new2BC4bass

I bought that rod in the spinning model for a travel rod to handle lighter lures. BG 1500 and Fins Windtamer 5# (if I remember correctly). Line is too thin for me. Abrasion resistance on small limbs is non-existent.

A brother-in-law fishes with combos less than $100. Spinning only. I got him a combo over that price for his birthday one year. He gave the rod to a young boy (teenager, I think). Guess he wasn't used to a rod that didn't flex into the handle.

8# Siege in Neon Tangerine. Haven't tried Berkley's Solar Collector color yet, but it sure looks bright. Do have a spool to try, tho.

Do you need a rod for that?

Absolutely don't go with 25# braid on that rod. I threw a 1/2 oz. jig half way across the lake when my 30# braid got wrapped around the tip of my spinning rod without me noticing it. I imagine an aerodynamic 2 oz. lure would have made the full distance. I put 60# braid on my frog rod (7'6" HF) and feel it hurt casting distance, but I am not casting frogs even at the low end rating of that rod. For my use, 50# braid will probably be better for me. If you are casting expensive lures and want to stick with braid, you might want to try even heavier than 60# braid. Ask the guys using larger swimbaits what they use. Currently my heaviest lures are listed as 7/8 oz. My preference is mono/co-polymer except for some situations. Have 20# Sufix Advance to try, but currently 17# mono is my heaviest line in use (outside of braid).

Wasn't the Fury line dropped for awhile? I read years ago that there were better rods at that price for bottom contact. Maybe that has changed with the newer models. None of the current model Tatula rods shown on TW are listed for weights below 1/4 oz. (including the MLR). However, the only way to know for sure what weights will work, is to try it yourself or find a reputable reviewer that has tried lower weights with the model you are looking at. You can always ask on here. Someone will be familiar with your chosen rod. I've no experience with Phenix rods, but really would love to try a couple. From reviews I've read, one of them should fit the bill for you.

MediumMouthBass: If spool tension is loose, and brakes are 7 or lower, and you are casting 3x further with the Shimano, then I am suggesting that you send the reel back for a new one if possible. Or send it to a professional to go through. Your reel is definitely performing subpar. OP: I think you can get away with one combo if you ignore swimbaits, and keep the other lures to a total weight of 3/8 oz. maximum. You don't mention the lowest weight you cast. 3/8 oz. might be too high if lower weights are below 1/8 oz. But as Tom stated, the rod is an important part of the equation. You're going to have a hard time with the lower weight lures if the rod doesn't load up. I've fished with a young man that was able to cast a 1/8 oz. lure (stated, not measured) with a MHF St. Croix. Two things: 1) I've never personally witnessed anyone with a more powerful cast, and 2) his Shimano was set to where it didn't backlash even with that weight.

Like others, I've had a few backlashes caused by snagging something on the back cast. I've also forgotten to set spool tension and brakes on a new reel. Major backlashes. I once spent 2 hours working at removing a backlash. Don't recall if I succeeded. What I do recall is that because of my bad back, the overrun wasn't the cause of my biggest pain.

Nice! I've never used coupons. I did buy a Patriarch and Supreme XT when they were being closed out at over 50% off list. Like you I have way more than I need because of not being able to resist such deals. Plus I enjoy trying different rods and reels.

Nice looking combo. One I'm sure you will enjoy using. The Sol was the first reel I tried casting a true .25 oz. weight with. Forget the rod it was on. Had trouble with overruns until I go upset enough to put some oomph behind the cast. Did fine after that. When the TDZ and TDX were being produced was a period where I had quit fishing. When I got back into fishing, I wanted to try a baitcast reel. Purchased a TD Fuego on closeout. As the saying goes, "The rest is history."

Can't help with your question, but this is also the way I like to buy my rods and reels. My best ever buy was a brand new $300 spinning rod for $75 shipped. Best deal on a reel was $65 shipped for a used baitcast reel in excellent condition that cost $250 new. Gotta love deals like this!

I hadn't been using a baitcast reel too long when this thread was first posted. Now I have plenty of RH and LH baitcast reels. Will cast with either arm. but almost always use a 2-handed cast. Certain lures can put a hurtin' on an arm (especially if dragging something like a spinnerbait thru weeds). This is a secondary reason for using either retrieve reels. Primary reason was it allowed me to get some good deals on RH reels. I grew up cranking spinning reels with left hand and am more comfortable working a lure with my right arm. Chuck and retrieve makes no difference which side the handle is on.

I purchased a couple of the ET Smallmouth casting rods when they were going for less than $80. The 6' 10" MH-MF rated 3/8-1 oz. was one of them. Previously I've used a MF or MHF depending on weight, but your post makes me want to try this rod for spinnerbaits.

