Arv

Mh would be the lightest I would go.

Lc rick clunn 2.5 sk 1.5 and 2.5 sk red eye

Watermelon red flake or green pumpkin black flake

Id pick the pq as well. I learned on dual brakes and am really glad I did. To me, soley mag brakes can be tough to dial in. Only cent brakes would be my choice between the 2, but if i can have both on the reel, especially for 100 or less, ill take both. Not only is the pq a great reel to learn on, it will be something that will last, or at the very least, have resale value, as opposed to some of the other lower priced reels.

First off, I will say that just because an action is rated X by a rod company, does not mean that it is actually X when compared to other companies. My Powell Endurance 695cb was rated extra fast, and I assure you, it is not an extra fast. Next, I haven't fished the Ballistic, only held it. At face value it seems like it would be suitable for cranking. The only thing I would say is that I would not want a 7'7 or 7'11 rod for shallow squarebills. To me, those lengths are more for deep divers since you need more casting distance in order to get the cranks down to proper depth. For a shallow to med. depth rod, I'd be looking for something around 7. That's my personal preference though. I can't say for any of the other rods, but the Fenwick, Diesel and BPS rods all get good reviews for their respective price ranges. Hopefully someone else will chime in on differences between the rods you mentioned.

10-30# braid. I like power pro and suffix 832. Imo there aren't any major drawbacks. You have the option of tying on a leader, which I like, but not everyone does.

Also in on the tp. Great reel for the money, especially if you shop around. They can be had for less than what you would pay for a new bb1 if you search.

Definitely. Its not a good search bait, but if you know where they are, or at least have a good idea, its worth throwing at them if nothing else is working.

I use 30 - 50# braid, but I use braid for for pretty much everything.

Powell TW Max Squarebill rod. If its anything like my Endurance 695cb its great for squarebills, lipless cranks and topwaters. Its on sale right now at TW.

Depends on what you will be fishing. As mentioned, a fast tip will be more versatile. But if you're only fishing cranks, maybe a moderate action would be better. IMO, a 6'10 MH/F rod will be a very versatile rod.

I use the smallie rodents from strike king. Small size and not a ton of movement. It's worked well before for me.

Should be fine.

I "wind up" more. Its not as much of a quick whip like most other lures I throw. I don't know if that makes any sense...

What dvt said

Probably depends in the reel and technique youre using. Check the specs on the reel.

Sunline Sniper

I don't see a budget, but from my experience, I would recommend a Powell Max 683CEF. I feel comfortable throwing pretty much everything on this rod aside from small squarebills and mid-deep diving cranks. Really, I would recommend an different rod for treble hook presentations, but if I had to pick a rod to throw squarebills and lipless cranks, it would the 683.

My favorite based on affordability for my wallet - Powell, Max and Endurance. If I had a bigger wallet, it would be Dobyns Champion (and I'm assuming the Extreme, though I've never used one).

Awesome report. Awesome dedication. Thanks for the update.

Lick the soda off your reels and they will be fine. Just kidding. I'd get them cleaned. Welcome to the forum.

I like a fast or extra fast action when fishing bottom contact lures, especially soft plastics. The fast action will make for better hook sets.

Favorite set ups right now are probably my Daiwa Fuego spinning rod (6'10 M/XF)/Daiwa Tierra 2500 set up or my Powell Endurance 723CEF/Lews TP (7:1) set up. Between the two I can cover basically everything I fish. My next set up will probably be a swimbait rig.

This is also what I have heard.

I'd check out the Lews Tournament Pro, Shimano Chronarch and Lews Revo STX. IMO, 200+ reels start to come down to personal preference.