Tywithay

Very short split handle with a heavy blank...not many, if any, rods can overcome that. A heavier reel might help a 1/2" at the very most. If you want tip up balance, you'd have to add weight to the very end of the butt.

I set it to where the bait falls freely, then make adjustments on the fly, depending on how the spool fluffs up. Beginning of cast, I add a little tension. If it's middle of the cast, I mess with the brakes. If it's the end, I give my thumb a stern talking to.

I bought a practically new Curado K for $100 because the guy had apparently tried to work on it and couldn't get the sideplate on.

I don't use mono often, but it's always clear. Have no rational reason for it, just what I grab at the store.

I had one shipped that I picked up at the store and it was in a thick cardboard tube. Imagine it'd be the same if sent to your porch.

If they're enjoying themselves it's not really anybody's place to tell them they're doing it wrong. Unsolicited advice is rarely well received.

I don't know what a cheap hair dryer will do, but my wife's will get to 400°F. Boiling water would scare me that moisture would get trapped in the cork and rot.

I bought eTekgo 30mm tube off of Amazon. Think it was like $14.99 for 64" of tube. It's supposed to shrink 2:1 so I may order 35mm if I get more, because I have a couple handles that flare quite a bit at the butt cap and won't fit. Obviously, not the case with the Curado, or the Dobyns. I used my wife's hair dryer to shrink it on the highest setting. She's a cosmetologist so it's pretty high quality, but it still probably takes longer than a heat gun. I just made sure to keep a little distance and keep the rod moving. I rolled it like a rotisserie so the epoxy in the handle or reel seat wouldn't break loose. Also, make sure to start at one end and work your way to the other. If you shrink each end, it'll trap air in the middle. It'll still shrink because it's not airtight, but it's a pain. For that Dobyns, I'd get a tube of wood filler from the hardware store and sweep a little in, otherwise it will have a gap in the shrink wrap. Natural or golden oak color look pretty good.

I'll try to weigh it when I get back to town this evening. One thing to keep in mind though, the Coastal is not your typical Steez SV spool that holds 90 meters of 14lb line. It's a very deep spool that holds 100 yards of 20lb line. If you were using it for lighter baits and used 10lb fluoro, it'd hold nearly 250 yards of line. More line = more overall weight.

Only things I would question are the spool sizes. The Coastal, though a 150 size, has the highest line capacity. The 200 size Shimano is actually the lowest capacity of the 3. The Elite is a 100 sized spool. In my testing the Elite casts light baits the best out of the 3 you mentioned. The spool only weighs 14 grams, which is quite light. As a comparison, the Tatula SV103 spool weighs 12.75g. Lastly, the "wide profile of the Curado. I attached a picture as close to straight overhead as I could get, Curado is in the center. By my measurements, just eyeballing a scale over the reel frames, the Curado is actually 5mm less total width than the Tatula frame. However, the Curado has a wider spool and larger gearbox. All 3 reels literally feel identical size in my palm though.

Agreed. I have a couple of Edge rods with the carbon handles and I'd put them on all my rods if I could.

Second time I've had to redo the handle on this rod because filler was falling out. Get tired of filling, sanding, and refilling, the cheap cork most companies use these days, so I did an experiment. Took one of my Curado rods and covered the handle with some shrink tube. Came out pretty good. Wish I had taken a little more care to completely cover the cork, but it's tolerable. Can't even tell while palming the reel. Feels pretty tacky for casting two handed. As an added bonus, adding a few grams to the butt of the rod took the balance to a new level. Best part is no adhesive, so I can cut it with a razor blade and rip it right off if I decide I don't like it.

Finally found a rod for my Coastal SV. 7' MH Kistler Limited Edition Helium LTA with a full cork handle. Reel was too pretty not to match it.

A hammer is far superior to a screwdriver if you're only pounding nails. Every type of line has its place.

Did he test it under water? Another reputable site tested several different lines while wet and found that it's not a myth at all. Abrasion resistance while the line is dry is worthless information.

I think it depends on whether they ship from an Amazon facility or one of the many retailers that have an Amazon store.

He was looking at the Avid X, which has the same aluminum oxide guides as the Mojo, and a split grip.

It's only a trout reel if you catch trout on it. The fish don't know the difference if it was designed for bass or trout or walleye. Typically the lighter presentation the better for trout. There is no real best brand, but Shimano and Daiwa are the main players. They have reels from $20 to several hundred, or even thousands for some applications. You'd need a lot more details like budget, where and how you'll be fishing, etc.

That's not a bad idea either, but I'd take a Fuego LT over the NASCI. After owning both for about a year, the Fuego fishes a lot better for me. I sold the NASCI.

I've seen whole handles for sale that could probably replace it, but haven't seen the clamp itself. Might try rod builders guild or another builders forum to see if someone has one lying around.

I think the Tatula LT gives the Ci4+ a good run for its money and it's lighter. You can't really go wrong either way. People can give you a hundred suggestions about the best this or that because they objectively like their favorite gear, but it doesn't necessarily mean it'll work best for you. The two items you've chosen are well-liked by nearly everyone, so I say go for it.

Pacific "red" snapper (rockfish) require different gear than the Atlantic red snapper. Red snapper in the US are sometimes 20-30lbs and caught 300ft down in strong currents.

It was likely designed with different fish and much different applications in mind. Much like a bass fisherman has no use for a 10' rod with a centerpin reel. If that style of fishing was more popular in the US, I'm sure Shimano would sell it here.

I have 3 of the Elites, one in each gear ratio. I think it's ideal for 3/8oz and up. It's much more than just a distance caster. It does just as well with a quick easy cast as it does bombing it out there. It gets very good distance effortlessly. I've got 30lb 832, 12lb Assassin FC, and 14lb Trilene XL on mine, for a variety of techniques. It doesn't really seem to cast better or worse with any of the three.

Both reels you have to detach the dc system. But as mentioned, no spool options.