LionHeart

Fuego CT

I try to use enough backing so that I can spool 2 reels with 1 150 yard spool of braid. 40 yards or so of backing depending on its diameter. I don't get super scientific about it.

30-50 lb Power Pro and 12-20 lb mono leader. The FG knot is the best braid to leader knot period IMO. The strongest, and the thinnest. My leaders are generally about 10 feet in length and have no problems passing through my guides or reel. The one exception is that blasted T Wing on one of my Diawa reels. It never hangs, but ticks pretty bad on occasion.

No one 'needs' the strength of 65 lb braid for any reason when bass fishing. 734, 735, extra crazy super mag heavy rods will never ever be able to withstand anywhere close to that amount of force, and neither will the drag of your reel. Go out to your garage and try to lift 25 lbs with a bass rod. I bet $ you chicken out.

Not sure if switching to tungsten will solve your problem. Are you sure the bullet weight is doing this, and not rocks, etc? If it is, just use a hook point to smooth out the edges of the lead. I switched to tungsten about a year ago. It isn't life changing sensitivity IMO, but it is quite a bit smaller, and I seem to get snagged less, so to me it is worth it. Tungsten is more expensive, no way around that, but if you shop around, you can find bullet weights for a buck each.

Good choice. Very solid combo

Dude you'll be absolutely fine. In fact, you can disregard the line rating on rods all together. It is meaningless. Yes, seriously.

I'm sure the Lews LFS is a solid reel, but for $100 it doesn't make much sense not to upgrade to Tournament MB

I tend to toil more over the rod than reel. My reels are all Lews Tournament MB, or Diawa Tatulas and Fuegos. The Fuego is an outstanding reel. If a reel is reasonably smooth, has good braking system, and is fairly comfortable, it's good to go IMO. Mojo Bass and Fuego would be a combo I'd be proud to own.

Hey guys, so my dad sends me plastics from time to time. They are always from a huge surplus of his from when he used to bass fish. I have been having a lot of luck on Zoom Lizzards that he sent me a while back. Problem is that I'm running low, and cannot find that color anywhere. They are a really bright glittery green with a chartreuse tail. I'm guessing it was discontinued years ago, and would like to know if you guys know anyone who would be interested in making some for me. I'd definitely be willing to $ for them. Thanks

The FG is by far the slimmest braid to leader knot I know of. It will pass through guides just fine, except for really small micro guides. I usually run about 8-10 foot leader so the knot goes through every guide on my rod and through the reel. The eyelet on a standard baitcaster level wind is larger than the guides on a lot of rods I use, so no issues there. I also use this knot and leader length with a t wing diawa reel. Sometimes the knot will catch on the t wing and it is annoying, but not so bad that I can't finish reeling.

I'd clean it up well and put it in a box. It's greatest value would be sentimental says I.

Many anglers use and enjoy flouro with great success. I am not one of them. There is no perfect fishing line, they all have shortcomings. My reasons for disdain toward flouro are likely the same as anybody else that dislikes it. My preference would be 50 lb braid for main line, not because you will need 50 lb test strength, that would be crazy, but because it's easy to see, and manage. I'd tie on a mono leader with 10-12 lb strength for finesse and 15 lb otherwise. If you are absolutely positive you don't want to use braid to leader, Big Game mono is excellent line and very affordable. Back to braid and leader. I have found that if tied properly, an FG knot is quite trustworthy. In almost every break off I experience, the lure connecting knot is the point of failure, and even that takes a large amount of force. The problem I feel with ta FG knot, is that most instructional videos don't stress the most critical part of the process. That is the amount of force required the properly cinch it down. If you want to have complete confidence in the FG, you have to cinch it HARD. Simply wrapping the line around your fingers and giving a good tug is not sufficient.

Also true

Moderate fast action is supposed to be softer than extra fast.

Total preference. Some people like a fast reel for top water stuff, I think a 6 speed works great. No right or wrong answer. Alot of people say you need a fast reel for frogging so you can get the fish away from cover more quickly. Maybe I'm doing it wrong but I try to move the fish with the power of my rod, not the reel. Then again I don't fish a frog. A 9 ratio reel is not gonna have much pulling torque anyway.

