new2BC4bass

I believe it takes 3 days with standard shipping to reach my house. I think your father was unlucky or else he high sticked the rod. Ask Josh Smith about his Cherrywood rods.

Had that happen with a new T Had that happen with a new T3 1016. A fellow member told me what he did to fix his that had the same problem. Remove the cast control cap and pull out the piece of plastic under it, re-install. He had to do it several times before his spool tension worked. I only had to do it once. However, it doesn't inspire confidence in that particular reel. I was going to return it to TW, but they didn't have any replacement reels left, so I kept the reel. Had planned on sending it to a professional for repair before the member got in touch with me. Has worked fine since then. Hopefully it will continue to do so. I feel certain you will like the Tatula once you get the next one. Nice reels.

Great. Looking forward to a review. I don't know where Evan got his Type R for $115, but I got my first one a couple years ago for something like $131 and thought that was a great deal. My Curado is the older 201E7. A very nice reel.

A search will turn up a ton of posts on right hand versus left hand. I originally felt switching was a waste of time. More than once I have had fish strike as soon as the lure hit the water. Some say they switch hands before the lure hits the water. I can't take my thumb away from the spool until the lure hits. Guess I need more spool tension. As far as switching hands go, you get over it. After awhile you don't even think about it.

Yes to all of the above....including that the rod will fish a little heavier than medium. At least the two Abu rods I have do. A 6'6" to 7' MF or MHF are considered all-around rods.

No. Sorry. You should give it a try. Let us know if it will work. Maybe I should pick one up myself before they run out of that model.

OP. You missed your chance to get this rod for $75. I see FFO no longer has it listed. A beautiful rod. Maybe I should have bought 2 when I had the chance. I got it for small cranks after reading Dan's (smalljaw67) post on this rod.

I have a Gen 1 that normally goes with me on visits to Florida. Spooled with 40# braid. Use if for the pads and weeds. Excellent casting reel. I've had no problems with it. Went fishing in brackish water one morning. Made some awful long casts (for me...I can't spool a reel) using a 3/4 oz. spoon. Caught a few flounder that day with it. No problem casting an unweighted 10" ribbontail on a 5/0 EWG. I like it better than my Gen 1 Premier. Picked up a Gen 2 Premier over the winter but haven't used it yet so I can't compare it to the STX, but when the Gen 2 Premier reels came out many considered them to be the best reel in their price range. Zero experience with the Gen 3 reels, but given the poor reviews by some people, I don't ever plan on trying that particular model.

Wanted to add that I've always ordered a single rod at one time. Had to pay shipping. This is for the $58.88 rods. Last rod I ordered was $75 and shipping was free. I didn't notice there being a special so I'm assuming there is a price point at which free shipping kicks in. So shipping should be free if you order 2 HMG rods. Nice! Have to see if they are offering a rod that interests me. Can't have too many rods............................or reels.

Mettle is on sale. http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/h2o-xpress-mettle-mt2-baitcast-reel-right-handed

You missed Gander Mountain's half price sale on the Exceler. It is still a good option. The LH 7.3 is $20 off. The original Tatula is a fine reel. I prefer the finish on the Type R plus I wanted the 8.1 ratio so the extra $30 was worth it to me. I sold my standard at a very low price to a deserving young man. May have to replace it with a CT. No experience with either of those two reels. If I were you, I'd spend an extra $9 and get the Tournament MB from ebay if you decide to go with Lew's. Has dual braking which I like a lot. Very nice looking reel, too. Pinnacle just doesn't get mention. I bought a Primmus about a year ago. It quickly became one of my favorites. Like it well enough I bought 2 more before manventureoutpost ran out of them. Because of this experience I wouldn't be afraid to try one of their lower cost models. A few reviews here on bassresource. http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/Pinnacle-Producer-LTE-review.html http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/reel-review.html http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/review-pinnacle-producer.html

I live south of the border and have the same problem. My local Walmarts carry squat. The one further away did have a couple Bucoo's about a year ago, but none were priced anywhere near (meaning low price) what other Walmarts were selling the rods for. Neither of us are lucky enough to live near the RIGHT Walmart. I buy my lures from Dick's Sporting Goods whenever they have a sale. Prices are better than Walmarts then. My local Walmarts wouldn't know what a sale is on fishing gear. OP. You got a great buy. Enjoy.

