Brian11719

If you are a club member Bass Pro has a 10% discount today that stacks w/ their other stuff on sale so some pretty good deals to be had. I almost picked up one of those Johnny Morris CarbonLite casting reels since the price is down to $103 with both discounts and it seems to be the spiritual successor to the previous gen lew's speed spool LFS, but ended up grabbing a BB1 instead. The 10% discount also applies to manufacturers like Megabass that don't always get included in other sales as often...

Owned both. The hypermag was ok and the drag on it very clicky which is cool but something about it just felt a bit clunky and it felt like there was too much line capacity for me. Ended up selling that one but have kept the two stradics I bought and love them both. These days I'm pretty much using ultegras, stradics and vanfords exclusively for spinning reels, but I will say the hypermag was not a bad reel just not the one for me.

A lot of people like Big Game Mono and it's probably not a bad place to start. For copoly lines McCoy, Yo-Zuri Hybrid and Sufix Advance (which is also a copoly even though they call it a mono) would be the three that I'd try out. A lot of people like Yo-Zuri Hybrid (and for the record I do too) but I also like the Sufix Advance and like to use their 12lb test on top of about 25 yards of braid in my topwater reel. Glad to see some other people suggest McCoy as I've found their lines to be a good value and it seems like they don't get mentioned as much as some other brands.

Found myself in a similar situation a while ago. Own a DC 705CB and a 736CB GLASS as well as a KD735 and felt none of those fit the bill for the 10-18 foot range...the 5 powers were just not enough to combat the pull you get on something like a Dredger 14.5 or 17.5 while the bladed jig rod was a bit overkill. I eventually noticed a 706CB on sale and figured I'd give that a shot. Long story short I'm very glad I did. I'm in a kayak when I'm doing this and don't prefer longer rods so this one filled the gap nicely. I currently use it for anything from a 6th Sense Cloud 9 C10 through a Berkley Dredger 17.5. Still like the 5 powers for a lipless or squarebill and like the 736 for the 6XD type lures but for these ones in the middle I've really grown to love the 706CB. On a side note I also really like it for 6" Magdrafts (the regular one and not the weedless one) and throw smaller a-rigs on it too.

I'm convinced they aren't (always) connected.

I am always happy to see the latest and greatest to hit the stores...so that I can pick up the previous gen stuff at a steep discount.

I picked up a GLX 844 MBR a little while ago and have found it to be a very versatile rod. In addition to the lures you mentioned I also really like it as a spinnerbait / grass piece rod as well as for throwing 6" flukes or skinny dippers. Sometimes I'll switch over to a 5/0 flashy swimmer with a skinny dipper on it. Also have a 6'10 jerkbait setup that I like. Can't really say I'd use that for anything else. Don't really have much experience with the other options you mentioned so can't speak to those as much. In my case I also have a Dobyns 725 heavy fast rod rated up to 1.5oz for larger spinnerbaits that can also be used for swimbaits and frogs. Seems like I might be into crankbaits a bit more and you might be into larger swimbaits a bit more as I have a few cranking setups but not sure if the lures you throw line up to what I'm doing...but that said I personally have a 736cb glass that I use and really like for bladed jigs and 6xd type lures. The closest I have to that madbull would probably be a 705cb that I like for lipless cranks, squarebills and topwater although I don't like it as much for mid to deep stuff like a 5xd so I actually just picked up a 706cb for those. I'm also in a kayak so tend to like shorter rods and am betting I'll be able to use that 706cb for 6" magdrafts (with the treble hook) and the mini a-rig that I like to throw.

Alpha Elite Fishing Tackle has a 20% off sale going. Not a ton of inventory but some good deals on JDM stuff. I've also ordered w/ them before and gotten some stuff I had a hard time finding elsewhere...

