JS8588

In a little over 2 weeks, my wife and I are going down to St. Augustine, Florida for a few days of R&R and fishing. I booked 2 full day charters. One of them, I immediately paid the entire $1200 for an offshore outing. I emailed them about some of the equipment we'll be bringing along to make sure we're adequately prepared. Yes, they have rods/reels with which they can provide us, but catching fish on your own gear yields a certain satisfaction. After booking the charter, I heard nothing in response. Granted, I originally booked 2 months out, but we're going during the busy season. They finally responded to my initial email after having to send a follow-up "hey, did my email reach you..." It's been over a week and I've heard nothing in response to my second email. The other charter captain has been very good with communication so far. I feel like after paying that much $$ up front, i should be getting better communication. If things weren't so booked up, I'd almost be of a mind to cancel and schedule with someone else. Am I being unreasonable?

Apologies. The Monkey got me. I ordered that 2 piece rod myself. Price was too good to pass up. ?

Since you've been using spinning, I'd stick with that. I'd buy this rod (the 2 piece): https://www.fishusa.com/13-Fishing-Omen-Black-Spinning-Rod And this reel (the 2500D. You don't need the higher gear ratio): https://www.fishusa.com/Daiwa-Exceler-LT-Spinning-Reel Spool it with 8lb Sunline Super Natural Mono and go catch fish. https://www.fishusa.com/Sunline-Super-Natural-Monofilament-Line?quantity=1&L-Spool-Size=233&L-Test=554&L-Color1=10846

Just bought a Tenryu Lunakia from them. They're legit. Hey, @bulldog1935, I'm trying to track down a 2018 Graphiteleader Corto 7'4. You're a bit of a Guru at this sort of thing. Can you point me in the right direction?

Better sealed than the Slammer. It's replacing the Torque in their lineup.

Penn has a new spinning reel out called the Authority that I'm pretty jazzed about. Rumor is Daiwa will be releasing a 500 sized Lexa TW which means I'll finally have a worthy reel for my XH Legend Trek. ?

Brian Latimer just did a video on 3 baits you should never fish with (straight) braid. As far as the crankbaits section, he was right. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits, though...you can absolutely fish straight braid, just don't lock down your drag. I had a good fish on 2 weeks ago. Pulled the hook. I was using 4lb mono. My drag wasn't "locked down", but it should have been set looser. Watch some ultralight anglers like I_Fish & TroutMagnetMan. They land some truly impressive fish on what most bass anglers would basically consider sewing thread. They know how to set their drag.

15lb BG should do it.

Bringing this thread back because I just bought a spool of 30lb Non-Fade x8 Hercules in black to match the Daiwa Zillion TW HD I picked up. Going to use it for light salt duty AND frogging. Before I put the line on the reel, any reason by the collective brain trust here to *not* use this combo?

Basically made for it.

Sunline super natural

Certate has aluminum gears, more corrosion resistant ball bearings (though the Ballistic has a bearing supported spool), and an aluminum frame. The Ballistic has a zinc main gear and a composite frame. For anything other than larger saltwater game, the Ballistic is good to go. I'll be picking up one myself for finesse fishing. If you're looking for something between the 2, the Kage MQ is an option.

Pretty good video on the Legalis

I've heard this before, but I was able to get lures out of snags with 4lb Super Natural that I'd have lost on my 6lb magnathin. It also seemed to hold up to UV deterioration better than the stren. We'll see what this season brings. Yep, had that issue after about 2 months of use last season. Would pull 10 yards or so off the reel & was back to good line again. Didn't find that problem with Sunline.

Looks like Pure Fishing finally discontinued it. Fortunately, I discovered Sunline Super Natural last year & it actually held up somewhat better than the stren through the season. Still, Stren is mostly what I've used since childhood. Even though I've found a similar, & indeed superior product, I'll still miss my old standby out of nostalgia.

Not yet. Will be picking up the 7'6 medium before summer. I exclusively use travel rods. I really like my Daiwa Arditos. The one TFO Traveler I have is nice too.

Your situation calls for mono & poppers or spooks.

Daiwa Presso Ultralight.

Torque is what your rod is for

I exclusively use 2 & 3 piece rods. I seem to catch more fish than the people around me. Check out the Daiwa Ardito, TFO Traveler, & St Croix Avid Trek depending upon your requirements.

TW is loaded with complaints about the carbon fiber handle coming apart but otherwise the reviews do look good. Amazon was running them for $119.99 about a month ago & I missed it.

I have a bias against the 3 brands you originally listed. I'm sure they're all fine reels but once something is in your head... I'm sure we'll both learn a lot from others on this thread. Just of note, I'll be using 30lb braid as I don't have any real nasty slop to worry about where I fish. I've gotten lures back on 8lb mono. Your needs may vary.

Watching with interest as I'm in the market for a frogging reel myself. I'm currently looking at: Abu Revo Rocket 4 Okuma Hakai & Daiwa Zillion 10.0 SV TW Will be buying 2 of those 3.

I've bought from them. About to make a 2nd purchase, actually. Haven't used them for servicing as of yet, but their retail end is exceptional.

I'm almost exclusively a bank beater. I like a 7'6 rod for most applications. Only thing it doesn't work (as well) for is smaller rivers & streams.