new2BC4bass

Good to see you are still around! I like their customer service as well. Few years ago I fell face first into a pile of rocks. Broke two pieces off the tip. Contacted Falcon, told them what happened, and they sent me a new Cara for $80....after having me cut the section off where the rod description was and mailing it to them so they could send me a comparable power/action rod. It was an Expert which unfortunately had been discontinued and my favorite at the time. Now maybe $80 sounds like a lot, but I feel a $200 rod for $80 was a great deal considering it was totally my fault the rod got broken.

It has been my limited experience that if it gets blanked out here, it will get blanked out in a PM. I am a huge fan of the original Tatula rods. Mine were all purchased for $100 or less. EDIT: American Legacy has them on sale for $99.99

I have to agree with fishnkamp. I seldom have to touch the settings on my Daiwas. My 50th Anniversary Zillion is as set-and-forget as my Chronarch 100B. Only when I get into casting the light stuff do I have to make adjustments to my Daiwas. Personally I do better with my TD-Z 105Hs than my Curado 51Es when it comes to light lures. Daiwa T3 reels with Magforce 3D and reels with an SV spool are all pretty much set-and-forget even for a beginner. Except for the occasional odd ball. My first SV reel was an excellent backlasher until sent out for tuning.

Time to post his username and real name so the rest of us can avoid buying from him. That sucks. I hate liars, thieves and cheats.

If you are skipping, then you definitely aren't a beginner! Not only do you have your reels dialed in good for you, but you also have excellent thumb control. I was merely pointing out reels that in my experience a beginner could pick up and use without having to know how to get dialed in or have an educated thumb. And he wouldn't be backlashing all the time. All 3 reel types I mentioned can be run with just enough spool tension to remove side-to-side play (or have just a tiny bit) and still be backlash free by increasing the brakes. Then lower the brakes as ability increases. A smooth cast is a must. Especially with a beginner. I know I was running spool tension too high when I learned. It not only hurt distance, but kept me from being able to use lighter lures. I had to almost learn how to cast again once I backed way off on the spool tension, but it was worth the trouble. I find I can run my Shimanos with 2 brakes on, but I have to be careful. Which is why they normally have 3 turned on.

I am pretty near a Pro at backlashing reels. However, I can suggest 3 types that are nearly impossible to backlash without needing time to dial them in correctly. Any Daiwa with an SV spool....set loose spool tension and brakes at 10. Any Daiwa with the Magforce 3D braking system....set loose spool tension, Max Brake and brakes at 10 or higher. No need for a thumb. These will be some flavor of T3....Ballistic, 1016, MX. A Shimano with DC. I've experience with only one, an Exsence DC. There is only one setting where I can backlash it. With brakes set below Max. At Max or any of the other settings there is no need for a thumb. There are other reels that are hard to backlash.....once set up properly. The trick is to get them set up properly. I was talking to a gentleman while practicing at a local boat ramp. He told me he had a baitcaster, but hardly ever used it because he'd make 3 or 4 good casts and then backlash. I handed him my Zillion 50th Anniversary...spooled with 12# Elite, mounted on a 7' MHF, and with a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait tied on. He came back about 15 minutes later and asked me, "How do you backlash this reel?"

I call it "fluffing" because the lines lifts (putting space between layers) in the middle of the cast. (Like fluffing a pillow.) If it were that way at the end of a cast I would call it "overrun".....loose coils, but no backlash.

Buy it or else let me get it at that price! I also have 2 Airs. First cast with one and I was, "Wow! This thing can cast." Did not expect that kind of distance out of a new reel on the first cast. A brand I had never used before. They cost $250 new. TT gave them a Best Value Award.

I sold a kidney to get mine.

Plus a few more threads hear on bassresource.

You should be fine. This question was asked in one of the threads I read on the ALX rods. The guides are one step size below regular. Not home right now to double check mine. Leaders are something I have seldom used.

I'd be willing to bet that there are times you get to the backing with only 50 yards of Tatsu. At least you could if you wanted to. I am not that great of a caster, but I have unloaded more than a half spool of line on reels rated to hold 135 yds of 12# mono...filled to the bevel, not 1/16-1/8 inch below as suggested in the manual...using both 12# mono and 40# braid. I try to guesstimate about 75 yards of line yet to spool when splicing to the backing. Now if I fished from a boat, I'd probably try to get a bit closer to my target so I didn't need to bomb my cast. Well....a boat I controlled. I still have to bomb when fishing out of a dinghy with my brother-in-law.

If that reel could only talk.