Completely get that some people are going to prefer it that way and wasn't saying it's a bad design. Just saying it kind of sucks when you buy a rod because it was designed one way (and has a lifetime replacement warranty) and then it gets redesigned in a way that you wouldn't use the replacement that was offered and ended up paying for a warranty that isn't going to be usable for you. Either way it's not the end of the world but if I had a rod company one thing I'd consider is offering rods with both options so that you don't limit your potential client base with the reel seat you went with. Suppose you might have to add a little weight to the butt section for the foregrip version to keep the balance the same but seems like it should be possible and not all that difficult to implement. Alternatively a design that works for both would be nice but I haven't seen too many that have been able to pull that off. Some of the newer fenwicks did a decent job of that but for the most part I realize I'm in the minority when it comes to spinning reel seats (although Jacob Wheeler and Gary Dobyns both seem to prefer them that way so at least I can say I'm in good company).

Bit sad to see they went with a foregrip on the zodias. Don't own any because I don't like eva but I'm hoping they don't do the same thing w/ the adrena at some point (they did the same with the expride a while ago). I'm all for rod companies trying out new things but wish they would just come out with new lines if they want to make drastic changes to things like the grip rather than updating an existing line and leaving someone that thought they were getting a lifetime warranty S.O.L. if they don't want to change their grip style to use the replacement they would be getting. Same reason I moved away from the mojos a while ago... On the other hand can't be too mad at Shimano as they are still my favorite spinning rod company by far...

I've got a lot of different crankbait setups (all Dobyns because reasons). I like their 705cb for a lipless or squarebill and their 736cb glass for a 6xd (and also a bladed jig). That leaves mid to semi-deep crankbaits and I've actually been having a hard time with that range. I've tried several (including glass and non-glass st croix and dobyns models) and currently own a 735cb but honestly there's just a bit too much pull on that one for me when I throw something like a 5xd or a cloud 9 c10. Having said that I just ordered a 706cb a few minutes ago. I'm in a kayak so prefer shorter rods (most of the options I've seen have been in the 7'6 - 8' range) and while this one doesn't seem to be the most popular model out there I'm hoping it will turn out to be a great 5xd rod for those 10-15' lures that are just a little too much for the 705cb. Don't get me wrong you could throw a 5xd on a 705cb I guess I'm just a little picky these days. Line wise I usually stick to 14lb or maybe 12lb fluoro. Too many zebra mussels around me to try and go any lower...suppose I could if I really needed to but those JDM lures that I seem to like lately would probably start to get very expensive at the rate they would be breaking off...

Title says reel but you asked about a combo so here goes...I throw a texas rigged drop shot with either a 6" worm or a 4" shad on it a lot and have tried a lot of different options. My current setup is a 610mlxf legend xtreme w/ a 2500 vanford. Good combo but I also have a couple of adrena spinning rods and for the money and in terms of overall value I'd probably opt for a 7'2 ml f adrena with a 2500 vanford on it. Pretty sure you will be able to catch some fish w/ that setup and a very good option in terms of overall value. On the other hand if you can find the legend xtreme on sale it is an awesome rod for this sort of thing and they have a 6'10" and a 7'3" and they come with a great warranty too. Aside from that I'd check to make sure how you like to hold a spinning rod lines up with the one you are looking at. Most have foregrips these days which I'm not a fan of but if you prefer to go that route there are plenty of good options out there. Either way the vanford 2500 would be my first choice for a reel and there's a lot of distance between that one and the runner up.

Funny to see so many worms in the replies with all the new and expensive stuff that's on the market these days. For me it was a plain old zoom ultravibe on a texas rig with a small bullet weight.

Thanks to all that replied. Looks like 38% said don't do it and 62% said they use it on all their rods. I think I'm going to remain in the middle for now and have it on almost all of my setups but still haven't applied any to the more expensive rods that I ended up getting towards the end of last year. I might change my mind at some point but for now I'm happy to remain somewhere in the middle on this one. On another note as Tom pointed out you can also use a magic eraser to clean up your cork every once in a while and can confirm that works too.

