Angry John

So i just had a rod built on a 7'4" avid blank in HF and i think that if your into jigs and frogs and plan to throw small swimbaits, the 74h might be the right choice. I fish jigs and light punching on my LE70mhf all the time. If i had no other high end rods i would choose my LE70mhf every time. That is the rod that just does it for me when jig fishing. The blank is the same on the LE as it is on the extreme but it has a full cork handle. The 76mhmf is basicaly a flipping stick which has tons of power but is designed to stay loaded when pulling up against the mat. I think your best bet would be the LE70mhf but it will not be longer. ST croix does not do a lot of random sizes like what has become so popular.

I don't fish strait braid for cranks but use a leader. I also use 10lb P-line 100% for cranks and jerkbaits early in the season when the water is very clear, before the spring storms. After the storms start up I switch to 10lb YHB for most of my cranks.

A dream real is very subjective. I dream of owning a Megabass LIN metor. That orange reel looks soooooooo nice. I don't have the funds to get one even used.

Because race car and merica

This is true but after my braid starts to get use and shows indication of fray i take it off and turn it around. I try to tie knots that dont waste a lot and i dont brake off hardly ever so i only loose line as i retie. I fish a lot and try to maximize the life of my lines. Flouro lasts forever as it is not effected by the sun like mono, but after a while it starts to coil badly and starts handling badly. I buy good line so its may go two seasons before i swap it out. Mono/copoly- i dont fish this a bunch but my lures cost way to much to risk sun damaged line so i go a month or two and off with the old and on with the new.

Why do people say they want something other than shimano and then say they want a shimano. Just say thats what you want, and not go in circles.

I have a friend that is an avid bow hunter. He carries a 10mm for deference from large game including bears. This is not a target gun as it is way expensive to shoot. I feel that bear spray is a better option along with knowing the signals they give you threw body language. A gun will not fix a bad situation that can most of the time be avoided. Hunting is entirely different. Range to target plays a huge roll and will change my recommendation from a 7mm mag for long range to a 45/70 for 150 yards or less. There is no such thing as overkill when dealing with dangerous animals...

Budget is everything and are you looking new or used. For very light baits first choice would be a used pixzilla which can be found in great shape around 200. For that price you can also pick up a alphas sv. If you have big money then the z-pride would be one of the best but costs considerably more.

I use 20 because thats what i had at the time and have never used anything lighter than 20. My next go around i will try 10 or 15 but i see no loss in the 20.. . I can say that it has worked out well because i fish small 4" swimbait with an owner weighted hook on the same rod and it works out well. If you multi purpose a rod, the lighter lines might not be the best idea.

I fish a steez on a st croix le or an alphas ito and a steez flex lite out of a kayak, do what you love and know what means the most to you..

there is always smart money and i would take the blow out sv 103 for that money and have a better reel that the tat and be way less than the sv. But wait there's more. I own two steez reels and for the buying more reels i will pick a zillion every time now. They are smooth heavy duty and just great all around. Are you stuck on that t wing because i sure am not. '

My favorite time to fish topwater is fall. I like to work active baits so the sammy and the duo pencil work best during that season. Second best is frog fishing. I love the huge action you can get and it seems that you never know what size its going to be. I have had a 5 inch bass hit the same topwater that two casts later i catch a five pounder on. A short list to pick up would be a spro frog in brown or green pumpkin, a spook, and a popper. Dont get all hung up on color as the bass mostly sees the bottom and most baits are the same color on the bottom. If you have the cash the duo pencil walks the easiest and is a wonderful bait with detail on the megabass level for almost half the price. I love the gill patterns.

Reels that may be of interest. Best all around cheap reel is a daiwa advantage HTSL. it is a workhorse of a reel and you can find them cheap on the used market. they are easy to service and hold up for a long time. I use two still and I own steez and other high end reels. The second one I would look for in your budget is a used original fuego. This reel is very lite and handles beautifully.

I got the helix 7. I would not like a bigger one, but I think its just right. Larger units use more power so if you plan on using a TM then total power will effect your battery size and that can get heavy fast...

the 103 is amazing just confused why you would pay even close to msrp when you can find the reel for 219 right now?

What I would do is get a magic eraser and clean the handle up. If it still needs to be replaced then the win grips might be the best option. If it looks like a little wood filler will take up the small holes and then some u40 cork seal.

I jumped in as an opportunity to learn. I am an ok fishermen but I know there is a lot more stuff out there to pick up from those that are a lot better than I am. I never plan to be a champion and win a bunch of money, but if I can learn a bunch to increase my fun while keeping costs down and meet a bunch of like minded guys doing what I love than why not. Your end result and what your looking for has a lot to do with how much fun it will be for you. I am in my first season of tourneys, in an area I just moved to, and had very little time fishing the area. I know I am no way competitive in this group, but I will always have a good time and not worry if I don't win.

Ended up picking up a 300 yard spool of the original power pro in 50 lb test. I hope this stuff works as well as I had hoped.

If you use 65lb braid it does not matter. Most people who fish like you are referring to punching and frogging where you have enough hook to jack them right out of cover and ski them back to the boat

Me to. The system of line and rod work together for give. I use fast rods with yhb. If you use braid you may want a medium fast rod for more give.

I have a lot of 6.3 reels including 2 steez one original and one ex. I don't ever need more speed but those that fish tournaments want that extra speed for more casts. I don't use mine for topwater and sometimes you need a little speed. The 6.3 is a good all around speed and I think the 7.1 zillions I have are great for frogs. If I was trying to fish as many different baits as you listed I would go 6.3.

Or you could do something completely off the wall and crazy and have a conversation make plans and work threw things together. Now i want my hundred bucks for your first three marriage counseling sessions.

avid x

Look seriously at funds that are not managed. Nothing over time does better than the market average after fees. Put that 1k in a s&p Index fund and just toss in what you can. The market is high now so at some point we will have a correction normally about 5-10 percent. I have been out for a while waiting for the correction that never seems to come. Find a point you feel comfortable jumping in and never look back. If you see it go down and sell all you have done is lock in your loss.

I would recommend a daiwa zillion coastal. Besides it looks sssssoooooooo nice with the blue instead of every other reel that is black and red.