ResoKP

Was going to mention Loomis but Tom (WSB) got to it first and I agree. I could go on but better to listen from the master himself (from 4:43 mark): That diving board analogy is right on the money.

Very good choices on both rod & reel. That Tatula CT would pair really nicely with the 7'4" H/F (TTU741HFB) Tatula Bass rod for dedicated frog/flipping. If you're fishing cover that's not too heavy then you can also go with 7'1" H/F (TTU711HFB) for more versatility. The 7'1" feels super nice with the Tatula CT and balances perfectly. http://www.daiwa.com/us/contents/rods/tatulabass/index.html For the 7'1" M Curado, Sedona, Sahara, or NASCI in 2500/3000 size would all be nice. There are incremental benefits between these three reels but not a huge difference. My personal preference is Sahara simply because the colors would match better with the Curado rod. While Fuego LT is a good reel, mix-matching Shimano/Daiwa just feels weird to me lol.

Dropshot

For situations without net, or grip tools... Walleye and pike, you can grab them by the gill plate. Just make sure not to put your fingers through their gills. Cats, if they are small enough to one-hand them, grab them from the belly and put your fingers behind their pectoral fin. Super sharp there, be careful. If you're talking about 20lb cats, you can just gill-plate them with both hands. They're slippery, make sure to get a firm grip. Trout, if not keeping, unhook in the water. If you need to take them out, wet your hands so you don't remove their slime coat. Panfish, fold their dorsal and pelvic fins down and grab over them. Carp, an arrow through their head would do.

M spinning will be far more versatile than a ML spinning. You can still do most of what you'd want to do with a ML on a M but less so the other way around. But if you are still hesitant between the two, check out a Medium/Extra Fast if you get a chance. Something like a Daiwa Tatula 6'10" M/XF (TTU610MXS) you get that thin taper tip section for the finesser dropshot & ned but still have the backbone for shakey & wacky rigs. For the heavy powered rod, if you don't think you'll be punching with more than a 1 oz tungsten, you can downsize the rod to a 7'3" - 7'6" Heavy and be plenty versatile. I use mine for pitching 1/2 oz jigs all the way to punching with 1 oz tungsten + heavy flipping hook + beavers/craws. It also doubles as a frog rod as well.

spend your money the way you want man. you're young, you can spend that money and enjoy and figure out what you like, don't like, what works for you and what doesn't and learn a whole lot what i don't understand is people advising you to spend your money in something you don't even have any interest in

never knew having a boat was a requirement to swimbait fishing i should probably read the labels more carefully on these lures, maybe it says "do not use unless you have a boat"

That sucks man! Glad you like the line though. Sufix Advance is becoming one of my favourite mono line I had a run-in with Mr.TreeBranch's friend in the past too

Give them to Brett . . . . . . . . .

I.. just don't have the confidence for this..

This was last year but fishing in this fog was surreal !

Thanks for the reply. If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to take a pic of the balance point on the Daemos? That rod is probably next on my list and wondering if I should sell my Steez A and get a Steez SV for it

Okay, so the practical difference would be that with MN Fisher's combo, I can hold the rod with 2 fingers behind the reel foot whereas with my combo, I would need to have all 4 fingers infront of the reel foot in order to experience the same balance feel.

Thank you for the pic! I WISH my finesse rig balanced there. Currently, I am using St. Croix Avid X 6'9" ML/XF with Shimano Sahara FI 1000 and here's where the rod tips forward: I like the rod and reel on their own... but together... I failed... I think I can find a better pairing. At the time I bought it, I just wanted a "light" combo and didn't think much in the balance aspect. This being a popular rod, and seeing it recommended a lot, if anyone else is considering this rod, I think a 2500 size or bigger reel would be more pleasant to use rather than a 1000 reel.

So if someone with a 20k post count and is worshiped like a god around here comes in to tell me that I should quit fishing and take up knitting instead, I should just stay quiet? Not to mention he completely missed the point regarding the topic while coming off condescending and making assumptions that I was looking to reduce weight when in fact I did just the opposite. I tried to be nice in the beginning but seems like you can't have a productive discussion around here when you've got a few people pushing their post counts around and continue derailing the topic. Anyways, still have a ton of respect for A-Jay. I've read lots of his insightful posts in the past so it's all good haha

No, unfortunately I did not get a chance to handle the gen 1 Orochi XX's. I got the 2nd gen PP after seeing a lot of positive reviews regarding the first gen. I would've liked to compare between the two gens, but it looks like I won't be able to. I've only went out with it once so I can't say much of how it performs yet. Very smooth and feels solid in hand. Weight difference is noticeable compared to Steez A, but very small. It's also got a thick layer of clear coat on the finish. Feels completely different to the touch compared to Steez SV/A. Not a fan of the clear coat feeling but that's just nitpicking and not deal breaker for me. It would probably add to the durability if anything. I haven't seen anyone else mention that aspect so thought I'd add. Likely going to be one of the reels I'll keep forever.

That's interesting to note regarding the guides. Do you also have a Daemos? I've been wondering what weight reel would balance well on that rod.

Here's my Orochi XX Perfect Pitch with Tatula SV. Tip constantly dropping got rather unpleasant fishing for 12 hours a day last season. And this is with 4 quarters added to the butt end: Already seems to feel a lot better. Will have to play with it on the water this season

If the overall weight is the only thing mattered, then the answer to every question about balance would be: Shimano ALDEBARAN. But it's not.

Difference is mine is 2019 standards and you're still stuck back in the 1950's ? Some of us are still ways out before retiring from this game. Let us figure out the new generation of products without being spewed "I'm a decendent of Hercules and I used to fish with 20 lb rods" from the all elders over here. I for one would like to see how the new Antares A stacks on a Poison Adrena. Someone here will post that eventually and I'm sure everyone would appreciate that. For the record, the reel I went with is considerably heavier to balance out the tip-heaviness of today's "too light" rods.

Yeah fair point. But if someone posted Expride A 7'2" H with Curado DC and I wanted a Bantam MGL for that rod, I could still safely assume they will have about the same balance due to the two reels weighing the same. Or maybe I'm thinking this all wrong...

Well maybe it was just me and I did overlook if I'm being honest. I had planned on getting one reel but came out with another after trying the combo out in the store. I don't get to handle every product out there and I was hoping a thread like this would help regular guys like me have a better idea of how different rod & reels work together. When I get a chance, I will try to take more pictures of my other combos. Maybe it's completely useless info to others but something like this would help me with my purchases in the future.

I got me some of that new Toyko Rig things to try out this season. Since the weight is not pegged at the front of the lure, I'm thinking it won't be trying to constantly wedge itself into everything. I also like that it can suspend a bit off the bottom. Some places I punch has such soft bottom composition, the lure completely buries itself into the ground and disappears. Maybe there are benefits to hard bottom too. I'll see if this thing is a gimmick or not... But for now I'm optimistic. DYODD. GLHF.

Often overlooked, let's see some of your favourite spinning and baitcasting combos and how they balance. Post up some pictures of their balancing points. Megabass Destroyer FMJ & Daiwa morethan PE 1000XHL