.ghoti.

Hey Mac, I'll go fishing with you. I don't have any skills either.

Those little crappie reels are bot much more than line holders. trying to learn to cast with one of them will be frustrating at best. You might check out a BPS Extreme Lite reel. Small, light, and about 80 bucks, if memory serves. I just serviced one for a local guy, and it's not a bad reel, for the price. It's not going to last him for 20 years, but it would make a good learning tool.

I have that rod, but do not have any tome on the water with it. I have two other ML rods; an LTB 6'9" ML-XF, and a Kistler Helium LTA 7' ML-??. No action is stated for the Helium, but I'd call it a mod-fast action. No comparison between the LTB and the Tatula. Those are completely different rods. The Tatula and the Helium are very similar, to my hands; the Tatula being a bit more powerful. More like a ML+, while the Helium is what I would call ML. I've tested the Tatula with a 1/4oz practice plug, and that weight loads the rod nicely. I'm reasonably certain the rod will load effectively down to maybe 1/8oz. I'll have a report when I get home from the RoadTrip. I will be using the rod for small tubes; finesse size tube, 1/0 light wire EWG hook, and 1/16oz internal weight. I have a tuned up Alphas, spooled with 8lb test mono, mounted and ready to go. I'm hoping this will be my new light weight tube rod. If it doesn't shine for that, I have another small crank rod.

I would like to ask him two questions. How do you find your way home? Who do you pay to water you?

This is couple of years old, but I've just seen it.

If I send some baits your way, you are sure to be infected with monkey-itis; just like the rest of us. Be careful what you ask for.

Like it or not, fishing is a blood sport. You're gonna kill a few. Get used to it. And eat the ones you kill, when legal.

You are right about that. I'm afraid tuning reels will be the last addiction I give up.

I just may fail miserably on this one. I'm only fishing three days; Thursday, Friday and Saturday. SO, how much stuff do I actually need to fish three days? I've made a list of "must have" baits and rigging, and after several revisions, it still won't come close to fitting in those two small bags. Like I said; failure is looming on the immediate horizon. I've tried for several years to trim down the amount of tackle I carry around. And every year the collection expands. I'm a bit encouraged by my relative success with the rods and reels. I went from 30 to 20. I'm calling that a success, so maybe I can do it with the tackle. I have stopped buying crankbaits. Haven't bought one for a couple of years. I do not know how many I have; and don't want to know. I have a ridiculous number that have never been wet. That's the thought that prevents additional purchases. I tell myself I need to break off a hundred or so before I buy any more. Plastics are my downfall. Every time Big-O comes out with a new bait, I seem unable to resist buying a hundred bucks worth. I have to have several packs of several colors; don't I?

Elwood, I have the earlier version of that rod; a 6'9" full handle model. I'm assuming(and you know what assuming gets you) the rods are very similar. I have an Alphas mounted on mine. That's a match made in heaven. The reels are out of production, but pop up occasionally. Any of them would be great for your new rod; the 103, 103F, or the R Edition. I'd stay away from the Ito version. I recently worked on a Shimano Core Mg 50. Yeah, this is a Daiwa guy, recommending a Shimano. That would be very nice as well. $155 is a pretty good price for a Fuego, if it hasn't been abused. I have six of those and they are excellent little reels. The Alphas will cast lighter baits than the Fuego, but not by much. I routinely cast 1/8oz finesse jigs with mine.

For the last three years I've been buying, selling, swapping, building, tuning, upgrading, repairing, evaluating, and re-aligning my rod and reel combos. I've gotten it down to 15 casting and 5 spinning setups. I tried to get it pared down further, but just couldn't do it. Now, I'm done. I am not buying any more rods and reels. For my kind of fishing, I have all the bases covered. Now to work on that 500 pounds of tackle I've accumulated. I want to trim that down as well, but I may be doomed to fail.