Do more harm taking it off

Lews Tournament MB Ebay for 100 bucks or Diawa Tatula CT for about the same. Personally I can do without the T Wing on the Diawa, so MB. I own 3 of em'.

Well man, first is to know what kind or lures you want to throw. This will wholly determine which rod, reel and line you choose. Since you say you ordered the Speed Demon, we have a good starting point. I'd use that reel on a bottom contact setup. Worms, jigs, and Texas rigs. That's it. I'd get a rod able to handle 1/4 to 1/2 oz ish baits because that is roughly the weight I tend to throw for bottom contact. A high speed reel like that won't have much torque, and has one application in my opinion, bottom contact. Line? Just about anything will work, but I like Power Pro braid with a mono leader. 30 lb minimum, I'd recommend 50 lb. Maybe put the Speed Demon on the jig and worm rod, and the Revo on the new rod

So you currently have just the one rod and it is ML spinning correct? Are you planning to hunt bass? If so, a ML spinning rod wouldn't be super ideal. Picking up a baitcaster is completely your call. It certainly isn't required to land a bass but if you decide to get a spinning rod, I'd go with at least a medium power setup. If you are sure you will stick to throwing light tackle then a medium spinning rod will do just fine. A casting setup does have a few arguable advantages though. It will be more accurate, more powerful, and ultimately cast further depending on the tackle you throw, and your ability to control the spool on the reel. If you do jump into casting, expect a learning curve. You will backlash many times in the learning process. The best favor you can do for yourself is to not get a crappy reel. You don't have to get the most expensive reel, but it needs to have decent spool control functions. Diawa Fuego CT is a commonly recommended starter reel. It's like 65 bucks on Ebay and worth every penny. What lure weight do you like to throw?

When I think 5 'speed' I think around 23 IPT. Too slow for me. I use 6 26-28 IPT speed for drag producing baits like big cranks, and spinner baits I want to slow roll. Everything else that moves as I turn gets a 7 speed 28-30ish IPT Bottom contact stuff gets 8 speed or 33 IPT and up. Or something like that

Just so I understand. Are you considering using 1 reel for 2 rods on a continuous basis? If so, don't. Get a reel for each rod.

I agree with your logic, but I've thrown plenty of em'. In my experience it should be right in the wheel house of a medium power rod. When I think 1/4 oz jig, that's finesse territory. I wouldn't imagine many people are adding rage craws and punch shirts to a 1/4 oz jig. Most of them will have a 3/0 or even 2/0 hook. I'd say fully outfitted, a 1/4 jig should weigh in at under 1/2 oz. Not trying to be argumentative, not really sure what I'm doing. Just seems strange that a rod rated at 5/8 feels overloaded at under a half ounce.

Sorry man but I would disagree with nearly all of this. 1/4 to 1 oz is one of the more common lure ratings for a medium heavy rod. It's nearly ubiquitous. That is absolutely not to say that the rod will handle 1/4 and 1 oz lures equally. I don't know of any rod that can pull that off. You will have to decide which end of the rating you most likely will use, and go from there. Some rods can in reality handle lure weights quite a bit higher than their labeled rating, while others struggle to handle the upper half of the rating. 1/4 oz jig? I must say, I'm very surprised that lure weight is making a medium power rod feel over loaded. What is the rod action? Is it a Dobyns? Regarding reels: Any baitcasting reel that can't bomb a 3/8 lure needs to be dismantled. Lastly, snapping line with the weight of casting a lure doesn't have anything to do with the power of the rod.

What's your budget friend? How a rod feels with a certain weight will vary wildly between manufacturers. Some medium heavies will feel like a medium and others may feel like a heavy. It can be very subjective. IMO a medium should be right at home with a 1/4 jig but again it depends on what the manufacturer thinks a medium should feel like. Lure ratings on a rod aren't always the best or most accurate either, and sadly, trial and error is often the best teacher. Any reputable medium heavy should get the job done with ease though. I usually try to steer people away from buying a combo. Ironically they tend not to give the most bang for your buck.