JGBassinAL

The wait is over...

I would just buy the Stradic Ci4+ and save the extra money. There is nothing you need a spinning reel to do that a Stradic Ci4+ can't do.

Do you ever go to Perkin's Tackle in Florence? That's my top place. I love to support local tackle shops. Perkin's has literally anything you could want for the most part, and if they don't have it they will order it for you and get it to you in just a few days. The Perkin's brothers are some of the nicest, most helpful people I know. If any of you guys are in this area make sure to stop by. Gray's is top notch too and Danny and the crew are great guys. I've only been to a couple of local tackle shops in other cities but I don't see how any could be better than the ones where I live. I'm just lucky I guess...or my wallet is unlucky.

Japan Lure Shop, Japan Tackle, JP Angler, Platt. All are reliable, my favorite is JLS.

I haven't fished that rod in particular but I have fished a 3 power Dobyns Champion and I think it will be perfect for what you are wanting to do.

The War Eagle Mike McClelland Finnesse Spinnerbait is awesome. Has the longer skirt in the middle to act as a trailer and pulls through cover great.

I have a build on a Rainshadow Immortal 7'2" ML that I use for drop shot and I love it. Perfect drop shot rod IMO.

IRod Genesis II Fred's Magic Stick would be a good option if you wanted one stick to do everything. I believe it's $150 on TW. Their might be a similar model I. The Fiber series I'm not sure.

Here's my PB. 10 lbs. 1 oz. Caught on December 20th, 2014 on Pickwick Lake.

That picture was taken farther away from the fish than the pictures most people take. You don't know that his fish is not 8 lbs. What was your agenda in posting this?

Shelton's Clothing and Outdoors has the Powell Endurance 674 for $100. If you decide to go the Powell route then I would call them and buy one. It is a great stick and would serve you well for what you are wanting.

I pre-ordered and paid for mine about a month ago so hoping I'm one of the first to get one. I'll post a thread about my thoughts when I receive them.

I bought one when I first started fishing for $39.99 I believe. It was a pretty good reel for the money. Caught a lot of fish with it and used it for about a year. Held up that long, can't speak for longevity past a year tho. Edit: I didn't quit using it because it had problems, I quit using it cause I upgraded. Never experienced any problems with it. Also, I only used it in college where I had one pond to fish in. There was no cover in that pond and the average size bass was 1.5-2 lbs. So, I didn't catch any really big fish with it or have to pull any out of cover.

I have used a couple but not that model. They are great rods for the money. Fred's Magic Stick is supposed to be a "do all" stick and I think it would do a great job for what you want. My punching rod is only rated up to 1 1/2 oz and I've never had a problem.

Shelton's Clothing and Outdoors has a lot of Powell Max and Max 3Ds for $100. They even have a couple Endurance for the same price, one of them being the 674. Might want to get one of those, it's a great rod.

I just do it by feel except for frogs, punching, or pitching in laydowns then I tighten it all the way down. Honestly, the only time I need my drag is if the fish is away from the boat. When the fish is by the boat I press down the clutch and thumb the spool and control the drag myself. Then you don't have to worry about your drag failing.

Just checked them out. The "Champion XP" looks a little off to me. I think it's the font.

I recently bought a Met HG DC off of Ebay. It has a good bit of scratches on it but I also got it for under $200. I have used it once and I'm already addicted to the whine. I'm about to order an Exsence DC from Digitaka. I hope this doesn't become a habit...

Most of my reels are spooled with Shooter and Sniper but I do have one with Super Fluoro on it. In all honesty I feel it is a very good line. I have never had a problem with it at all. I have 20 lb. spooled up for hollow bodied swimbaits and it has performed flawlessly. The only downside I have found with it is that the line needs to be changed more often than Shooter or Sniper, and it's not as sensitive which should be expected. The first time I spooled 20 lb. on it lasted about 2 months of hard use but I never had any problems with break-offs or knots. I know a lot of people swear by Red Label for the best cheapest fluoro but from my experience Sunline Super Fluoro is a much better line.

I really enjoy my Core 50MG7 for jerkbaits. Casts great and is nice and compact.

Must have been a mistake on their part. I got mine ordered at $147, hopefully they honor it.

Same here. Didn't need it but for $147 I'll take another!

I got one thru a Shimano rep and it was $175 so yeah I think you would be getting a good deal. What you are seeing is the cheapest I have ever seen on eBay.

This is the truth. For some reason about 4 months ago JLS got some stock of the Scorpion 1500XT for $120. I was gonna get back on the next day and buy a couple and they were sold out.

If you are a Daiwa fan, Platt has a few of the T3 variances on sale for super cheap right now. They have an e-mail newsletter, that's how I was made aware.