Thanks, Kickerfish. Informative stuff. I have the 873, but its exclusivley crig. I dont rig anything else on it. A buddy of mine has the 895, but feels like a broom stick handle to me, a light broomstick tho! I like the 7'1" 854 or 853 for closer proximty to targets/cover for pitching or flipping. Just not sure if the 853 has the "ump" to move. fish from heavy, heavy cover fast. I never considered using the 873 for anything else other than ccrig. I will keep it in mind. Thanks for the taking time to give input.