One of the great things about ALX rods is you can call and talk to Alex. Tell him exactly what you want the rod for, and he will tell you the best option. There isn't a lot out there...yet....about ALX rods. I've researched them looking for reviews. Some things I've learned are that ALX rods are designed with the correct tip action for the technique it was designed for. I gather the Zolo line actions are softer (not a true fast) on purpose. Other lines have a truer fast action. RyneB's remarks regarding preferring other models for jigs rather than the Toadface is probably spot on. From what I've read it is a super frog rod and swim jig rod. The tip is soft enough to launch hollow-bodied frogs and make the frog walk with the power being about one-third of the way down. Most people prefer Fast or Extra Fast actions for jigs on the bottom. The Deputy is a good all around rod. One reviewer loved it for jigs to 3/8 oz. Another said it was the bomb at skipping 1/2 oz. jigs. It also does well with several other techniques. As it happens, I bought the Deputy and Toadface last winter when there was a nice sale on them. As it also happens, I haven't fished them. I had the Deputy out twice and the Toadface once just to try them out. Several reasons for that. Foremost is I have been working full time and part time jobs since last fall. I'm 70. I have Chronic Fatigue. By the weekend all I want to do is sleep. It probably wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't overweight and out of shape. Regardless of all that I would fish more anyway if I had a decent place where I could go to catch a few fish on a regular basis. It is very depressing living in this area.

Or wait for the Zolo to go on sale.

Happens all the time around here! Ask which of 2 or 3 rods, and get 10 more good recommendations.

I used to live just south of the NY State border and did a lot of fishing in NY. Pickerel were a given. So I knew better when many years later (after a 23 year fishing hiatus) I caught a smaller one on a Smithwick Devil Horse. Without thinking, I lipped it. As anyone who has ever caught a smaller one knows, they don't just hang there. I had a hook in my thumb before I knew it. No one around. Couldn't let go of the fish. Got it out by putting one of the hooks over my rod and pulling it out. By the time I was able to release that little sucker, my thumb looked like mincemeat.

I don't know about accuracy, but have read they are supposed to increase sensitivity and distance. I am not good enough to tell the difference in sensitivity. Nor can I see a difference in distance. Could be my lack of abilities there, too. I don't mind micro guides (prefer regular) on a baitcast rod, but the one time I tried them on a spinning rod I hated them. I hope to overcome that feeling as I recently purchased 2 used spinning rods for finesse, and both have smaller guides than I like. EDIT: I take part of that back. The only reason I disliked the micro spinning rod was because I felt distance was no where near what it should have been.

I'd add the Fenwick HMG 7' MF to that list. 1/4-3/4 oz. makes it very versatile. Although I've never used a Tatula spinning rod, I have several of the casting models. Great rods. You can find them for less than $120. The 7' MF is rated 1/8-3/4 oz. This was the best deal I could find right now. https://shop.opticsplanet.com/daiwa-tatula-rod.html?_iv_code=DAI-F3-TRIGGERRODT-190509&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=plusbox-beta&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzc6E1p2x3AIVkksNCh0OUQ6YEAQYASABEgKBCfD_BwE I managed to snag all my Tatula casting rods for $100 or less.

I imagine one of the first questions will be, "What weights?". Although that won't have too much bearing on what line of rods.

Does it have to be pink? Wow. Looking through Tackle Warehouse for a 6'6" MHF spinning rod is like looking for teeth on a chicken. St. Croix Premier has a 6'6" MHF...$130. Had to do some serious searching to find a few more. I found these few Daiwa Aird X & Procyon Abu Vendetta & Vengeance Shimano Clarus Fenwick HMG & Eagle in your price range (allowing for a reel). Reels are easier to find. I like my Daiwa BG. Daiwa has several other models at $100 or less. I like the looks of the Okuma RTX and Inspira reels. Pflueger is a good bet....the President XT and Supreme. I'd best not forget to mention Shimano makes a few candidates. I have to admit that spinning reels are something I've used very seldom since getting back into fishing in '09. Which is why I can't recommend a specific rod with those specs and price range. Mine are all Medium power or less. I do have a President XT and Daiwa BG so I can recommend those reels. I like my HMG rods, but only one is a spinning rod. I bought a Procyon for a brother-in-law's birthday a few years ago at the recommendation of a fellow member. I haven't used it, tho. Hopefully someone with experience with a few rods meeting your criteria will come along and offer some useful advice. I am just tossing a few possibilities out there for you to research if desired.

Did I miss where you mentioned what you have coming?

to the forum. I live on the eastern border so I am not familiar with your area. I would be happy to catch a lot of dinks. Be glad you don't live in my area. Some call it "bass hell" here.

A goliath fish deserves a goliath picture. Very nice fish.