MediumMouthBass

My fishing budget is $100 a year only to replace terminal tackle. A new rod or reel wont have any gains or improvements that actually matter over what i already have, i wont lose out on my next PB because i didnt buy soft plastics in 10 different shades of one color, fish will still bite my lures if im not using a spool of line that costs $30, a bass isnt going to get to my boat and decide to throw the hook because it sees my reel isnt made in Japan, and the 200 lures sitting in my tackle trays ready to go for next year will stay dry, because i will only use the same 10 lures i always do. However, there was a time i had no budget and blew every paycheck on fishing gear. I was young, and worked hard. I enjoyed life even harder.

1%.

Wait, you guys pay MSRP?

Strike King is ridiculously priced, thats why i only buy them from DSG. Get them between 50-80% off through their price matching policy that stacks ontop of their buy 3 get 3 free deals. If you can wait a few months why fix whats not broke

Yes, a 425lb load including the weight of the person, the gear, and the kayak itself. To have the optimum float, and stability. You can exceed it, but should you? Thats up to you.

The Bass Mafia Daingerous and 6th Sense Whale in the 6" are by far my favorites in this category, IMO they look better and fish better than the overpriced Megabass that rarely ever goes on sale and comes back on its side every once in awhile. MSRP on them is dirt cheap, and since both brands go on sale ALOT it makes the price per bait insanely low. For instance i walked past a Magdraft last week at $15 for one, i recently paid $6 for a 2 pack Daingerous, and $5-6 for a 3 pack Whales. No experience with the Berkley products yet but they look good.

I loved reading this, because i was taught to do this exactly. If i cant pay cash for it today ill walk away until i can, im against credit with a passion. For the OP, MSRP is a ridiculous inflated fee that i will never be impulsive/impatient/careless enough to participate in. I love to do research, so i throw myself 100% into whatever hobbies i enjoy and learn as much as possible for every aspect. Price and price history is a big thing for me, i know what things are worth, and what they routinely go on sale for. For instance when i shop at Midway i know no matter how bad the economy gets i can regularly get 20-80% off rods, reels, + bait and tackle (might just have to wait for the right lure, color, ration, action/power to be added though). Then to TW for stacking their discounts/coupons onto their already marked down clearance prices. After that DSG has buy 3 get 3 free deals throughout the year on big name products and is usually blowing out rods or reels for 30-60% off too from time to time. Whereas other shops just have pop up sales that are fantastic every once in awhile. If i had paid MSRP i would have an 1/8 of what i currently do, but i would have spent 10x the price for it. (rough estimation but you get the idea). But aside from fishing, i will never pay MSRP for anything that is not vital to my survival, because MSRP is IMO financial suicide.

To add on to this question about their spinning rods, why are all of them either slow, moderate, or moderate fast?

Last gen SLX MGL 70, destroys every other casting reel i own. I probably wouldve liked my Zillion more if i didnt buy the MGL first. IMO its the best Shimano reel for the money, it had the looks, feel, quality, performance, reviews, heck even had the same if not similar tech and features that the lineups 2x its price had. All for $100-150. I cant understand how they chose to throw it all away for the new 70 A model that looks awful and is getting terrible reviews.

For a fast action you would be better suited for Texas rigs, football jigs, paddle tail swimbaits, plus spinnerbaits and frogs. Pretty much anything where you will be fishing on the bottom or in vegetation. Whereas a true moderate rod is really only great for crankbaits (square bills-flatsides-mid/deep divers). It can and will work for other techniques but thats all personal preference as some do or dont like using moderate rods for other things. (I would pass on a moderate rod for a first baitcaster unless you really like fishing crankbaits) I think a moderate-fast would be the best action for someones first baitcaster if they planned on using moving baits over all else. You could fish buzzbaits, chatterbaits, swim jigs, topwaters, jerkbaits, but also be able to fish paddle tail swimbaits and crankbaits on it too.

The Legend Glass isnt a cheap rod, overloading it will either snap it like a twig after repetitive use or it will be perfectly fine, i personally wouldnt risk it.

