QED

Discount Tackle earlier today claims it is in stock and I ordered expedited shipping. Sorry if posting vendor names is an issue but this is in response to a specific question.

Finally found the Stella FK in stock. Should be here in a day or two. Will post comments then.

I love the San Jose BPS. Most of the mom and pop bait and tackle shops as well as the local gun stores have gone belly up, so BPS is one of the few places where one can actually handle gear of interest before making a buying decision. Also, before the great reloading component shortage, they had a pretty good stock of popular powders, like H4350.

Rod arrived today. Cosmetics and build quality look fine and the hardwood spacers are a nice touch. We've had torrential rain here in NorCal so couldn't take it out for a test drive. In due course, I'll try it out casting practice plugs/lead weights in the entire 1/16 - 5/8 oz range to see if that is a realistic rod spec.

In Silicon Valley, we refer to this process as "continuous learning." Technology moves quickly so what you learned in college, graduate school, or your last job quickly becomes outdated or disrupted, so if you are not always learning new skills, then you're obsolete. This applies to many things in life, including fishing.

Roland Martin is an evangelist for #297 green pumpkin w/lg black flake for senkos, so I tried them and had great success. I've since tried other colors also with success, but I usually start with GP/black flake.

Casting reels have the odd property that so-called RH reels seem to work best when casting with the left hand (and reeling with the right) whereas LH reels are often favored by right handed folks.

Thanks for the reminder! Will pick one up this week from Fishery Supply in SJ during the holiday break from work.

Et bonne année!

Are there extra fees/duties if ordering via credit card from US internet vendors? The Lew's Custom Lite (super low profile (SLP), very compact form-factor) is one of the lightest, better reels within the high end of your price range (assuming CAD$1 ~= USD$0.78). Does the Canadian Amazon site have Lew's reels?

Good application of the pareto principle (aka the 80/20 rule). Your eclectic selection of gear seems well founded.

Sorry to hear it. Bad management decisions suck. In SV, the labor market is so competitive that one seldom runs into these issues in successful companies. But a ton of SV firms fail, so there's that. The philosophy is to swing for the fences, but if you fail, fail fast and try again. The good thing about SV culture is that although failure is a battle scar, it's not a scarlet letter.

In Silicon Valley, bonuses for mid-tier professionals are around 1/4 of one's salary. In really exceptional years it can exceed your salary. Kids, go get a STEM degree!

I've used both Gamakatsu and BPS drop shot rigs with 1/0 hooks with great success. 6 lb mono with 4 lb mono segment tied to a 1/16 oz pencil sinker (so you can usually recover the rig if the sinker snags). The finesse Z-man TRD worms work better than small senkos due to the higher buoyancy, which is in keeping with the intent of keeping the bait above the bottom. UL spinning and BFS casting rigs. Killer results.

Just ordered the Phenix K2 Torzite 6'8" ML/F 1-piece casting rod direct from Phenix because no one else seemed to have it in stock. Will report back after I am able to fish it.

So you would hate the 2021 Steez CT SV TW 70 then? Despite it being the best casting reel Daiwa ever made, per Daiwa...

If you know which rod characteristics you like, then bespoke rods are best, but the cost can be pretty high. As for reels, bespoke isn't really an option but one can buy aftermarket "hop-up" parts such as spools, bearings, handles, etc., to get just what you want.

Black and motor oil in 6" and 8" sizes have always worked well for me, especially the old 6" auger tail version. Mann's is still in business so you can obtain them if you wish. Senkos have worked even better though, so I only buy jelly worms occasionally for the nice smell they impart to one's utility trays, which can trigger fond childhood memories! ?

What does John von Neumann's minimax theorem (1928) have to do with chatterbaits?

Finally found time to take the reel for a spin, despite some moderate rain. From a casting perspective the CT SV 70 is identical to the prior CT SV 700 at the same settings. The only discernable difference is that on the retrieve, the 70's longer handle feels better and the gears are just slightly smoother than the prior 700 model. But if you've ever used any steez model prior to the introduction of hyper gears, then you'd know that the pre-hyper gears were pretty smooth to begin with. So just a modest refinement for a ~$200 price bump which is a pretty steep premium. That said, I like it.

To reduce stiction (i.e., static friction). Ideally the startup drag friction should not be higher than the dynamic drag friction.

Anyone have any experience with SDS Custom BFS spools?

I'm using a Shimano PA267ML (ML/F) for the full range of UL/finesse presentations and it works brilliantly. Am a huge fan of the Poison Adrena line for both spinning and casting.

Right hand dominant but can cast/operate a bait casting rig with either hand. Recently purchased a LH (left side handle) casting reel just because it was a couple of hundred dollars off but I didn't find it to be an improvement since I am so used to casting left handed using conventional RH bait casting gear. Never tried LH spinning gear.

It means the rod has a picatinny rail so you can mount optics, flashlight, illuminated red dot sight, etc.