Arv

I guess it depends on your definition of affordable. You could spend anywhere from 80 to 300 dollars. With that said, it seems that at any of the price range the reels are at least up to par. I have a Tournament SS and I like it a lot. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them.

I've been doing well on shakey head trick worms and weightless senko's, wacky and trigged. I've also had some luck slow rolling spinnerbaits, 1/4oz jigs and lipless cranks.

^yup

RT Rage Craw/Chunk, RI Kinky Beaver and Sweet Beaver, SK Rodent

Flipping, pitching, skipping all take practice. You're not going to be great at these casts right away most likely. Personally, I would also be wary of casting a 3/4oz jig around docks with 10# test line.

Slim to none. Unfortunately that's not something you can control. I bet they wouldn't be selling a product that is defective 50% of the time or something like that though.

I prefer straight fc or braid + fc leader. The braided line on this set up allows me to use the occasional frog/rage shad or throw into muck. I'm going for sensitivity when using bottom contact presentations. Losing jigs and worms is part of the game unfortunately, but I have the most confidence with fc line.

http://www.bassresource.com/mike-iaconelli-fishing/hair-jigs.html

I've never had any luck on the lipless Clackin Rap. I do like the square bills though.

Just got a 7'2 H/XF M1 for this application and I'll be using braid or braid + fc leader. I have yet to use it but everything I've heard is that this is a great rod for the price. Holding it initially, it feels awesome. I plan on using it for jigs, t-rigs and other bottom contact applications (3/8oz and up). I'll also throw out the St. Croix Avid and the Cashion casting rods. St. Croix has a larger following than Cashion, but again, everything I've read about these has been nothing but awesome for the price point. You can find a lot of reviews on all these rods too.

1 peice aluminum on a BC reel. I wouldn't spend my money on a graphite frame

Yeah, honestly I don't think its going to make THAT big of a difference. If a couple 100,000 dollars were on the line I might be more concerned but until that point, I'd just go with doesn't whack your friends in the back of the head.

Can't speak to the first point. If one of my rod breaks, I'm sending it back or getting a new one. But you nailed it on the second point. If you think of the reel seat like the center point of a circle and the rest of the rod to the tip as the radius, the longer the rod the more line moved. In your case you would not see a marked increase in line movement from your 7' to 7'6 rod due to the butt section.

LOL! What? Hahaha

x2, read that and then come back with anything you need cleared up. Its a good read.

LURES 1, Senko style worm 2, 1/2oz Flip n' Swim Jig 3, Rage Craw 4, Toss up between a trick worm for shakey heads and a spinnerbait for me, depends on time of year, cover, etc. Color will depend on water clarity, etc. RODS/REELS 1 spinning set up - 6'6 M/F rod with light fluorocarbon 1 casting set up - 7' MH/F rod with braid or fluorocarbon - depends on cover, water clarity, etc.

Nice fish!

In a way, leverage, yes. The way I've heard it explained (which makes sense to me) is you will essentially move more line on a hookset with a longer rod. If you think about two points A and B on the perimeter of a circle, lets say they span the length of 1/4 of the circle, the distance between the points will be greater on the perimeter of the larger circle. With a longer rod, you make a larger circle. This allows you to set the hook "better," in a way. The additional line movement will allow you to make up for any mistakes you make in driving the hook through. If you go to around 9 minutes Gary Dobyns does a pretty good job explaining this concept. With that said, guys still catch fish on 6'6 rods all the time... so, this doesn't make or break the rod IMO. I believe the Avid comes in a 6'6 H/F.

I think you could use both for both. The 7'11 could be more of a punch/flip rod. I've never used the Legend Extreme so I'm not positive but based on the info thats what would make sense to me.

I never did and got one my Veritas' replaced no questions. Just standard return forms.

It sounds like you're off to a good start. Personally, if you find a jig rod that you like, I would stick with it for a t-rig rod as well. Mine all double up. For moving baits like spinners and cranks, I don't think you need AS expensive a rod as you do for bottom contact. I use a Mojo Bass for my spinnerbaits and other similar applications and I like it a lot. Its their "spinnerbait" version so its got enough backbone to set the hook and soft enough tip to load up on the cast. Obviously, stepping up anything from there will perform just as good if not better. If you are taking advantage of the Rage Rod deal I think its a good idea to see how the rod performs. I have heard a few people that do actually really like theirs. Another thing you might think of doing is just buying all 4 rods, getting 2 Rage's and selling those. You could make a chunk of change back for nothing doing that. Back to your Jig/Worm rods though. Since you have already picked out one that is a MH power, I would recommend stepping it up to a H power on the other one. If you only have 3-4 rods, I don't see the point of having duplicates. This will allow you to either take on heavier cover, handle bigger weights, etc. I really do prefer 7'+ rods for worming and jigging, but that really comes down to personal preference IMO. If it will wind up being a hindrance, stick with the 6'6 range. That's my 2 cents. Hopefully its somewhat helpful. Best of luck!

Looks like you found your brands, haha. Nice.

I use it all year, especially when I need to slow down my presentation. I almost always have a weightless texas rig or wacky rig senko on at all times.

yup

Don't have to be a fan boy to know thats a great deal haha