jimmyjoe

BG series. They're metal, so they're a little heavier than the plastic reels Daiwa makes, but they're solid as stone. If you want to do your own maintenance, they're also easier for that. There aren't many reels as smooth and powerful as the BG series at this price point ...... if any. jj p.s. - I place a very high priority on ruggedness and longevity. Some other people don't feel the same way.

Metal Stradic. jj

Yes, I'd go with the TranX. I don't know whether you need the 300 size or not, though. That's a musky reel, a real monster. I have one, and had 65 lb. braid on it this fall. It would throw a Pad Crasher, but not all that far. I initially got it for pike and musky, with bass on the side, so to speak. Right now, I have it out to be de-greased and re-lubed. Next year might prove to be more interesting than this year. There are people here who use the 300 size TranX. Not a huge number, but a few. @A-Jay might be one. Those people could probably tell you whether the 300 size is appropriate for the uses you've listed. Good luck! jj

Love that. Thank you!. jj

Of the three you mentioned, I personally would only consider the TranX, especially for frogging. jj

Yep. jj

You said "mainly" use it for bass fishing. What else will you use it for? And as @Rusty_Shackleford said, how big are "bigger baits"? jj

There's a professional angler on this site, and he's not using an assumed name. Go to the forum that is titled, "Ask James Niggemeyer" jj

The 7' LTB Sweeper Spinnerbait is equivalent to the Mojo Bass 7' Spinnerbait model. The 7'-1" MH/F LTB is equivalent to the Mojo Bass 7'-1" MH/F. I have both of the Mojo rods. The 7'-1" MH/F *IS* my spinnerbait rod, and it's one of the best I've ever seen for that purpose. I throw 1/2 oz. spinnerbaits. I use the 7' MH/MF rod for jerkbaits right now. If I threw only 1/4 and 3/8 oz. spinnerbaits, I might consider it a good spinnerbait rod. I don't, though. As in all things, YMMV. Good luck! jj

X2! A couple of lakes where I fish are retained by what is now called "urbanite". IOW, broken-up concrete. Fishing braid in that was just an exercise in futility. Now I use Trilene Big Game, and I'm happy. ? jj

Thanks for stopping by; it's good to have you here. People usually post introductions in the forum below this one: "Introductions", but we won't tell anybody. ?? ?? It'd be nice to know where you are, where you fish, etc. That's something you can fill out on your profile. No need to be too specific; I'm hiding from my ex-mother-in-law and so far it's working. ??? jj

This is true. Very true. You can try it, though. Always a good idea to learn first-hand rather than just take what other people say. I had a cleaned-up Shimano Curado 70 on a Daiwa model SMD 702ULFB rod, rated 1/32 to 1/4. I could cast 1/8 oz. lures with 8 lb. line. Basically I did it to see whether it could be done. I got my answer; yes, it can be done. It's not something I want to do all day, because it takes concentration. There are a couple guys on here who dabble in BFS (baitcast finesse system). They can probably tell you more than you want to know, because ultra-light baitcasting is a rabbit hole you may no want to go down; it's expensive. @Bass_Fishing_Socal might be one to help you. Good luck! JJ

I bet that can be painful! ??? jj

Man, you can say that again! There are other sites on the web that are like gang warfare! I don't want any part of that. Thank you, @Glenn. jj

Same here. I don't worry about it. jj

Berkley has a blue nylon line called Cold Weather. I've used it and I like it in cold weather. I've never used it in hot weather. It might stand up to high temps, and it might not. They make it in tests up to 12 lb. The bright blue is easy to see above water, and from what little I can see it's not overly visible below surface. jj

You think that scales is off? Ha! You ought to see how far off my bathroom scales is! I'm only 175 lbs., and it tells me that I'm 220. Now that's a scales that's really off! ?? jj

Wow! ??? jj

..... or musical chairs waiting for the music to stop. ? jj

Odd; the only bail I ever bent was on a Daiwa Fuego 2000SH spinning reel. jj

Hey, @A-Jay! You need a longer rod that's more resistant to high sticking! ?? jj

I have a Curado 70 with 12 lb. InvizX on it. The rod is my smaller crankbait rod; a M/MF. I'm a firm believer that for all the different lines out there, there is one particular line that will perform the best on a particular reel. That InvizX at 12 lb. really matches the Curado 70, and the feel of squarebills hitting riprap is hard for me to explain ..... but I definitely like it. The other thing is that I use this setup for 1/2 oz. Mepps spinners. Fluorocarbon seems to resist twist better than nylon, and MUCH better than braid. So I get two ..... two ..... two mints in one! ??? JJ

I guess I look at it differently compared to most people: How many moving parts in a reel? How many of the pieces are "expensive"? How many moving parts in a rod? How many of the components are "expensive"? If I had $500, I'd spend $100-200 on the rod, and $300-400 on the reel. I use a steady retrieve, and that obviously makes some difference. If I had $250, it would be $100 or less for the rod and $150-175 for the reel. jj

If you're going for distance with casting equipment and want to use braid, I suggest finding a forum for surfcasting. Even though it's a totally different style of fishing, the problems we're discussing are very obvious to surfcasters, and they deal with them all the time. Very few who use rotating-spool reels stick with braid, mostly because of the dig-in problem. It's not impossible, just trickier and more frustrating. I've been where you are, and I wish for you the best of luck. jj

Frogging entails either pulling a fish through masses of weeds or pulling a fish and weeds through masses of weeds. Either way, it's not a job for lower power rods. I have a Heavy power rod that I use for it, with 65 lb. braid. To me, a Medium power rod is for areas with no weeds or obstructions. jj