LCG

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I don't think there is a bad choice here. I have had Shimano, Daiwas, lew's, and a few others over the years. I am quite happy with the lew's Speed spool Lfs reels. Shimano and lew's customer service and parts is excellent in my experience, Daiwa less so here in Canada.

Can't go wrong with a Daiwa Aird-X 7ft MH-F Casting rod in 2 piece. Comfortable and sensitive. But remember that 7ft / 2 = 42". I have been eyeing a 5 piece Shimano Zodias travel rod for awhile, but it's more than I want to spend on a very specific use rod.

I have two aird x rods, both MH-F and both 2 piece. Absolutely love them, mostly for moving baits but I have and will fish bottom contact with them. I find the sensitivity to be perfectly fine and love the feel and action (more of a moderate fast). I have also grown partial to the lew's lfs speed spool baitcasting reels. Have one in 6 speed and another in 8 speed. No complaints at all. For line I am set on yo zuri hybrid, big game mono, and suffix 832 braid. Just depends on the technique.

Off topic, but that Google map measuring distance option is awesome. Thanks for the tip.

I keep my two piece rods with reel attached in a rod case. Keeps everything out of direct sun. Never had an issue.

Welcome to the site. I started fishing about 12 years ago or so. Bought a $15 Walmart combo to see if I liked the sport or not. Ended up loving the sport. Since then, I have gone through more rods and reels then I care to think of went up to $300 rods and $300 reels, and their nice, but not necessary. I have sold most of them and now focus on solid value. The Daiwa Aird-X 7' MH-F is a favorite of mine I have two of them and they are both the two piece versions. The Lew's Speed Spool LFS is an amazing reel for the money. I also have two of them, 6.8:1 and 8.3:1 gear ratios. If you can find both on sale or even used, you'll be laughing. Even at full retail, there great value.

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Lew's will send you free replacements

A medium light spinning rod can be very versatile. I have a 6'8" ML-F spinning rod that has the cross wrap reenforcement that adds a bit of strength to the blank. The light tip is great for finesse techniques and generally 10lb braid to 6-8lb leader, with light drag. Ned rigs, drop shot, wacky rigged senkos, texposed weightless trickworms, inline spinners, small crank baits. This is not a set up I use when fishing cover / vegetation, if the hook is thicker and/or buried in the plastic. That's a different tool. Sometimes a screwdriver is needed, other times a hammer is needed. That's when I like my 6'10" MH-R (moderate fast) with 50lb braid and sometimes a leader, sometimes straight braid. The action loads into the rod more, which does help with shock absorption and keeping the fish pinned when using braid. Plenty of power for most situations. Texas rigs, jigs, chatterbaits around grass, swimbait, weightless senkos, etc. I have another similar set up with a slower speed reel and copolymer line for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, etc in less cover areas. The rod is labeled as a fast, but it's really moderate fast. Some stretch in the line combined with the rod action, makes for a great moving bait reaction set up, but can also work for plastics. I the end though, it's all opinion based, which changes over time and everyone is different. YMMV

Last year, I picked up a Daiwa Arid X 7' MH-F, in a two piece and paired it with a Lew's LFS Speed Spool in 6 speed. Love this combo for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, swim jigs, etc. I liked both the rod and reel so much, that I bought another rod as a backup and another speed spool in 8 speed spooled with braid. Fantastic value.

Putting less line on the spool will slow down the ipt retrieve. Ipt of 32" is based on a full spool.

I caught quite a few pike last year on a 4.8" white paddle tail swimbait on a white and chartreuse chatterbait here in Ontario. They work well. The Jackal rythym wave versions hold up really well for pike.

Just think though $79 now, was like $40 a couple years ago, that's a steal d**n inflation.

I bought a lew's LFS Speed Spool in 8 speed last year. Loved it all season. Ended up buying another in 6 speed. They are built well, feel solid and comfortable, braking is very controlled and distance is good, feels smooth out of the box. Cleaned both up over the winter, greased and oiled them, feel even better now. I am a fan of these reels. Excellent value.

I don't have either of those reels, but I do have the old Tatula LT and did compare it with the old ballistic. The Tatula LT is much lighter that the MQ, the Ballistic adds seals. For freshwater I don't think seals are necessary. I have my Tatula LT 2000 paired to a Daiwa Rebellion 6'8 ML-F spinning rod and it balances very well and it's very lightweight, 9.3oz total weight.

Both a weighted and weightless texas rig are definitely in my top 5 rotation for confidence baits. Not only does it produce consistently, it doesn't get snagged near as much as a jig. I will still fish a jig, just not as much.

I have torn apart and cleaned a few Shimano and lew's models without issue. Well I had a broken screw on a Shimano, but they sent me the screw for free. I also had some rulon drag washers sent from lew's for free. And I am in Canada, parts here are hard to find and shipping is ridiculous. I always appreciate manufacturer support. However, me and Daiwa reels don't seem to get along at all. Of the three reels I have had from them, two refused to go back together right. It's probably me, not blaming Daiwa. But, I am done taking Daiwa reels apart.

Mepps inline spinner #3 gold

Daiwa Aird-X 7' MH-F (really more of a moderate fast) 1/4-1oz makes a nice budget moving bait rod. I had good luck last year with my Daiwa Rebellion 6'10 MH-R as well, similar rating and action. I find this to be a pretty versatile rod. This year, playing around with reel and line variations for different uses.

I don't own that particular model, however I do the ML-F spinning and MH-R casting rods in the Rebellion line. They are both very nice rods, well built, and sensitive. I find their respective Lure rating to be accurate. My rods are both two piece models.

I believe the Speed Spool LFS has an aluminum frame and graphite side plates. I find they compare well with other brands, including Shimano and Daiwa. I have fought some decent pike and smallies with the speed spool lfs and didn't feel any flex in the reels.

I purchased two lew's Speed Spool LFS reels last year. Really like them so far, no issues, smooth, comfortable, good braking, easy to use. Ordered both of them off Amazon.

I bent a reel handle a couple years ago, slipped on mud and fell in the reel handle. Tried bending it but my ocd couldn't handle it. I ordered a new handle from the manufacturer, problem solved. Lew's has good customer service and will help you out.

Nice to hear good people doing good deeds. Glad everyone turned out to be safe and alive. Well done.