mrpao

All three are great reels. Can't go wrong with any of them. For moving baits, i would go with the Stradic FL. The aluminum frame makes it smoother. For bottom contact, either Vanford or Tatula LT. Lighter weight will help with sensitivity.

The knobs on the Kage are the coated ones. No need to do anything to them. I did buy are pair of the non- coated ones. Not as nice as the coated ones. I had to sand the edges down a little to round them out. Then I sealed them with some U-40.

I throw the flicker shad a good bit too, but once the water gets cooler, i have better luck with the shad rap. I think the rattle in the flicker shad can sometimes turn the fish off. There's just something magical about that silent balsa lure. But, i do wish rapala would make a rattling version for more stained and warmer waters.

One thing i like about St. Croix is that they post the rod weights. I wish all companies would do that. I mean, all companies post reel weights, why not the rod weights also.

Could be where some cork filler fell out. You could put a little more filler in then just seal it with U-40 and it should be fine. The rest of the cork doesn't look to be that great either. Most rods these days dont have good quality cork.

I agree with TnRiver46. There is really no special gear needed for panfish in that area. I have fished in those SC swampy areas before and my normal ultralight to light gear does fine. Small beetle spins, weedless crappie jigs, small floating minnows and topwaters will all do fine. Also small weedless rigged berkley trout worms work well for the red breast and war mouths in those waters. I normally use at least 6 lbs test just because of all the cover.

Just a small dinky largemouth.

I'm in SC and I haven't heard of many people surf fishing for stripers. Most of the striper fishing is lake based. My brother in law is a huge striper fisherman. He does alot of tournaments. He's got some nice fish on his walls.

I like the green but do wish it was a little more brilliant or metallic. At least it's not red like every other reel.

The only rod that I have that kind of matches it is the Conquest. That's because of the greenish guide wraps. Still not a perfect match but decent.

Can we have too much gear? That's like asking if you can have too much money or a girl too pretty. I say "No". My arsenal is never complete because manufacturers keep coming out with newer and better gear. I'm a tackle junky, so if I think it's going to give me a slight edge, I'll try it. We dont buy fishing combos as a need. It's a want. Anyway, if we stop buying new gear, this billion dollar industry would crash. Then there would be nothing new to buy, if we wanted it.

On my ultralight rods I usually put a 1000 or 500 size reel. I feel that get that true ultralight feel, you need a small light weight reel. Most of my reels have 6, 4 or 2 lbs line on them. I'll also used 6 and 8 lbs braid to get better casting sometimes.

From TW: Poison adrena 6'10" med casting 2X Poison adrena 6'10" ultra light spinning. From ALF: 2X Vanford 500 From broad member: Conquest 842c Plus other supplies i needed. Also multiple purchases from before BF are being delivered. My wallet is not happy.

I dont have the okuma 7' light. But i do have the 6' and 6'6" ultra light version. I throw up to 1/6 oz roostertails on these rods often. No doubt they could handle more weight. When you say Carolina rig, I assume with powerbait. Any of these rods will do fine. No need to think too hard about it. Not sure about the 7' rod, but the versions I have are moderate action and bend fairly easily. Not very sensitive but great for keeping fish pinned. The daiwa spinmatic has a similar action. Its fairly moderate as well. I had that rod in the 7' ultra light. Also not very sensitive either. But for spinners and powerbait, it should work ok as well.

More than likely a carp. But next time get a picture and we can help confirm it.

No wonder the wife is always happy to see me after I come back from fishing.

I've never known line conditioner to decrease nor increase line abrasion. I always use it with my fluoro. I like the KVD conditioner. It makes a big difference in the memory of the line.

Shimano has a tendency to under weight their reels. My bantams with line will weigh around 8.1 to 8.2 oz. My Metaniums with line weight around 6.7 to 6.8 ozs. Not be big deal, but if you're trying to balance out certain rods, it can make a difference. On another note. The both are great reels as already stated. Smooth and solid feeling.

For lighter applications i would go with Aldebaran or another light reel. For everything else, Metanium or Steez SV. I would choose a magnesium or carbon frame over aluminum for bottom contact. Its not only lighter but transmits vibrations better.

The rod shipping prices are quite high. I was going to order a few rods from them, but shipping was around $60 for each rod.

If you already have that many med light combos, i see no reason to really add to it unless you just like to try new rods and reels. The monkey is always on my back also.

Unless you dont fish much, why not get a combo that you can use for other purposes also. A decent 7' med light action spinning combo would be pretty universal. You could fish for many different species with it.

I have two of the 14 Conquest setup as spinnerbait combos. I use 15 lbs line and have no issues with line capacity. But I don't usually bomb cast my spinnerbaits.

Hmmm. She may be on to something. But what do I know. All I hear from my wife is "Blab, blab, blab, blab" also.

The Carbonlite 2.0 is a rebadged daiwa reel. I believe they have a one year warranty but not for certain. I have had mine for over a year. No issues so far.