Yudo1

Pros: they are travel rods, cons: they are travel rods. I love the convenience of being able to carry them on planes and fitting them into luggage, but I only use them for this purpose. If I'm not traveling I use my one piece rods.

Drop shot is the one technique I prefer spinning gear for because of the vertical presentation. I use casting gear for everything else including finesse baits like ned rigs, wacky rigs, grubs, etc.

Medium refers to the power of a rod and moderate refers to the action. I choose the appropriate power according to weight of the lure and depth it dives to. I choose moderate or moderate/fast rods for treble/crank baits because I want to keep the small trebles pinned in the fish.

Most ML rods are rated up to 3/8 or 1/2. I'd get a medium power rod for those weights for sure.

I really don't have any desire to get a new zillion. I absolutely bomb a frog on my 50th anniversary.

I'm no pro so I fish purely for fun and relaxation. I have no doubt Scott Martin could out fish me with an ugly stik, but I sure do enjoy using my nrx, megabass and kistlers. I also have and use some $100 rods too. Fishing is the only hobby I spend money on. While $400 is a lot of money, it will give me years of enjoyment so broken down over time it's not too bad. Sort of a buy once, cry once philosophy. Higher end rods are like any higher end product. You could get to work in any vehicle, but I'd choose something like a mercedes or bmw over a hyundai (I own a hyundai). Fortunately high end fishing gear doesn't cost as much as a bmw, so I can afford it. I appreciate the light weight, sensitivity and action of higher end rods. Not everyone really appreciates high end gear though. My buddy for instance could afford high end rods, but sticks with rods in the $100 range. He could care less. He points out that my gear doesn't catch more fish and he's right. A $75000 bass boat doesn't fit my budget, but a high-end rod does. Life is too short and unpredictable. The only thing that worries me is if something happens to me, my wife will sell it all for $10 in a garage sale.

The KLX crank, rip, twitch is another really nice jerk bait rod.

That should be a great choice.

It's a shame you didn't ask this a couple of weeks ago when the orochi xx was being cleared out. You could've picked up a jerk bait special for $175, but I'm pretty sure it's sold out everywhere. If by chance you can find one, I highly recommend it.

The main difference is the action being faster in the helium 3 line. Both KLX and H3 are some of my favorites. I think the 7'1" mh/xf would be a perfect choice for your intended use.

The tdz100 is kind of the oddball of the bunch because it has a 36mm spool which is only compatible with og zillions and fuegos. The 103/105 share the 34mm spool so you can swap them with other tdz/steez reels which take the 34mm. The 105 is shallower and more finesse-oriented. I like the 103 for general purpose and in particular the 103H which has a 6.3 gear. Lefties can upgrade to 7.1 with a gear set from the tackle trap. One of my favorite reels is the tdz r+ which has the tuned spool rotor.

I own an 893 and 873. I throw 3/8 and 1/2 jigs with my 873 while my 893 is used for light t-rigs. I've read the 894 is the best 1/2-3/4 jig rod made. It sounds like you need the 873, but I'll let others who actually own the 894 comment on how it fishes 3/8.

The steez 100hla is a refined, beautiful reel. The 100hla is also easier to cast than the 103 which in my hands can be a bit wild. One of my favorite things about daiwa is you can interchange spools and completely transform the reel. The steez can fit other 34mm spools and there are some guys out there with quite a collection of spools. Some of my favorite spools are the 1016, sv1000 and rays studio bfs. The rays studio bfs gives the reel the ability to cast 1/8oz lures with the right rod. It's a very versatile platform. In that price range you have a ton of options, but you can't go wrong with a steez IMO.

X2

Google pflueger replacement parts. There is site you can order parts from. I think its ereplacementparts.com .

I think its been established that you can use spinning gear for every technique especially on this site. I started out 100% spinning like most. Spinning is superior to casting for vertically presentations like drop shots. But IMO, casting is more enjoyable and more efficient. I use lefty casting reels which is the most efficient for me because I just put my thumb on the spool, engage the thumbar, cast, thumb it, turn the handle to engage the gear, no switching hands. I planned on using spinning gear more this year so I bought a $500 jdm reel. I thought it would make me enjoy it more, but I made a few casts and immediately took the line off, re-boxed it and put it up for sale. The reel was amazing, but it didn't make me enjoy it more. The process of casting felt clumsy compared to using bait casters. It all comes down to what you prefer and enjoy. We spend more time fishing than catching. Do whatever you're comfortable with. Actually I sort of wish I stuck with spinning gear because it was much easier on my wallet. My obsession with casting gear has sent me down the path of the dark side. I scour sites for good deals on high end daiwa, shimano and megabass reels and megabass, nrx and other high-end rods. Life was simpler when I just grabbed my president combo.

I fish 75% in a yak, 20% from shore and 5% in the back of my buddy's boat. From a yak I take 3 combos which vary depending on body of water I'm fishing. I fish rivers for smallies and lakes which have weeds and pads for largies. All of my combos are versatile enough to pull double duty. River smallies (choose 3) 1. 7'1" medium /fast rod, 7.2 gear reel, 10lb sniper 2. 7' ml/f rod, 6.8 gear reel, 8lb copoly 3. 6'8" m/mf rod, 7.1 gear reel, 10lb copoly 4. 7' ml/xf spinning, spinning reel, 10lb braid Lake largemouth (choose 3) 1. 7'2" x-heavy/fast rod, 7.3 gear reel, 50lb braid 2. 7'3" x- heavy/fast rod, 8.0 gear reel, 40lb braid 3. 7'3" h/f rod, 8.1 reel, 30lb braid 4. 7'4" mh/xf rod, 8.1 reel, 12lb sniper 5. 7'2" mh/mf rod, 7.1 reel, 30lb braid

I use about 3' or 4' of fluoro and copoly. The main reason I use leaders is to break off snags and to conserve the braid. I'm less concerned with line visibilty.

I agree 100%. Get the megabass drop shot rod. Kistler runs some great sales where you could get the klx or better yet a helium3 30% off. The nfc blanks are the real deal. Sign up for their emails.

I've narrowed it down to Loomis, megabass and kistler. If I had to choose just one I could go with any one of these.

Rods: Loomis, kistler and megabass Reels: daiwa/shimano No brand loyalty for line or lures.

Absolutely! It's one of my favorite rods for all of those applications.

I absolutely love all of my kistlers. Those nfc blanks are no joke and when on sale they offer one of the best values for the money.

The orochi xx is miles ahead of the levante. Get the emtf or perfect pitch for heavier jigs. The tackle trap has them for $200. Another great option is the kistler helium 3 which is 30% off getting you in your budget.

You're going to love that rod.