C5Longhorn

I have the exact same BG reels also and have been happy with them. I want to try a BG MQ next.

This is great to read, I'm excited to try the rod out. Rick

Thank you both for the input. Very much appreciated. Look forward to trying out a St. Croix rod as I've heard good things about them. Rick

I would like to try a higher end (for me) 2 piece spinning rod and am looking at a St Croix Avid. Specifically, I'm looking at the 7.0' MF 2 piece spinning rod. I would pair it with a Shimano Stradic 2500. I would use this rod mostly for light Texas rigs, flukes, and soft plastics. Is this a good rod for my listed uses. Thanks, Rick

No worries, I was just concerned I spent $50 for a year long license for nothing. IMHO, it is well worth it. Inshore and Surf is a blast. Rick

Hi, I just saw this. The ponds were terrible for freshwater and Bass. I think they were pretty salty and all I ever saw was Gar. I ended up fishing saltwater. I did buy a license. I never found any close by freshwater (doesn't mm want it doesn't exist). Instead, I fished Matanzas inlet, Rattlesnake Island, and Flagler pier. I had a blast and highly recommend it. I only had one M spinning rod with a 2500 series reel but it worked fine. I used either live bait or Berkeley Gulp. Let me know if you have any questions. Rick How is a FL saltwater license free? I bought one to fish the inlet. I know you didn't need one at the piers but thought did anywhere else

Bumping this back to the top. I'm headed back to Palm Coast and bringing a spinning rod. Looking for any suggestions on areas to try while visiting the in-laws. Thanks, Rick

I'm lazy, so I usually T-Rig them. The reason is because I can switch between a Senko, Brush Hog, or even a Fluke. Rick

I know, good find on the website. I don't have a boat, so am in search of new places to fish. I'm in the Cypress area.

This is awesome. I wish there was something like this for Northwest Houston. Rick

YouTubers influence and move far more merchandise these days than most pros. They have much larger audiences and have far more marketing reach than 95% of the pros out there.

I have the speed bags for my plastics and have been happy with them.

UPDATE: After waiting on Shimano parts, I replaced one of the drag spring washers and I think that fixed it. My theory is the originals ones while assembled correctly were "flatter" than ideally they should be. The new washer had more curvature and that did the trick. Thanks to all the members here for the feedback and input. This forum is great for helping each other out. Rick

Well, I dug myself a deeper hole and proceeded to remove the roller clutch bearing because I'm an idiot. I didn't realize there were so many small little lead/slate looking rollers, so now I'm waiting on a new one from Shimano. Didn't expect it to cost $17, but live and learn. I had remove everything again and was making sure there was nothing but residue grease on the washers before I decided to make the reel unusable.

Sometimes it's just not meant to be. I took out the roller clutch bearing and had no idea it was composed of a bunch of tiny pencil lead type things. They went all over and now won't stay in place. Guess I'll be placing an order with Shimano.