inferiorfisherman

Love them. smartwool seems to have the softest of all of the mainstream brands. I use the 150 when it is chilly and the 250 when it is cold. The only cons I have noticed are they dry slowly and they don't last as long as synthetic fabrics. The best part about wool is the antimicrobial nature of it. You can work up a nasty sweat, but the wool won't stink when it dries out. This makes a fantastic choice for multi-day excursions or just being able to use then several days in a row in between washes. can't do this with any synthetic I have tried. if you decide to buy i recommend hand washing with a no rinse wool wash/conditioner. The garments last way longer and the no rinse soap leaves the wool super soft.

I am a big megabass fan. Most of my Orochi XX's have been traded-in or sold. Including the perfect pitch. I bought it at the same time I purchased the brailist. I found them both to be very heavy and the braillist unenjoyable to fish with. They have top notch in build quality and are beautiful rods. I still use and love the jerkbait special and the ronin. The ALX toadface is honestly more enjoyable to fish for anything I would fish the perfect pitch for and it is cheaper. Not as pretty though. if you are willing to spend more the Steez AGS power pitch is incredible for the same applications.

I honestly don't remember, but I have one on my jerkbait rod with 30lb braid (8# equivalent). I still have plenty of line left over after a max cast. I tried every real I own on my jerkbait rod and the alphas was the clear winner for me. the frame size allows me to grip the reel in a way where I can keep my wrist at the best angle to avoid pain. I have smallish hands though, which might be important in understanding why I am such a fan of this reel. It isn't a distance casting champion for sure, but the sv spool is nice in the wind with a jerkbait. comparing to the 20 metanium I would say I get 90%+ of the distance with the alphas, but experience substantially less stress casting the alphas.

I keep buying Zillions in regular and HD, but IMO the Alphas SV doesn't get enough love. It is the most comfortable reel in hand. it is very small, but is incredibly solid. I put a 110 carbon handle on them and use them for all of my pitching, flipping, skipping. It is not a light lure reel like I originally thought. It is a heavy duty reel in a compact frame. can be had for around $170

JDM Luvias or JDM Abu garcia Zenon are the best values right now. High end reels at mid level prices. I recently picked up 2 Zenon for $215 each and a Luvias for $195. However, you mentioned beating it up, and based on the rod you have chosen I would expect it to be tip heavy like every st croix rod I have used. for that reason I would get the JDM stradic with a shallow spool (if you use braid). These reels are tanks and that little bit of extra weight will come in handy to balance the rod, but they are not very heavy for a metal reel.

Zillion HD on ALX toadface or Zilllion HD on Steez AGS power pitch

I have several of both. both are fantastic reels. I think the tatula LT is the best value available. Stradic is more solid and has less flex in the stem, but heavier for sure. I choose the stradic when the extra weight is needed to balance a rod (st croix) or i plan to fish inshore. vanford's are great too, but honestly not that much better than a tatula IMO. they spin up very quickly with very little force as compared to stradic However, you can get a JDM luvias for under $200 right now. I am taking one of these in a shallow spool at that price point over any of these.

I also own both. I use the elite P/F on my xtra heavy rod. the large handle give you a ton of leverage and the build feels more solid than the SV 103. However, it is quite a bit larger than the sv103 in hand. I have small hands and like to palm reel and the elite P/F isn't nearly as comfortable in hand as the sv 103. The other difference in performance I see is how the brakes work. I consider the sv 103 to be overbraked and much harder to backlash. although the elite p/f has brakes tuned for pitching they aren't as aggressive as the sv103. so, I find the elite to be easier to backlash and a little less forgiving, but I can pitch quite a bit further with the elite p/f. like a lot further with the same effort and same rod. if you are an experienced pitcher with decent size hands I would say the Elite for sure. if you are new to pitching, and have small mitts then I would recommend the SV.

