new2BC4bass

You have to join Tackletour....where you will be further enlightened. You are no longer allowed to spend less than $450 on a rod. If you are deciding between 2 reels, you must buy both.

I finally broke down and bought a used Steez over the winter. Man! Sweet. It is in another ballpark.

Curious as to why you want a 4000 size reel. What rod is it going on? What line will be put on it?

About 5 years ago....and for a few years before that....it was Shimano instead of Diawa. Shimano still makes good reels, but Diawa has upped its game in the lower priced segment. When I joined 9 plus years ago, many were of the opinion you had to spend at least $250 to get a Diawa that compared to some other brands of an equal price. But even then I was buying Daiwas. My first two reels were the original Fuegos on closeout. A very good reel that was under-rated by many. My Procaster 100HN was $30 on closeout. Sure it is a bit bigger and heavier than many other reels that were in its MSRP price range, but it is a very solid reel. That little extra weight and size never bothers me.

Wife? No. Daughter? Yes. Not in the last few years since her last baby, tho. When she did go, I would be ready to head in and she would keep me out longer. And I love to fish. Have been known to spend about 15 hours on the water in one day. She is another gal that sticks with Senkos. Originally started her with spinning rods. Pink, of course! She hasn't taken a spinning rod out even once since I had DVT make her a 6' MHF baitcast rod. Pink, naturally. Tried to talk her into a longer rod, but no dice. Have tried to give her another rod or two of mine. Nope. Always a pleasure to see a female out fishing. Should have held out for such a gal before getting married.

I've purchased a few rods the past 8 months. You are making me think I need a couple more....the Aird X 7'3" MH and 7' M.

Asking a rod to do finesse and frogs is asking a lot. Assuming you mean "light" when you say finesse. Finesse doesn't always mean "light". I am basing my suggestion after reading ww2farmer's informative posts on these rods. Daiwa Aird X 7' MHF.

I have Shimano. I like them. I have Lew's. I like them. If I had to go with only one brand it would be Daiwa.

Thanks!

Getting skunked in my area is a very common occurrence. Catching a fish locally is always noteworthy.

https://imageshack.us/faq ImageShack says 30 day free trial. How do you get a lifetime free account?

Free 30 day trial, then you either pay a $20 yearly fee or $2 a month. That is for the lowest cost subscription. This link lists 11 free hosting sites...but I don't see why ImageShack is included since free is only for 30 days. https://www.lifewire.com/free-image-hosting-sites-3486329 Have you tried Imgur? It appears to be a true free site. I need to learn how to download images off my Android phone to a free website so I can post the occasional picture. Actually I suppose learning to downloaa pics from my phone to my laptop would be even better.

Personally love the reel you used on it. I set my brakes at 3 out-ot-the-box and never had to touch them after. My reel was quiet from the get-go. I now have 3 of them. Just an excellent reel. Light, smooth, good looking. Would love that rod, but it is a bit too expensive for me. This is the one I bought for frogs. Sent it to Florida early this year where it stays for future use. Shipping back and forth would be prohibitive. Unfortunately it was too cold for frogs when I was there. This was a Christmas gift to myself when they were on sale. Not used it yet, but have high expectations.

Medium Action, or Medium Power? was going to be my question when I opened this thread. Thanks for beating me to it.

Wow! 1/4 oz. I couldn't cast that thing on my frog rod regardless of reel being used. And that is big for you! Double wow. What rod are you using?

Agree. I don't have any newer models, but have several Falcons...Experts, Originals and a Cara. All have a nice parabolic bend. My PB was on a 7' MH Original. My Hammer rods have a similar bend.

Like islandbass said...it is all in the timing. I learned the same way...side arm cast. Being right handed my lures were going way left. The release point for a baitcast reel is not the same as for a spinning reel. Secondly you are trying to cast way too light a lure. A lure that light requires the proper rod and reel. And some skill. I've been at it 9 years and have a couple Pixies and it is hard for me to cast 1/8 oz. even on a rod designed for that weight. I doubt your combo is rated that low. Guys that learned back when reels had no brakes (in other words they are older than dirt ), or have been at it for 20 years can cast 1/8 oz. on a MH rod. 99% of the rest of us need the proper gear. Loading the rod means the tip is bent from the weight of the lure. Look up how to roll cast. Baitcast reels require a smooth cast. A side arm cast (or overhead cast) requires the rod to be stopped and then rod direction reversed. The rod unloads at the stop. If you are good with a flyrod, then you should be able to get the timing down quicker. You need to wait long enough on the back cast for the lure to load the rod again before starting the forward motion. Roll casts keep the rod loaded throughout the cast. Roll casts will also help keep the lure going in the desired direction.

