kickerfish1

Well yes, but this is apparently a Lews vs Shimano thread...

If I was putting together 10 outfits on a budget of $200 or less for NEW reels I would give Lews most of my business. If I was looking at reels for $150-400 it would be almost all exclusively Shimano. If Daiwa was an option for this thread they would be a heavy player for me as well.

Would be nice hear from the OP after Goose52 posted the image. Were the specs there?

Good looking team rod for the VT fan!

This, and the others aren't close.

Ditto on what KSchultz said! For bass fishing with medium to finesse sized baits you would never need the capacity of the 3000 sized reels. I only use the 1000 and 2500 for bass fishing and have never needed more. From 6-10# line they handle them fine. Only way I would ever consider the 3000 is if I were targetting fish capable of making long runs or felt the need for heavier line. The 2500 series reel has even handled runs from 20# grass carp on 8# line.

I will echo bluebassers comments. I just like a paddle tail trailer on them like the 3.8 fat impact or a similar bait. I also use 3.5 to 4 inch single tail grubs as well. Go to baits in the spring and fall for me.

Out of those I would buy an Avid.

Sadly that is an average spending spree for some guys around Black Friday. I have seen guys spend $4-5K on gear around that time.

That is one of the best Zillions made and highly sought after. Nice pickup, and great choice on the rod too!

Don't understand why folks ask questions about only having one thing over the other or others. Two totally different baits and actions. Ribbontails are great on texas rigs and where grass and weeds are present. Also they excel when fish are more aggresive. Straight tails are better on shakeyhead and Dropshots. When fish are neutral or non aggressive mood these can help get some bites. Which would I pick. Both as I see no reason to limit yourself.

You will be fine with either. My spinning rods range from 6' to 7'2. Most around 6'9 to 7'2. If I had to pick just one it would be a 7 footer. With that said if I really liked a brand or specific rod I wouldn't let length sway mu decision.

Thanks for the replies. Good luck with your customs!

Thanks! The orange color is more or a bright "candy" orange versus the lighter orange found on the Sol. The paint is holding up surprisingly well though the reel is covered when it is not being fished. Looking to add a SV spool to it as well to further the performance as I am just not a big fan of Mag V for general casting use. I wouldn't dare paint a reel myself especially if the reel is nice or valuable. Would consider possibly taking a beater reel and trying it if I had the scoop on paint, the painting process, and supplies. There are a few other members here that have painted reels in their arsenal though I am not sure if they did the paint work.

Sorry, I should probably re-phrase that... Referring to the Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth series rods that feature the olive/greenish colored blanks and not the new brownish colored blanks.

Bob, I too have several of the Gen 1 Cumara Spinning rods. Great rods that look good, are light, well balanced, have great feel, and are build well. I have the 7'2 ML Fast action spinning rod. This rod is good for lighter drop shot rigs IMO lacks power for dropshotting with weights more than 1/4 oz. Now on the other hand I also use and great prefer the 7'2 Medium XF drop shot rod. This is the rod that was specifically designed to drop shot. It is perfect for anything you would want to do with a drop shot. It has tremendous power in but section of the blank. The tip section is light and really allows you to work the bait. Drewski, They also make a 6'8 version of this rod, however both lengths are very tough to find. They generally sell for $140 - $180 but are getting harder to come by. If you find one I suspect you will like it and would be well worth your $. Pairs well with a Stradic CI4 or FJ.

Thanks for the great reply! Sounds like a winner though I don't have much experience with the St. Croix rod lines. How would you compare it to the Gen 1 Fenwick Elite techs? Similar but more crisp? The key will be how much you like it once the honeymoon phase is over!

Current sponsors Have over 100 packages of Rage plastics Have sent reels to DVT for service work Have several Megastrike scent and baits Bought well over 200 jigs and other items for Siebert Previous sponsors Handles and anodized parts from Hawgtech Hundreds of jigs from Northstar

What did you think of the performance of the rod and feel compared for what you paid vs similarly priced rods you have used in the past?

Bought this custom Alphas painted by PIZZ customs. Painting a reel could easily cost you $75-100 from a reputable place. This was painted orange and black to match a Champion Extreme.

Try adjusting your tension knob a bit more and upping your magnetic break. If this doesn't work I dont know what to tell ya. Could be a problem with the reel or user error. Just keep practicing and experimenting with the settings. I would tell you what mine is set at but it was sold 2 years ago.

Don't forget on the PQ reels there are 3 places to adjust the breaking force. First is on the circular tension knob. Second is with the magnetic dial in the side plate with the numbers on it. Last is internally using the centrifugal break pins. I suspect you need to open your reel up and adjust the pins on the centrifugal break system. You have to press down on the BPS logo and sort of twist it to access it.

This is the best spelling I have seen the Bait Monkey use! Is the swimsuit hook a one piece or two piece? (Haha!)

Drop shot Jig Caffeine shad

Smaller in diameter compared to lead Denser so they transmit vibration better leading to more feel Only negative is cost