Capt.Bob

The reason I like the Braid is it is so limp, with no memory (a big advantage on very small diameter spools), or stretch (a big advantage on most very moderate action ultralights). It has superior knot strength (to mono or fluoro), and with Fireline I have never experienced the line breaking on hook sets, I've "read" about other's having, with other braids and synthetics. It has a smaller diameter than 1.5 lbs. test mono and last for years, and after a couple years of use, after trimming small lengths of the end as it frays or just to freshen it, you can turn it around on the spool and your fishing with brand new line, and have very little backing and a full spool of new line that will perform as well with the end you are now using as it will with the more used line at the backing, so when you get that big unexpected carp or whatever, you will have a chance of getting him wowed before he spools you, or breaks the line. Then since it doesn't get affected by exposure to UV, air, water, you name it, it don't change, the color just fades, but the line stays lip, and strong not to mention very abrasion resistant. I use Fluorocarbon leaders on all my setups, this is something many don't prefer. So it's like said by others a lot is personal preference, and you have to decide. But if you can live with leaders for stealth and want all the advantages gained by the bennefits of Braid, without the hassles of most braid, I would use 6 lbs. fireline braid. here are the specs. FireLine Braid Diameter (in) 0.007 Diameter (mm) 0.17 Diameter (mono equiv.) 1.5 Pound Test

Sorry sir I was just judging by the difference in how my 6'3" and 6'8" mxf Avids seem to fish like, this would be much more like the 6'8" than the seeming to be lighter power 6'3", just my observation. With those rods, the 6'8" not only works better for me in deep water, but handles bigger fish much better for the same Power, and action rating's, than the 5" shorter rod.

Keep it for all your crankbait needs except deep divers, and forget jigs with it, you need a faster action for that. add the Medium Heavy Moderate crankbait version. I use the the Avid AVS70MHM for deep divers 15' or deeper, and the Avid AVS70MM for anything diving 12' or shallower, they don't work at all for top water, for that I like a 6' to 7' medium with Fast action.

The whole point would be to get the LEGEND Elite, a real GRIP and REAL SEAT, which includes the FOREGRIP! I would not have a Legend Extreme, I hate the no reel seat just a front and rear real hanger and no front cork, with half the rear cork! I have spoken to Croix and my prices are confirmed. But for $65.00 you really can't tell there is anything different in the rod from the original rod. It is just made without the whole cork.

6# Fireline Braid!! I bought some of this new braid and am done with Power Pro, I put 10# on 1000 Stradic and a St Croix MXF and it is superb. The Fireline Braid is much smoother, rounder, and limper, with a smaller diameter than the regular Fireline.

$75.00 Gold Star + $90.00 difference $165.00, and I forgot the $10.00 to ship it to them, they cover the return shipping, That is included in the Gold Star warranty, broken rods accepted! So I would have $240.00, the price of a SCIV rod in a brand new SCV legend Elite, and a complete handle and reel seat. But like I said, for a baitcast rod at $65.00 I may just have a complete reel seat and handle put on it for $50.00 from my rod builder??? Time will tell I'll use it a few times and decide, but like I said really don't need another casting rod, so I will probably do the Gold Star warranty + Upgrade.

I have said before I would never buy a rod with half a cork grip, I am old school, I just can't come to the idea of no full reel seat, or full cork front and rear. Then it happened. I always said no one could run fast enough to give me a rod built like that! Well age caught up with me again, I just can't run like I used to I guess. I had chance to buy a 2008 model Legend Tournament, a LTB68MXF, which did come with the full reel seat, but no front cork and 2 piece rear cork. I couldn't turn it down, the guy broke the tip off, and wanted $65.00, I talked myself into it thinking I can upgrade it to the Legend Elite for $165.00 so I fell down and bought it. That would be less investment than the price of the Legend Tournament new. Problem now is, I trimmed it down, cut the second eye off, and put a new tip on it, and now I have a 6' 5" LTB65MXF for $65.00 and I kinda like it. all but the grip. I have to say it is without a doubt the best rod I ever bought for $65.00. I used it this weekend and will have to say, I may just be satisfied with a $65.00 I hate it, than spend another $165.00 for the grip and 3" more rod??? At any rate, I see I continue to mellow with age, I need to be more cautious when I say I won't!!

you won't do better than that on a $40 setup!!! period, without taking a chance on going to jail.