Hogsticker, I wouldn't worry about a 5/8oz bait too much. What I would worry about is a bait with a large bill. I'm just speculating, but I'd say any crank that runs over about 6' is going to put a pretty good bend in this rod while cranking.

I just got one, but I'm sorry to report that I have no report. Backyard casting is the only thing I've done with it, so far. I use a 1/4oz popper, with the hardware removed, for a light weight practice plug. It weighs a little less than 1/4oz. The rod loads well with that weight. Very easy to cast. I would call this more of a medium power rod than a ML. The tip is soft, the taper is not fast, but is faster than a normal moderate action crankbait rod. When you flex it into the backbone, which hits about 1/3 down from the tip, it feels more powerful than ML. This rod, with a tuned up Alphas, will make the Bass Resource RoadTrip. Hopefully, I will be able to deliver a better assessment after the trip. I also will be taking another Tatula rod; a 6'10" MH-F. Got a Zillion mounted on that one, and haven't done anything with it but backyard casting practice.

With stripers in the mix, you'd best go with the larger line capacity. A decent sized striper will spool a small reel rather quickly. A longer rod will give you a longer cast, a shorter rod will be more accurate. A shorter rod will give you more leverage, a longer rod will give the fish more leverage.

I should have added: most 75 yard casts are just like most 5 pound bass. They ain't.

My benchmark for a good cast is from the edge of my backyard, across an empty lot, to a sidewalk. I measured it. It's 110'. For finesse setups, I use a 1/4oz popper with the hooks removed. For heavier power rods and reels I use a 3/8oz practice plug. If I can hit the sidewalk, or get close to it, after servicing a reel, I know there's nothing wrong with it. That is a long cast. Less than 40 yards.

I value my rods too much to do something like that. Go back and look at the first video you guys posted. Watch the rod tip go past 90 degree wgen you flip one in. that's precisely how rods get snapped.

Exactly half of my reels have magnesium frames. I've seen no down-side to any of them related to frame material.

Ah, my mistake. I'd reaallly like to get into a bunch 4 pound perch.

I have the 6'9" ML-XF LTB,, and that is a completely different rod than the 6'10" M-XF version. If I had thought he could aquire the older 6'9" version, I would told him to jump on it, no questions asked. That one is perfect for his intended application. The newer model 6'10" is considerably stouter. and a little slower taper. I did wonder, when he said perch, if that would be the same perch we have here in the States.

We've lost a good friend. Speedy was a good man, a fine friend, a gracious host and a top shelf fisherman. That's the man I knew. My heart goes out to his family, who knew him as much more. I didn't get to fish and hang with him as often as I would have liked, but the times I did have will be long in my memory. I will never forget the night he and I sat up until way past zero-dark-thirty, sippin down most of a bottle of fine old cognac, talking about everything under the sun. I didn't know him as well as I would have liked, but I liked him as well as I know how. You will be missed, brother.

I prefer having a clicker on the spool tension knob. I can easily switch from an optimum setting for casting to an optimum setting for pitching. On my Zillions, to switch to pitching, I back off the spool tension 3 clinks and kick up the mag brakes 4 clicks. Don't have to look at it, and don't have to test it. It just works. The Alphas and Fuegos take a little longer, without the clicks, to get set properly.

Perfect answer.

I'll just kick back with my buds, sip a manly drink, compare notes for the day, and tell a few lies.

I have the same rod; from the Legend Extreme series. Not that much difference between the two. I have several Legend Tournament rods, and they are very sensitive sticks. I use my 6'10" for walleye during the cold months, and it is great for the job. For perch, I think it would be too much rod. St Croix medium power rods are roughly equivalent to most other manufacturers Med-heavy power rods. I have a tuned up Alphas on mine, and easily throw an 1/8oz jig. Trying to toss a 1/16oz jig for perch, with that rod and reel is going to be frustrating. If you're getting a good price for that rod, go for it. Just don't expect it to be a great perch rod. Do as Tim suggested, and use a spinning rod for perch.