FishTank

Yes, it was one of the older white Stradics. The paint job was solid white instead of pearl. The guy bought it off eBay. Came in from China. Like most people above, I would suggest buying from Japan. Asian Portal has been pretty good for me.

5in Senko Black with blue flake

So I am in the market for a new spinning reel. I have owned several over the years of all different kinds but have yet to buy a high end reel. My current spinning reels are the Shimano Stradic FL and FJ. Both have served me well but are just about shot. I am looking at the Shimano Vanquish, Exsence, Stella, and from Daiwa the Certate LT and Luvias LT. I have put in hand an old Stella and I use to own a Shimano Sustain about 12 years ago. Both of the these were amazing but things have changed since then I have lost touch with some of the new spinning gear technology and need some advice. 2500 or 3000 size? What is the "C" stand for in the Shimano numbering (ex. C3000 MHG)? Looking at specs, are the spools smaller now on some reels? Can anyone explain the Exsence line of reels? They seem to be like the Tatula of spinning reels in the JDM reel market. I am going to pair it with a G. Loomis NRX 803S for weightless senkos and light jigs. So which reel? Thanks again.....

This is how I was taught as a kid. It pretty much sums up how to cast and why you should close the bail by hand.

Super glue. I remember seeing somewhere years ago when Keitech took off that they recommend using glue with their baits especially with the easy shiner.

I believe the parts they use are all pretty much the same. I kind of think he looked at the Doyo catalog and went..."I'll take this one. Does it come in KVD Red?" I have a feeling after working for Quantum for years, he has little to do with anything in development. That guy can catch fish with a kids Barbie rod and reel, better than I can with the best stuff available. I thought this was odd as well. It made not take the guy doing the video seriously. I do how ever like the tools at the end.

An inspirational work of art.....

I replaced a few with G-Finesse Gamakatsus and they are super sharp but I have had trouble nailing them with this hook for whatever reason. Also, I had two break today on fish>this is a first for me on treble hooks. I may go back to the originals.

Bass club fishing to me is more fun than tournament fishing..... As far as tournament fishing goes...I enjoy it but it is, in a way, just legalized gambling. So there is always that one guy that takes it way too seriously but it is fun and I tend to learn a lot by asking myself at the end of the day, "What can I do better next time?" Another lesson comes in, what to fish and how to fish the conditions given. And with this little bit of knowledge it can make for a fun day, win or loose.

Good stuff. It's not as soft as Invizx but it will handle rocks and tough vegetation pretty well. It will have more memory but it will hold up pretty well. I like in 15lb for jigs but 12lb for T-rigged soft plastic. With that said, I like this line as leader with braid more than anything.

I would forget the leader and braid and just fill the thing with 12 or 15lb FC but I would put some cheap mono backing on it, maybe fill 30% of the spool. Invizx has been my favorite FC so far. Enjoy.... That is an awesome reel.

So if it comes through the top.... that kind of defeats the purpose of a rod sock as the top guide is probably what gets dinged up the most. I have a St. Croix Legend Elite that came with a sock. It too has the larger mesh but St. Croix lopped a piece of material on the end of it that prevents the rod from coming out and it also cushions it. For all my other rods, I have been using these from Amazon. The pic shows the closed end material. I like these better than the ones at BPS. They just seem cheap compared to the ones below. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XDMQ8WD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I started a thread about this rod but I thought I would share a pic here for what the Monkey got me for this time.

Well after fishing it for about 1hr, I am glad I didn't get the 802S. It would be have been too light for what I want to fish. The 803S is light at the tip though but has a surprising amount of power on the other end. I ended catching 3 fish and lost a couple right off the bat getting use to how this rod loads on a hook set. It is probably too early to give a full assessment but it is amazingly sensitive and has a lot more power than I expected. Also, it's not as stiff as other MH X-fast rods I have used. The NRX 803s is not exactly what I expected but it may the best spinning rod I have put my hands on. The next thing to do is find an equally excellent reel to put on it. ?

