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I have several too. I love my high end gear, but for canoe fishing, etc. I still go Berkely. I hear good things about their lightning rods as well, if you want to spend more and I would assume get a little more rod as well. To move up from there though, I think you are talking about $100 or more to better them. BPS puts their Carbonlites on sale for $79 and up from time to time I think, but the Cherrywood is hard to beat. If you want something to abuse and are not casting any distance, an Ugly Stick might be an option, but they are going to have a lot of give to them, and low ssensitivityas they have no graphite in them as far as I know.

I think you missed one of the best ones out there. You have to get it from the store as they no longer have right handed mdls on line, but the BPS Carbonlite smokes most of those you cite. 4.8 out of 5, after YEARS of use and several Curado E owners saying they prefer it to their E searies Curado. In the new Shimano line-up you'd have to buy the Cronarch to equal the old Curado by most accounts. They have been out for years and they are just flat out great performers at an insanely low price for what you get. I bet once this sale is over they'll be back down to $89 again too. Last I knew they had over 1,100 left in the system, so you ought to be able to get one before they sell them off completely. The new Johnny Morris Carbonlites, their replacements, seem pretty good as well, but only time will tell if they'll hold up as well as. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-reg-CarbonLite-trade-Baitcast-Reel/product/10204721/105225

It depends, if you are new to baitcasters the enigma can be set up so that it's about impossible to make it backlash, not so the others. The older ones had a carbon fiber frame, some dislike that as it lacks the strength of aluminum, but the new ones have aluminum frames. Yes, they are better, but not necessarily for a beginner. If I was going to go better though, I'd go for a JM Carbonlite, YMMV.

I checked them out again, this time I was looking at the 5.4:1, it felt fine, and I bought it. I also ordered a 6.4:1 and the 750 spinning reel. I still wish they had used the older Carbonlite platform as I really liked it, other than the gold color, but the later production J.M. Carbonlites reels seem to have a better feel to them. I was told that the old Carbonlites were a little rough at first too, so perhaps the factory has some issues. The local pro the Cincinnati store supports said that the new Carbonlite casts for ever, he seems to be a very big fan of it. I hope to get out on the water tomorrow, but I am going with a crappie fisherman, so I don't think I'll be spending too much time using my new toys...

x2 on the braid, or at least fluorocarbon. Braid would have even helped on the old rig. If you kept it, you can rig one for top or middle water, and the other for bottom fishing. That way you can more quickly determine if there are any aggressive fish in the area you are fishing. BTW, nice new rig, hope it exceeds all your expectations. I do more Carbonlite gear but, I bet you are going to love your new gear for YEARS!

I am not sure if it's a lemon or not. I tried several different ones here, and the Carbonlite is certainly a little stiff. My son's Daiwa Regal is much stiffer, and my OLD Shimano Magnumlite GT-X-2300SM is as stiff or perhaps stiffer. My larger Pflueger Supreme XT takes virtually no effort to close. I think it may just be a design decision. Most of the rest is ultralite so they just don't compare. The ones that are stiffer are likely going to have heavier springs so they may arguably be a little tougher and may withstand a little more abuse. I'd check it against other Carbonlites to be sure it's not damaged, and then decide if it's too stiff for you to live with, or if it's something you can get used to. It's your money, so if it really bothers you, get another reel. My wife had a bail fail to close because it was ever so slightly bent, I mean I did not even realize it was bent. I paid to have it fixed, and that is the ONLY reel so far I have paid to have repaired. The springs for the bail were just so light that they could not close the bail. It was a $135 Daiwa, not just some junk. Anyway, stiff or not, I'll stick to my Carbonlite, and you'll have to decide for yourself what works best for you. I do know it sucks using something you just aren't happy with, so my best advice is to get something you like, life is too short to spend it wishing you have bought a different reel! BTW, a few weeks back I decided to try a Wavespin... I just had to know... When it arrived and my wife saw me putting line on it, she asked me about it. When I told her about it's tendency to not birds nest, it became hers.... I had intended for it to be eventually anyway as she birds nests all the time, but I wanted a chance to play with it first. After she uses it a bit perhaps I'll post something about it. It's no Shimano, but it looks like a nice little reel.

Since you need to shut the bail by hand on spinning reels if you want to avoid birds nests, I'd keep the Carbonlite. I have a couple of Pflueger Supreme XT Spinning reels, a Shimano Saros, a Shimano Stradic, several Quantum Kinetics, and some REALLY old Shimanos. Traded my last Mitchell in on the Carbonlite you seem to be displeased with. When I went to get it, they were out and offered the more expensive Johnny Morris Signature Series reel as a substitute. Nice reel, but it's not a Carbonlite. If you want to use the handle to snap the bail back, buy a Wavespin from Cabelas, you'll have a LOT less issues with it than with standard reels.

