new2BC4bass

One of my Black Max 1600C's came with a light braid. I'm guessing more than 10# and no more than 20#. Would have to mic it for a better guess. Have had no problem casting with it but it has broken. However I have no idea how long it has been on the reel. Possibly the Zillion PE Line Special would be a good choice. It was designed for braid. I think mine currently has 20# on it. I have to admit that it has only been used a couple times since the line was put on. I haven't been able to develop a love affair with it yet like I have with my other Zillions.

Nice to know. Most of my spinning reels are Daiwa but the newest model is the Advantage. I may invest in one of these as a gift for my brother-in-law. He is strictly a spinning reel user.

50 size Shimanos, Pixies, I'm afraid I don't pay much attention to size. I'll have to let others add to the list. Heck, I might even have some of those others that get mentioned.

Or better yet fill half way with mono and save yourself some money. No slipping either.

Tatula 6'10" MHF for $110 at Sportsman's Outfitters would be hard to beat. I don't have that particular model, but a couple guys on here have said it is their most versatile rod. Any MHF or MF rod is going to be about as versatile as they come. I also have a few HMG rods. I've always felt you get good value with Fenwick. Might consider the 7' MF HMG as it is rated where a lot of MHF rods are....1/4-34 oz. I've used a MF plenty of times for trebles before getting a couple dedicated rods for them. I'd put the Lews on the Tatula and the Citica on the HMG. No experience with the Veritas 2. Discussing the other company is frowned upon here...so I won't. I've never used an HMX. I believe that is what Bass Turd is referring to. Maybe he could give us his impressions of that model. BTW......Welcome.

A MH rod in the creeks I fished in my youth would have been almost worthless. Ponds were also small, but I suppose I could have used a MH rod in them. However, the flimsy rods I used back then didn't seem to cause any problems with hooking and landing fish. Of course back then almost all my fishing was live bait I could catch or dig up. Artificial lures were too expensive for this country boy. I have to assume the lures the OP uses fishing creeks are going to be on the small side as any fish will most likely also be very small. At least that was the case for me. The most prevalent fish in the ponds were bullheads....maybe some sunnies and bluegills. Bass? Not likely.

A Medium power Fast action would also be my suggestion.

Since when did that ever slow down the advice?

Can't help with the casting rod, but when I was looking for a reasonably priced spinning rod as a gift for my brother-in-law, a fellow member here (who has given me excellent advice on many occasions) suggested the Procyon....out of those I asked him about...even though one of the rods was more expensive. That is the rod I went with. Far as I know he has been happy with the rod.

No opinion on the short shank trebles, but my brother-in-law uses 40# PP on all his spinning rods (doesn't use any baitcast reels) and has no problems landing bass with that combo...braid and moderate action. He lives in Florida so he lands bigger fish than any I've caught up here.

I've used fluoro little enough to only have to break the line once from a snag. I've broken mono plenty of times over the years. I might have to trim a few inches off mono, but I had to trim several feet off the fluoro. Just my very limited experience with fluoro. YMMV

I've only used a couple fluorocarbon lines so far...although I have a couple more to test. What I found was not only does fluoro stretch, but when it breaks I had to cut several more feet off to get past the bad spot. Not something I ever had to do with line sold as Mono.

So true!

My daughter's fiance and his father only fish with spincast reels. I've offered the fiance the use of any of my spinning or baitcast reels when we've gone out. He refuses, so I bought him a Zebco Omega Z03Pro a couple years ago for Christmas. That and an HMG to go with it. He loves the combo. Personally I am a baitcast reel fanatic, but if anyone wants to use something different that is fine with me. You don't have to use what I use. Different strokes for different folks. Once I set my daughter up with a baitcast combo, she has never used her spinning combos since. Use what you like. It is all fun, and that is the name of the game.

Braid is not abrasion resistant so I don't think I would use straight braid in your situation. A heavy fluoro leader might work in conjunction with the braid. Use leader material that comes in the very small spools...not fluoro in filler spools. Leader material is tougher. Have you tried P-Line CXX or Izorline Platinum yet? Both are very abrasion resistant, but require use of line conditioner because they have more memory than most lines.

Which Izorline did you buy? Platinum is very abrasion resistant, but prone to more memory because of that. Use a line conditioner with it. My daughter complained of backlashes with Platinum. I've got some XXX to try, but haven't used any of it yet. Suppose to be pretty good line and more manageable.

Mikfree made his decision and already bought a rod and reel. My "love" is spread out over several brands. I feel he made a good decision regardless of what would have been my first choice.

I like my rod and reel ratio to be 1:1 for the reason stated. Fishing time is already limited so I don't want to be wasting my time switching reels around, and then re-tying lures. Next thing you know I would have to be putting new line on the reels too.

I like Stingray's suggestion. I used a MF for crankbaits for quite awhile before getting a dedicated rod. I've not used the XT model, but have some of the original Tatula rods. A couple in the Regular action. I'm one who thought that type of action was best suited for treble hooks. These rods are changing my opinion. I now feel a Med-Fast action is more versatile than that. The HMX rods are both MH-MF with a lure range of 1/4-1 1/4 oz. which is a nice range for all-around. I've not used an HMX, but...unlike some makers such as Abu....I have found Fenwick rods to be pretty close to their ratings and often able to go just a little lower than the listing. I don't normally try to push the high end on any rod. Instead I use a heavier power rod. My first choice in your situation would be the 7' MF Stingray suggested. Especially if it is anywhere near as good as the original Tatulas. I don't see a MH being needed in open water as long as a Medium will handle the weight lures you will be fishing. Braid would give you more hooking power with the HMX rods for single hook applications. My understanding is the Berkley Lightning rods have slower actions since they were designed for braid use. A little less drag would help when fishing crankbaits and braid. My brother-in-law uses only 40# PP and only spinning rods. His two go to lures are a 10" unweighted ribbontail worm and an F-11 Rapala. He uses cheap rods from Walmart. I doubt any have a fast action. He catches plenty of fish, and seldom loses any.

