GeekOutdoors

Built mine out of a 2x8 piece with heavier feet so it doesn't move around, steel angles, threaded rod, springs and knob nuts

Give 'em to kids, relatives, friends. Use these to introduce someone to the fishing world. My 0.02

+1 for pics

For those who do not like the knobs on the RLE I changed the whole handle for a CF one with corkish knobs. It now feels even better I need a new reel for a Fenwick Techna AV I bought with intentions of using it as a spinnerbait setup.

The Mojo I hate so bad is a 7'1" M/F spinning. Paired with a Sahara 2500FE spooled with 20lbs Tuf-Line braid. I tried it with Northland Fatty tubes (2.75) with 1/4" head and line wasn't coming nicely through guides. I tried with a 3.5" Coffee tube (which weight a little more) and it was nicer, this then fits the common statement that the St.Croix are on the stouter side of a given power. Also, I was at the store Saturday in Ottawa and they had the Avid 6'3" MXF stock and this is a really nice rod. I had to fight with bait monkey for a while to not take it home.

I personnally prefer a more sober approach with styling. I have a RLE that I like a lot on my frog rod but it needs 5/8 and over frogs to cast properly, but does cast a mile. For everything else the standard 6.3:1 would do fine, I'd pick an Assassin, so light and easy to set

The new MegaJaws like the RLE do not have dual braking system, but the MegaJaws has 8 magnets, they might do the trick ?

I noted for nedrig. Will try it w/o leader next year

I'd say 5 or 6wt if you want one for both smalljaws and trouts. Reel is not that important in flyfishing as it is a line storage. Just take one that doesn't pinch the line on retrieve. A 6wt is a little easier if you are a beginner, less affected by winds...

FWIW I fish straight braid for most of my fishing, the only situations I use a leader is on my ned rig gear and my drop shot gear. Anything else, at least till now, is straight braid. It might change in the future, especially if I want to kinda "cheat" a little on rod actions by "mitigating" them with fluoro, or more likely, mono.

This is, IMHO their only advantage and purpose

The love-hate is uniquely towards the models. I have 2 Mojo Bass, one I love and one I hate. I also have a Bass X which I feel is OK, not less not more ! I handled the Mojo 6'8" MXF and was pleased with it, but since it was in store, I did not put a reel on it, didn't cast etc...

Thanks for the reply @J Francho. I will not be able to Twitch it straight down anyway but a shorter handle is nice to have especially on a kayak since I always wear my PFD and its bulky. That being said I'm use to 7' rods on the yak so not much of a big deal ! I saw some Sail stores that might have the AVS63MXF stock but that rod is 100$ over budget at 235$ CAD. I can find a Bass X 6'8" MXF for 130-135 and a Mojo Bass 6'8" MXF for 150$ which stretch the budget a bit but not too bad. So I wonder what of a compromise would that 5 extra inches be ? I really wish to hold them before buying as I have a love-hate relationship with St.Croix products... Most store carrying it are over 1h30 away from home ?

Also, guys that told you to not end your training on a backlash are right. I would push that further and try to finish on a short sequence of good, satisfying cast. That means more distance and accuracy than when you start the training session. I use to practice at the end if the Fishing day for 15 to 45 minutes (my 45 minutes session included an aggressive pike that helped ?) I also went out to a field at least for an initial setup, and tried these setups on the bank. Also try to notice when the backlash occurs, at the beginning or the end of the cast. Also note that frog will be influenced by the winds, you Will likely have to crank brake and spool tension when casting into winds and lose some distance.

I am using the same reel you do and I love it ! Its on my frog Rod which is an heavy though and I'm casting a 5/8 to 3/4 HB frog. It cast a mile and a half. I'm Rocket launching that frog just a few spins shy of the spool knot. I guess you are using the smaller frog since you have a medium. Like the other guys said, you more need the Pendulum/momentum effect of the lure than the whip of the rod to propulsate the lure. There should be no wrist flick. Its a Little bit like a golf swing (straight forearms and wrist) and you need to let the lure go a tad before what you are use to with the spinning reel otherwise, like golf, you'll slice. I'll double check my settings tomorrow and let you know. Whats that frog weight ?

It might be true for Stradic Ci4+ weight but not for lower ranges. AFAIK the 3000 spool is deeper, hence holding more line but erything else is the same. Some Shimano series also have gear ratio differences between 2500/3000 models (Sedona, Sahara and Nasci do) I'm using 2500 or equivalent on anything medium power and above but i'll keep the 1000 for ML's since it Works for me !

If you don't mind i'll borrow the "long winter will Drive a Man to such excesses" line, love it !

I'm about to make the move to mainly throw weightless soft jerkbaits. I was looking into these lenghts (6' to 6'8) but can hardly justify the Avid price for their 6'2"/6'3" rods. I might go the Bass X or Mojo Bass route for a 6'8" XF or a cheaper Triumph or Fenwick HMG in 6'0" Medium/Fast. I'm fishing out of a kayak, sitting most of the time. I think shorter rods might penalize me a bit on casting distance but give me some gain in accuracy. I am unsure about the XF vs F impact on all of this to be honest. I would also like to throw hard jerkbaits and spybaits if that makes sense. I would like to know about what you feel the difference is between both of your rods (6'2" vs 6'8") @J Francho, experience wise ? I have an orphan KK Speed Demon spinning reel that I could use but it's an heavy reel, might try to figure out something lighter like a Cabelas Prodigy (6ish oz) PS. I read quite a bunch of topics:

@maherme you should consider smaller size reel (size 1000 Shimano's or equivalent other Mfr size) to pair it with a ML. You will cut some total weight at the expense of some stopping power. PS. You have bass in Spain ?

I'm using a Fenwick Elitech Bass 6'10 ML/XF paired with a Sedona 1000. Braid 15lbs with a 6' fluoro leader.

Which rod will you pair it with ? My DropShot setup is a 6'10 ML/XF with a Sedona size 1000 reel. Yours are likely higher end but FWIW that's what I'm using.

I own a St.Croix Mojo Bass 7'1" M/F and a Fenwick Aetos in the same specs. I prefer my Aetos over the St.Croix any day but that is just my humble opinion. To be fair, the Aetos is pricier though but still in OP budget

3/8 on a med-light ! I'm using a Med/heavy for tubes with 1/4 tube head ? If that helps, I'm using 15lbs braid on my medium Light spinning rods with 12lbs fluoro leaders.

I dont know if celeri stick has the same meaning then in French but its not positive !

Depends on the weight of the jigs you plan on throwing the most. The longer rods, per its lure rating, will likely have a tad lighter lure sweet spot.