FishTank

It would help to know which reels you are planning on using. I would add the 803s NRX, 844C GLX and the 783c GLX from Loomis and the 6'8'' Med Fast Legend Elite from St. Croix.

Sunline Defier.

Picked up a G. Loomis PR844C GLX. Odd rod but fun to fish. Sensitive, old school taper, and loads perfectly. Also the Monkey got me for some tackle. $150 goes quick these days....

Very cool. I have the Chronarch 51e and it has always been a fun reel. It's strange how much power they can pack in such a small reel.

I took it out today and paired it with a Core 101MG and some 12lb Invizx. It is an odd rod to me but I like it. The tip is softer than most rod I have. I wouldn't consider it a fast action rod but not exactly a moderate. One thing that is strange to me is the size of the guides. Not sure but they are larger and are the same size from the the 2nd one up. I tested it out with crankbaits, topwater poppers, spinner baits, jerkbaits and chatterbaits. Below are my thoughts on each....... Crankbaits> 3/8oz square bills are good but not great. The rod is almost too sensitive but the taper is perfect. Didn't care for 1/2oz cranks so much. Lipless cranks> excellent. Topwater poppers> Good Spinner baits> Very good Jerkbaits> 1/2oz is too heavy but smaller ones like the LC 78SP were great Chatterbaits> Fantastic. It was almost magical.

That's the plan. It's a different animal than I am used to. Taking it out tomorrow to run it through its paces.

6'6'' to 7' . So I guess 6'9'' might be perfect.

Tatsu has been the best line I have ever used. I like Smackdown but I have ton of Kanzen. Smackdown is better but until I run out of the Kanzen I will just wait. I did notice the stickiness of Smackdown but it was short lived. After a little use, it was gone. I have also noticed this with other braids as well.

I generally clean each reel I buy. Some have too much oil and grease and some not enough. Cleaning each new reel as I get them allows me to assure that it's just the way I want it.

Well it came and it has a super soft tip and it's lighter than I expected. It is a nice rod though.

I have the 844C and it will work fine for 1/2oz and up spinnerbaits but may struggle with 3/8oz ones.

I use to have a rod (G.Loomis GLX 803C) that had Recoil guides throughout except the top guide. I never had an issue with braid but have seen guys that try to use this rod like it's a winch and do some damage to the guides. Also, like said above the top guide from Recoil is not the best. I couldn't find a good pic but this was an old issue discussed a few times over..... The pic below shows what a few people were getting with braid and recoil guides.

Awesome. It's a flawless reel.

I hate to say it but in rain gear...... There is no such thing as good value and breathable. I have tried tons of different jackets and pants from cheap to expensive. Staying dry and having breathable gear are what drives the cost of rain gear up. I would buy the best you can afford but try to find it on sale.

There are 8 DSG's in the Indy area and none them carry a good selection fishing stuff but the one closest to me is getting better. They have stocked a few items that are new to them, like Daiwa Tatulas and few St. Croix rods. What is strange is that they are the closest store with fishing stuff to a large local reservoir and nobody that fishes there buys stuff from DSG because they are always more expensive than Tackle Warehouse. I only get what a few things from them when they have a sale and I have coupons. On the good side though, they will price match and take their coupons off of the matched price. For instance Amazon had Plano Edge 3700 boxes for $15.80 on a lightning sale. DSG matched the price and let me use a 20% off coupon, making them about $13 a piece.

I have reels from Shimano, Daiwa, Abu Garcia, Quantum and 1 Lew's. If I weigh all things I look for in a reel, Shimano and Daiwa are my favorites.

Good to know. It sounds versatile. Depending on how the tip is, I might use it for heavier jerkbaits and spoons. Also, some bigger topwater stuff might not be a bad idea

Anybody have both of these rods? I have the regular 844C but its the old version. What's the difference between the two? I have found a new PR844C at a shop that I order a few things from, over the phone, from time to time for $225. The guy on the phone said Loomis sent them the PR844C instead of the regular 844C. I thought, well, I can't pass this up so I ordered it without knowing much about it. All I heard was GLX 844C for $225.

I will double down on this one with one add in.... I would look at the 843C GLX as well and see what fits the baits you are using.

I'm going with braid slipping but general rule of thumb..... clean it, check the drag washers, and use Cal's Purple Grease on them in cold weather but as things heat up Tan works better. Also, if you have pressure on the drag star, there isn't anything that can stop the drag from applying to the spool. It either works or it doesn't.

It was the first day the local ponds were not iceskating rinks. I put my new Megabass Super Destroyer through the steps. It was amazing. Strangely powerful for how light it is. It feels like a medium rod in hand but with a fish on it, it is full of muscle and is as sensitive as my NRX. This was the first fish of the year on a Megabass Magdraft.

I wouldn't go X-fast but this rod caught my eye if you can find it...... G. Loomis 882S Small Swimbait rod. It's supposed to be designed for just what you mentioned. Personal preference for this technique is a St. Croix Avid 6' ML Fast with 6lb Fluorocarbon (Trilene XL 100% FC). No braid on this technique.

Either the JDM Antares 70A or the Daiwa Steez SV TWS. I have both and each would work great for jerkbaits. Also, 10-12lb Fluorocarbon would be my choice.

I broke a Crucial and they sent me a new Curado rod which is a nice rod but is a step down in quality. It did take awhile but they were limited in what they had and had very little warehouse staff working. Overall it was a good experience.

I think you are looking at multiple rods there..... Topwater > around 7' H Fast T-Rig > whatever length that suits the technique and whatever power that suits the bait and weight . In general though 7' MH Fast or X-Fast (depending on if you want to use this with jigs) Jerkbaits/Flukes > I put these together as I fish them about the same. Under 7' M Fast with a soft tip. Around a $100.... St. Croix Bass X 7'1'' MH Fast or the 7'1'' M Fast.