I had a couple Premiers, and they were better than lightning rods, I bought one Avid and never bought another premier, I know have 4 Legend Elites and 7 Avids!! I would go with the Avid, it is a much better rod, and will hold it's resale value very good. Buy the a Premier, and before fall you will wish you had bought the Avid, GUARANTEED!

As others here have noted, if you only use one, no matter which one it is, you are handicapping yourself if using it for all tactics. A baitcast can't handle 1/4 oz to 1/32 ounce lures for one thing,so on the light fines end they are superior, but when throwing deep cranks or heavier jigs you will be much better off with Baitcasting tackle. My 2500 MgFB Stradic's and Sustains have a 15 Lbs. Max Drag. Most level winds of comparable size only have 10 to 12 Lbs. Max Drag. My 4000 Stradic and Sustain has a 20Lbs. Max Drag, compared to a 17.5 Lbs. drag on my Calcutta 400B's. So with most shimano spinning gear anyway, they have slightly more drag than equal size baitcast reels! and the better spinning reels will give the better baitcasters a run for their money in the smoothness dept, with the edge going to the baitcasters, but not by much! Like others have said you may not catch any more fish with one over the other, but they will usually agree you can be much more efficient regardless how you decide to fish if you learn to use both styles of reels, they both outperform the other at certain things!!

My my two favorite Smallmouth rods are similar to yours, one is a G. Loomis 6' light IMX with a 1000 MgFB Stradic, and my favorite is a 6'3" MXF Legend Elite with a 1000 Stradic FJ it and the Loomis double as finesse walleye rods in shallower water! The Ugly stick will work for that also, just wont have anywhere near the sensativity, and at times that is important for this kind of fishing. But with a slip bobber it could work with live bait for Walleye and Bass, but would work really well for Crappie and Bluegill or perch like in my Avitar.

You wont find a new for less than $200.00 for a 200E7 and that is an open bid still going, the cheapest used 200 E was $169.00 buy now, at auction end the 200's are selling for around $150.00 USED! If you find one for $120.00 it will be a real dog beat so bad you will swear it was drug to the boat on the asphalt. I made more for mine used in mint condition than I paid for them new!! Now is the time to dump em.

Speed is a decision for the individual, I have 6.4:1 and 7.1:1 If I only had one it would be the 6.4:1 a good all around speed for everything. As far as bearings there is no difference between th SS and the TS both have 9+1, the Team and Tournament Pro both have 10+1. I have all of them and can feel no difference between the 10 bearings or the reels with 11. But the TS and SS have the same bearing count.

Tournament has a 14LBS. Max Carbon drag, with a metal click adjustment star, the SS is 10LBS. Max with plastic non click star, The Tournament has a bowed aluminum handle that hugs the reel better, and the centrifugal brake is much more useable to control casting over runs than a magnetic brake. Ant the TS has a titanium coated line guide. The drag and brake system alone is worth 40 or 50 bucks to me. either one is a great real for the price the TP and the Tournament are the best bangs for the buck, but whichever you get you will have a reel to rely on for years!

hope they continue to make the B. Alot of great updates on the D, but I love my 400B's for Muskie.

for about 30 bucks more you get the TS1SH, which has a dual cast control, and a larger better drag. The SS has magnetic cast control only and is no where as effective as Centrifugal cast control which the TS has along with magnetic. I would spend a little more and get the TS1SH it is a much better reel. Both are great but 30 or 40 bucks gets you all the bells and whistles of the TP minus one bearing which I cant tell the difference in the two!

X2 Truer words were never spoken. For all you playing the stock market, a hot tip, when they stop making real rods with a complete handle, you better start buying shares in companies that make rod building equipment!! Before long Cabelas and Bass Pro will be making fishing pants that have the crotch at knee level, made to wear the waist band around the top of the thigh!!

You will be happy, you will find out after you use it a while how a baitcast reel is supposed to perform, and it should last a lifetime with basic maintenance. If the tournament Pro wasn't so light, I would own nothing but the Tournament . I have all three TS, TP, and the Team, they all cast a mile with little effort. And they are all great reels, but the TP and Team have one difference, the Team has aluminum side plates, to me not worth the 70 or so bucks over the TP. Then the other two,TP and TS, have graphite, the TP is the lightest and I like it on my Plastics and finess rod. The TS, weight about 1 oz more and has 1 less bearing, but is as smooth as the top two, with the same drag, and capacity, and the same size, all great reels, and why I switched from Shimano to LEWS! They actually seem to get smoother the longer you use them!! ENJOY!

