I haven't fished with or touched a ton of $100 spinning rods, but enough to have chosen the Tat XT over the ones that I have. That doesn't mean there isn't something better at the price point. There are so many choices, then throw in personal preference. Rods are so personal. That said, the MF XT spinning rods I have keep me happy not only because I like their feel in hand and their crisp action, but they've held up to real abuse over 6 years of use. I've dragged in some pretty impressive NY bass through some gnarly weeds with them without one glitch.
Sort of. I fixed the issue you're having by never pointing my rod directly at my bait. I either hold it tip-up a bit, or at least on an angle to the line that's out. Once I feel a bite, and for only a split second, I drop the rod just a skosh to "give" the fish the bait a little, then I set. Give it a try. Works for me and I'm fishing mostly straight braid in super choked out places.
Yes, the MP replaced the MB. It got upgraded to a fully supported pinion.
It's not.
The handle, I reckon.
Marketing jargon. Hardened aluminum gear in the MP. The KVD has a brass main gear.
Tie the braid onto the spool with an arbor knot, then trim the tag end off.
Cut two squares of electrical tape approximately 3/8" x 3/8", preferably Scotch Super 33 because it's very soft which helps the line bite in.
Place one square of tape down centered over the line and onto the spool and press it down nicely. Rotate the spool 180 degrees, then place the second piece of tape down in the same fashion as to not unbalance the spool.
Wind on your braid and be done with it. I've been doing it this way for years and have NEVER had line slip happen once whether using 15lb braid or 50lb braid. The nature of the adhesive used on Super 33, and most others besides dollar store tape, is such that any residue left behind on the spool will easily wipe right off with a little alcohol on a Q-Tip. You'll never know it was there if you ever go to sell the reel.
I get it, but your concern is over an anomaly. This is highly uncommon.
Maybe the A/R sleeve, which happens to be keyed to the crank shaft AFAIK and not the pressure washer, got hung up on the crank shaft due to poor tolerances. Most slide easily. Some hang a bit on the shaft which deburring can solve. Maybe the ratchet came off of its keyed position on the crank shaft because the drag star was backed off hard and completely, but that still shouldn't happen anyway on a properly assembled reel. Regardless, there are things worth understanding and worrying about. This oddity is low on the list. I doubt you'll ever encounter it.
Tie good knots and check your line often so you don't get broken off on the hookset. Don't wing it into a tree top, and you'll be fine. The PB is a floater. I don't know anyone who's lost a floater fishing from a boat or yak. Git one.
Yup. I just checked too. $73.21 for the 7"3" MHF. @Bassinheimer is batty if he doesn't grab it at this price. It's a level up from a Fury, plus it has a jazzy cork handle.
We fish the same waters with similar weeds. Aside from the weeds and snot algae the bend on a standard hook will accumulate, it'll also prematurely wreck the worm merely by pulling and snapping them through weeds. How many senkos have you found discarded on the ground with the nose torn? Good chance a fish wasn't caught on it either. Just get the specific hooks shown below and most of your troubles will disappear, and you'll get far more fish per worm.
Left to right; 6/0, 5/0, 4/0
Top to bottom;
6" worm, 6/0 hook
5" worm, 5/0 hook
5" worm, 4/0 hook
Depends on your waters. Heavy weeds, or generally clear of them? If you want to get a very good standard MH rod for little $, take a look at the Daiwa Aird-X 7'3" MH for $54.99. You'll really like it.
Daiwa Aird X Casting Rods - Tackle Warehouse
It's good for the price. It's totally built out of CI4+, meaning it's Shimano's space age plastic. It also has the early SVS Infinity red brake blocks which, in this reel, can get zippy sounding quickly unless you stay on top of oiling the brake pipe. A good caster, but touchy to dial in if you switch lure weights often. Otherwise, it's typical Shimano SVS braking, if you understand what that means. Since you're primarily a Daiwa guy, you'll probably hate fiddling with it unless you just dial it in for one presentation, but maybe not. I take mine out occasionally to chuck jerkbaits, but only when I'm in the mood for self-flagellation. The best thing about it, IMO, is that the plastic frame is great for cold weather fishing., which is why I use it for jerkbaits. Unlike metal, it doesn't turn into an ice cube, and I hate a cold hand when I'm jerkin'.
Yup. I'd did my son in law's President recently. Nearly identical bail spring mechanicals. Removing the bail wire completely was the trick to lining everything back up while under tension. Got it back together, but a real PIA. Explaining it without video would be difficult.
I'm confident in saying that I've caught plenty of fish including a 7lb bass on each rod plus several monster pickerel in quite choked out conditions, and neither has broken yet in over 5 years. The last thing I'm thinking about when I hook into something with some weight is proper rod etiquette, and I'm nearly always dragging them back in through something thick. No lost inserts. Nothing. I'm not worried about it.
I throw the weedless Z through pad fields without weed in-fill, and through weeds not yet draped in filamentous algae. Comes through way better than a standard CB or JH. Other than the 1st 2 fish I missed, which immediately caused me to judge the Z weedless as junk, hookups have been very good otherwise. They tend to hit chatterbaits to kill, so the weedguard doesn’t seem to do much to impede hooksets. Up until the past week or so we’ve been so choked out here that the Z weedless has been the only VJ I’m able to throw without total frustration. I’m not throwing any VJ in wood, weedless or not. The blade is the issue, as much as the hook.
Nothing wrong. The kick lever doesn't always land in a tooth of the trip ratchet when you depress the thumb bar. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Rotating the handle forward will set the lever. It's not play. It's not a problem.
We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.
