rjg

I have one. Nice reel. Smooth with one of the best drags available. I also REALLY like the magnetic bail. No more broken bail springs. All in all I thinks it's a great real at a good price.

Just way too many really nice rods out there for me to recommend any one. Find one YOU like and fish the heck outta it!

I fish my smaller top waters on the Falcon LFC-4-16 "treble hooker" 6' medium power fast action casting rod. It's rated 3/16 - 3/8 oz. It easily handles the 1/4 oz top waters you are wanting to use and is a pretty fair jerk bait rod to boot rjg

I don't have a Reaction Series, but use several of the Lowriders for technique specific use. All in all I gotta say they are decent rods for the money and I like the "Made in the USA" label. If you can get a "deal" why not give one a try? rjg

An 11 year old who works to buy his own Loomis impresses the h#ll outta me. Good luck you have my respect!!! rjg

I just got a pair of technique specific low riders from Tackle Warehouse. I bought the LFC-4-16 for jerk baits and small topwaters and the LFC-5-164 for spinner baits. The actions are appropriate for the baits they were designed for. The quality seems good for rods in this price range. The 5 year warranty seems fair and I like the "made in the USA" label. All in all, I'd have to say I'm pleased with my purchase. RJG

Ahhh, got it now Thank you reelmechanic !! Your tutorial should be a standard inclusion with all manufacturers' instruction books.

Ok, this is my first baitcaster. I've read the instruction manual and to be blunt, IT SUCKS. My question is, and please remember I'm baitcaster challenged, are the brakes turned on on this reel when the little weight on the pin is the up position or pressed fully down on the pin. I don't under stand how the centrifugal brake works so I don't know if they are turned off or on on my reel and I'm really sick of my reel looking like a Chia Pet with a 2 gallon a day Miracle-Gro habit during my practice sessions. Yes, you may feel free to call me stupid :-/

Ditto on th AVS68MXF. Has a nice soft tip for throwing small baits and goes quickly into a stout backbone for moving fish out of cover.

Got a Exceler 2500 on my avid 63mxf and used it all last season on the river. It performed flawlessly on sm bass, walleye, and a few surprise channel and flathead catfish. It's a smooth reel with a good drag, comes with a spare aluminum spool, and has a "easy on the pocket price tag". I like mine and would recommend it to others. Hope this is what you wanted to hear. rjg

If you are looking for a topwater specific rod that has a shorter length, take a look at the G. Loomis Bronzeback 5' 10" MH casting rod. It was designed specificly for topwaters and has a nice soft fast action tip with a stout backbone. $205 msrp but can be bought at Reed Sports for $184.50. Loomis quality and warranty. It works great for it's intended purpose and doubles nicely on smaller spinnerbaits and cranks. It's what I use when wading for topwaters and it fits the bill nicely. Hope this helps.