LionHeart

Gotta echo the Diawa Tatula. Excellent rods

I closed mine by turning the handle for years with no problem. I now close mine by hand just to be on the safe side. It has become second nature. Does closing the bale by turning the handle damage anything? Probably not. If so, I'd like to see verified proof instead of 'well I heard this from...'

Closer to 3 than 2

You're gonna get 100 different answers here and none are wrong except fluorocarbon (kidding, kidding). I'm a braid to leader type, so 40-50 lb Power Pro and 12 lb Big Game with an FG knot. No complaints at all.

Learn from me. Don't believe the seller when they say the trailer tires will get you home. Really be honest with yourself when you look them over. The last thing you want is to have a tire go bad half way home. I have had it happen 2 hours from home at 11 PM (long story but full of life lessons). Even if the tires do get you home, do they look like they will last a while? If not, factor new tires into to price. Since you will be driving 100 miles to even look at this boat, you will already have a certain amount of commitment to buy it. If he/she is smart, the seller knows this. That gives them leverage. Have the resolve to come home empty handed if you don't like what you see. Obviously crawl under the boat and take a look. I'd highly, highly recommend asking to take the boat for a test run. If you pay 2200 for something, I think it would be a reasonable request. Also, I wouldn't hesitate to offer 2k. Do it before the drive though.

Looks absurd.

Definitely Texas Rigs and such. It is your most powerful rod and fastest reel so the choice for me would be clear. You will get answers all over the place on line selection so I will just tell you what I like and why. 50 lb braid and a 15 lb mono leader. I use braid because it doesn't stretch like mono or flouro, it's easy to handle, and will last a very long time. Did I mention it is strong? Not that you need 50 lb strength, but the larger line is easier to see. I'm not a fan of extra fast rods for anything, but many are. I use a mono leader because it holds lure and leader knots better than flouro in my experience. Why use a leader at all? On a bottom contact rod, your line will also be contracting the bottom. Braid is not the greatest at abrasion resistance. Now for the truth, I've convinced myself bass get line shy and using a leader gives me confidence. That's what id do sir.

Got a buddy that swore he didn't want to learn to use a baitcaster based on bad experience with his first setup. I cautioned him that spinning rods typically run a little softer so if he wanted one rod to do 'it all,' we'd better go to Cabelas and press a few tips against the floor. The Curado was definitely the medium heaviest that we tested, and we tested a fair amount of them. I think it would handle a 3/8 jig especially if it isn't equipped with a big gnarly hook. How does she feel about braid? That would help quite a bit as well. You don't necessarily need a bigger reel for a good hook set. 10 lbs of drag should be plenty.

Shimano Curado is a pretty stout MH for spinning

Just 'rotated' my spools from last season. I could definitely notice the difference after putting the unused braid on top. The braid with a season of use obviously faded but it was still pretty dang yella.' Fading of braid never really concerned me that much, and I definitely never understood coloring braid to a darker color.

What kind of rod are you dudes using to cast 1/10 and 1/16 jigs? My knots weigh more than that

Never used the SLX but own a few of the MB. Solid reel for 100 bucks and honestly doubt I'll ever try an SLX unless I find one on a crazy sale. A ton of people say they are really good for the money. I do like the fact that the MB has Mag and Centrifugal brakes as opposed to only centrifugal on the SLX. Will be interesting to hear a report from someone who has used both. The SLX is 25 IPT vs 28 IPT on the MB, if that matters to ya.

Seriously thinking about trying U40 cork sealer. Got a couple of rods that I want to protect, but have always been under the impression that using a sealer would change the feel of the handle. Does it? No? It seems like an affordable way to protect my investment but definitely not interested in changing the way it feels. Thanks for any input.

Tournament MB all day in 7 speed. They are 100 bucks on ebay. Only other reel I'd recommend is a Diawa Tatula CT. They have outstanding brakes and will make learning to use a baitcaster much less miserable.

Put the 6 speed on your cranking rod, the 9 speed on your jig rod, the 7 speed on your frog rod. Sell the 5 speed.

Hold the line between your thumb and index finger while you retrieve? I get what you're saying, and don't disagree, but that sounds mighty uncomfortable. Don't think I could keep that up for too long.

What you have there is a treble hook rod with a jig or Texas rig reel. Great gear, just not together.

If the spool is giving line faster than your lure is taking it, slowing the spool with your thumb does not reduce casting distance. It sounds like you have the reel properly set up, but you still need to keep your thumb at the ready. If you feel line start to fluff up on your spool during a cast, catch it early with some thumb pressure. A spinner bait is one of those lures that will slow down dramatically the longer it is in flight. You will learn to anticipate this, and apply the appropriate amount of thumb pressure.

About 10 feet. The FG knot goes through the guides and level wind every cast and every retrieve. With high vis yellow, I have convinced myself that bass see it and care. May not be a shred of truth to that but who knows for sure?

Everyone is different but that wouldn't bother or surprise me in the least on $100 rod. If the cork handle ever gets beat up to the point you can't stand it, it is pretty easy to replace with Winn split grips. Had a shop do it on one of my rods for $30 plus cost of the grips.

Helps the rod float if it falls in the water? First off, no, it don't. Sink inperceptably more slowly? Sure. I'm pretty neutral and have rods with each. Cork looks the best but Winn feels the best. IME there are crappy EVA grips, and good EVA grips. I like good EVA just as much as cork or Winn.

IMO a 7 foot rod med to medium heavy with a softish tip would be about right. You need something short enough to easily work a top water, but long enough to move some line for bottom contact. Honestly I'd have a tough time not recommending a Falcon Bucoo SR. The 7 foot med heavy Trapcaster model is a rod that I originally bought for treble hook lures <1/2 oz, but I have found it to be a versatile rod for alot of stuff. It is light, well balanced, and more sensitive than I expected, nice handle length. Makes a great rod for 3/16 and 1/4 Texas rig weights. It is closer to a medium power than a medium heavy IMO, which lends hand to how well it can cast lighter Texas rigs. Not a fan of the grey foam handles, but they are comfortable and kind of a nit picky complaint.

150 is a decent budget, and will give you a bunch of options. It's going to be tough to recommend a do "everything" rod but easy to recommend a do 'most things well' rod. What kind of baits/lures and weights will you spend most of your time throwing?

Firstly, dude ignore line suggestions on a rod.... meaningless. Line ratings on a reel are just for reference to give you a rough idea of line capacity. Like AJay said, going up to a larger diameter nylon line will cost you line capacity. Braid is smaller diameter per the same lb test. For example, 50 lb braid is generally the same diameter as 12 mono, so if a reel will hold 120 yards of 12 lb mono, it will hold about the sameish amount of 50 lb braid. For a baitcaster, I tend to use between 30 and 50 lb test in braided line. I am one of those nuts that thinks bass are line shy, which is one of a few reasons that I like to use a leader. I like 12-20 lb mono depending on what I'm doing, and am a fan boy of the FG knot. If properly tied, it is the strongest and thinnest braid to leader knot in the galaxy.

I use 10 foot or so leader on my bottom contact rods because they all have yellow braid and I'm paranoid that it will deter bass if there is a bright yellow line/knot in proximity to my lure. I know a lot of people would say a bass doesn't care, but for now I have convinced myself that it matters. I haven't seen any I'll effects from using this leader length. If the knot can pass through my line guides, the level wind is no problem (with the exception of the one Diawa reel I own with a T wing)