I haven't used this reel, but would take fishnkamp's word for its quality. It wasn't that long ago that many thought you couldn't get a comparable quality Daiwa for less than $200. I'd beg to differ with that opinion. I bought a Procaster 100HN on closeout for $30. This was a $70 reel with an aluminum frame. Disengaging the clutch gives a very satisfying thunk.....kind of like the bank vault feeling from the original Zillions. Palms quite well, but heavy by today's standards at 9 oz. I'd grab the Exceler if I were you. Post a link (or PM me with it) as I wouldn't mind trying that reel at that price. I already mentioned this. A 6'6"-7' MHF makes for a very versatile rod. Personally I prefer the longer rod unless fishing from shore near obstacles. I like my 7'2" rods.

Meant to mention the Redbone Hurricane. It is a saltwater rod. I've got a 7' ML rated for 3/8-3/4 oz. This is the older IM6 blank. New ones are IM7. Ratings have changed and the Medium now carries a 3/8-3/4 rating while the ML is rated 1/4-1/2 oz. A $100 rod I got for $75. Small mom-and-pop store where I bought it had 2 left. Wish I had bought both. Nicely built rod and nice looking. Casts a 3/8 oz. Yo-Zuri 3DB a country mile......with the help of my Primmus. Keep the rod in Florida. One day earlier this year that combo and a 3DB Sexy Shad were the only thing I was catching fish on. Not that I tried a lot of other lures given the success I was having. Purchased the rod on the recommendation of SirSnookalot. No regrets. This is not a rod you will see mentioned on this forum. Nor have I seen the Hurricane Calico Jack spinning rods mentioned in a long time.

Hey, I don't always remember what I paid. Of course I have a good excuse. Senior Moment. OP: 6'6" to 7'4" MHF. Better to consider used...especially for the reel. New Lightning Shock (or regular Lightning...which I prefer) or house brand rods such as a Cabela's Prodigy (I have 3 or 4) on sale or the H2O Express from Academy Sports are a few rods to look at. See what combos Academy Sports offers with the combination of the Mettle reel and Ethos rods. Both get good reviews. I'm not up on house brands so can't offer much advice there. I do have one of Dick's Sporting Goods original Tec Spec rods. Not bad for $60. Little more rebound in the tip than I like. The Elite Tech looks to be nice. EDIT: We keep suggesting $95-$110 reels which isn't going to leave you much for a rod and still keep the total under $150. All I can say is we get carried away with our enthusiasm. I'd look for a good reel in the used market. Wait for Black Friday and get a new rod on sale. Another way to get a more expensive rod cheap is when a model is being closed out or updated. My most expensive rod is a $300 spinning rod.........that I paid $75 for with free shipping. Shipping is very expensive for rods which makes it hard to pick up a cheaper used rod. Check out Shelton's Clothing on ebay. They have the 6'8" MH-XF Powell Max 3D for $100. Wouldn't leave you much for a reel, but you would be getting a $200 rod that is very versatile. I picked up a couple Quantum rods from them at ridiculous savings a few years ago. One of my better purchases....a Tour Edition and a Superlite.

Line conditioner is your friend.

I would use this rod for crankbaits and lighter lures. Get a MHF casting rod for everything else. Preferably one rated for (and able to handle) 1/4 - 1 oz. lures. I assume you don't want to spend a lot of money on the rod or reel. Bass distributing has the Lews Tournament MB for $99.18. If it has free shipping, then it would be very tough to beat this deal. Fine reel. Many...including yours truly...like the Tatula which can be had for about $95. For cheaper I would look to Academy Sports for an H2O Mettle when they go on sale. Possibly an Abu Silver Max whenever Walmart has a sale on them. Sportsman's outfitters has the original Tatula rods for $110. I'd look at the 6'10" MHF first, the 7' 1" MH-XF second. I've got 3 rods from this line and really like them. Normally I would suggest checking out the rods at FFO (Factory Fisherman's Outlet), but right now pickin's are pretty darn slim over there. In the same price range there is the Powell Inferno, Dobyns Fury, Fenwick HMG (I've got a couple and like them), Falcon Original (caught my PB on one), Daiwa Tatula XT and a couple from Enigma to name a few. Got to admit to not having experience with any Cashion rod, but am wanting to try a CRT real bad. Just a few dollars over $110. You've got a tough row to hoe narrowing your search to just one. Beware of the Bait Monkey. You might wind up with several. EDIT: 30# braid will work, Just keep it spooled on tight.

I'm in deep doo-doo if 8# fluoro is too thin. I have 8# mono and co-polymer on several of my Medium power rods. I've got 6# mono and co-polymer on at least 3 baitcast reels that I use for light weights. Absolutely no problems with backlashes when I do my part. Fluoro does have more memory than many monos and co-polymers, but in 8# you should be fine. I've got some 10# fluoro on one reel that doesn't cause any backlash problems. Now 10# braid would probably dig in to beat the band. BTW, why did you put braid in the middle? That rod is rated 1/4- 1 1/4 oz. so I'd guess that you are throwing a weight that should load the rod. Trying to cast lures lighter than a rod is rated for can cause problems. Especially to those not pretty good with a baitcast reel.. What are you trying to cast?