Darren.

Wow, I'll have to compare side by side again. The pictures I saw online comparing the two had the difference quite significant. But yes, the front end was probably the main thing. I don't have big hands, so the 50e is my fav, followed by the Lexa (of what I own).

This is my opinion as well. I like small profile reels like the Chronarch 50e. My Lexa is a tad larger, but still easy to palm. The Tatula, while better, may be too large for your liking. But that entirely depends on what you like....

Welcome aboard! Read up on the articles listed on this site. You will find a LOT of help and advice as most of us here have.

Welcome aboard!

<scratches head> Virginia, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania for sure. Pretty sure, but before my "real bassing days": States along the Gulf Coast...I think Louisiana, Mississippi... but not 100% sure. </scratches head>

Wow, so many setups, so many opinions! My preference is a rod no longer than 6'6" as I do a lot of close-quarter fishing from the yak. And I get acceptable distance (acceptable to me) with that length. I use anything from ML-M casting with Shimano Chronarch 50e reels for weightless and weighted senko/knock-off wacky rigged mostly. On the spinning side, I've got MXF rods from 5'9" to 6'6" with Shimano Stradic 1000FI reels, and one Daiwa Lexa 2000SH. I don't really have technique-specific combos. Just combos that do whatever I need them to.

Nice work, A-Jay! You do for dogs what we have done for snakes, LOL And my wife is ready for the zoo to close down so we can get back to "normal"...

Welcome aboard!

Come on down to the BPS in Hampton. Smallest store they've built. I discovered the same when I was looking at where stores were close to me. None - yet. But holy cow, the store in Phoenix is huge!

I'm with the 5 pound guesses, give or take.

Favorite of what I own are my Stradic 1000FI reels. Would love to upgrade to a newer model, but not in the cards any time soon. Also really like my Lexa 2000SH, but not my fav.

Same here.

Hi Werner, and welcome aboard! I agree with others that the big ones may be in deeper waters. What tactics are you using? Dropshotting, wacky, cranks, swimbaits, jigs? All of the above?

I'm mostly a Shimano guy, but I would also recommend you consider a Daiwa Lexa spinning reel in addition to the Symetre, President, etc. already recommended. You really want to get to a store near you and try each reel out on the rod you mention. You will get a nice feel for each one and if you can't decide, flip a coin! Plenty of good reels out there at that price point.

Welcome aboard, Doug!

As a fan of ESPN, I'm saddened by the news Stuart fell to cancer. Enjoyed his reports and commercials. RIP http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/12118296/stuart-scott-espn-anchor-dies-age-49

Typically the Uni with 5-7 wraps. Or a Palomar tied with care.

I've not had a lot of success with them...at all. The Stik-O is a far more successful bait from BPS by my experience. As for rigging, just a wacky hook through the X of the bait. For wacky in general, when I feel a hit I reel down and lift. No hefty jerk of the rod. Or, depending on the circumstance (low lying branches, etc), I'll sweep the rod, as lmbfisherman suggested.

They work extremely well. Here's a link from a while back of my setup for this rig. I've had great success over the years with it. Mostly a skunk-saver, LOL. I've caught some bass over 3 lbs on it, and a 4 lb pickerel. They can catch some big fish, but drag must be set to give on that occasion, as stated by others.

Welcome aboard!

I believe Shimano will fully stand behind all components of the reel. I was leery of the plastic components early on and was assured that Shimano is confident and behind the reel. Bantam1 is a Shimano rep, and a member of BassResource. You can always send him a PM.

Wonder if they're gonna squeeze 2 weeks worth of deals into one, or lessen the whole shabang. Wasn't overly impressed with their past few sales, other than for the Carbonlites. I just want 3 bags of Stik-Os for $10, and maybe some hooks and stuff at the Classic.

Welcome, Brian! Some good spots in and around your area.

Welcome aboard! Agree with much above. You can throw almost everything on the reel, just practice with it since you are new to the sport. Back yard casting, thumb control, etc. Lots of good videos on YouTube. Also practice casting at targets to focus your efforts on accuracy. The more you practice, the better you'll get.

Have a great one, Glenn!!