new2BC4bass

I always use as purchased with the exception of 2 reels. So far I've not had a problem. Well....except for a 'blem' I bought. I assumed a 'blem' was cosmetic. In this case it's the internals. Haven't sent it for repair (I don't bother with Daiwa) since I have an over abundance of reels. It will eventually get sent out and most likely be upgraded because I am looking for maximum distance with this reel.

Sufix 832 is listed as having a .008 diameter. Who knows what it actually is. Many 6# lines are listed with a .009 diameter with a very few being .008 diameter. The reel is listed as holding 230 yards of 6# mono. If not fishing for Marlin or Tarpon, you might want to consider using cheap mono backing unless money is of no concern to you.

Welcome to the forum, spencer. I think the majority consider finesse to be light lures. Not everyone, tho. I've read that finesse is more a method than a weight. I adhere to the first, but have no problem with someone using a 3/8 oz. jig plus trailer and calling it finesse because I don't feel like I know the true meaning of finesse. Am I finesse fishing with a 3/8 oz. jig, or am I just bass fishing? What's the difference? I don't know. What weights will you be using? I don't recall anyone ever suggesting over a medium power rod with many suggesting a ML for finesse. I only have one MH spinning rod, and I definitely don't use it for finesse. It has straight 30# braid spooled. Have no problem casting into thick stuff, but have to admit that it hasn't been used in some time because I prefer casting reels for the weights I would use on this rod. The 30# braid has straightened a 3/8 oz. jig hook more than once. What brand/size reel are you using? I lean towards being frugal most of the time. I wouldn't want to spool more than 100 yards on a reel as I would consider it a waste of money and line. EDIT: Normally I use a mono or co-polymer on spinning reels, but have tried some pretty light braid on one. I definitely will be using a leader with this line because I found out that abrasion resistance is about zero with the braid I have on the reel.

I feel the same as you except I haven't been able to force myself to fork out $200 on a rod. (Except for a used Sage fly rod.) Would love a Cara. I have a few rods that are from $200 plus to $300 plus new, but all were purchased used for less than $200. Well...used except for two ALX rods when I caught the Zolo sale for $175 a few years ago. My most expensive rod is a used custom build casting rod for $185.

Bazoo, you said: "I tried a Berkley Lightning rod in medium 7' and I didn't like it. It was way too stiff in the tip to cast anything lighter than 3/8 and preferred 1/2 oz lures. Like casting with a broomstick. I rarely fish heavy lures, and rarely heavy cover." Which is why I said what I did. According to the Berkley website this rod has a Moderate Fast action. It's hard for me to image it casts like a broomstick. Even if the action is more 'Fast', a MF rod should have no problem casting 3/8 oz. a fair distance. I assumed you meant it would cast 3/8 oz., but preferred 1/2 oz. for any kind of distance since 3/8 oz. was the lightest you would use on the rod. Normally mid-range weight lures handle best. The rod's lure rating is 1/4-5/8 oz. from what I was able to find. I honestly don't know what to think about your results with the rod. My 40+ year old Lightning 6' F spinning rod rated 1/8-3/8 oz, seems more Medium action to me. Will cast 1/8 oz. Roostertails great and lighter ones far enough to use this rod. On a side note...I've cast weightless 10" ribbontail worms on 3/0 to 5/0 hooks with several MHF rods without a problem. Total weight should be around 3/8 oz. I'm thinking from what you said that the reel is cleaned and lubed just fine. What reel is it? Although some people have no problem casting light lures with the old Trion casting reel, it gave me nightmares on a MF rod with the before mentioned worm/hook using 30# braid. It's a casting machine with 17# mono and using a 1/2 oz. jig with trailer. That's why I originally asked what reel you were using. Some are better with 3/8 oz. and below than others.

This post must be about ready to disintegrate it's so old. J.Wood, I don't know about the new ones but when I handled the Eagles a few years ago I liked how they felt in hand. Seemed light to me given their price (or even higher priced rods). I have HMG, Smallmouth, Techna AV, and Aetos models. Have always felt I got good value for my money. Especially since I bought new on closeouts or used.

I'm right handed. Don't know you, but I can hit those tiny little letters/numbers better with my right finger (even with the middle one). So, yeah, I hold the phone in my left hand the majority of the time.

I was going to mention what two other posters have already said. I can't get to the file on my laptop (hasn't worked in 2 years), but I have the weights of a number of rods listed in a file. Dobyns are known for their balance, but are heavier than many comparable rods. If you really want to know what tip heavy is, try an old Daiwa Ballistic 7'7" MR casting rod. Hope you've been working out at the gym. It's a wrist beater.

Same here, but I prefer my dominate hand (right) for techniques requiring delicately working the lure. However, I quickly learned while sitting in front of the TV that my non-dominate hand was able to feather a spool much better than my dominate hand. It took a lot of practice to train my right thumb. I've never checked since then to see if my right thumb caught up with the left. Originally learned to cast with my left side so I could take advantage of purchasing right hand reels offered at a great price. Plus some reels back then weren't offered in left hand. Cranking either hand has never been a problem. All you have to do is move your hand in a circle. How hard is that?

I don't own an Expride, but reviewers often say they compare well to $400 rods.

Nice rods, but way above his budget. Can OP find them at basspro/cabelas, walmart, or academy?

Almost 15 for me, and I am trying to stop. If I was as young as you, I'd probably still be looking. I did but 2 rods and reels within the last year.

🤣 We might be in the same boat. I use 10 brands of reels and 23 brands of rods plus 3 custom built rods I bought used. It's taken a few years to get to this point.

Undecided. I've picked up a few expensive (for me) used rods and reels over the past few years. I'd like to combine them and get some use out of them before passing away or getting too old to go fishing. Reels: Steez, Exsence DC, Zillion, Pixy, Bantam MGL, Helios Air, SuperDuty G, Alphas, SV103, Patriarch XT, TD-Z 105H plus some less costly, well liked reels such as TD Fuego, Primmus, etc. Rods: Zolo, Helium 3, Witch Doctor Shaman, Diablo Spec R, Expert Amistad and Headturner, Techna AV, Hammer Elite, Champion 704CB Glass, plus a couple handfuls of lesser price, but well liked rods such as OG Tatula and Smallmouth.

IMHO a rod of that price with the name 'Fenwick' on it isn't going to sell well no matter how good the rod is. Put 'Megabass' or 'GLoomis' on the Fenwick rod and I think it would sell well and be praised. I own several older Fenwick rods in a few models and have always felt I got good value for my money.