mrpao

What you have should work fine. I mainly use 6 or 7 lbs strait fluro on my shakey head setup. I use a light to med light rod. Just make sure to ty good knots and watch for line damage with the lighter line.

I feel that if the lake has a lot of fishing pressure, then Yes. Because the fish have seen it all and are more wary. A clear line like FC would probably be better. My home lake has alot of pressure and I feel like I can catch more on FC or mono Vs braid.

That model should work well with 1/8 th Oz plastics and above. I never tried throwing any hard baits on it, due to the faster tip. I'm sure it'll be fairly versatile.

Which model were you looking at? I did have the current model expride 7' light plus and the 6'10" ml. But, ended up selling them. I still own the older model expride in the 7' light plus and 6'10" ml. I also own the current model poison adrena 7' light plus and the 6'8" ul. I also have the previous model poison adrena 6'10" ul/m rod. I feel that the expride 7' light plus is too heavy of action to make a fun crappie rod. Too me, the expride 7'light plus and 6'10" ml had almost the same action. These are lighter action bass rods with fast action and stronger backbone. I believe a crappie rod should be lighter action and not as stiff. That being said, these are great rods for bass with light line and lures.

I would stick with the original drag washers especially if its felt. Too me, felt washers have a better drag release and consistency with light line. I've swapped out some of my carbon fiber drag washers in my 1000 and 2000S with felt washers. Watch some of I-fish 's videos on YouTube and he'll explain this theory.

Love the shimano lineup.

If you're talking live bait- then worms or minnows. Everything eats worms and minnows. If your talking artificials - then easiest is probably 1/16 oz crappie jig. Plastic or marabou both work well. I have pretty much caught everything on a crappie jig.

Could just be my opinion but i think the Expride A is a better jerkbait rod than the B. I feel it has a slightly more parabolic tip section than the B model. To me the B feels slightly more stiff.

I dont have the new model but I have several of the previous model that you mentioned. It's a decent reel. Really no complaints for the price point. The new model probably have less bearings to save on manufacturing cost. Doesn't make it any lesser of a reel. I'm going to assume it's just as smooth and reliable the older model. You can't really go wrong with any of the Daiwa LT series spinning reels.

I prefer one piece rods also, but the two piece Presso rods have never been an issue. Ive had the 6', 6'6" and 7' versions. The are not fast action but fairly moderate. They work good for moving baits and float fishing.

Daiwa presso rod. Comes in different lengths that should fit your needs.

Vanford or one of the JDM variants would be my choice for a reasonably priced light spinning reel.

That's a spawning male channel cat. They are really aggressive when guarding their nest.

Love some round reels myself

I dont have the 7'2 ML but I have the 6'10" ML and 7' L+. I prefer the 6'10" ML of the two I have. It's better balanced and for some reason I dont feel that it's as stiff as the 7' L+. It seems that the tip is a little softer on the 6'10" ML.

I also purchase a Magic L ultralight. It's a decent little rod for $31. I actually bought two since they performed well for the price. I have both paired up with two Piscifun carbon x 1000 reels. I used them mainly for trout this past winter. I wish they would come out with longer lengths in this model.

I often use a 1/6 or 1/4 white roostertail tied about twelve inches below a small swivel. If the water is stained, I might choose a brighter color. I throw it out on flats about 10 feet deep and let it sink to the bottom then just slow roll it back, pausing every now and then. The spotted bass love it.

The CHX has a smaller body. C stands for compact. HX stands for extra high gear ratio. If it has S, then that means shallow spool. The weight should be lighter on the CHX, due to the smaller body size. You can called Daiwa and order the bigger knobs if they are in stock.

Is the "Shimano" reel from AliExpress? I've seem them on there and was intrigued. Looked like a cross between a Stella and Exist. How does it feel compared to the name brand reels?

I have used the A model for poppers before and it did a decent job. I haven't used the B model for poppers yet. It would probably be okay with 3/8 or slightly heavier lures. The B seems the be slightly more stiff than the A model. But i dont think that will be a huge issues.

Maybe just me, but I found the old site easier to navigate. It seems to take a lot more clicks to get to where I need to go now.

I had to return a reel to digitaka because of bad gears. They emailed me a prepaid return label. Got a refund a few days later. That's the only time I ever had an issue.

Daiwa Airity ST SF is on my list.

I throw alot of those tiny cranks. I use a light action or ultralight spinning rod with 3, 4 or 5 lbs test line. They'll catch a lot of small bass, sunfish and crappie.

I would use fluro for jerkbaits and crankbaits. Mono or braid to leader for poppers and walking baits. Two rods would be a better option.