Unfortunately, yes it does. The Federal Reserve is continually printing more money. Flood any market with any item and the value tends to decrease. They are intentionally decreasing the value of the dollar, have been for decades and decades, so prices are necessarily going to increase, this is the basis and reason for inflation.

Update on the old Carbonlites. Tuesday there were 1157 in the system. No idea why they are not being sold on-line.

With those you are paying not only for a rod, but also for a name. With poles like the Carbonlites there is no name. You get a MUCH better blank, with no frills hardware to meet a price point, it's just a flat out good deal. I think the Johnny Morris is a similar blank, but the guys at BPS could tell you for sure. Either way it has a little nicer hardware. I have a BUNCH of Carbonlites because they are just a very good bang for the buck pole, and while I do lust over higher end poles, I just don't personally see them as being worth the difference in price. I can afford more, but if I don't see my needing more. I do have a new IM10 Crucial, I have some Compres, St. Croix Premieres, one Pinnacle Perfecta DHC5 for flipping and pitching, but going with higher dollar poles is just a bridge too far. YMMV.

I hate to say it, but I am leaning toward the 6'6" MH Pinnacle. I have yet to cast my new DHC5-7111CAHSB though... I have only been out in the boat a couple of times since I bought it, and have yet to do any flipping or pitching... I guess you are pretty impressed with your as you certainly are touting the line... I know you just got your rod, has anyone actually used one yet though? I am also still considering about going 6'8" with a new MH Crucial, they are pretty tough to beat... I'd really rather be able to put it into my real locker so I am leaning heavily toward the Pinnacle...

IF you live near a Bass Pro Shop store, AND if you have an old POS pole, you can buy a $139.99 Johnny Morris Signature rod, for your old rod and $89.97 from the 24th to the 29th of February. That's a hard deal to beat. Their Carbonlites will be $10.00 off, with at least a $15 trade in for your old rod, so you could get a $100.00 pole for about $75.... If you like the Veritas, it retails for $99.99, so with an old POS pole, you'll be able to get one for $84.99 I think some St Croix Premier rods go for about $109, so you could pick one up with a trade in for $89... So IF you live near a BPS, you have a LOT of good choices. PS POS, in case you don't know is a piece of ****.

This may help you decide: http://www.another s...ing-line-guide/ I have had good experiences with P-Line and Yo-Zuri btw. This gets into bait specific lines though, I used it to form a matrix with my various baitcasting rods and reels, in order to most efficiently fish all the baits I have, which is a pretty extensive collection. I ended up with 6 or 7 primary rigs, and a few duplicates for hunting, that is I may have 2 or 3 rigs for baitcasting so I can try more than one lure without having to change out baits. The less time you waste on unproductive water, the more fish you'll catch, or so say many experts. Before you leave an area you should try top, middle and bottom, lures, better still if you can try several of each type, and do so in as short a span of time as possible. In the end, I used only braid and flurocarbon lines. YMMV

If you go braid, you can always use a uniknot and add fluro leader, so with braid you can pretty much have both.... You can add a 30' leader and while you have braid, it's pretty much backing if you decide you need to use fluro...

I didn't really think it would be epoxy as it's so brittle. Sounds like Mr. Robby Gant needs to be a little more cautious in his wording as he certainly makes it sound like they differ only in their hardware. Thanks again for the clarification. So far I am really happy with my new Crucial spinning rod. Before I bought it, my Compre baitcasters were the only Shimano rods I have owned. Of course the weather has kept me from using the Crucial extensively as yet, but it's been on the water twice and I have bank fished a stream with it several times since purchasing it. All I have caught with it so far have been small bass, crappie, and bluegill. While I have always admired the Cumara's, I have been unable to rationalize the need for such an expensive rod. Perhaps if I fished tournaments I could do so, but if I don't catch a fish, it's not like my freezer is not well enough stocked....

I knew I read it somewhere, this is from Tackle Tour, and Robby is the Shimano guy who designed the Crucial, "same carbon or construction" was the line and the article gives a context that implies that they are the same as well. Obviously they will differ a little as any 2 or more rods within a common line would, but they apparently are otherwise the same, except as I mentioned, and as Robby mentions, in the components. "Robby: My goal when designing the new Crucial was that I wanted the same carbon or construction of Cumara. We achieved that with these new rods and the major difference between the two is in the components. Again something that at times is overlooked but Crucial comes with Fuji Alconite and Cumara comes with Fuji SIC." Some say the resin is different, but that is hearsay as far as I know. They could be using epoxy resin in the Cumara, which might explain why so many complain that they break on hook-set, as epoxy is pretty brittle, but as I said, that is hearsay to the best of my knowledge. Link follows: http://www.tackletour.com/interviewrobbygantcrucial.html

Wow, sounds like trading off the Symetre may cause some hard feelings, wish I had kept it if that's what I have to look forward to.

