MN Fisher

Dunno where you're seeing that - most places have the CG-80 at well under the Fuego. The CA-80 on the otherhand is near the Fuego in price...but as it's also an aluminum frame it's understandable. Of my three BCs, two are Fuegos and one is a Supreme - all aluminum frame. My President and President-XT are both graphite frame reels but I haven't noticed any problems with them.

Nice to see you and your lovely lady enjoying a day on the water together.

Being in a canoe I can carry two bags, one is plastics the other is everything else. Other than my crankbait box, every other box is 'mixed types'. Jigs and chatters - okay, I'd fill about 1/3 of that box...meaning I'd have to add a box for the other lures that currently share a box with those two...and one of those would have to be 'loose' in the canoe. Looking them over more closely, the Edge boxes are also too specialized for how I carry my tackle

Now I'm really turned off to the Edges - way more expensive and holds less? I'm already cramming two of my ProLatch 3700s - so I'd have to add another box if I switched to Edge? Nope - not happening.

Still WAY too rich for my budget - I'll stick with standard ProLatch and toss in silica gel packs.

I like it without boxes - they always have xx50 boxes in the bags and I prefer to customize my selection. Ordered one - Thursday delivery

I'm the reverse - every so often I'll have the wife trim the ends...but my ponytail still hangs to between my shoulder-blades.

As of 2015, it cost just under $20k a year to keep a prisoner incarcerated in FL. Save the money.

To good for this...person. Toss them in a gator infested part of the Glades.

I comes in both a 1-piece and 2-piece option...I got the 1-piece. Note the 7' MH/M is the only 1-piece - the 6'6" M/M and the 5'6" L/M are both 2-piece only.

Another Dick's/F&S exclusive is the Okuma Stratus VI rod - I have the 7' MH/M spinning version that I use for crankbaits. It's actually pretty good. Also on sale for $49.99 - regular $79.99

The advantage to the Diawa 1000 size is that it has more line capacity than a similar sized Pflueger...160yds of 6#mono vs 145 yds. I run straight mono or hybrid on my spinning rigs, so I can't comment on the braid with leader setup but 15# 832 is the same diameter as 5# mono - so you'll have about the same capacity.

In my case, I have a Trion-30 on an Aird-X Medium/Fast. It's been a good combo for me and has done quite well. Last year it had Yo-Zuri Hybrid 10# on it and I used it for lighter crankbaits and it performed admirably. This year I swapped the line over to my Trion-35, put that reel on an Okuma Stratus VI Medium-Heavy/Moderate for the cranks and am using the Trion-30/Aird-X with 10# Stren for jerkbaits and lighter jigs/T-Rigs (under 3/8oz). Still doing a good job.

Unless you get into the higher price ranges, combo 'deals' like this are something to bypass. One of the two parts is going to be sub-standard...usually the rod. Looking over the combo on the Diawa site - the rod looks to be a Crossfire. So $50 reel on a $30 rod - you're not saving that much. Also there's better reels for not much more. The Revros is a 4+1 bearing while the Pflueger Trion is a 6+1 bearing for less cost. I have a pair of Trions and they're actually really good reels in that price range.

For under $70 - I'd go with the Aird-X myself. I splurged a bit, got a Fury for $87, but that kind of price is hard to get.

Preach it brother! I will re-iterate what I've said elsewhere. Aird-X fishes well above it's price-point. I've got four now of ten rigs. I have one other rod I might want to upgrade, and I'm still looking at an Aird-X to replace it.

Okay - I gotta ask. Was the hook sharp according to the fingernail test?

Ya - if the bearings have been greased, flush them out and put just a couple drops of light oil on them.

Rapala picked up VMC in 2000.

Realize that if you have any Rapala, Storm or Luhr-Jensen crank/jerkbaits - you're already using VMC hooks. Rapala owns all those brands - and last year purchased 49% of 13Fishing. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/07/09/1880298/0/en/RAPALA-VMC-CORPORATION-RAPALA-ACQUIRES-49-OF-DQC-INTERNATIONAL-CORP-OWNER-OF-13-FISHING-ROD-AND-REEL-BRAND-INVESTS-IN-THE-COMPANY-AND-CONCLUDES-A-PERPETUAL-WORLDWIDE-LICENCE-AND-EX.html

Cheaper/easier option is to just replace the bushings in the handle knobs with bearings. Voila, Tat-CT with standard aperture.

I wouldn't want to use that - the grip area is so small that puncturing/ripping the jaw is a possibility on larger fish. I like the Rapala because of the larger surface area that contacts the fish's jaw...less pressure in a single area.

It's mainly an issue for those who palm their reels. I don't do that, so the size isn't an issue for me.

Yep - which brings the Dobyns up to the same lure range as my Diawas Diawa Heavy - 3/8 to 1-1/2 Dobyns Mag-Heavy - 3/8 to 1-1/2 Dobyns is actually all over the board with their ratings. A 5 power could be Heavy (1/4-1), Mag-Heavy (3/8-1&1/2) or Med-Heavy Flip (1/4-2)