Buzbait88

The asaro is an awesome reel and you got a great price on it. I have 1 and has held up well for the last couple of years. IMO, pfluegers are the smoothest, most durable reels on the market and its hard to beat the price.

I don't like it. Just me personally, but I like a trailer in the skirt.

I'd use the kistler for frogging. If it has a softer tip it will help you cast farther, by being able to load the rod up and it will help on the hook set by giving you an extra second incase you set the hook prematurely.

I like a med rod for lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits, but I generally use braid so I can use a softer rod and still get a good hookset.

I heard an analogy one time that said this. Think of it like shooting a rifle. What happens when you have a bullet to small for the barrel? It bounces side to side and gets all wacked out of place, but when you have a proper fitting bullet it slides right out with no bouncing, it comes out straight and goes your aiming.

use heavier line. I always have problems using braid with either the knot coming undone or the shock of getting a backlash breaks the line. I use a trilene knot on 30lb with no problems but on a 15lb and less it tends to slip.

not sure exactly where you are in Michigan, but I am a prostaffer in Iowa and there is another pro-staffer in pickering ontario, which looks like a couple hour drive from Detroit. Long drive to Iowa unfortunately, but we are the closest to you. This is taken right off the website. Although your Citrus Stick should give you many years of enjoyment; we understand that things happen. BCS Customs is proud to offer a limited lifetime warranty on the Citrus Stick against manufacturer defects. If you find that your rod needs service or repair, simply package the rod and return it to the address below with $20 shipping and handling. We will inspect your rod to determine the cause of the breakage and/or service needed. If determined that the damage is a manufacturer defect we will gladly replace the rod at no cost to you (excluding shipping and handling). If the damage is determined to be anything other than manufacturer defect a quote for repair will be provided to you. We also offer "Putting the Squeeze on em" warranty. This is a no questions asked warranty. Slam the rod in your rod locker, break off the tip getting a snag out, or even run over it with your truck. It doesn't matter; we will replace your rod. Here's how it works: Simply give us a call or fill out the warranty claim in the BCS Customs Store. We will charge your credit card $50 for the rod + $20 shipping and handling. We will send you the same model rod in a return postage pre-paid tube. Once you receive your new rod, put the damaged rod in the same packaging and ship it back to us within 30 days to avoid being charged the full amount of the cost of the rod

I've never used the avid series so I can't compare anything to them, but 1 of the best rods for sensitivity I have found is citrus sticks. They a new company and other people that have used more expensive rods have compared it to Gloomis GLX as far as feel and sensitivity. Worth a look for 155$ its the most sensitive rod I have used.

I've never used it, but would bet that it is a good reel. I've used trions for awhile before upgrading to higher end pfluegers and that reel looks very similar.

I prefer a 7'11" for flipping. I think a shorter rod is easier for pitchin though. I like a 7'3"

I fish frogs all day long in some of the nastiest cover I can find so having a super light and super tough rod is a must! My frog rod this year will be a 7'11" citrus stick, heavy fast and probably 50-65lb test braid. I need something light to avoid fatigue throughout the long day, but at the same time I need something thats very strong to pull a big bass out of some thick cover.

patriarch HANDS DOWN!! Better cast control, smoother and just plain out a better reel. IMO, it blows the curado away. I don't have much experience with the curado, cause I bought one last year and had it a month before I decided it couldn't compete with the patriarch and sold it and bought another patriarch. Take good care of it and it will last a long time.

Just called all of the gander mountains within about 2 hrs of me and they are sold out! Wish I would have seen this earlier.

here is an article from a custom rod builder that had seen some citrus sticks. http://rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,322870

I heard the same thing about the left handed reels for flipping and pitching so I bought a left hand retrieve reel and it did allow me to be ready for bites better, but I just couldn't get used to the left hand retrieve.

Whats the red flag?? Honestly, alot of people think they are really bright and ugly, but they really aren't as bright as they look, but that comes up alot and its understandable. I really think the college series is going to be what sets citrus stick apart. They are already light, sensitive and strong, once people start seeing colors they like and trying them out I think alot will change. They are at the classic right now, so if anyone is going there stop by and check them out. It just means a post with more than 25 responses. Nothing towards the rod company, just a forum thing. ok, I wasnt sure what it meant. I didn't think it had anything to do with citrus sticks. I thought it had something to do with marking topics that had potential to get out of line or something. lol, I don't really know. But always good to know.

Whats the red flag?? Honestly, alot of people think they are really bright and ugly, but they really aren't as bright as they look, but that comes up alot and its understandable. I really think the college series is going to be what sets citrus stick apart. They are already light, sensitive and strong, once people start seeing colors they like and trying them out I think alot will change. They are at the classic right now, so if anyone is going there stop by and check them out.

the patriarch is awesome!! I prefer the wide spool over the narrow spool. I haven't used the patriach in narrow spool, but I have used the summit in narrow spool so I assum its the same. If I were you I would go to basspro or something and hold the models in your hand and see which you like the best. With my fat fingers I like the wide spool.

he sponsors one site already, but a few looks through some posts here and I doubt he will sponsor bass resource. Nothing against bassresource, but so far not to many members have nice things to say. lol, and thats common with something new and different. Citrus sticks will let the rod do the speaking for them and I'm sure it won't be long before everyone has heard about them. They already have almost 1000 views from this post alone. lol

the blanks are IM7. They use IM7 because it provides an excellent, affordable balance of strength and durability while also being highly sensitive and light weight.

They are similar, but unlike carrot sticks Jeff doesn't take the cheap route, I.E. shipping overseas. They are much stronger and much better built IMO. I have not met Clay and he doesn't appear to be on the prostaff. There is a video of him on the site using them, but I'm not sure what that is all about. The only "pro" I know of is Ott. Who if you don't know is a young angler that just came into the ranks a few years ago, but is making a pretty big splash. He seems like a great guy and I think he will do well in his career.

I also forgot to mention the go green program. If you donate an old rod you will get a 10% discount on your new rod. Jeff will then refurbish your old rod, if it needs it, and donate it to a youth organization.

I'm on the prostaff and your right the only big name pro on the staff right now is Ott Defoe. The reason the site looks so lack luster is because Jeff Bunch is extremely busy doing shows, tournaments and building rods. He builds these himself in lebanon, Tn. So they are 100% handmade in the US. He is also trying to frantically get his college series rods ready for the classic as well as several new sizes and weights. The college series will feature college colors as well as school logos and the ones I have seen will be nice rods. He will also be coming out with a higher end rod that will feature micro guides and maybe even spiral guides. They aren't really as bright as you might think. Here is a pic of them on the water. I think if you all got to use them you would be pleasantly surprised with the weight, sensitivity and overall feel of this rod. There has been a ton of great reviews on other sites from people that have used them. If anyone is interested you can contact me here or at nathangravert@hotmail.com

I have always gone with the bigger the better, but somebody was just telling me the other day that he prefers a 7' rod, because an 8' rod moves to much line on the hookset and the shorter rod allows him to let the fish have the frog for an extra second or 2. I guess for guys with an itchy trigger finger that would be ok, but I can usually do alright waiting on the hookset.

river to sea makes a good frog. I haven't tried the Maxx yet, I think its made by tru tungsten, but it looked really good.