Cgrinder

Correct, there is no standard. A Legalis 2000 is a little lower capacity-wise than a President 6930, 8lb/110yd vs. 8lb/130yd. For reference, a Shimano 2500 is 8lb/140yd, putting it between a Daiwa 2000 and 2500 and slightly above a President 30 in capacity.

BPS should definitely have them on display. It's where my girlfriend got hers. I usually hate spinning reels but I dig whatever Daiwa has done with their spools.

So I don't know a heck of a lot about Dobyns rods, but I have a Savvy 703 and I like it. I like it so much that I would like to upgrade it to a Champ or Champ Extreme 3-power. I'd like opinions on the differences between the Champ 683, Champ Extreme 683, Champ 703, Champ Extreme 703, and Champ 733. Champ Extreme 743 is out because of small Toyota; 733 might be pushing it as is. Primary techniques would be Senkos, 1/4 jig + trailer, small Texas rigs, and open water swim jigging. Secondary techniques would be the occasional 3/8 oz spinnerbait, jerkbait, soft plastic swimbait, and topwater. The rod will most likely be paired with a Chronarch 51E. I'm really leaning toward the Champ Extreme 683 because 1. full handle and 2. small car, but I appreciate all the input I can get. Dobyns is currently the only brand I am considering for this rod upgrade. Thanks! Bonus question 1: Anyone have a Champ Extreme 701C? How do you like it? I'm still dreaming about casting 3/16 oz Shap Raps. Bonus question 2: I'm looking at a Champ 682SF to learn to drop shot and shakeyhead with. Any circumstances where you'd go to a 3 power rod? Okay, that should do it for now. Thanks again!

If you can get your hands on one to try, the Daiwa Legalis spinning reel is a heck of a reel for $60. Valley Sports might have them. I'd look at the 2000 size, though the 2500 is also an option. I have a President and a Sedona and my girlfriend's Legalis seems to be a step up performance-wise at the same price point. The line lay and management on the Legalis is also very good for a $60 reel. If you're looking to branch out brand-wise, Daiwa is a good choice. If you want to stay Pflueger, the 30 size is pretty good for bass fishing. I have the 25 and as others have said, it's on the small side. Nice trout reel though.

Pro tip: when dating a young lady of ample size, do not let her hear you refer to her as "my better three-quarters". Don't ask me how I know this.

It's hard to go wrong in the $60-$100 range. If you can catch a sale or bump the budget to $120, the Daiwa Lexa is a heck of a reel for the money.

Cumara A's are nice rods for just about anything. That 6'8" MXF is marketed as a light jig rod and it should handle 3/8 oz chatterbaits very well. It may be under powered for a 1/2 oz chatter. What does the seller want price wise? The 6'8" ones can be had for less than the 7'2"s.

I'm using a 6'8" MF Cumara A with a 51E on it for weightless. It'll throw a weightless Zoom finesse worm without too much trouble. The rod is rated for 1/8-1/4 oz but it handles 5" Senkos very well. TW has rep samples for a good price right now if you really like maroon rods with funky grips. That said, a spinning rod is your best bet for most weightless plastics. The ability to effectively cast lighter lures with a baitcasting setup comes at a price.

Argue for a four day school week. One more day for fishin'. I'm assuming this is for a high school class.

Check under the spool for a washer. If there's more than one, remove one washer and try spooling again.

Rapala Shallow Shad Rap 07 in Silver/Black. If you can find them in that Gold/Black metallic color that's been discontinued for a while, even better. Mepps Black Fury #5 in Yellow. Orange also works. Lucky Craft Sammy 105 in Crack Blue. That Chartreuse belly drives 'em wild!

Dardevle 5 of Diamonds or Red/White depending on water clarity.

If the smoke had a fifth ACS setting, I would be loving it. My only gripe with the smoke 100 is that I can't go under 3/8 oz with it. It's either the third setting with too much brake or the second setting with backlash city. It's possible that I am spoiled by VBS and magforce but I just can't make it work. Nice light and smooth reel otherwise.

Lefty Sol with a couple modifications. Probably paid too much for it.

I throw frogs on a MH *** Black. If you're in serious grass I'd suggest the heavy but the MH is plenty rod for 1/2 oz froggin and topwater duty. 65 lb braid seems like overkill but it'll do.

Pay attention!

Throw some braid on it and make it a frog rod.

I'd put a little more money into the rod. Shimano rods are very good but at the lower price points you are paying a lot for the name/warranty. There are plenty of good rods around $100. Other posters have suggested the BPS pro q/carbonlite combo for $160 and I think it's a good way to go. It's also a good idea to contact Valley Sports via e-mail and or shop around for sales. No need to pay retail!

I am intrigued by the 6'9" MH Kistler with a bottom lure rating of 1/8 oz. If you're going to get a Denali, I'd look at the Kovert. I think Valley Sports has them.

Return it.

I would say jerkbaits, swimming jigs, and if you switched the line to mono or braid, topwater. You can do a lot with a 6'6" MH rod.

May I ask which exact rod you had the Tatula on? There could be a balance issue with the setup, which might make the reel feel unnecessarily heavy. I made some assumptions about the rod used and they may be unfair. The 300E probably feels awesome because it's well-balanced with the 7'8" glass rod. It's also perfectly acceptable to just plain not like certain reels.

Jesus, and I thought the 17 lb. cat I hooked yesterday was big! Off topic: Excited for weather in the low 30's for the next 3-4 days?

I am not surprised that a 7'8" glass rod with a high-capacity reel threw a crankbait a lot further than a shorter graphite rod threw a spinnerbait. I feel like you are comparing very different fruit here.

How's the swept handle on that Sol?