Michigander

Gotcha. I was not feeling the pull toward the CA80. Mostly just confused by it's existence. If you're patient, you can find Fuegos for $65 on Amazon occasionally. That's how I got my first one. The other two were a little above $70.

Legitimate answer.

Is that good or bad?

I would genuinely love to look that fabulous but the wife is a Fur = Murder kind of person. Maybe I can find ethically sourced fur coats...

Yeah, I'm in Lansing so MSU is quite popular here too, lol. Thankfully I have eliminated DEET out of my life except for some deep woods adventures. I have totally different stuff for on the boat. My X-rays are both going to be casting rods. I had considered just cutting down a Winn grip to be exactly what my hand needs to hold the reel to shave max weight off. Doing that would probably get me at or under carbon fiber. I'm building five rods this winter but I doubt I'll build more than one a year after this. I say that but I also have gear ADD and could replace some of my mediocre rods..... LoL. If it works it works, I'm not judging. The start up cost for all the crap you need to do this kept me away before. Other than a Black Friday sale dryer and reamer set, I built everything I needed to keep costs down. But if I get serious about the craft I will probably laugh at my current setup.

Oh sure, but the price is so similar and the weight is the same-ish so how could it be a choice over a Fuego?

I'm jealous, I want highs in the 50s. Your patio comment is a choice. I'm drinking a beer on mine right now, lol.

Just got a new trapper hat last year as my previous one finally gave up the ghost.

I mean, they probably bin the parts so the tolerances on the Tatula are probably slightly better from the factory but yeah essentially the same. Which really makes you wonder what the CA80 is supposed to do in the lineup.

I've never really liked Abu or Lew's reels in spinning and they feel off to me when I pick up the bait casters on display at the store. Based on the parts diagram, a Tatula 100 and a Fuego CT are basically the exact same reel minus a bearing or two and the TWS.

@MickD Yes, thanks for sharing, that image changes my whole opinion of the rubber checks! That cork turned out beautiful too, is that a personal rod? I have peasant EVA on my kit rod, but that's fine for the kayak. Still on the fence about what to put on my X-rays. Carbon fiber is cool, but Winn grips are way cheaper, lol.

We have a 55mph speed limit on the water around here, so top speed is irrelevant for me even though I have a 250HP Pro XB which is going to make my future boats seem sluggish I'm sure. What's key for me is getting my holeshot down to the minimum and for my acceleration to be as high as it can be. I want to go from still to 55 as fast as possible.

Like I said originally, I am not dissatisfied with the reels I have. Just feeling out if an extra $50-$100 really gets me anything tangible. I don't know what I don't know. And intensive research helps pass the winter. ?

No worries, this is a peak time of year for that industry for sure! That's really interesting about how the TWS interacts negatively with your retrieve. I'll certainly keep that in mind as a factor.

And hopefully replenish their stock. It feels like they are sold out of basically everything worth buying, lol.

As my research has been starting to cover Shimano offerings, I'm intrigued by the SLX MGL 70 reels. $150 per keeps it well under my $200 price-pain point and they seem to be well paired with the techniques I would need them for. It'll give me more perspective on other reels at least, lol. I do keep an eye on the Flea Market forum, for sure. Unfortunately I'm pretty ignorant of what I want specifically. ? I can afford to be patient for now as my water is about to get really solid in the coming weeks. As long as I have this figured out by March I'm all good.

Oh yes, excellent choice! I enjoy that one especially on tap at their brewery when I'm over that way.

Depends on how many more HP your hull needs. If it's underpowered by 13HP, then yes. LoL That's not helpful I know, but I'm sure there's some math out there that would calculate it.

That looks delicious.

To me, it really comes down to whether the boat can easily get on plane with the weight of stowage and passengers. We have an underpowered boat in my local circuit and the passenger has to lay on the deck during takeoff to get the bow down enough that the boat can get on plane at all. ?

Oh, that does look nice! So I guess rubber winding checks end up fine in the end. Good to know, I think they look cheap at the stage I'm on right now. What did you use for a butt end there?

I'm not sure why you don't see more brown blue jigs. It's a great color combo. I end up tying them myself most of the time.

It's ok, I can't buy a bite on black and blue. LoL

Yep. Solid color combo. Metallic purple with a peppered tan is my preferred. Seems to work best in brownish water. Clear water green and blue. Probably same deal for the fish, just compensation for the light color filter.

For me, it depends on what's around me. TRigs are better equipped to get in and out of weeds IMO. For me, the jig does it's best work in less clogged water and around hard cover/structure. If I keep getting my jig back with a ball of vegetation each time I cast, I put it down and switch to a TRig