Sunline Xplasma from 8-60lb, nanofil for anything under 8lb

I have given up on noodle rods for crappie fishing under most conditions. I find a land more fish on a slightly stiffer rod in general and for sure with bobber fishing. I can run a 1/32 oz jig on a 2lb FC leader under a swivel with a 1/16 or 1/8 oz sinker above. no need for a noodle rod to cast that. If I break my leader getting snagged I still have my bobber. The only time I get out a noodle type rod is when I am casting 1/32 oz mini mites for bluegill. Even then I prefer to use a stiffer rod with a solid tip would probably not do it from the bank. This seems to be where crappie fishing is going and there are many specialty crappie rods makers who make a stout rod. If you are bobber fishing mostly, I recommend a 7.5ft-8ft rod, and in that price range I would look at the ACC crappie sticks, or the new BnM 75. I recently purchased both, one as a gift and another for myself

I have several of these and several other manufacturers in the same price point. In my opinion the megabass Orochi line is the only thing that can compete in the fit/finish department at this price point with the HP. I am not trying to defend dobyns, but having owned several I am just shocked that anyone would mention them as being anything other than excellent in this category. If I was going to knock dobyns on anything it would be that they need to update their blanks on a line or 2, as they can't offer the same sensitivity as some others like the Expride or Orochi for example. I do put U40 seal on all of my cork grips and haven't had any issues with the cork.

I haven't fished it with a jerkbait yet, but I just went through the same process recently. I picked up a Megabass Orochi ronin which is 6'8" and designed specifically for jerk baits. Seems about like the ideal length for someone my height. 5'9".

you are correct. he doesn't seem to be a fan of the braid to leader setups. He knows way more than I ever will, but I do know a few things about myself. One of them is that anything but braid or 3lb mono on a spinning reel might result in a rod a reel sinking quickly to the bottom of the lake after a fit of rage. If I was a better fisherman maybe I would feel differently. that is a good point. in the past I have just used straight braid for topwaters. I'll have to try it out and see how it works out.

thanks for the responses. I have been watching a lot of Randy Blaukat on youtube recently. He is very fond of spinning rigs for certain things and he makes a really strong logical case for them in some instances. I went all in on baitcasters a couple of years ago after being a spinning only guy for my entire life. I loved them instantly for many things, but I never could enjoy throwing anything under 1/2 oz that wasn't aerodynamic. It's always windy where I fish. I have a bit of carpal tunnel in one wrist and it seems like a spinning rod put my wrist in a more natural position for twitching a jerking. I got skunked my last 5 trips in row last year. My strategy is to down size and slow down this year. If I don't catch them this year, I guess I'll just have to accept that there is no bass in Indiana's public lakes, and I wasted thousands of dollars on gear. Oh well, I would pretty much rather be floating around casting lures and not catching anything than doing about anything else. I know I can always catch crappie if the bass aren't biting. That being said I won't ever stop using a baitcaster. I actually just picked up a st croix victory "the jerk" casting rod as well. I had an orphaned casting reel sitting around that needed a home. I'll do some A/B testing between The Jerk and the Ronin. maybe having the right casting rod for jerks will sell me. If I don't end up like the Ronin for jerkbaits, it will come in handy. All of my other spinning rods are 7'4" or longer.

I picked up a Megabass orochi Ronin. the plan is to throw some hardbaits in the spring that I don't enjoy casting on a baitcaster. Mainly jerkbaits (vision 110 and Jr's), small cranks, and twitching topwater. I spooled up my spinning reel favorite 12lb braid. Trying to decide if I want to tie on a leader or if I want to run straight braid. I run a mix now. I comfortable fishing with and tying leaders (thanks to my new daichi knot assist 2.0). I currently have in my leader box: 7,10,12,14,16 lb sunline sniper. So, what do you think? leader or no leader. If leader which line should I use? I don't mind picking up a new line for the leader if recommended, but not interested in ditching braid as my main line.

The Zillion is my favorite reel, hands down. However, there are a couple of things the tatula SV does better than the zillion for me. Because the tatula SV is over-braked it is far less likely to overrun while skipping and pitching if I make a mistake. The Zillion is good at these things, but not great like the SV. The Zillion wins at everything else. The Zillions brakes are amazingly linear and predictable. I can cast more accurately at distance than anything I own. I looked at the Limited for a higher end version of the SV to pitch/skip with. The aluminum side plate seemed like a nice upgrade. However, they don't make a 8:1+ in the left hand version, and they priced it too close to the zillion for me. My Zillions are the 8.5:1. I prefer the fastest reel possible in almost all instances. crankbait and swimbait setups are the only ones where I seek out slightly slower reels. I prefer the JDM market overall. Not just because I can save some money, but there are also more options available in each line up. I think the manufacturers misjudge the american market and think we are all just power fisherman who need deep spools with 300+ yards of braid.

