Tywithay

I bought a GL2 852S last year for like $150. I felt like it was a rip off at that price. They're not "bad" rods really, but you certainly don't get your money's worth. For $120, I'd much rather have an *** or Tatula rod. I feel both are lighter and more sensitive than the GL2. I really like the actions of Loomis rods and the build quality is always good, but you're mostly just paying for the name. I even just bought one of the new IMX rods and honestly, I'd rather use an *** or Tatula rod over that one too. They're every bit as sensitive as the IMX.

I've used a good number of reels from both manufacturers. There's things I like about both, but I ultimately chose Shimano; almost solely for the line management. The propulsion lip seems to give me longer casts and I don't even remember the last time I had a wind knot or twist issue. With Daiwa, I still get knots from time to time, though they're pretty rare. I have noticed that even Shimano's cheaper reels don't give me issues, while the cheaper Daiwa's do. My Fuego's haven't given me an issue at all, so maybe there's something to that. Could have something to do with the smoother oscillation of the better built reels over the cheaper models, perhaps? Or better line roller bearings? Maybe it all has to do with that lip on the Shimano. I couldn't really tell you, I just know I feel more confident and seem to have less issues with my Shimano spinners. I have an array of sizes and really don't see any difference based on size, but it's not really fair because I put 8lb fluoro on my 2500 size and 4lb Super Natural on my 500 and 1000 sized reels.

Making the reel lighter will only make the rod less balanced.

I've got one and like it as well. Like the Sustain a little more, but for $140 less I'll take the Stradic.

Even 5lb, 10lb, 15lb, etc. mean absolutely nothing. It's likely that the manufacturer of 22lb put the actual breaking strength. Most US manufacturers put 20lb on the package and it breaks around 25lb. Diameter is universal, that's the best thing to look at.

Best I've used in that range is the Stradic FJ. I've tried the Pflueger Supreme XT and Patriarch, both crapped out in less than a year. The Daiwas held up, but didn't manage line as well as the Shimanos. I've had too many issues with Abu casters to try a spinning reel, so can't speak for those.

Ok.

Find a nice used Chronarch 50E, 50MG, Curado 50E, Scorpion 1000xt, etc. Then buy an Avail microcast spool for it. You'll be able to cast about as light as you want with a proper rod.

I've basically quit using braid, but the best I've used are 832, FX2, and Smackdown.

If they're clumsy or destructive, ugly stiks are a good bet. If you want a good graphite rod that's a little lighter, look at the Ambition rods from ***. The 5' Medium are really nice rods for $30.

ALX 7'4" Dragger custom with full handle and spiral wrapped mid-micro SiC guides. It's awesome for small swimbaits and c-rigs as well.

*** was a nice rod. The blanks are great, feel like a $200+ rod. The rest of it, they can keep it. The guides felt extremely cheap, the reel seat was not comfortable to hold, and the handles were extremely short for my liking, which made the rod tip heavy. Othwerwise, I enjoyed using them. That's the casting rod anyway. The spinning rod has the same cheap guides, but the handles are absolutely fantastic to fish with.

I much prefer the FJ over the old CI4. It felt smoother and more robust, likely due to xship and the aluminum frame. However, the new CI4+ is just an all around better reel than the FJ. The lighter weight does make a little difference over the day of fishing. The addition of more rigid carbon and xship makes it feel smoother and more solid than the old version, right on par with the FJ. Another improvement is the magnumlite rotor that they brought over from the Sustain. It is a lot lighter than the rotor on the FJ, so it takes much less force to start the handle. The low inertia of the handle helps feel some of those finesse bites, in my experience. If money is an object, I'd get the FJ, because I've seen them as low as $135 (bought mine for around that price). Otherwise, if you want the better reel, get the CI4+. I have both and rarely even pick up the FJ these days.

If it were 10lb mono, like super natural, you'd be fine. I would advise against putting 10lb fluoro on there because it probably will jump off. You could try filling the spool about 3/4 full and it might help, but then you'd lose casting distance. I have 8lb Sniper on my Stradics and Sustain, that line works great. I even used my Sustain last year on a catfish trip, because they wouldn't bite unless you had really light line. I didn't even retie after 2 days of fishing. The 8lb Sniper held up extremely well.

That's a good deal for a really nice reel. I see them selling for $250-$300 on ebay quite a bit.

I bought my drying motor from mudhole, because they have some nice inexpensive ones. I buy most of my other supplies from anglersworkshop. They have 15% off right now, and seem to have sales often; so you can save some cash. Shipping is $15.95, but it kind of washes out with the 15% off they're currently offering.

I ordered the final rod to complete my arsenal tonight as well. Now I am officially done buying things that I need. From here forward....I'll just be buying things that I want...

I thought the megatop rod was a 6'10" mlxf?

They fish a little more powerful than the ratings, in my opinion.

WIth braid of a similar diameter, you won't lose much distance, if any. Whooped indeed means snapped up. I like to use light line and I've had a couple really big fish completely spool me, but it's part of the game.

I'd get 4 Kistler KLX rods. Fuji Components, NFC blank, quality build. Hard to find at that price point. With a coupon code, you could be right at that budget.

8lb can handle pike, with proper drag settings. St Croix rods are indeed a little underrated on the power ratings. That rod is by no means a wimpy rod, compared to other manufacturers' "finesse" rods, it's hardly a powerful rod though. You may get whooped by very large pike, but that's the risk you run with light line techniques. Otherwise, it's a lot of fun when you do land that big one.

I typically use a spinning rod for these applications and use 8lb fluorocarbon. I'd probably bump it up to 10lb fluorocarbon on a baitcaster. I hate to go too much higher or it defeats the purpose of "finesse."

Loosen the tension until it's extremely loose. If you grab the spool with your thumb and index finger, you should be able to shake it back and forth quite a bit. Now start tightening the tension knob until that side-to-side motion stops. Once I get to that point, I usually add a bit more tension to be safe. Now set the mag brakes as high as they'll go, then go throw a few casts. Make sure your thumb is ready to slow it down just in case, but the brakes should do their job. If you're using heavier lures, you may need to add a little extra to the tension. If the brakes are doing their job and you got the tension set, start backing off the mag one click at a time until you start to flare the line up, then click it back up one and you're set. I do this with all my magnetic reels and it has yet to fail me. I'm not a fan of centrifugal brakes at all and get much more distance out of my magnetic reels, so I have just stuck with this process.

I haven't used both particular rods, but I have used that St Coix and I've used a couple of other Champion rods (733C FH and 734C FH). Overall, sensitivity gets a small edge to the St Croix in my hands. I thought that the St Croix was extremely tip heavy though, far too much so for tip up presentations anyway; wouldn't matter much for deep cranking if that was the rods purpose (which it does quite well). I think the Dobyns balance a lot better, probably has something to do with the diminutive split grip on the Legend Tournament rods. You can also find much better deals on the Dobyns if you look around, so that would likely be my choice. If you were looking at shorter, lighter action, rods in the Legend Tournament lineup I'd pick on of those for sure. That particular rod isn't one of my favorites though.