I have the NRX 853C and the 7'1'' MH X-Fast LE and the 6'8'' M Fast LE. The quality of the rod build is about the same, the LE maybe slightly better, but the feel and sensitivity of the NRX is definitely a step above the LE. (at least to me). The 7'1'' LE is just a fuzz heavier than the NRX. Also, the NRX is a little bit softer at the tip. On the other hand though the 6'8'' M Fast LE is a good balance between the two and a very versatile rod.

Picked up the 803S today. We will see how it goes. Going tonight to check it out...... Thanks for the advice.

I too really wanted the 872s but the shop I had the deal with didn't have it in stock. Thanks for the info on the 822S DSR. I think that will narrow it down to the 802S and 803S.

I always think that sensitivity is subjective but to answer your question..... I have rods all over the place in value and cost. When it comes to spinning rods, I have a few St. Croix Avids and a recently broken Fenwick Elite Tech so this NRX will be new to me in a way. I do however have a NRX casting rod and it is without a doubt the most sensitive rod I have ever owned. Is it worth the cost between other rods> probably not but it is a pure pleasure to fish and to me that's worth it. The worst thing about the NRX I have though, is that as soon as I fished it, I wanted another one. It's that good. The cost was not even in my mind. No other rod I have owned has done this to me. I could quote you specs and components but it doesn't really some up the feel and quality of this rod. To some, the design is old school and dated but that's the way I like it. I think next year I will invest in another one if I can find them. There is supposed to be new version coming out by the end of the year and Loomis, from what I heard, is only shipping what they have on hand to dealers.

So I found a good deal at a sort of local (in Indiana) tackle shop on a few NRX spinning rods. I can't mention the name of the store as they are not allowed to advertise the price but are able to sell them. They are first rate rods and not seconds or demos. I can get the 802S, the 803S, or the 822S DSR for $425 shipped. Which one would you choose? I am wanting to use this for small, light swimbaits (Keitech 3in), weightless senkos, and small hair jigs. They also have the Conquest 902S SJR for $525 but I am not sure how feel about a 7'6'' drop shot rod.

I would check the reel with a topwater bait, like a buzz bait, to see if you are getting the full rotation out of the reel. If it does not seem that you are, I would take the reel apart and check the main gear and pinion for wear both on the threads and the inside of the pinion, then check the anti-reverse bearing, and finally just turn the drive shaft with side plate and handle off to see if anything is slipping.

I remember them but always preferred Zoom lizards. They always gave off a little more vibration in the water.

The Cabela's in Indy is barren. Hooks>Nope, Sinkers> Not really, Reels> think again...... And so on....

Thanks. I have been hunting for something like this for awhile. I was able to pick up the last two at Cabela's today. They were wiped clean of just about everything.

One other thought I had about this is..... I didn't care for braid on the Curado DC, not sure on the Bantam though. So if you are intending to use braid, I would go with the Bantam. If not, then the DC would be my choice. On another note, I have the K as well and it for some reason feels totally different from the DC. So if you go the DC route, just expect the it to be a little smoother than the K. A different reel to consider..... I also have the Antares 12 5.x:1, left hand though. A guy on eBay usually sells them for around $300 and it is outstanding for deep cranks but it is heavy by most standers.

I have both the Bantam and the Curado DC and use both for crankbaits. They both cast far and both are smooth but the Bantam is the most solid of the the two and is slightly smoother. On the other hand, I used the Curado DC yesterday to cast into some 10-15MPH wind and rain and it did fine. The Bantam struggled to give clean casts for any long distance but did perform well otherwise. With the heavier baits you mentioned both should work. I have the Bantam paired with a G. Loomis IMX Pro 7'4 M Crankbait rod and the Curado DC with a St. Croix Avid 7'2 M Legend Glass. One odd thing about these reels, both seem to get a little better after some prolonged use. The Bantam seems to loosen up some and the DC seems to figure out how to cast better.