Im a big Dobyns fan, i love their rods. The Sierra IMO is the best moving bait (not crankbaits) rod in their lineup aside from the much more expensive Champion CB's. Its practially the same rod as the Kaden just with a soft tip. It really, really shines for swim jigs and Chatterbaits, but will do other treble hooked baits good too. However because of the current state of Dobyns (outsourcing customer service to overseas people who dont even know what brand you are calling about, plus their price raises across all lines 3 days ago, and qc issues left and right. I would either do what @Brian11719 said and get the DXB Glass the next time TW does a sale, or wait a year for the new equity firm that bought out the last equity firm that bought out Dobyns to get everything straightened out and then buy a Sierra or a Champion for alot more money than the DXB. I take 7'4", 7'9" and 8' rods with me on the kayak alot, unless you #1 are fishing a jerkbait, #2 fish near/under brush and low hanging trees, or #3 have limited space in the truck/car there wont be an issue with a 7'5" rod. If the length really is an issue the Tatula XT Glass is a good option too.

Local shop guy gave me a few spools for free years ago, because i could find next to nothing about it i put it on the shelf in the tackle room to collect dust. I think ill try it this season after what IYA and Ranger said about it

A $100 mid priced rod with the lure cut off the line will be 100% more sensitive than any GX2 on this planet, you will not find a rod with less sensitivity anywhere. But they make fantastic moving bait rods (where G Loomis sensitivity is useless anyways), between their unbreakable strength, parabolic action, and dirt cheap cost. I think they make amazing cranking, buzzbaiting, spinnerbaiting, chatterbaiting, paddle tailing rods. Braid may or may not ruin the guides on an Ugly Stik, be careful about using braid if they are the steel inserts.

You are so rude you probably assume the guys who post pictures of their 10 Ferraris in a car group full of people who own Honda Civics are rich too. Im not sure why anyone thinks you are rude. IMO you stated the most logical thought, i mean if someone posts expensive/import rods and reels weekly what do you expect people to think? But on the opposite end, its obvious he likes expensive high end rods and reels. People who arent rich in my experience keep buying and replacing cheap junk over and over again, the few that realize the buy once cry once mentality understand saving up and buying a quality product that will last a lifetime will be cheaper in the long run than spending a lifetime buying junk. He knows what he wants, and buys it, which to me is what i shouldve done when i started. I would have much nicer gear, and had saved alot of cash. But for the OP i wouldnt buy or not buy a reel based off its depreciation, because for 99.98% of the reels most of us buy (aside from collectibles/rare ones, etc) the money you would lose or gain is pocket change comparable to an hour or 2 flipping burgers at a local Mcdonalds. And any profit you make will be taxed, since the IRS is breathing down all of our necks now. Then to add some fuel to the fire, used reels today are all hard to sell, because it doesnt matter what name is on the side of your reel. No one will give you $10-20 less than what they can buy a brand new one for MSRP, let alone get one on sale the same price if not cheaper than what you listed your used reel for. My thoughts are to buy what you like, what you want, and what you can afford.

I use a 7, but would prefer an 8 (for picking up the slack) The only, and i mean only way IMO to fish a lipless is to rip it out of grass and yo yo it. My 7's are often fine, but when the grass starts growing they become incompetent fast.

The rods are fine, its the reels that are the issue. They are cheap plastic, and feel very awful (atleast everyone ive ever tried in store. That are overprice to the moon and back.

