FishTank

5in Senko Black and Blue Flake.

With $100, I wouldn't do gear unless I needed it. I think I would stock up on things I use everyday for fishing that I hate to pay for based on their cost > Senkos, hooks, FC line, and tungsten weights.

ML for sure. Smallies pack punch and fight harder than most fish.

The Patagonia Capilene Hoodie has been my favorite. It was 90 degrees on the water yesterday and this thing performed as advertised.

I don't like Favorite rods but when I was at the Indy Boat Sport and Travel Show there was a rep there from Favorite. He showed the Defender rod and it's components. It had Fuji SIC Guides. I couldn't tell which ones though. Looks like there are several available. https://www.therodroom.com/shop/pc/Silicon-Carbide-SiC-c74.htm

If it swims in fresh water, I have probably caught it on a senko. I sometimes let it fall to the bottom and fish it back like a jerk bait, instead of popping or lifting it off the bottom. This seems to stop small fish from pecking.

I had the same issue with mine. Even when it was new, I never got consistent breaking. I sent it to Daiwa to get serviced and it was good for a short while but it never seemed right. I eventually sold it.

I have several of the regular Avid rods and have always considered them the best bang for buck. As far as the Avid and the Avid X goes, I have looked at the Avid X and decided that I just didn't care for it. I am not sure what it is. Maybe I like the full cork better. One things for sure, I don't care for braid on micro guides, especially if I am using a leader. Also, I think you are asking a lot of one rod. If I had to pick one that would come close to all that you are asking for, it would be the regular Avid 7' M Fast or the 7' MH Fast. But based on the lures you mentioned, I would get the M Fast.

I would say no as well. I have the 7'2'' M Legend Glass and I love it for crankbaits but not for spinnerbaits and especially not for chatterbaits. The rod itself is too slow for this purpose. For me, I like a 7' or longer M or MH Fast or X-fast. My favorite is an NRX 853C.

Most reels can handle that. How the rod loads is the key. I would say a 7' M Fast would do the job well. As far as which reel, you can get a Shimano Scorpion 150 MGL for less than $200 from Japan.

Sunline Xplasma in light green. It may be green but the color is easy to see out of water. Another I have not purchased but have seen out on the water is Berkley X9. I didn't think it was braid at first. It looked smooth and cast a mile. It was also super bright.

My usual routine with a kayak is I put myself in a position off of inlet points. If I am getting blown or pulled toward the shore, I set up as far away as possible and fish slow if I can (senkos and maybe crankbaits) and fast if there is a strong wind (jerbaits and spinnerbaits). Once I am close to the bank I position myself to fish across that point (straight ahead, call it 12 o'clock) and then I make casts at 2, 4, and 6. And back again at 6, 4, and 2 then at 12 a few more times. It seems to draw fish to that point. The key with this is patience. Once I have completed this cycle I move in to the docks and shorelines. Again paying attention to how much time I have before I need to reposition the kayak, I switch to jigs and bottom contact soft plastic. I try not to spend too much time in one area, unless I find a honey hole of fish. Then I stay until they stop biting. One of plusses of a kayak is that it's stealthy. Try to use that to your advantage.

I use both. I budget my spending on tungsten weights and jigs at $40. When they are gone and if they are gone, I would then go to my lead stock pile.

G. Loomis 783 GLX MH Fast 6'6''. It has worked great for about 15+ years. Simply love this rod.

I use 50lb Power Pro for frogging. Does the job. Last a few seasons but it looses it's color fast. I usually don't use a leader. That bass don't seem to care when it comes to frogs.

I just worked a buddy's Curado B's and 2 of the five had the same issue. What you said about the drag being ok after being left alone is what rings a bell...... My friends Curado would be ok when he would start fishing them and a few hours later he said the drag would get weaker even though the drag was tight. When I took the two in question apart, the drag washers on one side had a raised ridge on the outside edge but his others did not. Then I noticed that the ends of the spools seemed a little warn. After it was all put back together, I noticed these two had only a little bit of drag but enough to get the job done. So I gave them back to him and told him to order some drag washers. He then put them back on the rods and I watched him tighten the drag all the way down tight (farther than you should) and that's when it hit me. He had been tightening the drag down so tight it was causing the washers to flatten out like a pan cake. I don't know if this is what is causing your issues but it would be the next thing I would look at after the line slipping as mentioned above. The line slipping is easy to miss but easy to check. Just tighten the drag down, pull some line out. If the line pulls out and the spool doesn't move, then line needs to taken off and redone.

