jr. and does a great job of walking back and forth.

I have an older 844C IMX that I use for topwater and I have the GLX version but I use it for jigs and soft plastic. I also have the 904C NRX+ and I use it as my dedicated jig rod. Each of them are different in feel and action, and of course weight and sensitivity. Are any of my rods the best at topwater? Again, it's subjective. It's all in what you want in the rod. I do think it maybe the most versatile rod for topwater. With the IMX I can throw a walking bait, frogs, a bigger popper, and buzz baits. It fishes all of them well. It's strong enough to pull a fish from cover with a frog and just soft enough to let the fish take the bait. It's great with all these baits but I have other rods that might do better with a specific bait. I had the PR844C GLX mentioned above but lost it overboard. It is a great rod but I though it was way to soft all around for topwater of any kind (sorry RW). It felt almost like a Medium rod with a soft tip and a soft middle. You couldn't work a bait with how soft it was. It does work great for paddle tail swimbaits and lipless cranks though.

Bait Marking System. The line is marked every few feet in a different color (pink, yellow, orange and grey). Depending on the light conditions, supposedly you will see a different color visibly above water but the line disappears once it is below. This not the best picture but it gets the idea across. The yellow is visible in this light.

I haven't tried braid on it. Not my favorite for jigs and soft plastic. I have been using Sunline BMS Sniper. I picked it for a few other reels since I bought the first spool and love it so far but to be honest, I bought it for the Zillion because it looked cool and I was curious. I am believer in it now. I wouldn't buy it at the US price but the JDM price made it worthwhile. Another to try is Sunline Sniper Invisible. I have it on few set ups and like it just as well as the BMS version.