Since the Rapala buyout ive heard they offer 0 parts or replacement parts for 13 reels. It was somewhere here a month or two ago on a post made about a 13 Fishing reel. I can find Daiwa/Shimano parts right now on hundreds of websites, to the point i can build a complete reel just from them. From that and the very mixed reviews on their reels (although its more so the newer ones) and their awful rod reviews, i would go with a tried and true Shimano, Daiwa, or even a Lews instead. Because i can actually find/get parts, plus the company that owns them backs their product, and is known for helping their customers. On a personal note, 13 Fishing is my favorite hard bait brand of all time, i absolutely love their lures. From the topwaters-crankbaits-glidebaits-jerkbaits, the colors were phenomenal along with their actions and, as well as the little details like adding a molded piece of plastic into the box to keep the lure 100% secure. But i would never buy any of their rods or reels unless they were well over 70% off, because most of their modern stuff is junk. Especially the ones sold in big box stores that are heavily overpriced, they are very comparable to the Lews Mach Series.... And that IMO is the biggest dumpster fire in the fishing industry, all with a low price of $150-250😂 for a plastic reel

Skip the Fury. Go with the new Frenzy sold at DSG only for $80. Looks 10x better than the very out of place Fury (green, black, and then a mix of cork and foam????) Ive heard it has the same sensitivity as the Fury, but for $40-50 less.... Personally in that $80-120 price range your best bet would be a Daiwa Tatula XT ($100) Falcon Lowrider ($130) or the Dobyns Sierra/Kaden (that go on sale frequently around $120). The Sierra's have a softer tip and make great rods for moving baits, whereas the Kadens are really good for bottom contact stuff, and are miles ahead of the Fury/Frenzy when it comes to sensitivity. If you go with Dobyns a 734C is the gold standard across all lines, its not the best rod for one thing, but a good rod for many things. The 3's are practically mediums.

What he said, their California office is amazing. Their rep answered within a minute or two when i called last year and was very helpful. I didnt even own the reel i was asking about, but my conversation with them sealed the deal.

SPRO, 6th Sense, 13 Fishing, and Lucky Craft are the only ones worth buying IMO. Berkley is also worth mentioning, because their Dredger, Money Badger, and Frittsides are really great fish catchers, but their other cranks are junk that break bills off constantly. Strike King (minus the R.E.D. Shad and Hybrid Hunter) all feel and look cheap, id expect to buy them on Temu. Rapala feels the same to me, and because of what they did the my favorite cranking/glidebait brand (13 Fishing) i will boycott anything Rapala until my last breath. What i would do if i had to start fresh, would be to run down to BPS. Buy Frittsides on sale now for 50% off, next find the nearest Ollies store near me and load up on every $5 13 Fishing crank they have left, and while im there pick up $6 Lucky Crafts. Finally wait for Midway to put Spro RKCrawlers on sale around $6-8.

Dont listen to anyone on here saying the SLX is a good reel and wont break, they obviously havent driven one over with a dump truck.... The SLX is like any reel on the market in its price point, it can and will break if treated poorly enough (just like a Daiwa or Lews). But the odds are slim, ive used my old SLX for frogging. And my new one for jigs, spinnerbaits, and other stuff near rocks and in grass, both still look and feel new like the day i bought them. However i will always refer to the LFS and Fuego CT (or 24 Tatula 100) for heavier duty budget reels, just something about them that feels like im holding a tank im my hands. But the SLX series can handle anything, except swimbaits. No SLX reel in the lineup for those, yet.

I know that the Tatula XT and Tatula are regarded as very good rod's for the money (along with their budget friendly cousin Aird X), as ive heard numerous times they punch above their price point. But what about the Fuego's that are in that middle price point between them? Theres not much to be found on them for review's, whether on tackle site's, forum's, or reddit group's. What little i could find is the same across the board, either "great and sensitive rod" or "bad guides that shred line". Anyone on here have experience with the Fuego line of rods? (casting or spinning) I have my Midway Bday discount for the next 2 weeks, where i can pick these up for $40ish. Id like to pick up a few Tatula's, among Lowriders on sale too, but for the price of these i dont think i can say no to getting a few.

90% of the time you will be paying 2-3x more instead. Every local and online smaller guy selling soft plastics i could find is charging $8-10 for a pack of 5 plastics using a cheap mold even, and $6 for jigs with no name hooks. I would love to buy and support local tackle makers, but i refuse to.

I love fishing 1.5-3oz swimbaits, glidebaits, and wakebaits (along with the occasional 7" fluke).