LCG

I also recently bought a reel from Asian fishing portal and saved about 30%. I did get charged tax, but I am Canadian, used to it still saved a good bit and the reel is 100% legit. Granted the schematics are in Japanese, but a quick Google search and you can find a pdf of the reel schematics. Tempted to buy another.

Just makes it easier to prove. Most will replace at market value, as lins as you have enough evidence that you owned it. Digital receipts are awesome for that reason now.

Well isn't that handy

A hallow body or hollow body popping frog is the vain of existence. Not even a blow up. Close to giving up.

I started with a hard box, and once I dumped all the contents on the ground I was done with those :). Used a backpack for a bit but found I was carrying way too much and when I downsized it was a lot of empty space wasted. Then moved to a Plano weekender 3600 with slim trays, still have it. I also have a sling back for ultralight walking or wading. Holds one double sided 3500 and one spool of line, and a multi tool. But my go to bag is a Plano weekender 3500 with two double sided 3500 boxes. One for soft plastics and terminal tackle, the other for hard baits/lures. Bag also holds a multi tool, two full size spools of leader line, plastic fish grippers, a scale, and usually a cliff bar in one of the rubber mesh pockets. Wear it on the bank and clip it to my kayak. Best so far for me, keeps it lightweight with more than enough lure selection and tools. Also keep my wallet, keys, and phone in a water proof bag in the front pocket.

Wow, I am going to have to look into that rod. Sounds pretty interesting.

If you want the rod to fit in a backpack then you may want to look into a 3 or 4 piece travel rod. Fenwick, okuma, Daiwa, and I am sure others make this type of rod. They obviously break down much shorter. The Fenwick hmg travel rod intriques me, as it is a 3 piece rod, but comes with two tip sections, so 4 pieces total. 7ft Medium light and medium power in one package for spinning or medium and medium heavy for casting. And a travel case that looks to fit a reel as well. I might get this for camping trips, or family trips where the car is packed to the roof.

I find that I have developed a lot of confidence in drop shot, Ned rig, weightless worms, and Texas rigs. So much so, that I more often than not end up defaulting to these techniques the most. Now that it's winter and covid getting out of control, to keep my sanity I would like to learn more than the basics for spinnerbaits and shallow squarebills. I have caught fish on both these techniques, enough to get a dedicated combo for these techniques. But I don't have enough knowledge of those techniques to feel that I have mastered it. I don't mean mastered as in Kvd level, but a deep understanding of the technique and how to fish it or variations to account for. My combo is a Dobyns Fury 703c paired with a Shimano SLX MGL HG with 28ipt spooled with 10lb big game mono or 30lb braid to leader, not sure yet. I am in Ontario, Canada and my local bass are generally 2-4lbs,with my largest being about 6lbs. Both largemouth and smallmouth, but mostly largemouth. I fish mostly ponds and small lakes, some rivers from both the bank and a small kayak. So far I have bought a few Berkley 5.5 squarebills, some Cotten Cordel big O squarebills, a kvd 1.0 that works very well so far, and some 3/8oz booyah spinnerbaits both willow leaf and double Colorado blades. I have caught fish with these lures, but I would love to hear from more experienced anglers about the finer points like depth, retrieve speed and cadence, colors, trailers, etc. I feel like I need to learn much more about reaction type lures instead of defaulting to finesse and texas rigged soft plastics. Sorry for the long post, just wanted to give some background. Thanks everyone.

Just wanted to say that it was very nice of you to buy the rod from him to help him out. It's nice to see, especially now days. I am sure you will enjoy that rod very much.

6'8 M-XF spinning rod rated 1/8-1/2oz for finesse. 6'9"MH-XF rated 3/8-1oz for texas rigs, jigs, heavier spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. 7'0 MH-F rated 1/4-3/4(1/2oz in reality) for lighter spinnerbaits and squarebills, maybe weightless plastics.

Own the SLX MGL and Curado K. Both solid reels. The XT has the 150 size spool, the MGL has the 70 size light weight spool. MGL for lighter baits, K for heavier baits.

I work in insurance (long story, recent career change, please don't hate ) , trust me when I say read the fine print. Theft would be most likely covered under home owner insurance, be sure to have receipts, photos, serial numbers, etc. Some credit cards offer purchase protection and extended factory warranty if you purchased the item with the credit card. Most policies will not protect against wear and tear, accidental damage, etc and if you do find insurance for that situation, have fun with the claim. Also check your deductible and careful when claiming, your rates will increase.

Right presentation in the right place... Below is the same pond using spinnerbait, crankbait, and trick worm.

Senko, spinnerbait, crankbait, Texas rigged creature, if all else fails the Ned rig.

Stradic FL, also own a Curado K. Same solid feel.

2500 is best for various techniques. 1000 will do is just for finesse ie Ned rig. I fish for other species so I use a 2500 sized reel with 140yds of 20lb braid, if I need more line simply go to 10-15lb braid. Never came close to being spooled yet. I also find the 1000 size a bit small for my hands.

Been using 20lb 832 on my spinning set up for a year now. Color fades, but good line, casts well, and 0 wind knots so far.

I only have mid range rods from big box stores but the lighter reels just don't balance with any rods I have tried. The heavy stradic balances very well. While it makes the most sense to balance the rod at the very end of the handle, I find the heavier reel is enough for me. And in reality I don't find a 7.6oz reel heavy at all, it feels solid and refined.

I will second the SLX MGL. This is a very versatile reel, throw weightless trick worms, Ned rigs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, texas rigs, etc. The reel excels with lures under 1/2oz. It is just a tad behind from my Curado K for overall feel, but just barely. The K is for texas rigs, spinner baits 3/8 and over and the MGL does everything under 3/8oz. Very solid reel for the price.

I have the FL and will say it's a great reel. Solid and smooth. The Vanford looks like another great reel with lighter weight. The expride is pretty light so the Vanford might be a good match. I would put both on the rod and see which balances best.

It's one of my go to colors for trd Ned rigs. Used it jig skirts as well and has worked well.

I use to think the rod, but for me it wasn't the most sensitive, it was the one that was the most comfortable and felt like an extension of my arm. It so happens that for me that's a BPS Carbonlite 2.0 casting and spinning. Reels I upgraded to a Shimano Stradic FL, a Curado K, and an SLX MGL and I can feel the smoothness and retrieve, drag, and overall feel. Solid reels will probably last longer than the rod and its something that you are always interacting with, so why not enjoy a quality reel.

I wouldn't say they are the most sensitive rod I have ever handled, but it depends on what you are going to use it for. I got mine to throw spinnerbaits and squarebills, so sensitivity is not paramount. My texas rig combo and finesse spinning set up needs to be sensitive. Personally, I need more time on the water with the rod and a few catches before I pass judgment. But I like the feel and casting of the rod so far.

3 power is the power for what you want to do.

Having recently obtained a Fury 703c I think you are getting quality components and an interesting action that is new to me. Medium-Heavy that's probably more medium +, an action that's a fairly soft tip, but a pretty solid backbone. Cast 3/16-1/2oz well, rated to 3/4 but that might be a stretch. No catches yet, but I can see a place for this rod for squarebills and spinnerbaits.