Tywithay

I don't know how much break the bank is, but the Daiwa BG and Fin-Nor Lethal are both in the $100 range and highly rated.

I wish Shimano would put their conical line guide on these smaller reels. It can't add that much cost. My $50 Kastking reel has one. Clearly Shimano knows it's effective because it's on their flagship models.

Shades of Revo3

There's an SLX 70 MGL on the Shimano site as well. Curious if it's a 70 sized body, or just a shallower spool.

Shimano Facebook said September, but I don't know if places will allow preorders.

A 500 size ? Guess my ultralight rigs are due for a makeover.

SC is faster, but not by a lot. The NRX Jwr rods are pretty fast.

It's kind of between the 802 and 803. Closer to 803, imo.

Don't have the Dobyns or that particular Elite, but the Dobyns I do own fish pretty light. I'd be worried about the 1 power being too light, so the 2 power may yield better results. I use the 7'6" M-ML Elite AGS for almost all the things you listed and it is the best rod I've found for that purpose.

I fish weightless plastics probably 70% of the time I'm on the water. Tried dozens of different rod/reel combinations, looking for the right setup. Most rods are too stiff to cast well, or too flimsy to drive the hook. That search finally ended....meet "Goldilocks." The DRX753C is the chosen one. This rod has the absolute perfect blend of power with a light tip.

https://www.facebook.com/670628973069456/posts/1980098375455836/?sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=e

Just get a Lews handle and put it on the Shimano with a shaft spacer. Easiest and most inexpensive option. https://www.spoolspeed.com/collections/reel-handles/products/handle-size-converter-shim

Owned all 3 and I'd definitely look at the Elite or DC if you want distance, though neither will outcast the black max by a huge amount, unless you use the Elite with slightly lighter lures. The biggest help if you want a jump in distance would be a longer rod. Not always feasible from the bank, but a 7'2" or longer will give a pretty good jump over a 6'6". I haven't had the Elite long enough to speak on longevity, but the ease with which it casts is amazing. Even last night I was throwing into the wind and it didn't seem to mind. I have a couple Curado DC and have nothing but good things to say about them as well. They're smooth and solid, even after more than a year of use. Wasn't a fan of the SV and sold mine. It doesn't cast light lures as well as the Elite and was greatly overbraked, in my opinion.

I've caught bass and crappie jigging vertically while wading. So, no more than 7 feet in front of me. When they're holding tight to structure, they don't move much. They'd probably spook if they're in open water and you walk towards them. I remember reading an article about trout fishing many years ago and the guy said he at times would take half an hour just to wade to a spot without making ripples, because they'd spook. I can't imagine.

The picture is the stradic FL, not the vanford. The price is RRP. That's Australian money, which comes out to around $249 USD. Shimano teased a spinning reel on their Facebook page and it definitely had red in it. I doubt they changed the color scheme much. 1000 sized reels are typically used for 4lb line or less. Felt drags start up much easier to protect light line. No reason to have a 20lb drag on a panfish reel.

Can't speak on the Shimano stuff because the last high end one I had was the Stella FE. Do have a Stradic FL, but you already know where it stands. On the Daiwa side, I bought an Exist (model right before the LT) and a Certate LT. I sold the Exist. The Certate LT is far and away the best spinning reel I've used. I'm sure the Stella and Exsence are fantastic, but for the money, I don't know that anything beats the Certate. Exsence is a line of reels geared towards sea bass. The BB reels are like the lower tier, then CI4+ is essentially the same as the Stradic in the US. The top Exsence model is magnesium, similar to the Vanquish and Stella. Baitcasters are similar, there's a BB, then the SS DC, and a high end 4x8 DC. They're all based on other platforms, but geared for the sea bass. The C in Shimano stands for compact. Basically a C3000 is a 2500 body with a 3000 spool. 3000 with no C is a 4000 body and a shallower spool. If it ends in S, ie. 2500S, then it's a shallow spool. M is a medium-shallow spool.

I just put it on this for now.

Going to try this beauty this evening.

That's the way I was taught in the 80s.

Buffalo gap outfitters has 5 available. Little more expensive, but they give out codes for signing up for the newsletter, I believe.

Saw on another site that this will be replacing the CI4+. Still no pics because the embargo, but supposed to have magnumlite rotor, long stroke spool, micro gears, and all that jazz. I really don't need a spinning reel, but fate wills it so.

Only Revo spinning reel I've used was the Premier, but I returned it to the store because it felt like junk. I don't know if I got a bad one or what, but none of the Abu stuff has impressed me much lately. My Tatula 2000 has become one of my favorite reels. Especially at that price point. The Ballistic would offer a little more salt protection, but the zaion body on the Tatula isn't going to corrode, so you'd just have to rinse the gears. I don't know if it's important or not, but the 2500 Tatula has a much more powerful drag than the Revo too. Have to step up to the 4000 size (40) revo just to get 17lb.

I think Falcon wanted to still offer rods at the same price point, rather than continually raising them with usa materials. A good example is Kistler with the nfc rods. It was maybe 4-5 years ago when the KLX came out and they cost $179 or somewhere thereabouts, with a full cork and split cork option. Today, they go on sale often, but still retail for $300; nearly double. Falcon is from Oklahoma. Most folks down there don't fish with $150 rods, let alone $300. If Falcon was selling a $300+ USA made Cara, they're not going to be able to compete with the Loomis and Croix's of the world, and make money.