Hard to say for sure without knowing what setups these are going on and what you are using them for but here are some thoughts: 1. 40lb braid - I use 30lb braid with a small leader for topwater and use 50lb braid on my frog / flipping & pitching setup, but I've thought about just spooling 1 reel with 40lb braid and using it for both. My thinking is the gear ratio would be higher for both anyway since I like usually throw a walking bait or a popper if I'm fishing topwater. But even if you go with more than 1 reel those are what I'd use that braid for. 2. 15lb fluoro - Good for bottom contact stuff or baits like a deep diving crankbait or a jerkbait where depth is a thing. Agree it can be expensive but I still prefer fluoro for most of my casting setups although I have found myself considering mono recently. 3. 15lb big game - In my case I started thinking about switching over to mono on at least one of my setups...I use a 7'6" flipping stick for a 6" magdraft freestyle (or daingerous unloaded) and was thinking about going with a mono line instead of fluoro (the one I'm leaning towards is 17lb sufix advance which is technically a copoly) but I like the idea because it would provide a little more give on this setup and I don't think the thicker line or the fact that it doesn't sink would come into play as much with something like a larger swimbait. Having said that if you want to save some money I'm betting you could use it for other lures like that as well (eg. smaller swimbaits, spinnerbaits, bladed jigs, underspins, etc.).

I am very sad to be looking at this. Didn't know him personally but always appreciated his point of view and some of his posts were some of the most helpful posts I've read on this forum. My condolences to his family and RIP sir.

So in summary it was noisy out of the box and you were upset that you missed their bogo sale? I've bought a Daiwa that was noisy out of the box...having said that Daiwa is still one of my favorite brands. I also prefer Shimano for spinning reels and don't really buy anything else these days but having said that I still disagree w/ the notion that these are the only two reel manufacturers out there that are worth anything. Case in point one of my favorite setups right now is my jerkbait rod and the reel is a Lew's Custom. It's the previous gen and I got it for just under $100 brand new. Got the rod a while back for $130 so the entire setup was about $100 less than the price for that Expride that everyone seems to think is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I don't throw a ton of hard jerkbaits and didn't think it would be worth it to spend top dollar for a rod and reel but I do have some more expensive stuff and this setup is honestly right up there with the best of them. Yes I would probably have been about as happy with an SLX 70 or a Tatula 80, but I do own reels in both of these lines and would say the Lew's Custom Pro is on par with those two and I've been very happy with it. In summary it sounds like you were expecting a full refund but their warranty policy doesn't seem to say they would do that? Glad you got it working anyway but this does happen and it isn't just with reels from Ark. I also personally don't own any reels from Ark but this wouldn't really sway me one way or the other although it does sound like they could have been a little more clear and straightforward and also offered an exchange as an alternative instead of just reading you their refund policy. Then again it sounds like the customer service person you spoke to might have been new. I also think it's worth checking out new reels from time to time and not limiting yourself to one vendor / brand. Unless you are talking about spinning reels. Then you should just buy Shimano.

@Eric 26 I finally got a chance to try it and it was a dud. Not enough weight on that hook so it was rolling over unless you burned it and that's the heaviest one they've got for that hook sadly. Probably not the first swimbait out there (or the last) that looked great but didn't live up to expectations...I still think there's potential w/ that one but will need to rethink the hook and for today I ended up switching to a Scottsboro Tackle Swimbait.

