Bronzefly

There are lots of good options for you, but congrats on a couple of stellar selections so far! Your BSR 852 GLX will cover you for most of your finesse tactics without any trouble. It's an amazing 1/4 oz jig rod and is sweet with senkos and other finesse plastics as well. The MBR 842 GLX is one of those very special rods in the Loomis lineup. I use mine for everything from crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwaters, smaller spinnerbaits, smaller jigs and worms, etc... I don't toss anything much larger than say a bandit 200 sized bait, RC 1.5's, or cranks of that sort, but it handles these duties very well.

I'll stick with an acetone bath in an ultrasonic machine followed by a light application of a quality oil designed for spool bearings. It's proven to be an effective system over the years for me.

Not sure what length a rod you prefer, but I'd get myself a couple of Shimano Cumaras. If you toss small spinnerbaits 1/4 to 3/8oz most often, I'd get the 6'9"Medium Reaction Series rod - if it's more often 3/8 to 5/8oz, i'd get the 6'9" Medium Heavy Reaction rod. Retails at $199 but can be found for less. Finesse plastics I always think 1/4oz or less, so I'd go with the original cumara series in a 6'8" Medium Extra Fast tip. It's soft enough to present finesse plastics well, but gives you a bit of backbone in the event you need to step up a little bit. They retail at $219, but can also be found for less - sometimes in the flea market here!

Good work! I haven't tested the drag differences via any sort of measuring instruments, but can clearly feel the improved smoothness and power over stock drag stacks in most reels. I'm a big fan of carbontex drag washers.

I'd look at application first and make your selection based on this factor. What Loomis rod are you pairing this reel with? It sounds like you need or want one baitcaster to be very all purpose. You said that you would T-rig 75% of the time, but may also opt for a spinnerbait or a crankbait. I'm not a fan of a 7:1 ratio reel for crankbaits in general, so you may want to consider getting an all purpose 6.3:1 (or close) ratio reel with not quite such a high IPT. You won't make major sacrifices when t-rigging and it's much easier to slow down when you break out the crankbaits. The issue of the weight of the baits you plan to use most often hasn't been addressed either, nor the line capacity you need for your line of choice. Some reels are better on the lighter end of the spectrum while others are better suited to heavier applications. It seems like with a bit more information, some of the choices you have will become more clear.

Absolutely! It'll make a fine jig and worm rod - especially for 10" worms in deeper water and 1/2 oz jigs...

July 14-16 in Las Vegas...

I'll agree that it's a little tip heavy, but I don't find it to be uncomfortable at all with a Core 51MG7. Actually I enjoy the rod and your application will work fantastic with this stick. It is super light and very sensitive, and does have surprising power with a fish on.

Kent pretty well nailed it... I'd go with the Curado E7 and one of a few GLX Loomis rods. If I wanted a rod to be more multi purpose, I'd go with the MBR 844 GLX. I do like the BCR series better for bottom contact, so I'd lean toward an 854 or 855 GLX there. Flea market pricing should be able to bring you in around your price target and you'll have an incredible combo! Good luck!

If I wanted to spool up ONE baitcaster for all those baits to be fished on the same rod, without heavy grass around, I'd likely go with something readily available, affordable, and strong. P-Line CXX in 10 or 12lb.

The Loomis CBR 845 is an outstanding general purpose cranking rod. It's in the zone with something like a DT-10, but does great with RC 1.5's and other mid sized square bills as well. It's obviously not the best for little bitty cranks or big deep divers, but it can handle most of what is in between.

Saw that too... the anticipation grows. 8-)

It makes a fine bandit 200 rod and works well with other smaller shallow running cranks in open water situations. It's pretty whippy and doesn't have much backbone, which is what some guys like in a cranking stick. A 1/4 oz trap is also fun in open water with that rod.

It retails at $150 and you got it for $100... you definitely got a good deal. You'll enjoy it, congrats!

I know of two and have used them both. The Loomis CBR 906 was designed specifically for this purpose and works great. The new Shimano Cumara CUCX711MH was also designed with this purpose in mind. I've used both on Guntersville in the grass with braided lines and have been very happy with the results. I would also shy away from glass or very moderate action rods for this technique. It requires a stick with some backbone in my opinion.