WI_Angler1989

So.....many.....Lucky Craft.....Pointers..

Oh I see, the Elite is an awesome rod though! Especially the new 2016 lineup, they're gorgeous! I've wanted an Elite for years too. I was at scheels and got hands on with an Xtreme which is where this curiosity started. Yeah, the 610mlxf is amazing! It's the absolute PERFECT rod for how I fish. This year I even plan to use it for dropshot haha. It's hard to branch out when my go-to's work so darn well! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Legend Tournament and it's super sensitive. I've had my 2 best seasons since I got it and really learned finesse and tube fishing. I just can't help wondering how that extra 150$ of rod feels to fish. I know a lot of that is in the trimmings too, but it would be fun to try out none the less! I agree though, LTB rods are WAY more than enough for my needs. I'm no tournament angler, just someone who likes to save up and get quality gear and the LTB has never let me down.

I like a longer rod too. It would be cool to test my 610mlxf LTB next to your Xtreme! See how they feel since they're twins. I like the split grip as well, but the Xtreme's grip feels sort of like it is split too. Minus the bare blank of course.

Hey all. So this is purely a hypothetical, curiosity based question. For all you guys who own or have fished both the LTB and the Xtreme spinning rods, how big of a difference is there? Like, is the Xtreme really THAT much more sensitive? Would two identical lengths, actions and powers feel similar? Or is there no contest? I have a 610mlxf legend tournament bass rod that I love, but I'm always wondering how much of an improvement the next tier up would really be. Sadly, there's no way to test that out without buying one. Which is hard when you're pooooor. I wish there was a demo program for rods on TW like they do with reels!

I love fishing curly tail worms! They work well for me early in the year especially. It's one of the first lures I use when I hit my local lake. It's almost cheater once the bass have moved up into the shallower water aND are around cover. I usually tie on a 3/0 hook with a tungsten bullet weight and either use a 7" Berkley Power Worm or a 6" Big Bite Baits Kreit tail worm. As for colors, I keep it simple. Watermelon red or green pumpkin always workeep. Sometimes I try other colors for fun too.

How do you like it so far?! I've been checking it out online a lot. Seems like an awesome reel even compared to my Stradic. I like how the Ultegra has a lot of the same higher end tech in it and durable sealed body.

I leader. Always. I fish clear (relatively) Wisconsin rivers for smallmouth. All the pros of the fluoro leader are a must here: The abrasion resistance because it's rocky, the invisibility since the water is so clear, the fact it sinks since I fish bottom contact a lot, and the very low stretch gives a small shock absorption over the braid. The cons, aka the knot, is nothing to me. Sometimes it's a pain to retie or if there's wind, but practice makes better! One thing that isn't mentioned often is that when you use a leader with braid, you go through sooooo much less braid! Pretty much the only line I cut off is what's necessary to retie. For me it's a must. Is it 100% necessary? I doubt it, but sometimes it's all the difference and for me the line performance outweighs the "visibility" argument. So I guess it's all about confidence in the end.

All these new rods and reels got me all like....

I personally like spinning reels best. They're what I learned to fish with and fell in love with fishing with. Like the others said, may not be the best tool for every application, but it's all about preference. The main downsides to me, which I can live without, are the faster gear ratios and the one handed use. The simple button push to cast makes it a lot easier to multi task (like paddling while casting). When it's all said and done, I really love fishing spinning reels, so that's what I do. Maybe some day I'll branch out, maybe not.

I can't speak on a m/f being too much, but I can share my experiences with a dropshot rod. I have the 610mlxf St Croix Legend Tournament Bass spinning rod, which is literally the dropshot rod in the series. It's obviously great for dropshot, despite my limited experience, but it's also super versatile. I fish tubes with it A LOT, wacky rigs, small topwaters, finesse jigs, small worms and other Texas rigs and any other finesse tactics. I've even fished Kalin's grubs in a pinch despite the XF tip. It's easily my best and favorite rod BECAUSE of its versatility.

Ours are similar to yours, browns and green tint, but later on in the year (this on is from april) they have a lot more blue to them. A green and blue flake tube or craw slays smallies in my rivers!

Lucky guy! It's so cold and snowy here unfortunately

Nice reel ya got there!

Finally got my baby back! They replaced the reel and sent back my old spool too. Have 2 now!

For me it varies with where I'm fishing. If I'm fishing the rivers here, I always fall back to a 2.5" Cabin Creek tube in green pumpkin blue, rigged on a Cadman's 1/4 oz Smallie Crawlin' jig. If I'm on any of the lakes I would fall back to 7" watermelon red Berkley Power worm, on a 3/0 hook woth 1/8 oz tungsten bullet weight. Slow and steady tends to win the race for me in tough situations.

Awesome, man! You're gonna love it!

Makes sense. I don't like wearing sunglasses to begin with so no loss for me. I just like the polarized aspect for fishing, obviously!

Me too. One season under her belt and not one disappointment!

Awesome! That sounds like the way I'm gonna go. A cheap lifetime replacement fee makes all temperature difference to me. Especially when considering how fragile they technically are. What color frame would you suggest as a starting point? There are so many to fit the situation, but I can only get 1 to start.

Nice. That gives a lot of peace of mind. Any idea how long the 20$ guarantee is for? A year? Lifetime?

Since this thread is making a return.....River Rock has a helgramite as well. Never used it personally, but it looks pretty awesome especially since I found some in my home river last season.

Awesome! That's exactly what I hope for with polarized glasses. I'm like you too, high end isn't realistic right now, but the 60$ for eye surrenders could be doable if they work well.

Have you had issues with durabilty? I've heard that the SK s11 glasses have a tendency to scratch and the layers peel apart on the edges.

At least it's winter. Idk where you are in the country, but here in WI fishing glasses are pointless for a couple months still. I had to send in my new Shimano Stradic FK recently. Put it off for longer than I should have because it was still awesome fishing and ended up missing out on the easy free replacement.

The warranty send in isn't bad, but that lens has to hurt. Still better than a new pair for sure, but talkabout motivation to get OLD with keeping after those glasses.