Lead Head

You could look into getting extra spools to swap out as needed, or you could run braid main line and switch leaders as needed... As to your fc question, I can't say for sure, but I don't think it would harm the line.

As far as Dobyns goes, I can't speak for the Sierra but in the fury series I find the MH to be perfect for weightless senkos.

I would definitely recommend a baitcaster. Casting 5" senkos with a baitcaster isn't hard at all. I can get 30+ yards consistently with a fuego ct on a MH dobyns fury. I'm sure a spinning rod can reach out farther but I really don't have much need to bomb cast weightless senkos and I am infinitely more accurate with a baitcaster. If you do decide to go baitcaster don't jump straight into light stuff. Start off practicing in the yard with weight near the top end of your rods rating. In no time you will be slinging senkos. If your new setup will need to cast neds and small rapalas you will be better off sticking with spinning gear.

I'm not a big spinning reel guy but I would guess that any time you are reeling in slack line (walking a frog, bouncing a t-rig) you are going to battle this problem to some extent. It's just the nature of how a spinning reel works. As stated above, downsizing your braid should help a great deal. If you don't mind the price, I highly recommend suffix 832 as well. If you want a more budget friendly braid, Kastking makes excellent braid that you can usually get for less than $5 shipped.

Love the mb. I have 2 and they are my favorite that I own. I have 2 fuego ct and they are super solid reels for about half what the mb costs. To me, the mb is a far better reel especially where casting distance is concerned. Depending on the application (bottom contact- fuego, moving baits- mb) my next reel will be one of these two. I'm cheap, and won't spend the extra $50 on a mb unless I feel it's necessary. If the price was the same it would be mb all day.

If things are that tough, try a ned rig. You will have the added potential of catching almost anything that swims.

I would suggest a fuego ct from eBay and (as mentioned earlier) larger braid. If you want to keep the braid cost down go Kastking. This would only cost around $60, and should (in my opinion) give you a quality "budget" setup. If your problems continue from there it is user error and not the quality of equipment. In my experience, light braid on a finicky baitcaster is a recipe for disaster. Plenty of people do it, but it requires some experience and attention to detail.

Do you really think it's a stretch to say pro's would use unnecessary equipment to try and sell you stuff you don't really need? I'm sure the sponsors like it when they can sell you 2 kinds of line instead of just 1. I'm not suggesting it don't make any difference at all... just suggesting that the pros probably use it when it is completely unnecessary to keep the sponsors happy. I'm sure there are plenty of times when a leader will outfish straight braid. I haven't personally experienced it often... If at all. It is not uncommon for me to catch as many or more fish with straight braid than the guy next to me using straight FC. At the end of the day it's all about what you can fish confidently, so adjust accordingly and have fun.

I have a bb1 and 2 mb. I prefer the mb. Nothing wrong with the bb1 but it is FAR more finicky than the mb. If your super confident in your baitcasting abilities (I'm no pro, but definitely not a novice) and want the larger spool capacity you might like the bb1 more, but If I could do it all over I would pass on the bb1 for a 3rd mb. You can get the mb for $109 or less on eBay, not sure about the bb1 but they are usually about $20 more than a mb.

I'll throw in my customary fuego ct endorsement here. If your interested in the tatula ct and have any concerns over the t-wing, do a quick forum search on the fuego ct. It's basically the same reel only without t-wing and you can get it for around $50 on eBay. I personally didn't want a t-wing reel because it just looked like unnecessary moving parts that can wear or fail, so I went with fuegos. I have zero complaints.

Personally, I would try really hard to come up with $50 and buy a fuego ct off eBay. Then use the gift card to get a better rod. If your not familiar with the fuego ct just do a forum search, they have been talked about plenty and are almost the same reel as a tatula. $200 will give you a lot of options on rods, and you can walk around BPS and pick out the one you like the most.

Pb&j and black/blue are poor performers for me. I have caught a few with them but have never had a good day on them. Probably has as much to do with confidence as anything else.

1/4 - 1oz suggested lure weight means this rod is probably on the lighter side of heavy. I would be surprised if it isn't a pretty solid "all purpose rod".

The mb is a way better reel in almost every way... in my opinion. I have used both. If you want to spend less, look to the diawa fuego ct. If you want to spend more... I can't help much, I'm currently only using mb's and fuegos.

When it's too cold for frogs I use my frog rod for jigs or heavy weighted plastics.

I personally would be looking at either a MH that runs on the stiffer side (I hear Abu veritas) or a heavy that runs on the softer side (dobyns fury). I'm no rod guru but that's where my head would be at for what your wanting. Those rods paired with either the Kastking or fuego should keep you right at or just below the $200 price point. For frogging your going to want braid. I've heard of people doing it with mono or floro but I can tell you from personal experience that braid is a FAR better choice, especially since your trying to fudge your rod on the softer side of what a "traditional" frog rod usually is. The problem is, braid plus a fast taper on a stiff rod isn't conducive to crankbait fishing. Just like stretchy line plus a moderate taper on a more parabolic rod isn't conducive to frog fishing. It's a tough combo to come up with. Personally, with my limited rod experience, if I had to go get a rod for those techniques I would get the heavy dobyns and make it a dedicated jig rod on down the road. Maybe some of the bank guys will chime in, they tend to get the most out of their rods and will have far more experience than me at double duty rods.

Since your trying to keep the price down, look into the diawa fuego ct. Plenty of threads about it here and you can get it from eBay in the $50 range when sales are running. I hear good things about Kastking but havent personally used one. The fuego will give you an aluminum frame and has several speeds to chose from if that stuff matters to you. As far as rods go, I'll let others guide you. I'm not very rod savvy but I will note that a combo frog/crank rod will be a tough one to find. Good luck staying at just one baitcaster. I swear the want for more is a sickness... in me anyway.

I like them on a jika rig. Have found it to be a very versatile way to fish a paddle tail.

If you catch an unexpected monster and want to get measurements, use fishing line. Cut a piece that is length and a second that is girth. You can take the pieces of line home and measure them later.

My "go to" soft plastic is a Texas rigged zoom baby brush hog. For me, those things flat out catch fish pretty much anywhere. I've been leaning more on jigs recently but if I'm going to throw a tx-rig it's always the baby brush hog first. If the brush hogs fail me I'll try a weightless senko (yum dinger).

I have used both a Crush and tournament mb. To me the mb is a far better reel. Smoother, easier to use, and farther casting. The mb has internal brakes (if you need them, I've never needed to use them) and the crush don't. In my experience, a mb on a lightning rod shock outperforms the crush combo easily. My advice would be grab the mb off eBay for $109 and don't look back. I can't speak for any of the other reels being discussed.

Some companies won't let retailers advertise sales. A few years back I worked for Academy and shimano wouldn't let them advertise sales on reels. They had them, but if you didn't know somebody you had to just stumble across them in-store. I figure this is the case for "see price in cart" type sales... but that is pure speculation.

Lews tournament mb is a pretty small and palms super easy for me. It's also a very solid performer and can be found on e-bay for $109.

Wow... sounds like some of you guys should harvest some frogs. Maybe thin out the frog population at bit and have frog legs for dinner. I rarely eat fish but I will absolutely throw down on frog legs when given the opportunity. And yes, they really do kinda taste like chicken.

Dobyns fury mh/F fishes pretty light. I have no problems throwing weightless senkos (dingers) and flukes.