GetFishorDieTryin

Get a pack of Grande Bass Airtails, they're a simple worm that's extremely versatile. The tail makes them stand up straight off the bottom, so they're great for Trigs/SHs and neko rigs. Save them after they wear out. The last 3-4" are great for ned rigs or jigworms. If your only going to get 1 color go with Trophy Hunter. It's a junebug/watermelon red laminate that works in just about any condition.

I like Mosquitoes or the VMC nekos, they stick em in the roof everytime. If you want a hook that isn't likely to gut hook go with a circle. If you want to even further minimize the odds of a gut hook get octopus inline circles.

Well then a MH or lighter H would work. You have some options. Although I had a rough go with Ark and their customer service recently they do give you a good blank for the money and some of them are on sale now. You could get a Catalyzer frog rod for 50 bucks and have 150 left to get another Ark or whatever you want. Or obviously you could just try to get 1 to do it all. Check out the 7'2 H XF M1.

Your right. If you take a 7' M F premier made about 10 years ago its radically different then the premiers and avids of today. The new rods have are rated to handle the same or slightly heavier weight they feel like they dropped nearly a whole power in some cases and become softer. Funny you say that about the Victorys feeling like older Loomis mag tapers. That was my first impression of the 6'10 ML feeling like an old MagL, power wise anyway.

TWs socks will work well

Dont have the Zillion, but the Met is an awesome reel. If your going with the 100G or 100HG the handle is short and the knobs smaller the Usdm. Not an issue for moving baits but def makes a diff trying to catch up to a fish.

My Fuego 25k has been unreal as far how its held up. Although I've never dunked it in salt it's taken half a dozen foamy splashes, been dropped on the jetty 2 times and caught fish it wasnt designed to catch and keeps going. If you dont plan to come across bull reds it will be fine, but if you fish in current a red over 10 lb red might have the power to make that reel stem flex. I've caught stripers to about 15lb with my 25k without any major flexing, but its not the reel you want if your odds of hooking a fish over 8lbs in current are good. The Nasci looks like it may be a world beater for the price, I cant say because I dont have 1. I do have a BG and a Spheros and while both are good the spheros sw is the better reel for the purpose you want it for. The Spheros is basically a Stradic FK, it's more refined, water doesn't get in as easily and will take a beating. I think the BG has the edge in cranking power, although the main gear in the BG is zinc compared to Spheross' aluminum, its bigger. Everything thing else Spheros matches or surpasses BG. I know you said you want a 2500, but the short handles and small knobs dont make things easier with weightless plastics or playing bigger fish. The BGs have a different sizing then the LT daiwas in that they're bigger. A 3500 is about the size of a 5000 Shimano, so keep that in mind. The reel isn't nearly as important as the rod. Reels wear out, especially in SW but the rod is going to be around until you break it or the eyes fall apart. That being said either try to get an inshore rod or a rod with guides that will resist corrosion. If your casting light weightless plastics like flukes or even trick worms a faster tipped M will help. If your throwing heavier plastics like senkos or coffee tubes you may be able get away with a MH F. The jighead weight + the weight of the paddletails should fall into the sweet spot of the rod. That way if you need to use a heavier weight or cast into the wind you can do without overloading the blank. SC used to make a perfect M F for what you need, but the lower price point rods have gotten a little softer. I would still reccomend SC, along with Shimano, Daiwa and Falcon. See if you can actually find a place where you can see how they feel. Keep in mind these are my conclusions drawn from my personal experiences, keep that in mind. My apologies for the novel. Hope this helps.

What weight jigs you plan to use and with what line? If it's going to be your main jig/Trig rod your better off getting the most sensitive blank you can.

I've really started using zman baits a whole lot more for saltwater fish. I didnt they would hold up to bluefish as well as they do. I dont have to carry as many baits and I can get right back on the school as soon as I release the fish. They really hold scent well too. I put procure in some of the bags and seems to match or outfish gulp so far.

The straight tail BA is probably my favorite as well.

Duo Realis Pencil 85mm weighs about 3/8 and the 100mm is 1/2. They come with great hooks and walk really easily.

I fish a lake that sounds similar, just much lower viz. If theres no clouds/wind or rain baits with lots of vibe and flash dont get bit at all. In open water or sparse cover I've found the Greenfish chibi swim jig with a zoom swimming Fluke jr gets 2x-3x the bites that a larger swimjig gets.