As stated, you don't want a super flexible tip. I personally would never use a ML for Senkos. If I were you, I'd try to save a bit more and look at the original Tatula 7'1" MH-XF or possibly the 6'10" MHF for $109.99 from Sportsman's Outfitters...unless you can find one cheaper somewhere else. I bought a couple from Walmart Online for less than $100 before they sold out. Extremely nice rods. Otherwise I would look at FFO for a rod or a Berkley Lightning. I prefer the Lightning to the Shock. Can't get past the Shock's color scheme. I don't like paying full price. Keep an eye open for sales, closeouts and used rods in good shape. I've read good things about the Berkley E-Motion rods. Only $5 more from TW. A 7' MHF...or 6'9" MHF if you like a shorter rod...should work fine. Or $62.52 + tax from Walmart Online with free shipping to a local store.

What weights are we talking about?

Maybe, but I bet you enjoy the $150 rod more. I caught a lot of fish as a pre-teen and teen with a rod that I'm sure didn't cost $20. I would never go back to such a rod if given a choice. Much of my pleasure is knowing I am using decent gear. Not top-of-the-line, just decent. Caught more fish back then, but lived in an area where fishing was much better, plus we didn't have the fishing pressure back then that is prevalent today.

Gander Mountain has the Daiwa Exceler 6.3 in RH and 7.3 in LH on sale for $49.99. This is a $100 reel with an aluminum frame and side plate. Add a $40 Lightning and some 12# Siege. There's your $100 for a decent baitcast combo..

OP, I don't know whether to thank you or to curse you. I need another reel like I need another hole in my head. However, I am so tempted to get the Exceler at $50. I am a fan of Daiwa reels and doubt you could find a better reel at this price. Don't worry that it doesn't have Magforce Z braking. I believe my 100HSDF and Procaster 100HN have the same Magforce braking system, and they are fine casting reels. The 100HN sold for $70 new and I got mine on closeout for $30. A steal. Nice solid reel. Buy one and don't look back. EDIT: Let's see if this site will accept this link. A review of the Exceler. http://tackletour.com/reviewdaiwaexeler.html

Nope. Never heard of such an animal...good or bad.

Check out the HMG, Elite Tech Smallmouth and Aetos rods on FFO. See if any fit the specs you are looking for. Opt for the Aetos, Smallmouth and HMG in that order for quality of rod.

A line I have never used so can't comment on it.

Not true. Elite is just as good. I am also using some Shakespeare Red Cast that I feel works just as well. A long time friend always used Stren on his spinning reels. If it doesn't cause a problem on a spinning reel, then it should be perfectly fine on a baitcast reel. Many like Super Natural, but I feel Elite is a bit easier.

Budget always helps as you could put together combos ranging from $100-$1000 or more for each. Baitcast: Rod 6'6"' to 7'3" MHF Reel 7.? ratio....or more if you prefer. Spinning: Rod 6'6" MF (or MLF depending on rod) Reel President if keeping price low. We'd all be glad to recommend our favorites if we knew what you plan on spending on each. A couple stickies to read if you haven't already done so.

Only if you actually use it.

Wouldn't have happened if you had sent them to DVT for cleaning. Yanking your chain. I've never liked to tinker plus I don't have a place for tearing reels apart.

Definitely wouldn't recommend 20# Big Game for a beginner. Too much memory. I must admit I've never used 20# Big Game, but I do have 1/4 pound spools of 8# and 12# Big Game, and have each spooled on several reels. 12# Sufix Elite or Trilene XL would be my first choice. I prefer a mono or co-polymer to braid, but that is a personal preference. I do use braid on a couple (4?) reels.