I agree if you are going to make an educated decision, you need to handle them all, but you can't buy a bad Shimano, unless you buy one of the new curados. I would compare them all but you might not want to check out the Lew's line especially the Tournament or Tournament Pro, you may have trouble buying the Shimano if you do!

Avid and Legend Elite, will be my only rods for me from them, My rods will wear full cork! I thought making a rod with half a handle was hideous, those are absolutely HIDEOUSER!! I would be fishing Premiers before they could talk me into one of those.

COOL!! those LE's are fabulous, BUT you knew that!! and backed to the bone by Croix! Enjoy, you make me wanna buy another, I been thinkin about adding the LES68MXF, I just gotta catch HER of guard!! if you know what I mean.

Talk about loaded questions?? I will start by saying if one rod length is all you need or like I need fishing lessons or you are really missing something. I use 5' to 6' for ultra lights for gills and crappie with preference to the 5'. for large and small mouth and walleye in shallow water, reefs, and sunken Islands I would be lost without my Legend Elite 6'3 medium, or 6' IMX light. For open water and deep water bass walleye Cats and bigger fish 6'6" to 7' in various weights and actions depending on plastic jig crank or whatever lure I am using, I don't use my medium 7' fast action for cranks, and I don't use my 7' medium moderate action for plastics or finesse, I love my 6'10" MHF action in cramped areas or my 7'6 HF action in more open areas for flippin pitchin jigs and plastics in heavy weeds nad brush or timber. For Pike and Muskie 6'10 to" 8'6" in even heavier and faster actions. I need all these rods reels and line weights and lures depending on what where and how I'm fishing, and Jeannine knows it! For sure if you are doing a lot of shore fishing where casting areas can be limited, shorten up, 6' most times and 6'6" can be hard to use in some spots. And as I said the shorter rods work fine as you are likely fishing shallower water and need to make shorter more accurate cast. To cover it all just keep buyin em and building your arsenal!!

condition, smoothness and when you consider smoothness you should add some pressure to the top lip of the spool with your thumb on the hand you hold the reel with, as you turn the handle, on the Curados I had before buying my Lews, they actually got smoother as I added a little pressure to the spool. You should also take the side cover off and make certain the Centrifugal drag is operational and inspect the inside for corrosion, I would not personally worry about taking it apart further as I know how reliable the gearing on the Curado E7 reel is, and even if the drag needs new washers it is pretty much indestructible on this size reel, I would lighten and loosen but if it is a little touchy or soft, it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. If it is I may mention I need to service it and try to get a discount. BUT!! I take it this reel is in Tenn. and wouldn't think it has seen anything but freshwater, and would think you are getting one heck of a buy on a very good reel, so don't break the deal over a $15.00 in drag performance parts. Chances are if it is in good cosmetic condition it has been taken care of!! Good luck on one great buy!!

A 2 month old failure isn't much of a test. You would get that kind of response from most, in fact Wall Mart will give you a new rod if yours breaks in 2 months, they did for my son. The thing is, and I have dealt with Shimano for decades, they will bend over backwards and maybe not better than all manufacturers, but will take care of you as good as any other manufacturer in the industry, and better than most. They give me parts all the time for reels that are 2 or 3 models old. I simply tell them what is wrong or failed, and what I need, and they ask if I need to send it in or if I am going to fix it. I always take care of my own reels, and they get my address and let me know its on its way, and ask if there is anything else. I have had them do that with line roller bearings and shims, I have had friends that use other makers, I will refrain from mentioning here to save loyal backers from futile attempt in backing them, and they have to buy them as they are a typical wear item??? on reels over one year old! This will be the one area Lews will someday be tested at, as that is the only manufacturer I have went to for my reel needs as their Speed Spool line of Low Profile Baitcast Reels are Superior in my book, hopefully there customer service will be in years to come, and it appears it will be many years before we have a chance to test it. Until then I know who I will judge them by!! Shimano continues to give top customer service!! and that will be their comparison!!

I would not get the tournament MG, as it has Magnetic only cast control, the Tournament, Tournament Pro, and team, all use both Magnetic and Centrifugal cast control. The Tournament Pro I believe is the best bang for the buck, street price around $150.00. All are excellent, I just love them!!