new2BC4bass

Try some Hi-Vis lines. Orange (Tangerine) is good.

You should try a Pinnacle Primmus Xi HS. A favorite of mine. Why do you want to stay away from Shimano? I am not brand loyal. I have favorites from quite a few brands. A list would be fairly long. A lot of my rods and reels are older models. I am worse than Tom. I seldom get rid of anything. In reels I have favorites from Daiwa, Shimano, Pinnacle, Pflueger, Okuma, Abu and Lew's. Plus the unmentionable. Rods: ALX, Falcon, Fenwick, Daiwa, Dobyns, Megabass, Major Craft, Abu and believe it or not....Quantum. Plus a couple customs.

I think the ALX website gives a description for possible uses for each of the rods so that would be a good place to start your research. I've got two, but can't be much help to you. Had the Toadface out once. Threw a frog on it. Had the Deputy out twice. I think I was practicing with a spinnerbait and my new-2-me Steez. Both rods are pretty versatile from what little I could find on them, and according to the ALX website.

If you have the spool set with a little side-to-side play and the brakes around 10 and it is backlashing a lot, then I'd have to think that you got a bad specimen. Like I said, my first one was like this, but I sent it to Ian Shields and he straightened it out for me. Plus I had some upgrades done while in his possession. Sweet reel now.

If you don't have a bit of side-to-side play on your SV, then you don't have the reel set up right. Having said that, my first SV reel backlashed more than any other reel I owned. A trip to Ian cured that. A second one was good out-of-the-box.

I think you might be wrong. My Gen1 STXL (magnetic only) has never had anything but 40# braid on it. Some of my longest casts have been with this reel. I've cast 3/4 oz. spoon and 10" unweighted ribbontail worm with no problem with adjustments. My 50th Anniversary Zillion has always had 12# mono on it. Has made some very long casts with a 3/4 oz. spinnerbait. Reel is about as close to set-and-forget as you can get. Have 60# braid on a 201E7 and frog rod. Excellent distance. If it backlashes it is definitely my fault. Same thing can be said for my Chronarch 100B with 12# mono. Practice can overcome a lot of problems.

A lot of people like braid....especially on spinning reels because it won't get line twist near as fast as other lines. However, I like mono/co-polymers and use the same weights you do. I do use some braid on both reel types. However, the majority carry mono or co-polymers. Some I like are AN40 and Siege for BC and Elite or XL for spinning.

7' rod? I have a 6' MH Lightning casting rod that I use strictly for spinnerbaits. A 1/2 oz. spinnerbait with Colorado blade vibrates the whole rod and the reel vibrates in my hand. Probably the best $17 I ever spent.

I got an email claiming I have won $50,000. All I have to do is send them $200 to pay for shipping and handling.

Personally I feel this is like telling someone to turn their brakes off to learn because once they have mastered that putting some brakes on will make casting effortless.

What reel are you using? Can have a lot to do with how long it takes to learn. I have this problem myself. I have a tendency to set-and-forget no matter the circumstances. Majority of my reels are magnetic, so if I continue to have a problem I break down and add a touch more braking.

Nice review. I don't understand what you don't like about that backlash. Looks like a professional one to me. As a noobie to baitcast reels, you should start with 40-50 pound if braid is what you want to use. Unless I am going to be casting into weeds all the time, I prefer a mono or co-polymer. I use a lot of 12# Siege and AN40. You will soon discover that the DC system is worth it once you start buying more baitcast reels. Reels with Daiwa SV spools or Magforce 3D braking are a couple more that are very hard to backlash. I have an older DC reel. You can cast it without need for a thumb. Excellent for someone wanting to get into baitcast reels that never could before because they couldn't learn to control the spool. 7.9 oz. is not light for a baitcast reel today. There are ones weighing less than 5 oz. Having used spinning reels for years I am like you.....my 8 oz. plus OG Zillion feels like a feather.

If you like the S3, then that is what you should get. I read before buying my OG Zillion that they were best from 3/8 oz. up, so I mounted it on a MH rod. Doesn't mean it can't handle less than 3/8 oz., but I use other reels on rods that will be seeing less than a 3/8 oz. lure. Problem solved....if it is a problem.

Pretty sure my Gen1 STX is rated for about 24# drag. I've only had 40# braid on the reel. Never a problem with dig in. Originally spooled with Sufix Performance. Re-spooled with 40# Original PowerPro because I was on vacation and my line choice was very limited. PP is a lot noisier through the guides. Sufix is not always thinner. I am using 10# Sufix Ghost (4# equivalent) on a spinning reel. Went Sufix instead of PowerPro because 10# PP is 2# equivalent. Possibly a bit too thin for my eyes. 40# from each company is .013 diameter.

You can find information here regarding the specifications. http://www.daiwa.com/us/products/reel/baitcasting/index.html Also Tackle Warehouse has reel descriptions for each reel they sell. Probably what most would consider the biggest difference is one has a T-wing and the other doesn't. LargeMouthGambler has stated he doesn't like the T-wing, so he tried a Fuego CT. He did a little work on it. From his posts I gather he is really impressed with the reel....especially considering its price.

I have a 6' MH Lightning casting rod that is my dedicated shorter range spinnerbait rod.

Baitcasting down to and including 3/16 oz. (such as #5 Shad Rap). Spinning rod below that. Maybe some day I will get good enough with a baitcast reel to go down to 1/8 oz. You may not need a sensitive rod, but personally I like to be able to feel what the lure is doing. I do not like a dead stick.

So you only use spinning rods?

New or used? Or doesn't it matter? How much can you spend? I'm assuming the lower the better. New: (besides the Abu reels) quite a few guys here are liking some of the KastKing reels. I've read good things about Sports Academy's H20 Xpress Mettle. Used: Could be all over the map depending on your budget. Probably my best deal so far is a $250 reel for $65 that is is very good condition. A steal. Once you get to the $100 range you have several nice reels to choose from...new.....and even more used.

Ever salmon/steelhead fished in Pulaski, NY? No one gives a crap whether they cross your line or not. I went once. Once was enough.

I use this and love it.

I am impressed with the number of knots. That is some good tying. Oh, and a great fish. Why would you say that? Unless you always use a leader. I don't and use a Uni Knot for everything so no difference in time rigging up.

Hope you don't think I was knocking you because I wasn't. One of my new Daiwas (with over a $300 list price) came with no drag pressure. Was a simple fix that didn't require sending back, but not something a person would expect to see with a new reel. I have 2 others of the same model that had no problem. Well...one was used so I can't know that it was okay from the factory.

Sounds like a bad specimen. Crap happens. Definitely wouldn't let it put me off from buying another one.

Yes, I would believe this. Not only from reading TT's comparisons, but from my own limited experience. Naturally not all fluorocarbons are alike...just like not all monos are alike. The fluoro I was using stretched like a rubber band. I have also found this to be true. Let BG sit a few weeks on a reel and not only does it coil a lot, but gives me loose coils on the spool for the first few casts. Siege coils like a slinky, but doesn't give me loose coils on the spool in the same circumstance. Both behave well once good and wet. I fish a lot of 12# mono and co-polymer. It takes more pressure to break with a steady pull than what I would ever exert with a rod. As far as no stretch, I have to grin when I read fluoro has none. I caught more fish during my teenage years than what I've caught since getting back into fishing in '09. Trilene XL was the only line I used back then. I've caught plenty of fish up to a little over 10 lbs. on 4# mono....35 lbs. on 8# mono. No problem. Salt water guys do even better.