aavery2

I would let the weight of the bait that I would be fishing most often and the cover that I fish in dictate the power of the rod. Action on a pitching/flipping rod benefits from being a little faster, fast or even extra fast is what I am use to using. The faster action increases the sensitivity of the rod, and that is what you want for a contact type presentation.

Looking good

Howell would be a good champion also, with 20 appearances he defiantly deserves it as much as anyone.

I hope E2 pulls it off also, he would be a great champion. Guaranteed he has more in the live well than what he is saying.

How about the handle on the I, any bearings or the ability to add them?

Sounds to me like some part of the spinner head is rubbing on the cover. Give the cover a good inspection and see if you can find any rub marks, may even be something with a line pickup pin. Also try the reel with the spinner head on and cover off, if it smooth in this manner it should be a rubbing issue with the cover.

well played

Ok,I picked it, go ahead and try to spell it.....

I have and fish both rods, they are both very solid at their price point, many things about them are very equal but in the end I give a slight nod to the Dobyns line of rods based on the fact that many in the Avid line are tip heavy and the Dobyns are among the best so far a balance is concerned. Both very solid, and you would be happy with either.

It would be my opinion that of the two reels mentioned that the Tatula easily out performs the G series Curado. Build quality, innovation, smoothness and casting would all be owned by the Tatula. While I understand the 50 dollar retail difference in price between the base and Type R, the gap in price is closer in actual. The type R offers a lighter spool, better bearings, better dragstar and enhanced astetics, only you can decide if the price difference is justified. In my fishing the difference in price was a no brainer, I went with the Type R.

I like to fish a rod somewhere between 6'8" and 6'10" any longer and I have issues with slapping the water or side of the boat as I work the bait. I work the bait with a straight down snapping action of the rod to impart action on the bait, for this I need a rod with a shorter handle, otherwise the butt end of the rod gets hung up in my heavier cold weather clothing. For power and action of the rod, in depends of the bait, but most baits like the LC 100SP and MB 110 I use a MH / Moderate Fast rod, I like the Moderate Fast action because it is stiff enough to give good action to the bait and get a hookset at the end of a long cast, it is also soft enough that it does not rip hooks out if the fish makes a surge at the boat. I fish jerkbaits on light FC line somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10# test it allows the bait to have the best action IMO. I like a reel with somewhere around 24 IPT as it best fits my style of fishing and allows me to manage the slack line with comfort. I have tried fishing jerkbaits on spinning gear but did not like it at all, I had issues with slack line loops forming in the spool and bad tangles.

I have always felt like magnetic reels lend themselves well to pitching and flipping because of the relatively low spool speeds generated by these techniques. The SX will also provide good drag pressure and have enough IPT to be effective.

One of these new aluminum clutch would look fantastic on that reel http://www.hedgehog-studio.com/data/troutgeargarage/image/abu_cr_a_blk.jpg

I'd give those spool bearings a good cleaning and see what she has. I wonder if some of what you are feeling is related to the braking system. I love those knobs, any chance you could post the P/N from the schematic for those when you have a chance.

Have you fished it?

Nice reel, you will have to give some feedback once you get a chance to fish it.

The Pflueger Supreme MGX is a very smooth reel, IMO much smoother that either the FJ or C14 Stradic, cost 100 less retail, weights about 2 oz less than the comparable model Shimano, has amagnesium frame, ported spool and just overall looks much better than the Stradic. If you want to pay way to much because it says Shimano on it then get the Stradic, if you want a quality reel that you will enjoy fishing get the Pflueger.

There is no best FC for a baitcaster, especially when you place a price limit on it. It all comes down to personal preference and the properties that you prefer in a good FC line. List what properties are most important to you and how much you are willing to pay, then someone can start to help you.

I think you missed my point, my point is that if you want to make it in fishing your chances are much better if you are winning big tournaments and get noticed for your fishing ability, then if you are a great salesman that is even better. I don't know of any guys in the Elites that are just average to good fisherman but d**n good salesmen. If your good at sales then stick with it, your chances of making a living and taking care of or starting a family are much higher than making it on the Pro Bass Tour.

I understand your point, I was not looking at in that way, I had focused more on the modern era greats. Thanks for the perspective.

Best of Luck

So just for the sake of discussion what more would a guy like KVD have to do to be considered worthy of this honor?

Let me put it in perspective, would you sooner buy a new bait from KVD or Edwin Evers, respected fisherman, or a dude named Bob that is a good to great saleman.

It is my opinion that sponsors are interested in winners. You can be the best salesman there is but if your not a consistent winner at a high level the sponsors are going to be hard to get. Good salesmen are a dime a dozen, but good salesmen that can compete at a high level of any sport are few and far between and more likely to get the type of opportunities that you are after.

When they first released these baits in the states, I had the chance to be involved in an on line chat with the North American Representative. When he told me that they were going to have an initial price of 20-22 dollars a bait, I told him that I did not think that there was much room in USDM for baits at that price, he went on somewhat of tirade and told me that I had no idea what I was talking about, all in all I found him to be a complete jerk. I was contacted by the company sometime after that chat and was informed that the employee was no longer with them and asked if I would like to try one of their baits, I politely refused and let them know that I did appreciate the call and the offer. I see their baits have dropped in price by about 20-25% since their initial release. I always thought they looked like good baits but I will never have one tied on the end of my line after the way they represented themselves initially.