FishTank

You might take a look at the St. Croix Mojo Yak rod. It does have a shorter handle but it has the type of tip you're after. The tip on these rods are soft but not as soft as a Moderate action rod. They load easy and cast a long way, which makes them ideal for kayaks. I am not a huge fan of the Winn grips though. The 7' ML should cover those weights.

In my case it has always been 20 or 30lb straight braid with pickerel and walleye. I have the better luck with braid to leader than do straight braid with these toothy critters. In some cases I have caught several with 6lb braid only to see them smack my topwater braided line and not the lure.

I use straight braid for topwater and heavy cover fishing with a one particular baitcaster and on one finnese spinning combo I use braid with leader. Other than that, I am not a huge fan of braid but it has its purpose. I use FC for all other bottom contact baits and jerkbaits but mono for crankbaits. One my gripes with braid and I have a few, is that I see more damage and wear on reels that use braid all the time. Line guides, bearings, gears, etc... all have signs of more use than reels that use regular FC or mono. Of course this depends on the reel and how it is used.

That might be true for some people..... just spend a day watching people back up their boat on a boat ramp. That reverse back up computer package comes in handy. So does lane assist after they have had a few beers and a whole day on the water.

I have been thinking about that myself. It rides better with a load in the back or towing something but I wouldn't say it's dangerous.

Don't know for sure. All I know is, it was smother and the rear end was more stable. It felt like a totally different truck. I test drove several prior to buying. I would say it felt like a Lincoln compared to the other Ford equivalent.

Oh I wish this was true..... I have an XLT and was given a Lariat for a week when they did two recalls. The Lariat is a smooth riding dream. My XLT is a truck with chrome bumpers. Also, Shimano did more marketing for the SLX than the Antares. I went to two shows when the SLX came out along with the Daiwa Tatula Elite. Tons of hype, marketing, and pro fisherman pushing for these reels but nothing on the Antares and Steez.

DVT has a great rep here and has helped me more than once but I would contact Lew's first. They too have had a great customer service record. Often going to great lengths to help keep customers happy.

Sorry..... Not sure what I was thinking. I was probably thinking pinion and main gear which was what was wrong with the few I have worked on. Getting old these days. The ones I had seen had been stripped from having been used in heavy cover with braid, among other issues. I will stick with my advice on replacing the reel. Good luck.

Another thought would be to buy a used reel from ebay and use it for parts.

Just a thought..... you are looking at about $40 in parts with shipping for $100 or less reel. You will also need the main gear if you are getting the worm gear. I wouldn't waste the time and money. Also, when I have called for guys whom I have worked on BPS reels for (only a few), the parts are very hit and miss. Bearings and drag washers use be had but after that I haven't had much luck. My usual advice is wait till spring and get a new one during their sale.

For drop shot, I don't think it makes a difference. I have tried them both. I do tend to loose a lot of them so tungsten is a good choice for the small lakes I fish.

The Shimano Bantam comes to mind. It has a smaller profile, smooth and is built like a tank. I would say it's close to a 70 size in Shimano's line up.

I would keep them. I tried the 8.5:1 and didn't care for the speed. It was almost too fast so I got the 7.4:1 instead. I also have both the 6.2:1 and the 7.4:1 Curado K's. All of them are great reels. I find the DC reel to a useful tool but not an upgrade or improvement on the regular K> It is a little smoother though. The DC is nice for windy conditions but for most of my day to day fishing the K's are fine.

I would go with suggestion as well. The Stradic is the best bang for the buck. If you can save $150, be patient and save up the extra bucks for this reel.

Amazon has 200 yard spools of 8lb and 15lb Tatsu for $30. They sold out of 10lb. This is the cheapest I have seen it in a while.

I have a couple of them I bought a few years ago. I haven't fished them much lately but when I first got them they seemed to work great. To tell the truth though, I haven't caught too many this year on any lipless crank.

Tool? The extra spool came with the reel when I bought it. Depending on the reel, you can order them from the manufacture to match the reel you have. What reel do you have? You might post a picture to give us a better idea of what it is exactly you have going on.

I haven't ordered from TW in a while. I have found other outlets closer to me that can get things to me faster. TW is not at fault. They are just that packed with orders, which is great but I tend to need things quicker than they can get it to me. I just hope in the future they will grow in a way that can get things out quicker. On a side note, I have talked to people I partner with at FedX, UPS, USPS, Target, Amazon and even Customs for EMS, LTL deliveries, and DHL stuff and they all say the same thing...... Businesses are finding ways around shortages by limiting the amount of over all sku's that they ship or carry on hand. This allows for more of the main items they sell to be available and it frees up more trucks for shipments (supposedly). For a weird example, Target by me only carries 2 types of my daughter's favorite Cold Brew, when they use to carry a bunch of brands and flavors.

St. Croix Avid 7' Med Fast. Most moderate rods for spinnerbaits don't really set the hook well for me.

The reason I mention it is that I have the 783C GLX, 844C GLX, 853C NRX, 803C GLX, 802C NRX and the 873C NRX. I also use to have one of the GLX Crankbait rods. All of these rods to me are/were too sensitive for the baits I mentioned. Fishing these baits is like fishing with a tuning fork, especially with crankbaits. I would often find myself setting the hook to soon and missing fish. I also have the 903C IMX Pro Crankbait rod and this rod comes close to being too fast and sensitive. I actually like the St. Croix Legend Glass better. With all that said..... I have used the 783C and the 844C for the baits you mentioned but they would not be my first choice. They are very versatile but in the NRX line up, the constant vibration of the baits all day would get to me, especially based on my old experience with the GLX crankbait rod I had. I also have the 844C IMX which is my dedicated topwater rod and the 783C GLX is my dedicated jerkbait rod.

I have an older Shimano Stradic that has a ding on the spool and does snag braid but it comes with a spare spool. I have the good one set up with braid and the dinged one set up with FC.

The drag clicker washer may be turned over the wrong direction.

Just check that the drag clicker washer isn't turned over the wrong direction.

12lb Tatsu would do the trick for what you are after and I would also suggest the Steez CT. Great reel but I have been using mine on a 802C NRX (a little lighter than the 843C) with 10lb. On a side note, any vibrating bait on that sensitive of a rod will drive you crazy. You can do it but I wouldn't use it for crankbaits, spinnerbaits, or buzzbaits.