My tiers / price levels are different but here goes. All of these have an aluminum frame as I will probably never buy one with a graphite frame again. Level 1 BPS Pro Qualifier ->great overall budget option around $100...even better when you can get it on sale. Lews Speed Speed Spool (when it's on sale) -> would technically be in this budget below but if it's basically the same as the previous gen (which appears to be the case) it isn't going to hang w/ those 2 and they tried to set the price too high so as a result you will probably see it on sale often and it will probably be just over $110 which is where I feel like it should be at. Level 2 Shimano SLX XT A -> my first choice here since I've got on and it's a good overall reel at this price. Tatula X -> haven't used this one yet but would be open to it and am relatively sure it would be worth it. Level 3 Tatula 100 / 150 -> this is the best option for most cases where you want to bomb a lure as far as possible and it's heavy enough that you don't want any extra braking features. 100 most of the time but for something like a Champ XP 736CB glass I'd go with the 150. Speed Spool RX -> this would be my choice for situations where I want better brakes across the board but sadly it's only in 7.5 for left handed models so looks like I'm probably waiting for the previous gen Tourney Pro to go on sale most of the time here. Lew's Custom Gen 3 -> lighter w/ slightly lower line cap and great for something like a jerkbait reel or anything where your line and lures might be lighter. Tatula 150 SV TW -> frog / flipping and pitching reel I landed on since I want a higher gear ratio with improved brakes...bit expensive but working out well anyway. Level 4 Zillion SV TW -> overall choice and highest price point I'd be willing to look at as I tend to go a bit higher on rods than reels. Abu Zenon X -> probably going to get people scratching their head on this one. It's 5.5oz so if you can show me something else around the $300 price point I'm willing to look otherwise if you want a really light reel with a standard line cap and the best overall gear ratio out there (6.8) and are ok with what I'd consider to be average brakes this is worth it when you can find it on sale which is often because it's also a bit overpriced otherwise. Great reel though if you want something really light and can wait until it's selling in the $300 range.

I lost (again). But honestly not a bad haul for $53 considering you get a free promo pack of bkk hooks and a free lobina topwater lure. The rest of the stuff was almost all stuff I use regularly and the total discount was around 30% (with some good discounts on the 5" daingerous unloaded and gamakatsu hybrid hooks that I like) so not a bad haul although I agree the sales this year in general didn't seem as good as they have been in previous years. Having said that I also get the frustration with the sales not being as good but also get how this year probably threw a lot of business owners a curve ball and would rather see some smaller discounts if it's between that and people get laid off. One thing I did pick up that I haven't tried before is a mini swim jig from Missile but one of my favorite spots is pretty much always stacked with bluegill and the grass is down just enough right now that I'm betting I'll get a couple on that thing.

Here's a few off the top of my head. 1. I strap my kayak to the roof of my car. Pretty sure that's not gonna work with a bass boat. 2. $0 on gas for my pedal kayak per year and the annual maintenance is very, very low. For example you don't have to register a pedal kayak here every year since there's no motor. 3. I also get a good amount of exercise from kayaking and am in better shape than I have been in a long time and it's better than going to a gym and staring at a stupid screen. 4. Turns out I like pedal kayaking anyway but I also like it better when I'm fishing. 5. Some places including one of my favorite spots is non-motorized boats only. Even on weekends there's hardly anyone there and even though it's a park with a fair amount of people that fish from the bank when it get's busy almost none of them can reach the spots where a lot of the fish are in the summer / winter. 6. I can still go out on the bigger lake too and just stick to creek channels and spots that boats can't reach if there's a lot of boat traffic or a lot of fog. 7. You can just cast a moving bait out and then pedal backwards and at that point it's similar to being able to cast a shad rap 1000+ yards. 8. 4 rods is enough for me 99% of the time and I can fit that and my net and enough lures in my bag that I won't have time to fish them all on any given day. 9. I can take some of that money I didn't spend on boat maintenance and try out new tackle. 10. Less chance of spooking the fish in a kayak than a big motorized boat. TBH there's obviously some disadvantages and I wouldn't mind a bass boat and will probably get one at some point but no rush on that for me at the moment...

It's a little heavier but one of my favorite lures that I discovered this year is the sh-3 from evergreen. Casts like a bullet and and a great choice if you are fishing from the bank and looking to bomb a crankbait out there.

It's the best option in a lot of situations. Yes it's more expensive but if you are throwing something like a hard jerkbait that you paid over $20 for throwing it on mono seems a bit silly to me...