kickerfish1

I never dip beneath 8 lb line for bass fishing. Having said that for quality finesse lines I like seagar invisix or sunline sniper for spinning reels. When I do dip beneath 8lb line it is for panfish or walleye which is less than 5% of my fishing. I just use Trilene XL or sensation in 4 or 6 pound. Just can't justify spending more on seldom used reels.

Great post WRB!

For the price the bps rods are highly thought of. Many will say at the price point they can't be touched. However from a few guys I know that use the cummara cranking rods they are very good. If you find one on special or if you do alot of deep cranks the cummara would be worth the additional $. If this is something you do sparingly or seasonally I would get the bps cranking rod and not shell out the extra money.

Absolutely gorgeous! That my friend is a superb finesse casting setup!

I have been fishing the 714 rod since June. My impressions of the rod are very good with only a few minor complaints. First the rod is very light for it's legnth and power. I think the rod I have weighs around 3.5 ounces. Slap a sub 6 ounce reel on it and you have a combo under 10 ounces. The finish and appearance of the rod is very good. The blank is a 36 ton graphite and is very sensitive. Having spoke to the good folks at phenix rods they compared the sensitivity of the rod as between the Loomis IMX and GLX. Having said that my hook keeper in the back of the rod broke within two months. It was not a big deal... just filed it down and put a Fuji keeper on it. From what I understand the M1 rods started shipping to retailers earlier this week so look for them in a few weeks or less would be my guess. I have fished alot of rods around that full retail price point and none I like better than the recon.

Stellar post!

I had issues with micro guide rods when the trees around here had cotton blooms and the cotton collecting on the line and having issues with it passing through the guides. While they were awesome when the lakes were cotton free they still weren't worth the hassell. My micro guide rods have been sold since. Some love them others hate them. If I had the choice I would prefer standard good quality guides or "semi-micro" which are considered and in between guide.

Good to hear positive feedback as most of the time folks are only complaining!

The gears feel grindy. It almost seems like when the handle is rotated and reaches a certain point in the gears that something catches slightly. You can feel them as you retrieve the handle even at slow retrieve speeds. I am guessing it is a quality control thing among these reels but the general consensus seems to be that the lower speed reels don't have this problem to the extent that the high speed models do. I am going to have the reel serviced this off season and will have more to say about it then.

Have had the 7:0.1 since it came out. Everything about the reel is great minus the gears. It is going in for a clean and lube shortly. Also may inquire about possible replacement gears in high speed ratio. If they fixed the gears on these reels they would be a great buy especially since they go on sale quite often. For $90.00 new I don't have many gripes about the reel at this price point.

I agree that smoothness can diminish over time. The point of my post was for the OP to make his own decision without feeling like he has to get what a few "strong voices" suggest. I am partial to shimano and Daiwa, but have fished many other brands and can relate to the decision making process. Basically for $100-$150 you can gets a great reel today with very minor differences among manufacturers. If he could put the reels he is considering on the intended rod he plans to use it with he can gauge for how it feels and palms and what feels more comfortable. RW... I very much see where you are coming from but by reading the responses on this board lately, you would think that your only options are an Abu or Shimano. There alot of guys out there using BPS, Daiwa, Lews, Okuma, etc... that are very happy with the product.

Once you start talking about quality reels (lets say $100 or more form reference) you really can't go wrong with many of today's reels. The differences lie in personal preference and intended techniques used. Does one reel out last the other? Does one cast further than the other? These are questions that are difficult to measure. Is one reel lighter than the other? Does one feel more comfortable than the other? Is the retrieve any smoother? These are things that can be measured but also boil down to individual angler preference. If you have access to a tackle shop where the reels can be compared side by side, I would highly suggest this. Figure out which reel YOU prefer and DONT be swayed but others opinions.

I have two 6 foot 9 inch rods I like for this technique. One is a medium and the other a medium light. Tips are fast and extra fast. Since most shakeyheads are in the 1/8-3/16 class I wouldn't go much heavier than a medium powered rod. Some guys have started fishing magnum shakey head setups. Talking 1/4-1/2 oz weights... for this medium heavy would be the best choice.