I have owned this rod for about 1/2 season. It is a very nice all around rod. Here are my thoughts light overall but tip heavy great action for pitching 5/16-3/8th oz jigs and pitching in general I don't find it to be a good long caster or particularly accurate at longer distances the foregrip is terrible. exposed threads and a dumb cork fixed foregrip thing. I don't use it much because I don't pitch jigs very often and I have other rods that are better for other techniques I wouldn't buy it again if I didn't own it, it is not a bad rod at all. It just isn't the best for me and the way I like to fish. I love the steez ags power pitch so much that everytime i want find myself fishing a technique the Legend x is good at I instead reach for the steez.

I have a few of the models mentioned above in different sizes. stradic, vanford, tatula, ballistic. Let me first say that I consider the stradic the absolute standard at the $200 range as a do everything reel. For the size and weight it is a very tough and very smooth reel. I prefer the handle on the 3000 over the 2500 and I also prefer the carbon drag on 3000 over the felt drag on 2500, but both work well. i use my stradics on my 3 piece travel rods. they have fished ponds and lakes and go on airplanes with me when i go on vacation to fish saltwater. The vanford is also very nice, like a finesse oriented stradic. lighter in hand and because the rotating mass is lighter the handle requires less power to spin it. although the reel is plenty tough for bringing in large fish. I have never felt like I was going to break it or I was stressing it out. I also have a few sizes of these but for the rods you listed I still like the 3000 for the same reasons as the stradic. handle and drag. Although the 3000 holds a lot of line and can get quite expensive to spool it full of highend braid. both the vanford and stradic lay line on the spool absolutely perfectly in both 2500 and 3000. The tatula lt is also a fantastic reel. It is almost as light as the vanford but has an aluminum spool which I prefer over the vanford spool. the 3000 size of the tatula is perfect for me. it holds less line than the 3000 shimanos because it is more shallow and offers the T handle and carbon drag. For the price there is no better reel in my opinion. They can be found on sale for quite a bit cheaper than the shimanos which is why it is my winner for fresh water fishing. in fact I just bought more on cyber sale this past weekend and don't even have rods for them. the ballistic to me is a tatula with sealed bearing making it a tatula that is saltware capable. but costs quite a bit more and is harder to find on sale. great real, just not the best value. For my money I will be buying more tatula 3000's unless i have a specific need for something saltwater capable (stradic or ballistic), plan to reel in 30lb catfish(stradic), or I want to go ultra finesse (vanford)

I am a total detailing nerd. I did it professionally for several years and I still do it obsessively as a hobby. I have a lund impact. I have tried several products on the boat so far. I find marine specific products provide very little to no value over their automotive counterparts. it is mostly just marketing. Some of the marine formulas are a tiny bit more forgiving to apply as some are formulated to applied outdoors in the sun and just don't cure as quickly. Ceramic coating will provide the greatest protection non longevity. depending on which type you use they can last for years or months. generally speaking the longer lasting it is the more difficult and time consuming the application will be. The weakest area of a ceramic is it's ability to resist waterspots, which is something us boaters are concerned with. This is what a good synthetic spray sealant is good for. One that uses some polymers and becomes very slick to the touch. These will resist water spots the best, but will need to be reapplied regularly. Many can be used as drying aide and a quick detailer. Meaning you can use them to clean off your boat after each use whether that is while it is wet at the ramp or back in your driveway at home. I would stay away from any organic products or paste waxes. They seem to be far less effective on boats. they also break down much faster and resist water spots far less than a synthetic. Before you start this process. make sure you clean the boat very well and decontaminate the surface. remove any water spots with vinegar and water, remove existing waxes, and use a fallout remover. layer 1 (optional): Full ceramic coating. I use Carpro Cquartz UK 3.0 layer 2: ceramic paint sealant. my current favorite is Griot's ceramic 3 in 1. it is very easy to use and last 6+ months or longer when topped regularly. It makes paint harder and much easier to clean. water beading is amazing. layer 3: synthetic sealant and quick detail in one. I have tried and still use several I can recommend. - carpro elixir (last a long time and ok at removing dirt) - boat bling hotsauce (best at removing waterspots and leaves behind some sealant) - Griot's ceramic speedshine (nice cleaning properties and great drying aide) there are many more good ones, but these are the 3 in my rotation right now. if possible, I spray on the hotsauce at the ramp when boat is wet then wipe down. then when I get home I use the elixir to make it look really shiny and slick.

