FishTank

I have the 803C GLX and it's great for skipping and tossing 3/8 jigs. I like the shorter length for skipping and it may feel light but it has plenty of hook setting power. It's sort of surprising. I also use it for weightless senkos. Just a great rod.

I have the Waypoint. It's no longer made but I like it. My only complaint is that for the price it's not remotely waterproof or even water resistant. In the rain if you are out on a long journey, the bag can take on water and hold it at the bottom.

I use a Simms Sling pack. It easy to just unbuckle one side and I can swing it around to the front. It has a platform that unzips so I can sit a bait on it and tie it on. It also has a rod holder. It will hold 2 3700 and would have a separate pouch for soft plastic. It is costly but it has been great for bank fishing and for kayaking.

https://fishshop.shimano.com/collections/st4000fj Here is the parts list from Shimano. I would venture it's going to be about $57 for the side frame, the rear protector and the body. If you have someone put the parts on, again just a guess, it would be a complete breakdown. That on a Sustain I had cost about $50>10+ years ago. If it was me, I would replace it.

I have an Elite Tech Bass casting rod 7'2'' H Fast. It's sort of broom stick but it's not bad. I also have an Elite Tech Walleye 7'2'' ML XF Spinning rod. This rod I like quite a bit. It's just fun to fish. It's not the most sensitive or the most accurate but the taper and hook sets are great. I would say there is not much difference in build quality between the Elite Tech Bass and the Elite Tech Walleye. I believe the reel placement is slightly higher on the Walleye rod but not much.

What was difficult or different about these reels? Just curious...

I am ambidextrous. I use my righthand for most everything (writing for example) but I use my left for tools and such. When I have done the above test in the past, I point at an object with my right hand never moving my hand, close my left eye, and what I am pointing at remains in the same place. I then close my right eye, open the left and the object moves. Next I re-open my right eye, close the left, and the object is in a different place from where I started. Close both eyes, reopen both eyes and the object is back where is started. Weird. Doctors have not been able to sort it out exactly but I was deadly when I was younger with a rifle. As far as reels go, I have tried both right handed and left handed. I like using left hand retrieves the best. They feel more natural. On a side note and it's just food for thought..... I had heard this years ago from an Abu Garcia collector....... Baitcasting reels were originally designed to be used with the reel seated on top when casting and then turned over to retrieve> using the left hand. Fisherman found that they liked it the other way, with the reel staying on top.

Mepps Black Fury #5 has always been one that has caught fish for me. I think I have caught bass, crappie, bluegill, and small mouth on it.

I have the 783GLX and I use it for jerkbaits in the 3-4 foot range. The 843 would be about the same. The reason I like the 844, it's just a fuzz heavier and I like the extra back bone this rod has for deeper (6-10 foot range) baits. With it being a little stiffer, it makes it easier to work those deeper baits.

G. Loomis GLX 844C has worked great for me. It's a pretty versatile rod. The IMX version though is a little stiffer and less sensitive but will also do the job. If I was going all out and I was buying again, the 844C Conquest when I "held it my hand" felt awesome and a little softer at the tip than the GLX. I think it would be the perfect rod for this application.

That's what I picked up. Plan on using it on swimbaits. We will see what happens. Have you had good luck with it? Does it hold up to the stress of heavy casting?

St. Croix Legend Glass 7'2'' Med. Mod. Best application specific rod I have ever used. It's so good, it's scary. I have used a Mod. Avid, a Loomis GLX crankbait rod, a regular Loomis Crankbait rod, Lamiglas, a Shimano Crucial Crankbait, and probably a couple I have forgotten but the Legend Glass just does the job better.

PPP Patience Practice Persistance And focusing on gear and just better ways in general that increase my fishing fun

I have a DSG just down the street from me in Indy and it's positioned close to Eagle Creek (one of the few places to fish in Indy). A lot of guys use to go there for everything but when they stopped selling the stuff most fisherman buy and started carrying junk, everybody stopped going. Also they raised their prices higher than most online stores. I also feel sorry the guys that work there. I can tell they care but Dicks Inc seems to be their own worst enemy when it comes to selling fishing gear. My hope is that we get an Academy some place close by.

Like the site. Clean and efficient. Hope it brings the biz....

I too ordered one but nothing yet. Even if I don't order anything from it, they do a good job with descriptions and organizing things. Sometime it's easier to find what I need that way instead of online.

10lb 2oz LMB on a Zoom Lizard Black with Blue Flakes 40lb Blue Catfish on a Chrome Rat-L-Trap

What's the difference between these two pricey mono lines? Do they have different characteristics? Is one better for one application or another? I have been curious about this for a little bit and decided it was time to ask. I do have a spool of the Armilo that I am going to use for swimbaits. But before I spool a reel up, I thought I would see what people had to say.

For the 110>Pro Blue and Deadly Black but any will work. In the Pointer> American Shad, Ghost Minnow, Aura Black and Chartreuse Shad. These 4 will cover just about any water condition.

I have buddy that fishes nothing but Stren 12lb for the reasons you listed and he catches a ton of fish with no issues. I think you will be fine. I use both FC and mono for different reasons with the same baits (ex. Senkos), with my personal preference being FC for most applications though.

Fenwick HMG comes in a 7'6'' X-fast MH that would work well for pitching jigs.

On the boat I have a Plano tackle box that holds 5 3700 boxes and now, a dry bag with 2 large deep boxes (one for senkos and the other for swimbaits) and one worm divider box with about 40-50 bags of everything else soft plastic (jig trailers, creatures, tubes, misc worms, and lizards).

Megabass Vision 110. Once you own one, you will not be the same> broke. Also, the Lucky Craft Pointer would be my second favorite.

That's a good idea. The Tatula SV, I think, is a great reel but the Bantam is a different animal. It just depends on what the OP is using it for.

I saw this reel at an Okuma booth at the Indy Boat, Sport and Travel Show. It is one sweet reel but I only saw the small size. It seemed similar to both the Shimano Tranx and Daiwa Lexa, maybe the model I saw was a fuzz smaller though. It felt solid, sort of heavy duty and also, simple yet smooth. Looked like a nice swimbait reel for the money.