Big Hands

Mine took about a week to turn around, and it is a VERY nice hoodie. Sizing is pretty true, but maybe just a tick on the small side. . . . maybe.

You just created a whole lot more questions than you answered.

If you have something special that you want to do with it, the SV might be worth it, but the CT Fuego shares many of the same parts with the SV TW, with the absence of the T-Wing and a non-SV spool design being the most significant differences. Personally, the T-Wing makes more sense on paper than it does in real life for me, and it can hang up on knots that pass through it. It wouldn't be that big of a deal if he Tatula didn't come with it, especially when it sells for half the price. I think that since I don't count on the SV TW to throw lighter lures, that I would rather have two Fuego CT reels than a single SV TW. YMMV.

Thank you! I have also caught a 12 lbs 4oz (I don't have a pic of that one), and this one was 12 lbs 14 oz.

I love the smell of a fireplace AND bacon in the breeze. Beavers, to put it mildly, can have a bit of a bad attitude at night, LOL. I don't mind fishing alone at night to say the least. Somewhere behind night fishing, I also love mountain biking at night. But I almost never go mountain biking at night alone. Even having my (then) young children with me made me feel much safer, which doesn't really make sense, but it is what it is. I have had some close encounters with wildlife at night while mountain biking, in addition to a poacher that was shining from his truck and told me the the green light on my light's remote switch (I was riding with the light off by the light of the full moon) looked like the eye of a coyote and that the main reason he didn't take the shot was because he only saw one eye. Then he looked puzzled like I should have thanked him for it. ===================== We have a coyote that will follow me along the shore where I am fishing for quite a while. If I stop to fish a spot, he will lay down and just hang out, and then move along with me as I go for up to a couple of hours as though he doesn't have a care in the world. I am very surprised at how close he will get and then lay down at the water's edge facing away from me and take a nap. When he hears a hooked fish jump, he perks up. Pretty sure he gets shore lunches (probably little stripers) donated to him on the regular.

Rods are kind of a personal thing. We all have our own somewhat unique way of holding and handling them and we have little quirks about us, and while we are pretty similar, we are unique. There are countless rods made that would be a great match for that reel, but the 'real' question is whether or not they are a great match for you. So many times I have convinced myself that a certain rod would be awesome for me only to find that when I actually put hands on it, that it didn't suit me well for one reason or another. Or there was another rod I hadn't strongly considered that actually felt better in my hands (and with 'the' reel attached that it would be used with). These days, I try to either bring my own reels, or use reels the shop has on hand to get a feel for a rod. I usually try several and go back and forth, some hand-wringing, some pacing, etc.. I am probably a bit of a PITA for the shop, but I usually try to bring them my business when possible because I view that as a service they provide that probably saves me money and time since I will make fewer regretful purchases. For me personally, I like cork. EVA often feels weird and the tactile feel doesn't appeal to me. EVA sections are often on the skinny side and I have. . . big hands. Skinny doesn't feel good to me. I prefer full cork on casting rods, but it isn't necessarily a deal breaker to quite the extent that EVA has become for me. Proprietary reel seats can be amazing. Amazingly good or amazingly bad as well. With all of that said (sorry, not sorry), my best guess is that you would probably be looking for a rod that is around a similar price point at your SLX XT reel (somewhere between $100 and maybe $175)? If that budget range is in your wheelhouse, I like offerings like the Daiwa Tatula (or Kage) 7'3" MH/F. You can have mine when you can pry it from my cold dead fingers. You might hate them, and that's fine. For some matching a Daiwa rod with a Shimano reel is borderline blasphemous, but that gene is not dominant for me. But I would suggest checking them out if that is within your budget range and you are able to wear Nike shorts with Adidas shoes without developing an eye twitch.

It’s probably best to have a chat with the boater the night before if possible and see how much room you have and how they feel about things. You could probably take ten of these and not irritate your host.

Reels are kinda like camera lenses. For most middle of the road tasks and situations, you don't NEED anything super special. Nice gear is generally nicer to use, but not always entirely necessary. But, once you're using them in more extreme situations, that's when they can really earn their place. Sometimes extreme casting distance may be required, or very light line, or super smooth drag. That's when all those little details can make enough of a difference and could move your requirements from the 'want' category to the 'need' category. I'm just going to say that if you knowingly put an emphasis on the color of the reel, you might not need to take advantage of the line lay characteristics of a Shimano Vanford over those of a Daiwa Revros. Nothing to feel bad about, it just is what it is and there are probably many, many reels that will be capable of doing everything you need them to do. If you were to buy something like the Vanford (or other similarly more sophisticated reels), you could grow to appreciate it and take advantage of those features more as your knowledge and skills progress. You can alter the line lay on your Revros by using different thickness washers under the spool. The reel may have included a little bag with some white colored washers in it. If so, that is what they are for.

