The Next KVD

Depends on the brand. Some brands and even certain models within that brand are stretchier than others. A good example is Sunline Shooter that is near 0 stretch yet the more popular Sunline Sniper has more. Seaugar Invisx is really stretchy wheras the Tatsu has less.

Depends on the cover. My go to is 10lb P-line 100% Fluorocarbon for open water to moderate weed cover. 15lb for 10" worms and wood.

Nice! Glad I'm passing a Cabelas store 2morrow. I'm going to have to stop in. Wonder if this isn't to get rid of the stock in place for a new gen. of Chronarchs. I would imagine Shimano is going to fill in the price gap between the Curado I and the Chronarch Ci4 with a Chronarch with an aluminum frame in the near future. However, I could be wrong. Still a good price on them. Thanks for the heads up.

Plastic flex's much easier than aluminum. Overtime the plastic frame of the Black Max will flex causing the gears to not always be aligned which will cause the gears to wear down faster. Its the main reason aluminum frame reels are more sought after. Not saying the Black Max won't do the job; its a good reel that I have used. In the long run however, the Citica will last longer. There is a reason why there are a lot of older aluminum frame reels are still in service. If it was me, I'd use the Citica for your cranking and/or heavy cover situations and use the Black Max for open water techniques such as topwater, football jigs, ect. something that does not put a lot of force on the gears and frame.

The citica e has an aluminum frame and won't be as stressed as the black max. Again like its already been said, its like comparing apples to oranges. Two entirely different animals.

It depends on the mono. Generally the lighter the line, the lighter the rod, the more sensitive the setup will be. However, mono has nothing on fluorocarbon or braid (only when it has no slack thrown in) for sensativity.

I'm getting 13mpg towing my skeeter zx185c with my 04' Chevy 5.3L CrewCab. 16mpg without anything in tow.

If you go on the hedgehog studio website, they got a microspool in the ci4 in the picture. Not available yet, and I'm wondering if it ever will be available.

For the money, I have to say wait till the Bass Pro Pro Qualifier reel goes on sale. I had 3 and liked them but I eventually sold them to get more curados. Otherwise I have used the Abu Garcia Black Max2 and for the money its a good reel. Not sure how long the frame will hold up, but the one I tested out seemed really smooth and definitely can haul in good sized fish.

For $100 your hard to beat the Abu Garcia Veritas 6'9" ML. Otherwise, I'd save my money and get a St. Croix Legend Tournament 6'10" ML for $260. For something that requires sensitivity (jigs, worms, ect) I'm more willing to spend extra. But like I said, I used a Veritas and its a good rod for the money that I still use on a regular basis.

If Aaron continues to do well in tournaments with these rods I guess it would solidify that one does not need the most expensive stuff to do well. Going from $400-800 rods to $170 rods should be more than enough proof. But of course we all know that money can't buy skill already. Hope the best for Aaron but I'm not likely to buy one. Pick one up at a store to feel around, yes, but I hate that reel seat with a passion.

12lb P-Line 100% Fluorocarbon gets the majority of the work. Sometimes when fishing lipless cranks I may go to 15lb P-Line 100% Fluoro when I want to keep the bait up above the grass and then there are times where I throw all my cranks on 30/8 Suffix 832 braid when I want to rip my baits out of the grass.

Yes I do! I build my rods now so I add weight before putting the butt cap on but with production rods I would go and buy those rubber caps that go on the end of folding chair and table legs. Put a few quarters in there and the rod will balance out nicely. The total rod weight may weigh more than it use to be but it feels lighter because I balance mine to the middle of the reel seat.

The 6' 9" ML Veritas is pretty good. Not my favorite dropshot rod as I'm a little spoiled in having a custom built on a St. Croix 6'10" ML SCV blank but I have one for the girlfriend who loves it.

15lb P-Line 100% Fluorocarbon gets the nod for trees and docks. If I'm flipping grass of any kind its with 50lb Suffix 832 braid at the min. sometimes stepping up to 65lb.

Use a softer rod, glass preferably, if your going to use braid. The only major drawback with it is that if the bait gets stuck its harder in my experience to use the bow and arrow line popping trick to get the bait loose.

Uni and double Uni when flipping with heavier line and heaver gauge hooks

I love the LTB blank but hate the reel seat. The threaded area on the reel seat is too long and I can't put my finger directly on the blank. That's why I choose to build mine. If you can, get to a store to make sure you like the reel seat first.

The E and G series are near the same size; the G series being a tad bit longer in length and height. This makes it palm slightly different and depending on our personal preference it may be for the better or worse. Personally I like how the G series palms in my hands better but I still prefer the E series overall. The G series is a excellent reel and really is better than what most people make it out to be. Just that the E series set the bar so high and shimano didn't really upgrade the g series over it at all. Most people complain about the dragstar not being made out of aluminum but most forget that the B series that made the Curado what it is today had a composite dragstar. The B series reel is still a good value and you can score on off of ebay for $70-80 everyday. Not as refined in the gearing (smooth feeling) as the versions after it but still respectable even compared to the new reels in that $80-130 range. I still own 4 of them and have no plan on getting rid of them.

Personally I think they all are good. However here the list that I would rank them 1. Curado E Series 2. Curado G Series 3. Curado D Series 4. Curado B Series Have yet to get the new I series. Curados are bullet proof and you won't find one that is bad.

Another vote for the Chronarch D. On a side note: One thing I wish Shimano would have done when they came out with the new Curados was atleast keep the reel in a green paint scheme.

Really anything that is $20 or more per spool is pretty good. Anything below that you couldn't pay me to fish with. Berkley Trilene 100%, P-Line 100% (250yd spool), Sunline Sniper and Shooter are the ones that I feel comfortable buying. I haven't tried Seaguar Tatsu but from what I'm told its EXTREMELY good. The new Bass Pro Shops is actually made by Seaguar and probably wouldn't be afraid to try it. I actually just purchased some Cabelas X50 which is also made by Seaguar and it comes in a 250yd spool for $18-25 or something like that. Unfortunately I got to wait till late April- early May to try it out when the ice melts off the lakes around here.

I like the fact that it is smaller dia. Don't like the fact its $10 more per 150yd. spool though. I might have to pick some up though during TW black Friday sale or one down the line for next year.

I got a few custom built 7' MH/F St.Croix SCV rods that do everything I want to do with them with the exception of finesse stuff and heavy flipping.

I've been using 10lb Suffix 832 braid w/ 6-8lb P-Line 100% fluorocarbon leader with good success. Just wish they made the Suffix in 8lb braid. The thinner the braid you can get the less bow you will get. Never tried the SX1 braid yet.