I'm also 70. When I visit relation in Florida, my brother-in-law...who is 3-4 years older than I am...sometimes fish from just before sunrise and head in after it gets dark. We usually do stop for lunch and that is the only time during the day I get to pee. Luckily I am sitting except when butt fatigue is killing me. Can't stand up long in a 14 foot dingy. Too narrow. A hook set could put you in the water. You can tell the youngsters this all day and they won't pay attention. Guess they figure that loss of hearing can't happen to them. Can't be good when the stereo in the car next to you is making your car move to the beat. Like you, I'd be out a lot more than I am if fishing was even half way decent in my area. I live in what has been described as "bass hell". It is also why I have about 40 more reels and 30 more rods than I need. New and new-2-me gear is about the only thing keeping me going out. I had quit for 23 years after moving to this area because fishing sucks so bad here. In response to some of the other posters. I don't feel 70, but my body is trying to tell me otherwise. No longer have the balance I once did. No stamina. Over weight. 235 lbs. but should be about 165 lbs. at 5' 10 1/2". Don't exercise. Had back problems since 16. If I don't sit down every so often while fishing, the pain in the middle of my back is so bad I can't stand it. I know from previous experience that working out 3-4 days a week lowers back pain by a lot. Too lazy to do it. I also work full time plus 4 days a week I work a part time job if he needs me. 12 hour work days plus a minimum of 2-1/2 hours driving a day....if traffic is good. By the weekend I am ready to lay around. Alarm goes off at 4:45 a.m. No way do I want to get up earlier so I can take a walk or work out for awhile before heading to work. When I get home at 10 p.m. or later, I just want to relax a bit before getting ready for bed. If that makes me a bad person then so be it.

X2

Good article. Thanks.

Wow. I've got some 5# Windtamer on a BG1500. Only got to use it for a few casts so far. In a crosswind. I am not looking forward to untangling wind knots. Hopefully this line does tame the wind.

What are you trying to do, Mike? Defeat the Bait Monkey?

LgMouthGambler on another site works on reels. He doesn't like the T-wing, so he tried a Fuego CT. You'd have to ask him what all he did to the reel, but he wound up being very impressed with its abilities. I don't have any of the Daiwa CT reels, but have 2 of the original Tatula Type Rs and a Tatula SV. Had an original Tatula, but sold it real cheap (almost gave it away) to a deserving young college guy looking to get into baitcast reels. I like them all, but have to admit I lean towards Daiwa reels anyway so I am a bit biased. Thanks for the reviews. Should help some people looking to make a decision on their next reel.

It isn't that you can't use a MHF, MH-XF, HF, etc. You can but should take certain steps with such rods. Personally I would never use braid on such a rod if I figured to be using it for treble hook lures. Braid has zero stretch. Everything else has some. I would also make sure I didn't over tighten the drag. I have landed bass on a true MHF with braid using a crankbait, but it would never be my first choice. A couple reasons are the rod's power could pull the hook(s) out. Such a rod doesn't have nearly the give of a crankbait rod. A fish could break loose while fighting it. You might be setting too fast...not giving the fish a chance to get a good hold on the lure. I am sure others can give more reasons. From my reading, a lot of guys claim more hook-ups (and fewer losses) with a rod designed for treble hooks. As much as I like using a crankbait, I don't catch that many fish on one. Probably because I dislike losing lures so I don't fish them properly. However, as ww2farmer pointed out. Not all rods labeled Fast actually have what most consider a true Fast action. Also not all rods fish within the weights listed on the rod. There are a lot of variables that we can't (shouldn't) take for granted. I am as guilty of it as most. You have to fish a rod to know what you can do with it. Getting advice from guys like ww2farmer (and many others on here) can take a lot of guesswork out of buying a rod without ever having the chance to handle it. I'd have no problem buying that Aird X 7'3" MHF sight unseen, and using it for trebles after reading ww2farmer's comments on the rod. He is one of the guys whose opinions I trust. I've handled very few of my rods before buying. I read the opinions of those I trust on forums like this one. A brand of rod that I have no problem using a Fast action for treble lures is Falcon. I think I could do the same with the couple Hammer rods I have as the rods bend very similar to my Falcons under load. And, yes, all my Falcon and Hammer rods have a Fast action.

My original Fuego casting reels tested at just over 5 lbs. of drag pressure. A Scorpion tested at a mere 3 lbs. so 8 lbs should be more than enough.