Not long ago I bought a like new Okuma Hakai off our flea market and a new Zillion from one of the Japanese stores. Tomorrow morning I will head to the little pond dug out for us villa residents to fish at. Have a few rods (and reels) that haven't been used yet, but they weren't purchased within the past year. EDIT: Only Piscifun reels I have are the Sword fly reels.

I'll be praying for your wife. Which stage? A brother had stage 4 in his throat a few years ago. Still fishing. There's a little pond that was dug out for those of us living in the villa to fish at. Will take 2 rods there tomorrow morning. One with a spinnerbait and the other with weightless worm. Doubt I'll even bother taking any extra worms. Probably would have taken only one rod, but I bought a new and new-2-me reel I want to try out.

Thanks. March 6th would have been our 48th wedding anniversary.

Recently retired to the Lake Helen, FL area. I only know of public access on the south end of Lake Helen (the lake). There's only a small area where you can walk along the shore. Just Googled the lake and see Tangerine St. runs close on the north end and Tangerine Ave. runs near it for a short distance on the northeast corner. Not been there yet so I don't know if there is any public access on that end. Also found Lake Macy is in Lake Helen, but never been there. I've also seen lakes (from Howland Blvd) in Deltona, but the road is too far away to see if there are any public access points to those lakes. I am only able to fish from shore. I'm hoping someone on this site is familiar with the area and can list a few places where public access is available on nearby lakes. Would be wonderful if they were within a half hour drive, but I'd be willing to drive a bit further if I could fish an area where it would actually be possible to catch a few bass. Something that was extremely hard to do in the area I moved from. EDIT: By access, I don't mean to launch a boat, but to be able to fish along some of the shoreline.

I've managed to accumulate quite a few lures (not as many as some) over the years. However, in actuality I use even fewer types of lures than is in your Plano. A 10 inch weightless ribbontail, a spinnerbait, and either a shallow running squarebill or crankbait are the most used. In a blue moon or two, I will use an F-11 Rapala or a lipless crankbait. BUT I am retired now. My wife passed away March 3rd from her two dementia diseases so I hope to get out and try another 2 or 3 types of lures while I still can. Fewer lures causes less anxiety. Four rods instead of ten makes rod selection easier. More isn't always better.

I assume you use a fluoro leader because you fear line visibility? Yet you don't worry about it on a baitcasting reel? Do you use a baitcast reel only for moving baits? What pound test braid do you use on your baitcast reels? OP: I see no need for a Fluorocarbon line. Only in one case would I think of it as an advantage (for me). Getting down a bit further with deep diving crankbaits. I almost never fish one. Several mono/co-polymer/hybrid lines have excellent abrasion resistance. Some think fluoro has much less stretch than mono or co-polymer. This is bull as I can attest from my limited experience with fluoro. Plus when you break off fluoro, you have to cut off a bunch more line before retying. Because fluoro is so expensive, I treat it like braid. I lay down a cheap mono before spooling on the expensive line.

I fill to the spool bevel on all my reels. My Excense DC is buried in a box since my move to Florida. Purchased used and I can't remember if it came with line on it. If so, I use as purchased. If not, I spool line to the spool bevel. Never backlashed any reel yet that could be traced to overfilling. I have one reel that the line will rub on if filled this way, so I had to remove a couple yards from it to clear. I don't mind the noise at all from a DC or ceramic bearings. I consider it a help with having an idea of spool speed which can help me with thumbing the spool. I almost exclusively run 8# mono or co-polymer on all my Medium and ML casting rods. This would be in the neighborhood of 25 rods or so. I use 10 different brands of reels. Never had a problem.

Nice! Keep up the good work and you will start to catch up to some of these guys.....in another 7-8 years.

Seems you don't carry any extra spools for the reel. Re-spooling line (or cutting off line) every time I wanted to change techniques would be a big PITA for me. I'd much rather spend the money on separate combos and be all set for each technique.

Let lure weight and rod rating determine the power.

Nice. I never saw a baitcast reel much less touched one in my youth. First reel was a Mitchell 300. Being young and stupid I eventually got rid of it (like 20 years later). My Scorpion 1001 4x4 SVS needs a good cleaning. Purchased used and the drag started sticking the second time I took it out.

When I do carry travel rods they are 2-pice rods. An Olympic GraphiteLeader 6' 9" MHF casting rod with a Daiwa Zillion PE with 40# braid and a Major Craft Benkei 6' 7" LF spinning rod with a Daiwa BG 1500 loaded with 5# braid.