LionHeart

I think it matters. Can I prove it? Nope

If you get the ALX you have to report back. Can't tell you how many times I've almost walked out of Cabelas with one in my hand. On a side note, Dobyns power has me confused. I thought a 4 power was MH but it seems to depend on who you ask.

I have been using faster reels (31-35 ipt) for most things. I think it 's the obvious choice for presentations where you move the lure with your rod. For reaction baits like spinners, chatter baits, and crank baits, I find it easier to slow down if I let the lure tell me how fast to reel. I just focus on the vibration of the lure instead of how fast or slow I'm turning the handle. Having said that, a 31 ipt (7 speed) would be the most versatile speed. I think it can do most things well, even bigger crank baits up to a 6xd.

I wasn't a fan of EVA until the I got a Tatula. I already expected to hate it. After using it for a fair number of fishing adventures now, I actually like it quite a bit. Not all EVA uys equal. The foam on the Tatula has a nice, dense, quality feel to it. After saying all that, I'd still prefer cork or Winn grips, but only slightly.

Good point. I have a Tatula 7'2" Heavy for jigs and really enjoy it so far. I also bought a 7'2" Med heavy with 'Regular' action, but haven't fished it yet so didn't want to speak for it. In all honesty, the 7'2" Regular feels like the Fast side of a Moderate- Fast action rod in my hands and could be considered fast without reservation. I was really hesitant to buy it because I already have plenty of moderate action rods. A moderate action, it is not. I expect it to be very versatile, and even excel at throwing jigs up to 1/2 oz with no problem. Keep in mind this is a rod that can be had for around 100 bucks online if you look, but would still be a great buy at full price.

A fair question. I can only speculate that's how long it took to get to my rod. I was advised upon dropping the rod off that there was quite a backlog and it could take approx a month. The wait really didn't concern me as I was done fishing for the year.

7.5 with 31 inch per turn. The reel just kinda wound up on my spinner/ chatter rod. At first it felt a little fast, but I'm completely comfortable with the way it feels now. Matter of fact, I had a chance to swap it for a 28 inch per turn reel and decided not to. While I think either would be great, I've come to prefer turning the handle a bit slower

The pic shows how the guides were when the rod was delivered. They are all straight now. When they were originally bent out of position (during delivery) the epoxy separated from the guide footing. Not sure how well the pic shows it but if you zoom in it's easy to see. Just trying to get a consensus whether that will have any Ill affects. I guess maybe I'm being too particular?

Six weeks ago I got a rod in the mail that had 4 single foot line guides bent. It is the four just before the tip guide. I contacted the seller to request a replacement but unfortunately it was the last rod they had. The seller refunded my purchase price, and told me to keep the rod. Sweet. So, having a brand new rod with four damaged guides, I took it to a local tackle shop to have them replaced. Fast forward to six weeks later and I go to pick up the rod. The gentleman behind the counter said that the guy who handles the rod repairs said the guides didn't need to be replaced. He simply bent them back into place and said of course there was no charge. I have no doubt that the guides themselves are fine, and the wraps seem to be fine as well, my concern is that they have separated from the epoxy beneath the footing (separation Doesn't go underneath the wraps). Maybe it shouldn't, but it is really driving me nuts. Am I being a weirdo about this? Should I just fish the rod? Or go back and insist to have four good guides replaced because of the epoxy? I only posted 1 picture but all four guides looked the same. Curious to see what everyone thinks.

Love it. It's in that perfect spot that has enough give to work well with treble hook lures but enough power to set a 4/0 jig hook. If I could only take one rod for the day, that would be the rod. Where the rod really shines is with moving lures like spinner baits and chatter baits but like I said, it is able to branch out in either direction quite well. I've thrown bigger crankbaits that weight 1.5 oz and it handled them just fine. On the lower end, it will cast 3/8 oz jig great, but a KVD 1.5 seems to be it's lower limit (which also weighs 3/8 oz) oddly enough. I wouldn't expect to hit the moon with lures below 3/8 oz.

So you will be pitching, not flipping?

Dude this is a pretty vague request. If you are just looking for a good workhorse, I'd recommend anything medium heavy and moderate fast around 7' to 7'4". I'd say go with a rod designed for Spinner baits, and it will be able to do pretty good at most things. Personally I like St Croix, but the Fury gets a lot of great reviews. Never could find a Mojo Bass rod that had the lure rating/power/action I wanted so I got a 7'4" Bass X in medium heavy, moderate fast, and it can do an awful lot. Maybe my most used rod.

Just changes as tech matures. I'd say just about every piece of fishing gear there is has improved as time goes by. Better rods, line, boats, and yes, reels. Not that faster is always better, but for certain techniques, faster is better.

Lews Tournament MB comes in a 35 IPT model and can be had on EBay from Sportsman's for $109. A have 3 of them. IMO absolutely great reel even if you paid full price. I myself am quite frugal and toil over getting the best for my dollar (As I imagine many here do). I am completely happy with Tournament MB.

FG knot. Simple but a little time consuming to do well. Extremely thin and strong.

To the OP. I didn't realize that smackdown was braid. 20 lb braid is similar to 6 lb mono diameter so using that logic, I'd say you can fit roughly twice as much if not more 20 lb braid on a spool as you could 12 lb mono. I keep referring to 12 lb mono because that is one of the more commonly listed line capacities on a fishing reel so you should already know those numbers. My question is, what are you fishing for that you need that much line capacity?

Kinda what I was trying to say except just use lb. Test and get a rough idea. Worst case you will be off by a few yards. The reason I wouldn't bother getting more complicated than a rough estimate is simply because advertised reel line capacity is only in a generic lb test, and doesn't specify actual line diameter. Since we have no way of knowing the actual line diameter the manufacturer used for the capacity rating (you could call them, but good luck on that), I'd rather keep things simple and be off by a few yards. Off topic now, but how would increasing line size by 5% decrease line capacity by approx. 9%? Please speak slowly and use small words.

What DVT said. A lot of fishing line will have marked on the box, the line diameter measurement. Since all lb. Test and line type diameter will vary slightly, this information isn't terribly useful for spool capacity. What I posted above will get you in the neighborhood. Not precise, but a working estimate.

20 lb. Test mono is 1.7 times the diameter of 12 lb. Test mono or 50 lb braid. (Or roughly 70% bigger) So 10 yards of 20 lb mono would be the same as 17 yards of 12 lb mono, and so on. Does that make sense. Take your reels advertised 12 lb capacity in yards, and about 70% of that distance in 20 lb will fit. Hope this helps dude.

Dude how did you remove the hook?

Not dumb at all. I use a St. Croix Bass X rod for moving baits, and have seriously thought about getting another one with the same specs because it is so versatile.

Shift some weight up front and get an anchor. Also figure out a way to mount your trolling motor up front closer to the center of the bow, which will also allow you to shift the battery up front as well. Lifting an anchor repeatedly can be a hassle, but normally I will just retrieve enough to lift it off the bottom a few feet while i reposition the boat(if I'm not going far)Then once into your new fishing spot, you only have a few feet to lower it back down. Also, I wouldn't recommend removing the middle seat. It is there for structural integrity.

Cabelas tournament zx 'Crankshaft' can handle 10xd pretty well and 1.5xd pretty well, everything in between even better. They go on sale for $80 Now and then. Pretty versatile rod. I Suggest you give a 6.4ish reel a try before going all the way down to a 5 speed. With a long cast, a 5 speed is pretty dang slow.