jeb2

You'd hope. But what bothers me the most, if it's true, is them waving the dead fish penalty. That should be enforced no matter what the outcome is.

I'm not so sure. The line is very close to the blank with normal guides, too. Does a small fraction of an inch make any difference? Paint me skeptical.

Wow. While I can understand that being a good thing from the competitors point of view, I can't imagine them suspending the rules because of a problem they themselves caused. Pick lakes closer to large convention centers!

Just ordered some with the President's Day sales.

Is there something definitive that shows that to be true, or is just a subjective thing? Not putting down your comment at all, just wondering. I'd be interested in reading more information about that.

I have Core 50's and an MGX. Had them on identical rods with identical lines and the Core just works better, especially for smaller baits. I have upgraded bearings in both, but the Core is less fussy and is able to cast a little further, in my hands. I tried really hard to like the MGX as I love my 2G Premier's, but it just never came. I tried different rods and line weights on it, too. It now lives below decks as a spare reel, and I subsequently bought another 50.

My newest rod is a Kistler Custom with micro guides. I have bunches of GLX, NRX and Dobyn's Extreme rods. From a casting perspective, I see no advantage at all. Not apples to apples, as delware says, but it's certainly easy to notice it's not a big add there. So I doubt I'd get them again since there are drawbacks, too, like on frosty mornings when they freeze close easier. I'll never get another rod from Kistler, either. Complete disaster getting my "custom" rod screwed up by them 3 times, and it's still not right.

Better not buy any 110's either, then. I've gotten several of those with no split ring in the front at all.

I use Daiichi Death Traps in #6. I have a powder scale for reloading and it told me the death trap weighs exactly the same as the stocker.

Agreed. You have to be careful not to put too heavy a split ring (which really don't need to be changed anymore) or hooks on these. Since they pretty much suspend out of the box, it doesn't take much to overweight them.

I was hoping to see a few of them. You have a TON of colors listed on your website, so wondering what they looked like. I lean more towards the brown and green shades mostly, sometimes some orange ones.

Waiting on pictures to place an order. Do you mean you'll post them there or on your website?

True, but it's like being in Linux with handcuffs on. I'm a software developer and hate working in iOS. Good machine for non-techies, though, at least if you can stomach getting hosed on the hardware side of the equation.

I agree. My Calcutta DC is the 250, and is a good reel, too. Work of art asthetically. But the Calais DC has more adjustability, higher gear ratio and lower profile. It gets used a LOT more than my Calcutta DC, which is pretty much a dedicated deep cranking reel for me on a Loomis crankbait rod. The Calais DC sits on an NRX853 and I use it for pretty much everything. Jigs, t-rigs, spinnerbaits, spoons, jerkbaits, etc. We fish a lot of clear, heavily pressured water so casting distance can be important.

Similar situation here. We just got a 15.4" touchscreen laptop with Win8. I'm an IT guy and approached it with an open mind. But I'm not a fan so far. It's so odd that it kicks you back into a classic desktop if you run certain apps, like MS Office. I'm sure we'll get used to it, but I don't think it's going to be a big hit, personally. Big learning curve on this one.

I use both a lot, but rarely in the same place. Drop shot is almost always for fishing directly over fish/structure you have located with your electronics. C-rig, as eyedabassman points out, is more of a search bait that is usually fished faster.

I have 4 of the Gen2 Premiers, an MGX and a Gen3 STX. Something I noticed right away on the STX is that I had to really crank down on the spool tension knob to get the lure fall rate to be the same as my other AG's. I tried lots of stuff to change that. Put in extra fiber pieces, tried the caps from the Premiers and MGX. None of it really made any difference. So, for whatever reason, I know I just have to put use more force to screw that knob in to get it where it needs to be.

I have a similar story, regarding a reel issue. They really impressed and delighted me with the service they gave me. They have been just great to deal with.

Good advice, papajoe. I always do a full tear down and clean/re-lube on my new reels. That way, I know they're done right. Rare to find a factory spool bearing that is not seriously over lubed.

I think more to the point is that the national rankings are hosed up. ND was rated #1 going into the game and they got their butts handed to them. Something is messed up in the way they rank the teams.

I've owned corded and cordless Makita, Millwaukee, Dewalt, Craftsman and now Ridgid. I've never had any of them quit on me, except the Craftsman stuff. I love Craftsman hand tools, but their electric tools are not good. What always brings me to upgrade is when the batteries wear out and I'm looking at buying a $200 pair of batteries, or just upgrading. I always talk myself into upgrading. :-) Hopefully, this Ridgid battery warranty will make that a thing of the past. But the upgrade to the Lithium Ion batteries over the Ni-Cad was really worth it this time. They last a lot longer. I made a ton of cuts with the circular saw the other day and never ran the battery dry. My Millwaukee Ni-Cad would not have lasted anywhere near that long, even when new. I do not use my tools professionally. Strictly handy man stuff.

Me, too. That is a BIG part of the reason I went with a Rigid combo toolset last time. Lifetime warranty on the 2 battery packs that came with the tool. Looking forward to using that warranty! Been a very good combo set so far, too. Better overall than the 18v NiCad Millwaukee combo set that it replaced (gave them to my son, along with one new battery).

I'm a tool hound. I own a LOT of toys and do all my own maintenance. Which is a big part of the reason we can afford to have so many toys. So I look at tools as an investment, as does my wife. I just got this bad boy a couple of weeks ago. It is going to make rotating tires on the RV and 3/4 ton and breaking clutch basket nuts loose on my dirt bikes a LOT easier. Plus it's cool! I already have an air impact too, but it doesn't do me much good out in the boonies and now I don't have to worry about dragging air hoses out.

I've been fishing a Gen3 STX for several months now. I've also been paying close attention to the reviews on the Gen3's. Not much out there about the Premier yet, but the STX has gotten very positive reviews so far. The only negative or mixed things I've read about them is from folks who don't actually own/fish them. Mine has been great so far, and I'd for sure recommend it. I fish it along side of a few Shimano reels (core, curado, calais DC) and they are all good reels. But there is no better bang for your buck on the market right now than the Gen3 STX, IMO.

I have LC's of all different types, Vision 110's, SK KVD's, RC STX's, Rapala's, etc for jerk baits. The easiest to fish out of the box is the STX. As metioned above, it suspends very well out of the box. All of others need weight applied to do the same. And the STX is a fish catcher! Not sure if the water gets cold enough in South Louisana for jerk baits, though. The general rule here in the Ozarks is water below 50-55 degrees.