Mine also came from ebay. if you pick up the smooth drag kit and it work please let us know. I'd like to grab one if it works for you.

I replaced the felt washers in my 2500 with carbon tex and they were too thick. I was able to reassemble the drag system but the top cap no longer made contact with the tabs from below, allowing it to spin. I had to put the felt washers back in for proper operation. I just picked up a 3000 spool and run it as a primary and keep the 2500 as a backup for finesse fishing. I am not sure if there are different thickness of carbontex material. I just picked up a kit that was supposedly designed for the 2500 and it didn't work for me.

I was getting ready to say this exact same thing. They have the best deals on SLX combos. When i wanted to try baitcasters for the first time just a couple of years ago I picked one up to see if I liked it. I fell in love. I never use the combo anymore, because after i got hooked i started buying higher end stuff, but it is a great combo. You will get 10% off your first order as well, which I did when i got mine, so about 125 all in. Also if you pick one up from them get some sunline xplasma braid in 50lb from them. They have the best sunline prices i have seen and this is my new favorite braid. It has replaced powerpro ssv2 on all of my rigs and is cheaper when purchased from ***.

I did the same thing. I hated the winn knobs and replaced all of my hypermag knobs with their EVA/cork hybrid knobs. trying to use the winn knobs made me angry.

I received my alphas sv, slapped it on the dx702c and spooled it up with some left over 15lb power pro ssv2. I took it outside with an 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 oz casting weights. 1/4oz casted awesome. more distance than I expected with very little effort. 3/16 casted ok, but was pulling slightly. I had to release it a bit sooner to hit my target side arm casting. 1/8th didn't cast well as all. I tried different brake settings, and different spool tensions and could get it to want to come off the reel easily. even with no brakes and basically no tension on the spool it would pull hard to left as if I had brake or tension way too high. I can't tell if it is the reel or the rod not loading with the 1/8 oz that is holding it back. For dropshot and shaky head 1/8oz plus finesse worm will be the lightest. I weighed some worms and it looks like my lightest is 1/8oz, so the total will be 1/4oz which seems to cast great. A 1/10 oz ned with a trd tickler is only about 3/16 (slightly over) in total weight. I might still have to break out the spinning rod for that, or just start using a heavier ned head. I like the feel of the reel, so I think I might get another with a BFS spool and find an ultra finesse rod. I have a lot of research to do to find the right rod for that rig. All of this being said I think this combo will suite my desired techniques very well. It will probably end up with a 3/16 shaky head tied on most of the time. I just still think I need to add something even lighter to my arsenal next. In the mean time I am going to experiment some different lines I have left over after spooling other rigs. Next up will be sniper 10lb.

I have some really long spinning rods. I find casting distance to be mostly limited by the weight and aerodynamics of the jig/bait. With an 1/8th oz jig head and a 2.5” soft plastic I get basically the same distance between my dobyns dx72sf and a ML 9’ rod. The 9’ rod does it with a little less effort but max distance is basically the same. Same is true if I break out one of my 12’ or 14’ rods. If I go up to 1/4 oz or higher that changes and I start to get some extra distance from the 9’, but not a ton. I can tell it is much easier to get a fish in the boat with a 7.5’ rod than it is with a 9’ or 10’ rod. At a certain point it start to get tough for my T-Rex arms to reach the line or the fish on a long rod.