My inattention to detail is showing... Thanks for the correction!

I can't speak to these reels, but I did try Boca ABEC#7 bearings in one of my Carbonlites. I have 4, and I could not tell you which one has them without tearing them open. The stock bearings in at least the Carbonlites are pretty awesome bearings... That may or may not be true of other BPS reels, but I'd buy a set for ONE, and see if there is a real difference. You need to clean and LIGHTLY lube the one you want to compare it to of course. The Boca's come unlubed, so just lube them the same as the one you are going to compare it to. YMMV...

I get that you have a foul taste in your mouth, I certainly would. That said, I'd still wait and see, the Shimano may come back and be all you want... I was told at the Bass Pro Shop that they use the same high quality bearings in all their reels. Not the same size, but bearings made to the same exacting standards, if so, I suspect it should be a pretty nice reel once they fix it... If they machined something improperly on the reel itself, and it fails again, I'd send it back again telling them that you suspect an alignment issue in the shell itself, but I would also buy a replacement at that point. YMMV

Thanks for the info Delaware Vally Tackle! Am I missing any good rods that readily come to mind? I am sure I am, but those 2 looked good, and the Veritas comes in a Micro too.

Shimano says it's the same blank, so only the reel seat handle and eyes are different, ergo, IMO, it's nearly the same rod.... YMMV

That's what I was trying to say when I said they are only on the shelves, warehouse stock is GONE! If you don't live near a store, perhaps you can get a friend or family member to get them for you. If not, I was thinking about getting one for myself, but this would be your next best bet; http://www.ohya.com/...CFQyFQAodu1Jmrw You want the CU200E7. You could then go with a Berkley Lightning rod. But once people see this link, if in fact they still have the older, better Curado E's in stock as they say they do, I suspect they will be G-O-N-E FAST! The $199 Cronarch is the new Curado, so at that price, it's a REAL steal. The Lightning rod is 80-95% of the more expensive rods at 1/2 or less of their cost. If the Curado CU200E7s are gone, more of a gamble would be the Pinnacle Optimus XT. Some are saying it's even better than the Curado, and I have one on the way, but it's less tried and true than the Carbonlite OR the Curado "E", so it's a little more of a gamble. Here is the best deal I have found on one: http://www.amazon.co...29549221&sr=8-1 You'll want the XT and not the XTHS, higher than normal gear ratio, or the XTSR, slower than normal gear ration. I got the XTHS for spinner baits. The Curado is also a high speed reel, but you can always reel a little slower, it was THE standard by which all $200 and less reels were measured. I like the Carbonlite better myself, but the Curado is a nice reel, and the Optimus, some are saying, may be even better than the older Curado. This guy in New Zealand runs a guide service, the Optimus seems to be holding up really well for him after 3 months of abuse: http://www.bassing.co.za/bassingforum/reels/6628-pinnacle-optimus-xt-reel-review-three-months-later.html If you take the Berkley Lightning rod and any high dollar rod, and flip them, running the last eye across something like carpet you'll get a feel for their sensitivity. The differences do not end there, but the Berkley is really hard to beat. I do buy more expensive rods, but I question my sanity as I do so... A crap reel is far worse IME than a less than the best you can afford rod. Spend the money on better reels, and if you have to bite the bullet, go Berkley and don't look back, you'll be fine! Your milage may vary, but I think this is sound advice. One more tried and true reel if the Curados are gone, would be the Johnny Morris Signature, I don't think they changed that model this year.

That's the rod I bought for baitcasting. Also got one for spinning as well. As it's cold as all get out, and I bought them for canoe fishing, I have yet to use them so I can't say much about them yet.

The Cherrywoods are also a great bang for the buck rod. They have a new Lightning rod called an IM6, in addition to the older Shock. I bought 4 of the IM6, referring to graphite content no doubt, rods for canoe fishing. My wife will not allow me to replace her Cherrywood, tried to get her a St Croix Premier, Carbonlite, etc, she won't let me replace it. She did break one trying to horse a snag instead of using the reel, but I told her it was going to happen, it was clearly her fault. Sometimes I wonder myself if I need all the high end gear when the Berkleys are as good as they are for as little as they cost... Awesome bang for the buck, perhaps the best deal in a rod out there.