FishTank

I guy at my local gander mountain, that I trust, said it was similar to Trilene 100%. He had tried the 10lb and said it was good for bait casters but not so great for spinning gear. Based on what he said, it may be worth a try.

I just bought one back in January and took it out for the first time last week. It felt great. It cast well. It's pretty smooth. It feels a little cheap in the hand but performs flawlessly. I would say, you would be hard pressed to find a better reel at this price point. It may be one of the best bangs for the buck out there, depending if you find it on sale.

New to me but I would stick with a quality line conditioner, like KVD's stuff.

Cardiff would be my guess as well. I can't think of anything that is in a low profile bait caster that has this feature.

I tried it and did not care for it. On the other hand, I like Fluoroclear. The regular FC was breaking all the time. I tried both the 12lb and 6lb tests.

This is all great info. I have often wondered but thought these guides were just a gimmick. You just don't see them much on higher end rods.

Nice set up. It should work great for just about anything. As far as snow goes, we got 6-8 inches between yesterday and today. Spring, if you're listening, please hurry.

I look at this way, if I can see it then the fish can see it. I have tried braid as main line many time and FC has out fished in every instance except heavy coverage. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike braid, I just feel it is a technique specific line.

St. Croix Avid would be my favorite. You mentioned the Fenwick Smallmouth rods. I have one and it is not bad but I think I would avoid buying one on ebay. I also have have a Fenwick Walleye rod. This rod seems to just slightly better made than the Smallmouth rod. As far as a comparison between the two, the St.Croix avid is a better, more sensitive rod. IMHO, the Avid is one of the best bang for the buck.

I used Red Label last year and was surprised at how good it was. It is a little stiff but with a little line conditioner, the 12lb I used was great. Other than this line, I would say there really isn't anything else.

After I spent over $500 on a set up years ago, my wife challenged me to go head to head with my daughter and her barbie rod and reel because she thought I was nuts for spending $500. My daughter was 5 years old at the time. Basically the one with the most fish was the winner. We were both fishing with small plastic worms in a pond stocked with small young bass. Needless to say, my daughter smoked me. It was a very funny and humbling experience. My wife still thinks I'm nuts though.

Maybe a decent reel but it reminds of the Wave spinning reel. More gimmicky than usable.

Jigs would be ok but I would use for weightless senko and any other T-rig stuff.

G. Loomis GLX line, pretty much any of them.

St. Croix Avid would get my vote and the price not to far off.

Chronarch 50e if you can find it on sale.

Nice set up. Enjoy. This will be great set up for weightless senkos.

I have this rod. I like it but it took me awhile to get use to it. It has more power than it appears to have. Hooks set are a little weird too. I can't really explain it but once you use it, you will see what I mean. I would say this rod works best with light weight cranks that dive to 4 to 10 feet. Bottom line, it is an odd rod but a good rod that takes some getting use to.

How about the Fenwick Elite Tech Bass rods. This would be my rod of choice in that price range (seen them on sale) ETB610ML-XFS.

Based on what I am reading here (having not used the smoke) I would pass. If you are looking for a value priced reel, you might check the Pflueger Supreme. I just picked one up and it seems solid. I have yet to here any negative reviews on this forum or from anybody in general. Just a side note, I have had several older Quantum reels and my experience with them was less than positive.

I have two of them, one is a smallmouth casting and the other is a walleye spinning. Both are quality rods, the sensitivity is good but not fantastic, and they are well balanced. I would say they are a great rods for the money.

I don't see why not. Most shaky head rods should be stiff all the way up until the last 3-4 inches of the rod. Jerkbait rods seem to do almost the same thing, with the rod usually being fast with a soft tip.

In general I like FC for soft plastic, mono for hard baits, cranks, jerkbaits, etc. and braid for thick cover only.

XL is great line but at $10 that seems high priced to me too. It used to be about $6 or $7. As far as using it for crankbaits, it works great but I find it does not last long in rough cover.

I think the 12lb would be great for a baitcaster but I have had better luck with invisix and trilene 100% FC on spinning gear.