Riazuli

That makes sense.. Do you feel the 50 doesn't hold up for punching as well with you really getting in there on a punch, or did you just go with 65 because it made sense to? Have you compared both lines in both conditions?

Thanks everyone, I've ordered #50 PP...in the correct color lol..but am very glad now that I chose the wrong color in #65 before

Thank you, I'm leaning toward 50 at this point.

Thank you for posting, I have the same mentality as you mentioned in regard to using heavier line if there are no issues with casting. Have you compared 65 to 50 in terms of casting?

Thank you for posting. This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. What line were you using?

What are the biggest differences for you between the two - Does 50 cast noticeably better than 65 and does 50 seem to break easier than 65? If I can't notice much of a difference in casting with 65, might as well go with the stronger line.

Yep, I'm going with original power pro.

Thanks for sharing. Do you fish around a lot of heavy cover/vegetation? I'll be fishing around a lot of mats/slop and am likely to pull in a few pounds of weeds with every fish. I also want to be able to get them out of there quickly as they can get free pretty easily when they get stuck in the weeds.

Hey all, just as the title says, what test do you prefer and why? My main concerns are strength vs castability. I just canceled an order for #65 PP cause I realized it was in hi vis yellow when I wanted moss green, and now I want to make sure I'm going with the right test after @keltonz shared his thoughts on 50 vs 65. Does moving to 65 from 50 negatively affect casting to the point where it's not worth it, or is there a noticeable gain from added strength to where the casting difference is negligible? Interested in yalls thoughts on this!

It sure is Nice to see you on the forum. I plan to head back out there this Thursday after taking a break with all the wind and subsequently catching a cold after having to run around old alexandria on Friday for a while trying to get something to eat before a meeting Not sure if you've seen the Potomac Mills sign, but it is leaning...traffic going south has been crazy since Friday. Thanks for your input on the rods. I can't wait to get back out on the water - 4mr has treated us well this winter, but it's time to break free! I'm planning to take my kayak out to more areas of the Potomac and local lakes/ponds as things warm up. I'll likely vary how much gear I take depending on where I go. I ran with an extra rod between my legs before the winter, and really wanting to avoid that now, so I'm setting up 6 rod holders (2 yak gear triple rod holders) on a crate. A longer net will go in one holder, with 4-5 rods in the other. Hopefully just 3 if I take the yak out on a small pond or lake.

Nice breakdown - I'll be fishing where there is a mix of open water, grass, slop, bass, and snakehead. I also want specialized power/action for crankbaits, spinnerbaits/chatterbaits/jigs, plastics, jerkbaits, topwaters...so for me it's an absolute minimum 3, max 5 at the moment. Ideally, I can get away with 4.

Some new techniques that I just started using (that I actually want to use) are drop-shot, shakey head, jig n craw, finesse jigging - I also went hard on the lipless and crankbaits in general this year (starting this winter specifically) after not using it that much in the past. I recently started using the chatterbait too - keep in mind with all of the above that I just got back into fishing more seriously this last summer.

Er, just realized this is from January 2016...I imagine the OP has gotten his rod by now

If you can catch it before the sale ends (which may be by the end of today in a couple hours) the bionic blade by bps is on sale for 60 bucks. Had you been able to make it to a store before the sale ends with a trade in it would have been 45 to 50 bucks. 60 for a bionic blade is still a great deal down from 80. I've had the same bionic blade for almost 20 years that I've just retired in great condition with no breaks.

Was wondering the same thing - I was imagining some yoga like maneuver that didn't lead to capsize But it looks to be within arms reach, and a darn inventive contraption at that.

That's exactly how I plan to move forward. For the met 13s I plan to take it to a single white brake if I can - starting with external on max is a great idea.

If you're getting two rods, you could consider getting a medium and a medium heavy to broaden your range of utility. Ideally, the medium you are getting will have a lower lure rating on the bottom end so you won't have as much concern for lighter weights.

For your second combo, I'd look at getting a medium fast rod, since you've already got a medium heavy. Also, if you prefer baitcasters over spinning like I do, the medium fast will work well for plastics (worms, etc.), jerkbaits, and lighter topwaters like pop r. The medium heavy is probably better suited for the chatterbaits depending on the weight - like others were saying, use the lure ratings on the rods to guide you with that. Lighter crankbaits on the medium and heavier crankbaits on the mh and just whatever feels comfortable for you while trying to stick to the lure ratings. Heavier cover go with mh, again keeping lure rating in mind. Also, the bass pro sale is still on until Sunday 3/4, so if you're able to catch the sale before it ends, they offer great deals with a reel and /or rod trade in. I'm guessing the carbonlite 2.0 combos are sold out everywhere at the $120 price... If they're not you would be lucky to get one of those. If they are sold out, rather than get that, which would run you around 200 bucks with trade ins (~80 more than the combo deal)... At that point, I'd say maybe consider something a little higher end like a Shimano Curado K or something like that. I know you don't have a ton of time to research with Sunday upon us, but I'd give it a good look on Saturday 3/3 and see if you can come up with something within your budget based on threads from forums and online reviews. The Johnny Morris signature series rod is on sale now for 125, and that has a higher rated graphite build than the carbonlite 2.0. You could get that at 100 with a trade in. Walmart has 10 dollar combos that are good for two trade in coupons toward a rod and a reel if you don't have something already to trade in (you're likely to get around 20-30 off of each depending on the price of your new rod and reel). The Curado K comes down to 150 (although I also noticed you can also get those new on eBay for around that price or less from some vendors without having to do a trade in). Daiwa also makes good reels (I'd go with a daiwa or Shimano, with my personal preference leaning toward Shimano). The tatula sv tw is a good reel, probably more comparable to a Curado K at least in price (can get both at different places new around 150). Just some things to think about! Don't get bit too hard by the bait monkey

I officially feel better about my winter spending now

That makes sense - I just wonder if you can get more distance without backlashing by using the white brakes. I've already got both met100s with alternating white and red brakes (3 each). Like I mentioned in my response to @SeeNoSun, I really want to push the limits of the reels, and wonder if it (white brakes) will really shine with very light lures. Will report back with my findings after thoroughly testing. I'm also wondering if there is a resistance value to associate to white vs red brakes. Like does a white brake have .5 drag vs 1 drag on a red brake (what is the ratio between the white and red?). A lot of poeple may consider that overthinking it, but that's exactly how I like to look at this comparison.

Great post, thanks for that, especially the first part about when to pay attention to what. I've been pretty good about setting my brakes with mag brakes and cast control tuning, just new to the svs braking system. I've heard a lot of people saying a standard 2 internal and varying external, but I really want to push the limit in terms of what these reels can do, which I know takes some extra attention on my part toward thumb braking, line consistency on the spool, and general casting awareness. The lowest I've seen is one red internal on metanium 13s, but I haven't seen anyone mention anything about 1 white brake. Guess I'll have to find out for myself I imagine it will likely come in to play with very light lures.

For the MET100 '13, there are red brakes stock and then whites that come as an accessory. They apply lighter braking, and I was curious to see if anyone has any specific applications they've used them for. What reel do you have? Does it come with alternate brakes?

M/F for all around applications and plastics, jerkbaits, lighter topwaters MH/F for spinnerbait, chatterbait, jigs, heavier cranks, spooks, frogs M/M for most of my cranking

How about the white brakes instead of red brakes on the metanium 13, do any of you all have any experience with or ideas on those?

I use rod floats. Do yall think those work well?