I have the DC and first off, I don't like braid on this reel. A lot of people have had success using it but for it seemed once it got wet all the way the breaking would act differently. I switched to FC and have had no issues. From a stand point of which setting to use on the dial, I would ignore the instructions from Shimano. I look at this way..... 1- Long casts - very little breaking is applied 2 - Pretty much this is where I set and forget it 3 - Less breaking than 2 but still gets it done. It seems to speed the spool up at the beginning of a cast more so than 2. 4 - Casting into the wind Also, this reel for whatever reason seems to learn how I cast and becomes better at breaking the more I use it. It also has been flawless for me, other than the braid, and supper smooth. It casts as far as any other reel I have used.

In the tournament I fished yesterday there were so many boats that I got to see what everyone had when we were checking in and pretty much everybody had a spinning outfit. The guy that won it with a 17lb bag caught pretty much all his fish on spinning gear. But on a day like yesterday, finding the fish and having the right bait were the keys to winning not the equipment. For me, I go in spurts with spinning gear. Overtime, I have noticed that I like using certain baits better with spinning gear than I do on casting gear but I can use pretty much use whatever on either one. They have become just different tools for the job. From a fishing fun stand point, there is nothing like fighting a big fish on light spinning gear. It becomes a battle with the gear and the line and there is a certain amount of thrill in feeling like > "Will I be able to get this fish in?". It tests my skills as a fisherman and the reward of getting a fish in like that is greater than just overpowering the fish and hauling into the boat. My PB, 10lb 2oz, was caught on a ML spinning rod and 6lb test line.

There are rods made in the US > G. Loomis and St. Croix are probably the top two. Reels now that's a different story. Working in manufacturing getting supplies from Japan and most other places has been pretty good. China not so much. With tariffs and customs issues it has been hard to get a good supply of electronics and certain types of steel products. Also, from what I heard from Shimano and Daiwa, they have been doing a good job of getting things here. Shimano's North Carolina distribution center has supply but few workers to ship and receive. Same can be said for Pure Fishing. When I called for a warranty claim they said in their case they are back logged on orders for 30-40 days and anything that is currently out of stock will be September or longer.

I use to use 50lb Power Pro with the 110 and 90. With the 110 it worked great but 90 it just seemed to nose dive a little, like it wasn't staying on plain. I have since switched to using 12lb or 15lb FC and have not had any issues. I know this doesn't sound right and I really have no explanation but FC worked this issue out with the 90 and I really don't notice it with the 110. I have a two 75's and have not had as much luck with them all around. They don't seem to plain as well with any line I have used and I don't tend to get as many hits.

I have been a member here for awhile and Mike is one of the best resources this site has. His info and advice is always spot on and even though I have not used his service yet, the comments from other members are overwhelmingly positive.

I often find that most of the baits I use are between 3/8 and 3/4 oz so I find a 1/2 oz crankbait to set the spool tension. Then I put two brakes on and set the dial on the outside at 3. I am able to fine tune it from there depending on the bait I want to use, the conditions and how I am going to cast.

I have been using a G. Loomis 783C GLX for years and it has been fantastic for Lucky Craft Pointers and Vision 110's. It's sort of fits in that Goldilocks Zone > Not too heavy, the tip is fast but soft, sensitive and it has hook setting power.

If the Stella is from Japan, there is a good chance it has been used in saltwater. Then you are taking the chance that the previous owner took good care of it. If it's in the US and is a newer model, it's a great deal. You can find the Stradic cheaper. Check A.L.F., they had the CI4+ on sale. https://www.americanlegacyfishing.com/2016-shimano-stradic-ci4-spinning-reels.html