Hulkster

I would respectfully argue that point. Although Loomis has been owned by Shimano since 1997, they have remained completely separate and to this day, Loomis rods and Shimano branded rods fish totally different, with different tapers, materials (eg. no EVA foam found on any Loomis bass rods to date- Thank God lol). they are so different many people to this day are surprised to find out that Shimano owns them. Agree about the Avid though. great rods but I wouldn't go below them in the St. Croix lineup either. good call

to me, and im not sure if others agree, but both the Loomis E6X and the St. Croix Avid (both around the same price) both feel a lot better than the Premier, which is at a jump down in price from both the Avid or the E6X. You also get much nicer spinning handles with either the Avid or the E6X versus the Premier (the 'skeletal cork' style on the E6X/Avid spinning vs just bare plastic on the Premier.

I own both a premier and an E6X and in my hands the E6X is much better. The E6X feels the same as my St. Croix Avid which in turn feels a lot better than the Premier.

i don't have a scale but I do own a Stradic FK 3000 and its a pretty light reel for its size. you may even need to step up to a 4000 size reel to balance out on a long rod??

very true

I cast exactly the same with a spinning reel as I do a baitcasting reel. the only catch being you need to let your rod load fully with a baitcaster to get that momentum of your lure going otherwise the spool spins faster than the line is being played out and bingo: backlash time.

back when I started learning to use a baitcasting reel (late 90s) lefties were just starting to come out on the market and were not widely available like they are now. so I learned to cast and switch. having said that, you learn to use the rod and reel effectively on a hook set: pull up hard with your left hand (non dominant hand) which is either holding the rod or palming the reel and pull up hard using the reel handle with your right hand (dominant hand). it becomes one fluid motion and you get a great hookset.

as you get better and better and get to know your reel, you may find you don't even thumb your reel as it casts. I've been using a baitcaster now since the late 90s and my thumb only makes contact to stop the spool as the lure hits the water. during the cast my thumb is off the spool. I guess its how I learned. don't know if im in the minority on this??

I just used my 3000FK for the first time yesterday and the drag was super smooth right out of the box. its a fantastic reel.

a friend of mine has one and loves it. Congrats!

the only thing to note is that St. Croix put aluminum oxide guides on these, but alconites on the regular avid. so you do get better/smoother guide ring material on the regular avid, and normal not micro guides.

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewabuvillain2spin.html right here baby!

anyone?

Hi all, so after reading much glowing reviews, I decided to try Sufix mono. my question is the local store near me has the packages that do not appear to be 'G2 precision' wound. ie they are skinny spools like say Trilene. The ones I have seen marked G2 are big fat spools. is there a difference? or is it marketing hype/gimmick? I can get the 'fat spools' but have to go to a different store. its the same line, but some appear to be wound differently even though they are both 330 yard spools (fat spool vs skinny spool) what gives? thanks

the Curado 200i PG is 5.5:1 and is one of the few exceptions. I have one and really like it. its on sale now too because a new one must be coming even though shimano hasn't admitted it yet lol. nothing goes on sale for them unless a new reel is coming out. ever.

Thanks! I can't wait to try this combo out.

$100 cheaper? then its actually an E6X with an NR sticker over the first two letters congrats! enjoy your new rod

Thanks all. Im going to give it try. people say it is awesome for baitcasters.

Hi all, has anyone tried 10 pound test Sufix Siege mono for all purpose baitcasting? its hard to find in my area (the Elite is everywhere but the Siege is impossible to find) but my local tackle store does have the Siege 10 pound test in. it would be used on a Curado 200i with an E6X MBR843. Am I better off going up to 12 or is 10 fine? Im thinking the 10 will cast better and be strong enough? This line is apparently very strong for its rated test? not really interested in braid on my curado at this time. I would be throwing mainly 1/2oz crankbaits and blade baits (inline spinners and spinner baits) Thanks for any advice. -Hulk

I'm wondering what will happen with the GL3s?? I have a few and they are great rods but with all the hype and sales of the IMX, NRX, GLX and E6X they have kind of got lost in the shuffle and have been relatively unchanged since the middle ages lol

one thing that I thought was a little sneaky of St. Croix was that the Avid regular has alconite guide rings and the Avid X only has aluminum oxide guide rings according to the catalog. people bash the loomis E6X for having aluminum oxide guide rings at that price point yet the avid X is the same price point with the same guide ring material. food for thought: The Regular Avid has a better guide ring material which may result in a bit better casting.

Hi everyone. so I have a new E6X Jig and Worm rod, the 852s rated for 1/8 -3/8oz. What generally works better for jig head weights? Do you go up to 3/8oz + the plastic? or would it be better to say go 5/16oz head plus plastic for a total weight of approximately 3/8oz? I know line/lure ratings are more of a guide these days, but I am new to this style of fishing and I am curious as to what works better. thanks

I used my Curado 200iPG a whole lot last summer and I only had to oil the brake drum once. so its not as bad as it seems. you also can get the squealing sound if you have the cast control knob tightened down and the dial set high (if you are casting a wind resistant bait into the wind and have everything cranked to avoid a backlash). I really like the curado 200i. its smooth, powerful and casts well. and it is very comfortable to palm.

So, my wife had a credit note at the outdoor store that she forgot about (bought some shoes or something and didn't like them), which covered the difference in price. I returned the Ultegra and I am now the proud owner of a Stradic 3000 FK! Its even smoother than the Ultegra and has that awesome tapered bail wire. Sweeeeet!

Hello all, has anyone fished with one of the new Ultegras yet? I pulled the trigger on a 3000 model because my local tackle store was having a spring sale, and I had a few gift cards to use up lol. I have it paired with my E6X Jig and Worm Rod 852S. Feels like a sweet combo but I haven't fished it yet its frozen up here in Ontario Canada still. Look for some reviews. not sure if I made the right choice on getting it over the Stradic FK (up here there is a hefty price difference - $70). I know it has some of the high end features of the stradic, like aerowrap, drive drive handle etc. it feels buttery smooth. I thought it seemed like more 'bang for the buck'. Has anyone fished both? Thanks