I think that guy got more support for the 1000 size since he stated it was primarily for creek fishing where the casting distance likely has a lower place on the list of priorities. And many said that this would especially be true if he was jigging (i.e. fishing more vertically) when he fished a lake. Horses for courses. You mention wind resistance. If you're fishing a 1000 size reel with light braid in wind strong enough to make a 1000 reel have noticeably less wind resistance, that will be the least of your issues. IMHO wind resistance for your application is of low importance, but YMMV. The price points of the reels you mention range from $40 to $100 in a quick search. I can identify with not wanting to spend more than you need, but the quality is bound to vary a lot between the ones listed. They make shallow spool versions of both the Revros 1000 and 2000 for the Japanese domestic market, and you'd be hard pressed to compete with them for the money. The Revros reels are relatively heavier than more expensive reels but for the money you pay for them, they are popular for good reason. Maybe a ranked order of priorities would help vs what is available could be useful. Things like: Inches per Turn (IPT)/Gear Ratio Overall weight Line Capacity Drag capacity Drag Smoothness Switch for reverse (or lack thereof) Ergonomics Balance (with the rod they will be used with) Line lay (some reels come with various washers for tuning it to your liking) Reel smoothness Spool diameter Put them in some sort of ranked order and decide which are needs and which are wants. Figure out what you'd like to pay and what you'd be willing to pay. OR If you have the budget for any of the reels @bulldog1935 suggested, you could save yourself a lot of hand-wringing and time and just get one of those and know you have made a fine choice. If you can swing it, choices like that hurt the day you buy them, but you love them every day thereafter.

What does "with the kids" mean, and how do you see it altering your decision? Are you saying that your kids might be using it too? If yes: What age are they? What fishing experience do they have?

RED ALERT: Did you say mid-September? . . . . UGH. The Bob Sealy Big Bass Splash at Lake Fork is September 15, 16 & 17, 2023. Unless you are into that sort of a dumpster fire, I would stay away that weekend, and the entire previous week too. At that time, my suggestion would be to go anywhere but there unless you want to be in the tournament. If it's not at that time, Lake Fork in the Fall, is mostly TOTALLY WIDE OPEN at night with very few people actually on the water, and most of those that are seem to be crappie anglers fishing under bridges.

I have caught a ten pounder on a 1000 size reel, so they don't generally scare me away from using one to bass fish. . . . if it is balanced with the rod it's on and ultimate casting distance is not needed. If you were only fishing creeks and didn't need casting distance a 1000 could be all you need and great for creek fishing. Daiwa does make a Legalis LT1000S that is around half the price of a Fuego if a 1000 suits you. You certainly don't need a 2500 for creek fishing. On many Daiwa spinning reels, you can interchange a 2000 and 2500 spools with the arbor being the same, but the skirt of the spool is slightly larger. A 2000 with a shallow spool (from the JDM or EU market) would be the biggest I think you could 'need'. Daiwa makes a Tatula LT2000S-XH, but it won't be found in any tackle seller's inventories in the USA. If weight is of less concern than the price, they also make the same reel in the Fuego line. In case you hadn't noticed, I am a fan of shallow spools on spinning reels.

Reminds me of the time I was on Kuai staying at a golf resort in Princeville. A kid was walking down the perimeter road with a bass hanging from the rod and I asked him where he caught it. He replied that he caught it in the bay (salt water) and I told him that I'm pretty certain he was trying to feed me some bovine fecal matter. He finally cracked and admitted he caught it from the golf course pond on his one and only cast after getting skunked in the bay and he lied because he didn't want to get in trouble 😄

Most of the trips I have taken to Texas to fish have been in the Fall. I have had several memorable trips at that time of year. Night fishing on Lake Fork is my favorite bass fishing experience. I haven't fished Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend, but they are on a short-ish list of Texas lakes that I intend to try. If you have the time and would like to be wearing a perma-grin on your flight home, may I suggest both? You can sleep when yer dead.

If you want solid targeted feedback, it would help to know specifically what it is that you are wanting to do, how you like to fish, baits you want to throw, line size/type, capacity, conditions in the bodies of water, etc.