mrpao

So is Berkley solutions just a renamed Trilene XL? From what I heard several years ago when Berkley came out with a catfish line, its was just a renamed trilene big game in a smaller spool size. It had a different packaging and they charged more for it per yard.

Main question is where are you using it? Small pond or big lake? How far do you plan to travel in the jon boat?

Best bet is to replace the line. It happens alot with braid, especially the more limp 8 carrier versions.

Like you guys said, I dont buy a reel thinking about resale value. Its hard to say which reels will be in demand and which wont down the line. I buy a reel that I think will perform good, meets my needs and looks cool. Admit it, we all buy reels because we like the way they look. If I dont like a reel, I'll sell it. If i like it, I usually buy several more to cover my needs. Throughout the years, my reel collection has grown bigger and bigger. It's hard to get rid of a reel that still performs great and looks great. I just keep adding to my collection with the latest and greatest. Hmmm. I may have a problem....

As mentioned, the quality of the bearings is more important than the number of bearings. The major brands usually use pretty decent bearings. Beware of the cheap knockoff reels with 15 bearings. They will be crap.

If you decide on shimano rods, skip the curado and go for the zodias. For only a little more, you get a much better rod. Plus you can normally find them used around $125 or so. That's if you dont mind the red accent coloring. With the new model coming out, the zodias should be on clearance soon.

This stuff makes a difference. I usually spray it on my fluro before I fish it. Makes it more manageable. Works well on mono too.

I know everybody like something different and much of it depends on the lake you fish. My lakes are generally not super clear so I use a braid main line. Usually about 30 lbs braid to a 15 lbs fluro or mono leader. Despite what you hear, unless you have a floating type bait, the leader is not going to float your bait. It usually just drags on the bottom behind the sinker. I have tested it in my swimming pool.

I haven't fished any of the JDM arochi xxx rods. I'm sure they would be a great choice. Since you are going JDM, I would also check out the JDM shimano exprides. They have more models than the US models and come in two piece designs. If they fish like their US counterparts, you'll be very pleased.

Decent baits but the hooks suck. Even a small bass would bend the hooks out.

I would step the rod up to the poison adrena. The blank is much more sensitive than the exprides. I have my 20 metanium on a 7'3" med hvy poison adrena - T rigs. I have a core 100mg7 on a 7'2" hvy poison adrena- for jigs. I personally like Mg reels on my bottom contact rods due to the lighter weight.

If I were you I would strongly consider a two piece rod. It will make traveling with it much easier for you. Plus you'll be less likely to break the tip.

The 3000 size is suppose to have carbon drag washers. Is the spool on the spool shaft all the way? If it's not pushed down all the way the clicker may not make contact with the round piece on the spool shaft that makes it click. Plus it would give inconsistent drag pressure.

I have a tracker 170 also. Being a smaller boat I don't use very long rods because of the space available. My longest rod is 7'3". Most of my rods are 7'2" or less. I usually carry rods for what I plan to fish or what is hot at the moment. If the crankbait bite is hot, I'll carry several different cranking setups. If its topwaters, then several different topwater setups. And so on. If I'm testing the waters, I'll carry one for each technique I think the fish may want. Of course each lake is different. Stick to your favorite techniques and fine tune them as you go.

I really enjoy looking at other people's expensive gear. I have nice gear myself, and could have nicer gear if I wanted. I just like to see how people have their stuff setup.

I have the engetsu hg model. Pretty much a beefed up curado 70 with a shallower spool, as mentioned above. Another cool thing is it has the drag out clicker. When big fish pulls drag, it clicks like spinning reels do. While the engetsu is a cool looking reel, if you want more performance get the bantam mgl pg. It's super smooth on the retrieve and cast great. I would put the smoothness up there with my Conquest reels. Plus the bantam mgl pg is a 5.5:1 gear ratio while the engetsu pg is a 5.8:1. Not sure what the inches per turn are though because I think the spools are different sizes.

I don't feel the med hvy expride is too stiff at all. I believe it's considered fast action and to me feels right where it should be. It's a very versatile rod. Good at most things, but not great at any in particular. I agree that the expride 7'2 med hvy is probably not the most sensitive rod out there. In fact far from it. But it's good enough to be used for bottom contact techniques. For the money, it's still a very good rod.

If money is no issue, get the twin power. I've heard it's as smooth as the stella.

The 7'2" hvy shouldn't have any issues with throwing a 3/8 oz jig. A 3/8 oz jig may be close to 3/4 oz by the time you add a trailer. Most of my 1/2 oz jigs are close to 1 oz with the trailer.

I think you will be happy with the 7'2" med hvy and 7'2" hvy. The 7'2" med hvy is a great all around rod. It can do many things. I throw T-rigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and Carolina rigs with mine. But I dont think it handles 1/2 oz jigs well. To me it feels alittle under powered, especially if there is any cover involved. I think the 7'2" hvy would be great for 1/2 oz jigs. And it should work as a frog rod, since you are only throwing frogs some of the time. Also if your cover isn't really heavy and dense, it probably won't be much of an issue.

Bantam mgl would be a good choice. Tough and durable build. It should balance out on that longer rod nicely.

I would just get another reel. You can usually find the Sedona reel for around $50. Or get a Sahara or Nasci for alittle more. If I remember correctly the Sedona spool will fit on the other two models also.

The newer reels dont even have that part anymore. They all just rely on the anti-reverse bearing. I have removed all of mine and never had an issue.

Any of the daiwa LT series reel will be good. As well as the shimano Sedona, Sahara and Nasci. They will all be smooth and fairly trouble free. 1000 to 2500 size should serve for your purpose. I have tried most of them . As of now, most of my low end spinning reels consist of daiwa 1000 size reels. But I still have some older shimano' s in the mix too.

I have weighted a few of my 1/2 oz jigs with trailer they normally weigh close to an oz. Give or take a little.