Long Mike and ratherbfishing that was a great laugh!

I mentioned in my post above to check out the Komodo. The only unproven thing about the reel is longevity but man after a full season of use I would say so far so good. They already come standard with Abec 5 bearings a carbon fiber handle and light weight and very palmable frame. If they had a better way of accessing the braking system I would like them even more. I think they have a 3 year warranty as well. Both the Komodo and Helios are great reels that are often overlooked but shouldn't be.

I would second a shimano either the curado or citica to keep the price under $150. Although it has been out for a short time and not many people have tried them I would also recommend looking at Okuma Komodo. Retail is $200 but I paid $147 shipped for a brand new one. The only small complaint is that accessing the braking system is kind of a pain but other than that I am really impressed by the look, feel, and performance of the reel.

With respect to the $400 and above rods as already mentioned above I don't see it either other than for the reason to say you have one and it matches "x" reel. More of an enthusiast type of thing here... If you are questioning why someone would pay over $80 or $100 for a rod that can fish frogs one of the reasons is that some anglers prefer to fish rods made by one or several manufacturers. For instance the die hard Loomis guys would seek out a "frog rod" from only the Loomis offerings even if it runs $250+... simply due to the fact they want to keep their tackle uniform. Personally I really like the dobyns series of rods as a whole and have a few from each tier of rods. The savy 735 has all the ingredients I look for in a frog rod, it has the same feel in hand (not sensitivity) as the other dobyns, and meets an important criteria for me in a rod which is a lifetime warranty!

Enjoy your new reel! Let us know your thoughts after you log some time on the water with it. As far as shimano reels go for me casting distance lies in how well you can thumb the reel while keeping the engaged centrifugal brakes low. I get good distance with 2 brakes engaged but when I go down to just one the lure I am tossing just flies of the reel with a guided thumb with a noticeable casting distance over 2 brakes. My supertuned shimanos are a different story as I can usually just engage 2-3 brakes depending on the bait before it becomes too uncontrollable. My only small beef with shiamno is the slight backplay in the handles but overall I haven't used a quality reel of theres (citica and above) that I didn't like!

A dobyns 735 savy does the trick! They can be had for under $150 during the sales.

You are going to have get one and mount it on a scorpion! That would look sick!

Koppers, spro, and jackall are the best I have used. There are some videos on YouTube about using these kind of baits. Braided line, 7 foot plus rods, and medium heavy to heavy action rods with higher speed reel are keys. It is a very fun way to fish that can yield some very good sized fish!

Tungsten weights are more sensitive than lead. The deeper the water and the more windy the conditions are the more they shine. I have been using them for two seasons now and would never go back to lead.

A few things to keep in mind based upon what you shared... 1. Fishing tournaments will require different techniques throughout the year. While one all purpose outfit will handle most things it may not be able to convert them from bites to landed fish. With that said you can probably get by with 3 outfits for majority of your fishing needs. I would suggested a mh casting setup to be used for all bottom contact baits. Next would be a moderate action casting outfit for spinnerbaits, cranks, jerks, traps, and topwater but use mono on this setup. Last you may opt for a spinning outfit for weightless baits, shakeyheads, dropshots, etc... 2. You mention your magnetic brakes on your Abu had to be fixed. Despite the Lews sponsorship all of their reels utilize magnetic brakes and some use both magnetic and centrifugal brakes. Too avoid magnetic shimano may be worth a look as they don't wear out as fast IMO. 3. Best advice is to build an arsenal of outfits that will allow to fish the lakes in your tournament schedule in a way that will let you compete with the others in the club. You may need to adjust the outfits I suggested to fit your style and needs but if possible buy the best your budget will allow. You may also want to buy used gear that is in good condition as it may allow you to get gear that is a notch or two above what you would have bought new.

Sunline sniper or invisix for manageable and easy casting floro lines. I would say 8lb would cover most applications. For something cheaper it is hard to beat Trilene XL.

Get a fenwick elite tech smallmouth rod and pflueger supreme XT and call it good. Very light weight and can be had together for under $250.