FishTank

30lb is the lowest I have tried with braid. But in Smackdown, 40lb would be it for me and 50lb would be what I would purchase for general purpose use.

You can get the JDM version of the Bantam around $300 with the current exchange rate. Awesome reel. https://japantackle.com/casting-reels/shimano/reg0000234.html

XCalibur XRK 50 and 100 One Knocker Megabass Leviathan And many many others.....

This guy from War Eagle....

I have a couple of pairs. The old Rapalas work great but my favorite pair is a store branded pair from Gander Mountain. They are spring loaded and have side cutters for braid.

Just FYI.... Shimano has free shipping on anything. I needed a $5 bearing and shipping was free.

My favorites are the Curado DC (but it does not come a low gear ratio) and probably the best at bringing fish from deep waters, the Abu Garcia Revo Winch. The Winch's braking is different but once you get it dialed in, it's awesome. If I had to pick one and if I was buying a new one though........ The JDM Bantam MGL 5.5:1. I have the high speed Bantam and love it but this reel design to me was made for crankbaits.

I had the 201A Calais. I loved this reel but ended up selling it. I was offered more than I paid for it and couldn't pass up the money at that time. It has always been a regret of mine when it comes to fishing stuff but it was hard to work on. If I remember right, there was a spring connected to the the clutch plate that was almost impossible to get into place and if you didn't hold it down, it could go flying. I also had one of the old Tour PT reels. It was the one with shiny blue finish. It was great until it wasn't. I tried getting it right and so did Quantum. But as the years went by, I gave up and pitched it. I have been doing my Curado E for years and my buddies Curado B's and BSF's. I think I can take these apart in my sleep.

I have a Calcutta 251 and I still use it for crankbaits and this year swimbaits. I have had it for over 15 years and it's hard to find a reel that is as smooth as this one. There are still plenty of people that buy these reels new. I wouldn't call them old school, just a reel that is hard to improve on.

I kayak fish too and I actually prefer rods under 7'. My personal favorite is a G. Loomis 783C GLX. It's a 6'6'' rod and it's perfect just about anything. One thing on St.Croix Elite rods. They feel just slightly stouter than G. Loomis rods at the same power. The Avids and Legend Tournaments are almost a whole power more> MH Avid is like a H GLX.

Are you thinking the length is too short? I have had no issues with hook ups with the one I have and the casting has been fine. I do think that if it is more vertical fishing you are after then a longer rod and a x-fast taper would be better.

Yap. The Antares mentioned above will be going to DVT just because I want an expert to work on it. It's great peace of mind to have a professional working on it instead of some weekend warrior, like me. I will probably do the same thing in the future with the Daiwa Steez. Most things though are pretty easy on reels and I enjoy tinkering with them but I am no expert, that's for sure. The worst thing to run into, for me, is to loose a small part like an e-clip or a spring. Other than that, it reminds of making models as a kid. There is just something relaxing about working with small parts and putting them together.

I have the Legend Elite version of this rod and it's pretty amazing but it's not an NRX. It's more like the GLX. The Extreme is supposed to be just slightly more sensitive. In hand I didn't care for the material that the handle is made of but I hear it gets better as you use it. I tend to like cork. If it was me and I could pick the Extreme up new for half the cost, I would jump on it. I would use it for jigs and T-rigged soft plastic, maybe some heavier spinner baits and jerkbaits (Vision 110's).

I usually spend my downtown time servicing my reels and a few for friends. It got me thinking about which reels I like to work on, some others that are a little more difficult, and some that leave me scratching my head. I think my favorite to work on is the Shimano Core. It's simple and straightforward. The parts are well made. It kind of reminds me of the first car I was shown how to take apart, a Chevy Nova. So far my least favorite to work on is the Daiwa Steez. I do love this reel and believe it might be the best reel ever made but taking it apart is a pain. It does make me appreciate how well it is engineered though. It's sort of like taking a Rolex apart. I might also group the used Antares I just picked up. It was hard at first. Now that I have done it, it will be easier just time consuming. Some that leave me scratching my head..... A few Quantums, Abu Garcias, and 3 Lew's reels I have taken apart. All seem to have some really well made parts but others seem to be not so well made. Case in point.... The Quantum Vapor. This is about the smoothest reel I have picked up with a great set of gears and bearings but the rest of the parts are questionable. Only time will tell. Another one that makes me go, what were they thinking, is the Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast. Everything about this reel is overkill. It's sort of like a Mac truck but somehow it's smooth as silk. I take it apart and think it's going to be geary and unrefined based on what's in it but put it all together and it's a gentle monster.

I would say the NRX and keep the reel, it's awesome.

When it has come to rods for me, I have been a Loomis and St.Croix fan for many years. Both their warranties and service are pretty straight forward. I think in my experience they both are more likely to get you a new rod through their warranty programs (which of course there is a cost) than give you missing or broken parts. With that said, I have broken a G. Loomis GLX rod in a car door. Not the rods fault but I was able to get a new one in a couple of days from them for the $100 fee. It definitely beats having a broken $400+ rod and an even emptier wallet when you go to replace it.

I have not had the best luck with Shimano either but I do love their reels. I did recently contact them about a JDM reel that I just picked up used. All I wanted to do was find out if I could get parts and they were no help at all. Completely clueless. They basically told me.... enjoy your reel, sorry you are having problems. They then told me I could send it to them and it would be 2-3 months for them to look at and it would be almost impossible for them to get the correct parts since they did not have the reel schematics. > I was like, I can find the schematic online and I can get parts from Plat.

I hate to say it but the Meagabass Cyclone> I bought several of them years ago and I think I have only caught a couple of fish with them. Great looking bait though.

Do you mean like this one?

Nice fish. Just a word of advice... I have the same Muck boots but without the camo. They are great but..... If you go in, when you are in a kayak, even with a life vest, they will fill with water and take you straight under, quick. Luckily for me I was about 5-6 feet of water when a guy came flying buy in a boat and his wake tipped my kayak over. He did stop and make amends but sure did wake me up though.

I have been using mine with a St. Croix Legend Glass 7'2'' M and it has been fantastic. I can cast pretty much whatever I want with it. I have tried it for T-Rigged plastic and jigs on a different rod and it did just fine but I really like it with the Legend Glass, especially for those windy days where a crankbait can be difficult to cast.

Even though I like Invizx better, AbrazX is great line. When I first tried it, I wanted to compare it to Trilene XT in the way it is different from XL> Well that was not case. It handles well but it's not as soft as InvizX and is no where near as stiff as XT . I like AbrazX for heavy cover, rocky shores and for just flipping/pitching.

I feel the 80's calling.....

I believe so but the guy I bought mine from said he might be bringing more in sometime this week. His booth was simply called "The Angler". Nice group of guys there too. They had a rep from St. Croix there as well. Their St. Croix rods were 20% off the list price. I almost picked up another Legend Glass rod but I couldn't pass up the NRX at that price. There were 2 booths that were selling them at this price and one other that had them 15% off but I did not see any of 893's. If they had one, I would have gotten that one instead. I believe the guy that bought three at the booth were I bought mine, bought the last three NRX rods he had. I think they were the 852, 873 or 916, and the 822 drop shot spinning rod. If I had to do it again, I think I would have picked up the the 844C Conquest. I love the 844C GLX I have. Maybe next year.

I didn't want to drop his name but I actually talked to Ish Monroe about it today and he said... "It's built on the same platform as the Steez SV"