lettuceBEEcereal

Its a tad longer and more expensive than you wanted but the Zodias 2 piece 6'4" light is $175 shipped on digitaka.

x3 My experience with SLXs is that they start losing smoothness after a year or two. I have an LFS from the previous generation that feels better than a 3 year old SLX.

I have around 30 casting combos from UL-H, 0 spinning anything. I can only carry 8 rods on my kayak.

The Megabass ones are nice but they have wildly varying durability as far as the blade staying attached goes. 1st Gen has similar durability issues and is more like a finesse spinnerbait than a swim jig. I've seen Chinese ones on amazon/aliexpress but the colors aren't as good and I'm sure the durability is similar or worse, so I haven't tried them.

If you've just been adding grease to the gears through the port and haven't taken it apart yet, it could just need a good cleaning. Do you oil the worm gear regularly? I also agree with avoiding ceramic bearings, have them in a few reels and the sound annoys not only me but others as well. I'd just e-mail Lews and get a new set from them. They will probably just send them to you at no cost. I dropped a side plate into the water, asked about purchasing one and they sent me a new one for free.

Dirty Jigs TB mini underspin and a Storm Largo Shad has been doing pretty well for me the past few weeks.

For a jerkbait/top water rod I think a Tatula 80 or a Curado 70 MGL would be plenty fine. As others have said, I don't find myself appreciating the nuances of a nicer reel on something I'm just picking up slack with.

I just got a 24 tatula 100 for $97 after taxes from aliexpress. Discount code fsus08.

Between the two I'd go with their salt reel, drag clicker and every bearing is corrosion resistant. I have a C2 I use for jigs and it's a nice reel but it will probably never see an ocean.

It depends on how light you're trying to cast. Actual BFS, 3+ grams, fill the spool. Reddit BFS (ultra-light casting), sub 3 grams, minimal line.