learnin

Thanks. Glad I checked.

Try the Diawa BG 2500. It's bigger than the Shimano 2500 & 3000 but IMO not to heavy. Might give you the clearance you need. It's about half the cost of a Stradic. I like the Shimanos a lot but I've got two of the BG 2500s I use for saltwater fishing. IMO and a lot of others it's a quality reel.

Thanks.

Will the FK spool fit on the new L reel?

Thanks to all for the info. I didn't do the math but it looks like a lot more people catch big Bass on topwaters and crank baits than I realized.

USMC 1962/1966

I usually start fishing trips trying topwater baits if conditions are right and sometimes when they're not. I primarily use popper or spitter type plugs like Ricos, Pop Rs, etc. and various crank or jerk baits. I catch some fish with these but the biggest I recall was probably a little under 4lbs. All bass bigger than that have been on Senkos, Baby Brush Hogs & finesse worms fished slow. Just on my experience, non tournament, usually once a week and what I've seen and heard that's pretty typical. Agree, disagree?

Thanks to all for the info.

Anyone catching fish using this (yellow, blue, green) line with a fluro leader using soft plastics in relatively clear water? Seems like the visibility would help in faster strike recognition but the lines visibility to the fish might result in less strikes.

Anyone tried this, worth the higher price?

Anyone watch Creek Fishing Adventures or Fishhawk on you tube? Most but not all of what these guys catch are smaller Smallmouth & Largemouth Bass on light spinning gear while bank fishing. I realize it's not what most of this forum's about but they know what they're doing and having a good time doing it. Took me back to when I was younger, could get around a lot better and lived in the south where there are plenty of small streams & rivers. I couldn't afford a boat, didn't have as much time to fish or travel but it was still fishing and a lot of fun. IMO worth a watch till it warms up a little.

Any reason to "upgrade" to carbon over oem felt on a new Stradic for bass fishing? Smoother, stronger?

The Diawa BG 2500 or 2000 seem to me to be at least as smooth as my Shimano Stradic 2500FK for half ($90) the price. The 2500 BG is bigger than the 2500 Stradic and maybe a little bigger than the 3000 Stradic. I surf fished two of the 2500 BGs every day for a week last year. The only maintenance was rinsing them off at the end of the day. Both were exposed to sand and salt water. I've used them since a few times for fresh water fishing and they still feel like new. Based on reviews I've read on the BGs Diawa is now incorporating the same technology, bearings & main gear, on the BG that are on their higher end reels.

Thanks, looks like a good site.

Based on a few detailed reviews I've read the new Stradic FL's supposed to be a a noticeable improvement over the Stradic FK, which I thought was a pretty good reel. I see some retailers are marking the FK down from twenty to forty five dollars. Anyone that's used both, is the FL that much better?

Thanks to all that responded.

How much difference in a 6ft M/L fast action St Croix Triumph spinning rod vs a Triumph 6'6" M/L fast action rod? I'm thinking the 6ft will feel closer to a Med power.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the only difference in the 3000 size down to 1500 BG reels was the spool diameter. Does anyone know if that's correct? I saw someone using a 1500 model the other day and I could be wrong but it looked to be all around smaller not just the spool.

I've fished it six or seven times with 30 lb braid, tungsten bullet wts, Texas rigged 5" Senkos & 4" finese worms. It's got a fast action and rated for 1/4 to 5/8 baits. It does fine with 1/2 & 5/8 wts but doesn't have as good a feel or cast as well, for me anyway, with 1/4 oz wts and the 4" worms. Overall it's a good rod and I like it well enough to consider buying another with a lighter power. I should have read the specs more carefully before ordering. My other two medium action rods, a Shimano and a 21 year old Bass Pro Extreme are rated for 1/8 to 1/2 oz baits and1/16 to 3/8 respectively so I assumed the St Croix would probably be I/2 oz max. Thanks to all for the info.

Is St Croix's power rating heavier than other rod makers? I recently bought my first St Croix, bought it on line on line, a 6ft medium Triumph. I realize this is their lowest priced rod. No complaints about fit and finish but it feels a lot more like a med/hvy compared to other med power rated rods I have and have owned. Would a medium power in one of their more expensive 6ft spinning rods feel the same? How would a 6ft med power Shimano in the $100 range compare to the Triumph?

Thanks to all that replied. I'll keep the 100 B and see if I can find a deal on an SLX or Lew's Tournament MB LFS with a faster retrieve gear ratio. I appreciate the opinions and the info.

Thinking of getting another baitcaster with a 7-1 or a little higher retrieve ratio. How much would I have to spend to get something that would compare favorably with my old 100 B, 6-2-1. I bought this reel about 20years ago and still use it, mostly for crank baits. It's gotten some use every year, never had detailed cleaning or lube but it always works well. I paid $129 for it which would be around $200 in 2019 dollars. Someone commented that on today's market with reel technology improvements the 100B would have a tough time competing with the features and ease of use of today's $100 baitcasters. Would it and would these $100 reels, say as an example a Lew's "Speed Spool" have that kind of detailed maintenance free longevity?

I've always used XL for mono and like it. Thought I'd give their XT a try and ordered some 8lb test. Is the only difference in XT being "tough" a heavier line diameter ? When I checked Berkley's listed line diameter the 8lb XT is .012. Their XL 8lb is .010, 10lb XL is.011 and 12lb XL is.013. If line diameter's the only difference seems I could use a heavier XL, have a better casting line and get the same result as far as line "toughness"?

Most of my bass fihing stuff is older and I've been using a couple of old Bass Pro rods that I don't think they carry any more. One's a med/lt 6ft Crankin Stick and the other's a 5'6" lt Tourney Special. They've worked for a long time with the 1/4 oz surface lures like Pop Rs, SkitterPops & one Rico (gift) I use.

Sounds reasonable, thanks.