NYBasser

E6x rod isn't bad, but there are so many other rods in that price range that are much better. Check out the Dobyns line of rods or even Kistler.

If you can return it, that is the best way to go. Trades are often complicated and it can be challenging trying to find a person willing to trade a specific rod for an other specific rod, etc. I would either go with a Dobyns Fury, or with a O.M.E.N Black gen 2. I have the Curado 70hg on the 6'7" m and it palms great. Both are great rods at a great price.

I have tried Quantum, Abu Garcia, and Daiwa reels, but always seem to gravitate back toward Shimano. Sure they are all good reels, but I feel that none of them have the feel of "refinement" provided by Shimano. Stradic FJ's go for around $150 on Ebay, if you can find them. The new Stradic FK goes for around $160. Most Shimano spinning reels from $100 and up are all solid reels that get the job done. If you want to spend less, check out the Saros or the new Nasci. Both are similar to the Stradic for around $110.

If there are weeds, try flipping a jig or texas rigged bait in holes or along the edges. Dropshotting in 20-30ft of water may also produce some smallies.

Had the chance to fish while visiting Cornell and Niagara Falls. Fished Stuart Park at the South end of Cayuga for about 30 min. Caught 2 bass on trout magnets, and about 6 more on a rooster tail. Largest fish was close to 1 lb. Also tried fishing Walton Woods Park. Fished the larger lake for 15 min with a 3 inch wacky-rigged Senko in black/blue, which produced a dink bass, probably 1/2 lb.

"smoked" "whacked" "hit"

Never tried any of the Aetos, but was tempted to purchase one. Just be careful though, couple threads online talking about grooving issues with the guides.

Flip some jigs into the empty pockets and weed edges.

Duckett Ghosts have been known to have quality control issues. Better to stick with a proven rod such as a St Croix, Shimano or Dobyns.

I usually do pretty well dropshotting a 4 inch Jackall Crosstail Shad or Reins Bubbling Shaker around rockpiles and weed edges. If you are fishing in somewhat clear water, it shouldn't be too hard to locate the weed edges.

I would have to disagree. There is a negligible difference when it comes to line size. The thinner/lighter the line, the more sensitivity. For example, let's compare 8lb mono with 50 lb mono. There is a world of difference in the sensitivity of the two.

Costa Del Mar's with the Glass Lenses. You can find them on Ebay for around $180. Well worth the money.

Try a Keitech swimbait. Either the Swing Impact or the Swing Impact Fat in 2.8" or 3.8" rigged on a weighted swimbait hook should work.

+1 on the Reins Bubbling Shaker. Great dropshot bait too.

Yeah, but is it really worth it? I mean sure I enjoy my Sustain, but if I could go back, I would have bought another Stradic Ci4+ and another rod. Recently, I was able to witness a weigh-in at a local bass tournament. Bunch of guys with Triton Tr-21's, Ranger's, and Nitro's with dual power poles, electronics, and 250hp outboards. Funny thing is, the 1st and 2nd Place winners were both guys who didn't spend much on their gear. 1st place was driving a late 90's Monark 16 ft Aluminum with a 75hp Mercury Force 2 stroke, and 2nd Place had an Alumacraft 1648 with a 15hp LEHR Propane Outboard. Was pretty amusing seeing all the guys with expensive gear get beat....lol

My buddy has a 14ft deep v decked aluminum jon boat. We fish 2 guys in it all the time. Never had a problem. The boat is pretty stable, as long as you aren't leaning over to one side too much, jumping around, etc.

I currently own a Saros 3000 FA, Stradic 2500 FJ, Stradic 2500 Ci4+, Sustain 2500 FG, and a Sahara 2500 FD. Here's how I see my reels: The Sahara is a great reel, and definitely good for beginners and pros alike. It's smooth, can take a beating, and gets the job done. I cannot find a difference between my Saros FA and Stradic FJ, aside from the color. They are both equally smooth and have great drag systems. I also feel that my Sustain feels exactly like my Stradic CI4+. Both are very smooth and are powerful reels. Sometimes, I even feel that the Ci4+ is smoother than the Sustain lol. Often times Shimano makes spinning reels that are very similar, with negligible differences, and charge different prices for them. I personally see no point as to go further than a Stradic Ci4+ anymore, because it's smooth, looks great, and gets the job done. While the Sustain, Stella, Twinpower are all very nice reels, what's the point in buying them? There is a very negligible difference in smoothness, and they don't seem to offer much more in terms of drag and power, not that you need it anyway. You are practically paying for the aesthetics and the name at that point. The Stradic Series of reels are plenty smooth and do just fine. In the end, it doesn't matter how much your gear costs, because the fish don't know and don't care. More expensive gear doesn't always correlate to more fish caught.

Just came back from fishing. Smallies were out deep. Closer to the bank, it's too weedy and the largemouth take over. Caught only 2 smallies early on the dropshot, and caught 2 more later in the day in the weeds. Rest of the day was filled in by tons of 2-3 lb largemouth. Smallies were in 15-25 ft of water.

Any luck skipping docks and flipping weed edges?

Tatula Type R is only $110 - $120 on Ebay

Try the Curado 200PG. Great reel

I only wish that would apply to this body of water. Not sure if there are any crayfish in the lake at all, but the Smallmouth refuse to touch craws and tubes. Multiple tournaments on the lake, with multiple 20 lb bags, have always produced the same result - tubes and craws didn't produce fish.

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a new reel for my frogging/flipping rod. It's a Dobyns 735C. I currently have a Curado 200E7 on the rod, but my main concern with the reel is that there is some give in the anti-reverse, quite like saltwater Avet reels. I'm considering going with a Daiwa Tatula Type R, but not sure which size would be best. Would the Tatula Type R be better, or the Tatula CT Type R fit the rod and application better? Thanks

Thanks for the suggestions, the fish are usually a mix of both. Some are suspended and some are on the bottom. Last summer, we had 50+ fish days on the drop shot, but this year, they just weren't really committing to it.

Thanks for the suggestions. Hard to really chase bait (14ft Jon with 2 electric trolling motors) and hard to fish early and late (Marina opens at 9 am and closes at 6 pm). In shallower water, the weeds, small largies, and rock bass take over. Have to give the hair jig a try though, how are you fishing it?