FishTank

12lb or 15lb CXX. It's co-poly but it works. I hate to say it though, I usually use 15lb Invizix. Never had an issue.

I have the Bantam and it is a tank. It would be perfect for frog fishing. I have looked at the Steez A and it don't see it as a frog reel. Another suggestion is the Revo Toro Beast. This reel is not as refined as the Bantam but it is made to muscle out some fish, plenty of line capacity and there are many different ratios to chose from.

I live in Indy and I liked the Gander Outdoors better than I did Gander Mountain. They had a good staff of fisherman and hunters. They had business but just not enough in their main area, camping. As far as Gander Mountain goes, I heard this from multiple people (but can't confirm it myself) that they went under due to the contracts they had with gun companies. They were required to carry certain guns as certain prices at high quantities with a low profit. This was in hope of selling everything else to go with it, at higher profit margins. This did not happen either.

I buy about 8-10 a year. I don't tend to fish them as much as I use to. I got burnt out fishing with a guy a couple years ago. I would tournament fish with him about once a month and all he would fish was the same jig and trailer that he would pitch straight into the bank and the boat was about 10-15 feet from shore. He would set the trolling motor at one speed, not turn it off for anything, pitch that thing like a thousand times and catch only a few fish. It drove me crazy but I do fish jigs with success from time to time.

I have had great success with Ned Rig and the big TRD but not the regular and especially with the craw color (zero fish so far). My favorite color so far has been good old green pumpkin. I have fished it from a boat, the bank and from a kayak. I have used it with both bait casting and spinning gear, 12lb and 6lb FC line respectively.

10-12lb Sunline Natural.

If memory serves me right, I believe that most of the rods in St. Croix's line up that are 6'8'' M Fast are designed with a softer tip for jerk baits. IMHO, this would not be my first choice for soft plastic. I have the 7' M fast Legend Elite and have no issues with hook sets. I tend to have better luck with x-fast rods for Texas Rigged soft plastic and jigs but it is not a rule for me.

I have an Abu Garcia ALX. It's powerful little reel. Smooth, casts a mile and the price isn't too bad. A couple of more options to look at, Shimano Aldebaran and the Daiwa Steez SW TW.

I would say the 7' MH St. Croix Avid would be a nice rod. I fish this for just about any technique. One of guys I fish with has been using the E6X rod for years and loves them but I really don't care for them myself and I really like Loomis rods. The Avid is sort of a lateral move when it comes to sensitivity but in hand it just feels like a better quality rod. If you want to stay with Loomis I would go for the IMX but it would be a few bucks over your budget. Great rod though.

It may be a few bucks over your budget but you can get a Shimano Stradic 2500 for $150 (on sale) and a St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast for $210 (regular price). It would make for a great combo.

Is it worth it? I would say yes but it takes some getting use to. It is somehow slightly smoother than the K. I had heard of some people not having that great of luck with theirs but mine has been flawless. I have paired it with a St. Croix Legend Glass 7' M Mod and it will cast just about any crankbait a country mile without backlashing. I have been using it since the beginning of the year just about every weekend and it just keeps getting better. Also, I was able to pick mine up from DSG online for $199. I caught this one last weekend on this combo with a Megabass Deep X.

My personal choice for skippy baits in order.... Shimano Core 101, Daiwa Steez SV TWS, and the Shimano Curado DC.

Both are great reels. I have fished a Tatula SW TW and I own the Curado K and DC. If I had to choose, I would go with the DC or the K. I like the Tatula but I like the breaking systems on the K and especially the DC better. The Curados are also slightly smoother but its really is a personal preference. Casting is best with the DC but the Tatula is slightly better than the K. I don't think you could go wrong either way.

I have the Core 101 and the Curado DC. If I were to choose on the reels, I would consider what I was using it for.... the Core for weightless softplastic or light T-rigged lures and the DC for crank baits and maybe jerkbaits. As far as the gears go, after doing some digging I would say no and its probably not worth it. When I looked at the schematics you would need, at a guess, the gear, yoke, clutch bearing, and pinion gear (all different parts from the standard 6.x DC) and then I can't say if they will all fit or work.

Yes.. The bottom of my empty bank account.... ?

For light weight, I like my St. Croix Legend Elite 7' M Fast. I had to look it up but it's 4.1oz and with a Daiwa Steez, it's super light. I can fish it all day and not feel a thing.

I use to like both BPS and Cabelas for different reasons. What they have merged into ain't exactly great. They use to be stores that celebrated the outdoors.

OK that's cool. I am not sure how the fish will react to it or how it will act in the water but it will definitely catch fisherman.

I have had great luck with them over the years. If you're going pick up some new ones, I going to suggest the Curado K or the Curado DC. They have both been pretty much bullet proof for me.

I like and own both but personal preference is Shimano. You really can't go wrong with either.

I believe these will sell well initially. I do agree that $50 is a stretch but they will be on sale at some point. I think it will be hard to judge the long term sales on these boxes though. There have been several over the years that have come and gone... Falcon FTO's (my favorite), Shimano high end boxes, Plano's Flipsider, Lakewood, etc. I have a feeling that these will be in the same category a few years from now.

I purchased the STX Gen4 from Amazon at the beginning of the year and had a similar issue that started back in May. Amazon took it back no questions asked. I had fished it a few times in a couple of tournaments but it did not get any type of daily abuse. I was never exactly thrilled with this reel. I have a Revo Winch Gen4 that is awesome. The STX never felt exactly right. Then one day I pressed my thumb down to cast and when I cranked the handle, something popped. It turned out to be the clutch spring. It would not stay attached to the clutch cam. I thought about ordering the part but since I wasn't that happy with this reel to begin with, I returned it. I think I was trying too hard to compare it to my Curado K and figure out why it cost a few bucks more. The K, to me, is just a better reel for the money. But with that said, I think the Winch is probably one the best technique specific reels I have fished> great power for moving fish and the breaking system is perfect for crankbaits.

I had several of them but over time they have been either lost or just worn out from being fished. They are great baits though. I picked mine up when they were discontinued for like $2 each. I wish I would have bought all of them they had at DSG. My favorite was (I think) blue chrome. If you can find them new and they work for you, $11 for them is not bad but there are many alternatives (Lucky Craft LV500, Strike Kings Red Eye Shad, Yozuri Rattln Vibe, etc.) at that price or cheaper.

If I was putting together a setup for weightless flukes....... St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast and a maybe a Curado 70 but the new SLX DC would be great.

I like the SLX but at $189 it's a stretch. I have the Curado DC and I picked it up for $199. The DC option is really cool but I think in the SLX it should be around $150. It's not worth almost double the price and you can pick up the regular Curado for less.