Hulkster

its a little more than your budget, but i have the G. Loomis E6X JWR 892S and its awesome. its a 2018 model, the first generation models were hit and miss. but the 2018 are really nice. just a thought. its a 7'5 M power extra fast action spinning rod, that fits your specs.

stradics are great pretty much every model of them has been. Ive owned many over the years from the late 90s till now. The only one i haven't used was the silver one (FI?) and i havent used the CI4s, i stayed away because of the EVA foam handle on previous models, hated how it felt, now they are back to hard rubber and they are awesome but i haven't bought one yet. I do have a 3000 FK and they are great.

i have several combos, but the two i take most often are the following, that covers pretty much all bases from bass to pike: G. Loomis E6X JWR 892S 7'5 M spinning rod with stradic 3000 FK, 10 pound sufix Siege G. Loomis E6X MBR 903C 7'6 MH casting rod with Curado 200i PG on it, 12 pound Sufix Siege. these two can be seen here:

I have my stradic FK on a 2018 model E6X 892S. its an awesome rod. nice and long. the 2018 model E6Xs are very good. the first generation (2015) rods can be hit or miss depending on the particular model. some are great, others not so good. they improved things quite a bit for the second generation. Having said that, i would give my left arm for one of the new SJR IMX Pro rods that just came out. I like long rods, and, like the E6X many models are available in 7'5 and 7'6 lengths.

i played around with the new FL and it was very very smooth. i think the long stroke spool will make it cast even better. Although I find the stradic FK to be a great caster when using 8 or 10 pound Sufix Siege mono. I have a 3000 FK

check out the 2018 model Loomis E6X JWR 892S. its awesome although i havent used a senko on it, it is a soft plastics rod.

i think the st croix premier has a casting model that is 2 piece. they are decent rods.

i use 10 to 14 pound Sufix Siege for everything. 10 pound on my spinning rig, 12 to 14 on my baitcasting rig.

i don't think the GL3s are glass composite. I have a few and they are great rods, sensitive, very similar to a St. Croix Avid.

nice whats the model number on the GL3?

but remember how thick it is at that label strength. if you go down to #6 XT it is still the same diameter as #8 XL for example.

if you are looking at shimano spinners, the 2500 and 3000 reels are identical except: 1. the spool is deeper on the 3000 2. the 3000 has the T bar handle which i like much more (more to grip). More knob to grip is always better, or so my wife says... So I would go with the 3000 size if Shimano's are your game.

I too like 12 to 14 pound test Sufix Siege for 1/2 oz. spinnerbaits and buzzbaits.

ya 12 pound trilene XT is the same diameter as 17 pound trilene XL.

i have had the same thing happen with Sufix Siege line. with a palomar knot its crazy hard to break if its 12 to 14 pound test.

I'm the same. when i started hardcore fishing in the early to late 90s, the 6'6 rod was the thing. now longer rods are more popular and I find I like the 7'5 and 7'6 rods the best

ah ok thanks. so its not that bad.

but isnt the SLX totally plastic? the citica had an aluminum frame and was essentially a curado with different bearings, a non anodized spool and a plastic drag star. to me this seems like a bit of a downgrade??

I for one don't understand the real need for 2 piece rods, I drive a toyota corolla, not a very big car and my 7'6 one piece rods fit fine. one piece rods are lighter, by definition more sensitive (although they are better today than yesteryear) and cheaper in some cases. 1 piece all the way. I do however, have a few 3 piece rods that i can fit into a suitcase inside a rod tube for air travel etc.

any chance you could throw the heavier J11 or J13? the J13 can be cast 50 miles on a 7.5 foot MH Baitcasting rig and 12- 14 pound mono. it launches. it would be a lot easier to throw the larger models.

true but how much of this is because a lot of people are scared of baitcasters? i would rather throw baitcasting over spinning any day of the week but its because like most on here i have become very good at it. a lot of folks go their whole lives and never take the time to learn.

then i would check out the new IMX Pro MBR series. it will be the same in taper to your E6X but should be much crisper and more sensitive. exactly what you are looking for.

I know you mentioned you don't want anything longer than 7'3, but I have the E6X MBR 903c and love it for shore casting, as the 7'6 length gives you excellent long distance casting. the Loomis IMX Pro MBR rods have just been released at ICAST and they include a 7 foot MBR and a 7'6 MBR. The IMX pro line is awesome and sensitive. Hard to imagine a better all around do it all rod than an IMX Pro MBR 903c in my opinion. I can't wait to get one.

For spinning rods, the new generation Loomis E6Xs are very comfortable.

back in the stone age (the 90s) i used to fish 12 pound mono on a 4000 size stradic and had zero issues with casting, memory or line twist. nowadays, people are reluctant to put anything over 8 pound mono on any size reel it seems. having said that, I do like the 3000 size shimano spinning reels, they are perfect for 8 or 10 pound mono, which is what I would use (i use 8 or 10 pound Sufix Siege). I understand that flouro can be stiff and i believe copolymers can be as well. A standard monofilament might be better in this case. Good luck with whichever you choose and have fun.