The Molix Kento jig is probably the most versatile jig I've ever used. Its skips a mile and resists rolling so its outstanding for laydowns or hard cover and it does great in rocks too. The line tie is small enough so if you do get some grass build up during the retrieve a snap of the wrist almost always clears it. Greenfishs' Chibi Jig is really similar as far as use goes. I haven't fished it nearly as long but so far it's been excellent in wood and rock. I just wish there were more colors and a little more available.

If I only had 1 spinning outfit it would have braid, unless I was often going to be fishing in clear water that commonly has more then 6' viz then FC would be a good choice.

The M would be good for shallow cranks, JBs and maybe even lipless. The 7' MH can throw just about anything but out of all the rods it would probably handle spinnerbaits and chatterbaits the best. The 6'6 MH should work for plastics and jigs. I prefer FC, unless I'm fishing some really heavy cover and need braid. I would put 12lb invizx on the M and 15lb invizx on the MHs. Good luck

I think it was actually designed to be used on a jighead like a soft jb.

I prefer to fish any worm on a ball or mushroom head then a SH as long as I can get away with it. A worm on a ballhead with a small hook has better action and looks much more natural compared to a SH. As long as you have a light head and smaller hook, a jig worm is surprisingly weedless. I like to use a 4" bubbling shaker on a 1/32 owner blockhead on weedlines. Most of the bites you get occur on the fall or right after you snap it free from the grass.

It's worth attempting to patch them before you buy a new pair. Just about all the waders I've bought in the past 20 years have come with a small patch kit.

You either want a ML with an XF crisp tip or a M F or XF depending on the brand. Since your going to be on a river I would lean to the lighter M. The Tatula 7 M F would be perfect, and the power/action of that rod is incredibly versatile. You could just about anything you can imagine with light cranks and plastics on that rod. SCs M XF Victory M XF is a bit heavier in power but it would work as well.

Locally the silent SBs get bit far more consistently then rattling SBs even in muddy water.

The Fuji keepers work pretty well. I use them on all my split grips that lack a keeper below the reel seat.

A GP or Blugill colored swimjig work really well for the bigger fish when they start to guard fry.

I've never broken one or bent one out when the fish is in the water. Its only happened when I lift a fish out of the water or use pliers on them. Honestly if the standard mosy hooks work for you and you like the angle of the eye/orientation of the bait it may be best to stick with what works. I kind of did the same thing except I started with the standard Gami DS hooks which worked great. I went and tried all kinds of different DS hooks looking for a better 1. I found some great DS and even wacky rig hooks but ultimately I came full circle back to the standard Gamis.

I dont think they're all the same power really. It seems like the longer rods are more stout when compared a slightly shorter rod of the same power. I would suggest the 6'10 M XF or 7' M F. I would imagine they would handle the lighter panfish baits a little better then a rod with a recommend min weight of 3/16. They're plenty sensitive so as long your throwing a bait in or really close to the reccomended lure weight range I cant imagine you would have issues feeling the hit.

Going braid to FC or Mono will give the illusion of added power to the rod when compared to straight FC or mono because of the lack of stretch. Really helps with hooksets. Not to mention the increased sensitivity. If you can get good at trying an Alberto and trimming the tag as short as possible you wont have issues with guides. The Daiwa LT reels beat just about everyone with reels under 100$. The Regal 2500 is the 1 I would shoot for. Its light and smooth. The 3000s would work as well but they are slightly heavier and more importantly the longer handles make working super light baits a little tougher IMO. As far as bang for the buck rod wise you can an Ark Tharp from TW on sale for 80$. Ark gives you the just about the best blank for the money. They have a catalyzer with a 36t blank for 50$ but only a M power is available from TW. The tharp has a 40t blank which is a steal for the price. I'm not crazy about the exposed locking thread on spinning rods because I hold a rod with all fingers above the reel stem. If that's not an issue for you I would seriously recommend the Tharp ML. If you do go with the Ark make sure the eyes are lined up and there aren't any obvious issues with the rod. Sometimes Ark has issues with QC. If the rod has an issue you can exchange it or return it to TW. Ark does give you a warranty but they take some time to deal with.