JS8588

@bulldog1935 you're welcome to derail any time. Your experience & commentary are part of the reason I joined this forum. The Certate came in yesterday and...wow. It's in a completely different class from anything else I own. It fits the Legend Trek well. Making an effort to finally do the Los Cabos trip I've always wanted to go on next year (Pending convincing the wife) & the Certate/Legend Trek would be a worthy combo to take along for Rooster Fish etc. Leaning towards 30lb braid since the rod's rating is 15-30lbs.

In that price range I'd probably track down a Kage LT 2500 for the purposes you intended. I have a 2000 I use for lightweight work & it's been superb. You won't find one at Cabelas or Bass Pro, though.

Part of the reason I'm debating between 30 & 40lb is I used that line capacity calculator & 40lb braid would only require 1 328 yard spool of Berkley X9 (it would hold 278 yards). 30lb X9 would give me 435 yards, assuming no backing, etc used. That would require purchasing the 2188 yard bulk spool. For something that will be used in Saltwater duty more than anything else, I'm more comfortable with the >400 yard capacity, on the other hand, 40lb braid would allow me to take more advantage of the Certate's 26lbs of drag. Decisions, decisions. Fedex tracker says the reel will be delivered tomorrow. Maybe I'll have a better feel once it's in hand.

Pretty sure you misread my post.

One of my Black Friday purchases was a Certate 5000D. Really wanted a 4000D but at 20% off, I couldn't pass it up. Going to pair it with a 7'6 Heavy Legend Trek (15-30lb rating) I bought when they were on closeout. Heretofore, all my fishing has been with mono. Finally tried some fluoro (12lb Tatsu) last month doing some pier fishing in Florida & I definitely get the hype about increased sensitivity. The stated capacity on the Certate won't give me enough 20lb with mono or fluoro,, so I'm going to give braid a try. Pretty well set on using Berkley X9 Crystal after doing some research & watching TackleAdvisors review. Now, do I go with 30lb or 40? Is the Certate designed to spool braid without tape or backing, or will one of these be necessary? Should I try spooling it on myself (I have no equipment but I'm not opposed to buying some) or should I seek professional assistance? Please advise!

2 new Daiwas. Saltist Back Bay 4000 Certate LT 5000D

I have the Orochi XXX Slend which has very similar specs. Yes, it will absolutely work

I learned something here. I'd just been using a Palomar all season.

New? Start with spinning gear. I'd start with a 2500 sized reel & a medium/medium light 7'0-7'6 rod, 10lb Sunline Super Natural or Stren Magnathin & go from there.

My son was born in July as well. Congratulations!

I'm not a bass fisherman, I'm a "whatever bites" fisherman. I use mono 99% of the time & just dipped my toe into Fluoro recently. I use Sunline Super Natural & Stren Magnathin.

This https://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15360

Another Penn Fathom

Buy it. Worry about what you're going to do with it later.

Sunline Super Natural or Stren Magnathin

I have yet to purchase a Phenix, but I've emailed them twice with product questions & heard back both times within 48 hours. They will be getting my business in the future. I have 4 St. Croix's. I will also be buying more of those. Variety is the spice, etc...

https://www.recreationid.com/daiwa/ardito-tr-multi-piece-travel-7-6-medium-light-3-piece-spinning-rod-mpn-ardt763mlxs-tr.html

I have 3 Arditos. All 7'6. By the way, the MH balances perfectly & looks killer with the Penn Fathom 300LPHS For the price, I absolutely recommend them.

Ended up breaking one of my prerequisites & went with the 2 piece Orochi XXX Slend https://thehookuptackle.com/products/orochi-xxx-mult-piece-rods?variant=39510043885735 I figured a 2 piece 6'6 rod is only ~40 inches broken down. Should still fit in a relatively compact tube. Also I just couldn't get my mind around the wooden reel seat on the Triza. A >$350 rod. If that got scratched... Anyway, I'll let you all know how it fishes after I get some time with it!

https://thehookuptackle.com/products/valkyrie-world-expedition-multi-piece-rods?variant=40331035213991

Saltwater

Yep. Definitely leaves a pretty open market space. The Megabass posted above looks good & is probably the direction I'll go.

I'd absolutely buy one of these, but they were discontinued a couple years ago.

In part of my quest to get out & fish at every opportunity, I'm switching to an (almost) all travel rod system. No more excuses like "takes up too much room in the car". I'm searching for a 3 piece (not 4, not 2) light/ultralight rod for throwing micro spoons, spinners, plugs, jigs etc from ~1/16 oz to <1/8 oz. My ML rods cast the 1/8 oz & up just fine. If it can manage 1/32 oz too, great, but it's not a requirement. I'd like at least a 6ft rod (I'm 6'2). I'd also prefer it not be a noodle. In a perfect world there's a nice 3pc Ajing out there that I haven't found yet ? The closest I've found to what I'm looking for is the Phenix Redeye Trout rod, but after consulting with their staff, they advised me it's probably too soft for what I'm looking for. It will be paired with a Daiwa Kage LT 2000D (smooooth little reel) spooled with 4lb Sunline Super Natural. I'd like to keep cost under $350. The reel was only $180... Does what I'm looking for exist? I'll settle for a 2pc Ajing if it doesn't, but I thought I'd consult the vast, collective wisdom here before ordering a compromise. Thank you! (Maybe something will be announced at iCast?)

Last Thursday I caught 6 bass on topwater (specifically this in "shad" pattern https://www.eurotackle.net/collections/z-series/products/z-popper-1-75) on 8lb Stren Magnathin while guys fishing 30 feet to my right were catching absolutely nothing. Stren Magnathin is my daily driver. Wouldn't change a thing about it for topwater.