FishTank

Senkos, Jerkbaits, and Whopper Plopper.

To me, this is two separate rods but if I had a choice as to which rod would maybe do both.... St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast. I like to use X-Fast rods for jigs and Moderate rods for cranks.

I would say about $75-$100. I had 5 of them and sold them all for more than I paid for them. The guy I fish with has 4 of the CU-200. Some are in better condition than others but they still cast well and catch fish. I have tried to get him to upgrade and he thinks new reel don't palm as well nor do they cast the way he likes.

I noticed something thing like this on my K and it would occur after when the reel got wet from either a heavy rain or from using braided line. Somehow a few drops were making there way into the reel and causing the drag to be less effective. The reel would dry out and be fine. I also stopped using braid on this reel just to see and it did make a difference.

Marketing hype with fishing equipment.... are you kidding me? It's all marketing with extra hype and we probably all fall victim for it to a certain extent. I know I get excited to try out new fishing gear and it's only second to actually catching fish> keeps the bait monkey in check. As far as rod length and gear ratios go. I don't get caught up in it. I fish what feels good to me. I think longer rods are fun to fish because they bring unique challenges when setting the hook. Ever caught a tarpon on a 9' 10 power fly rod? It's nirvana. Most of my rods are 7' and my favorite is 6'6''. In reels as a general rule though, I like 5.x:1 reels for cranks, 6.x:1 for soft plastic, and 7.x:1 reels for topwater and jerkbaits. I think the days of torque issues and gear ratios with reels is just about over.

I recently picked up the 7'4" Mod MH Curado and I like it so far. It is nice rod for the money and if you can get one at $100 it's a steal. I think the rod you are looking at is made for some big cranks and light swimbaits. Also, I don't think these rods are glass. They are a carbon blend. In any case, they are a quality rod. If you are looking at the $200 range on rods though, I would look at the St. Croix Legend Glass. To me, it's the best crankbait rod I have ever used. Just fits the purpose perfectly.

The few reels I have sold over the years that have given the best return have been Shimano and Daiwa. I can recall selling my Calais 201A at pretty the same price I paid for it and my Shimano Curado B's and BSF's I sold on eBay for $30-$50 more than I paid for them. Another example, but I have yet to sell it, is my Chronarch 51e. I paid around $100 for it on sale at Gander Mountain and have had offers of $175 and $200. As far as other brands go, I see new Abu Garcia, Lew's and Quantum reels often discounted so much that getting a good return selling as used would be tough. Doesn't mean that they don't make a good reel, it's just hard to pull the trigger on reel that is new and full price.

For crankbaits I have tried multiple reels to find the perfect one that casts longer than anything else and works best for 3/8oz and 1/2oz baits. For the most part most of my reels cast pretty much the same but I have come down to one conclusion on distance..... The Antares 19 paired with either a G. Loomis IMX 903C or a St. Croix Legend Glass Med. 7'2'' cast longer than anything I have ever fished. With 12lb Invizx or 13lb Sunline Defier, I can empty the spool. Does it make the best crankbait reel>maybe but I have chosen to use this reel for soft plastic and lighter soft plastic swimbaits. My reels of choice for crankbaits right now are the Antares 12, Bantam, Calcutta 251, the Abu Garcia Winch and occasionally the Curado DC. Which of these cast the furthest depends on the bait, the rod and the conditions.

I like to keep my softrplastic in their original bags. For years I used a BPS XL worm bag but I have since started using a deep Plano box for Senkos/worms and a Flambeau Outdoors 4510 for everything else. The Flambeau has divider sections, which I glued in place, that can keep things in order. I like it so far.

I generally fish a LC Pointer just about every time I am out and I have had this happen on a few. One was on a 128 Ghost Minnow and I could see on the bait that the back stop where the ball travels to the back of the tail had broken. One way to test this is to shake a new one and shake an old one. The broken one will sound different> sort of a plastic rattle.

T-Rigged Senko with an 1/8oz or 3/16oz bullet weight. Or.... A Megabass Dark Sleeper in any bright color. This bait has been killer for me. I caught 6 yesterday on it when the bite was slow for everybody. The guy I fish with caught 1 on a crankbait and zero on his favorite jig. It seems to produce when other lures won't.

I use the Arc'teryx Beta AR or SL jacket. These things are pretty much bomb proof. I don't have the Simms listed below but my fishing buddy does. He lives in them on the water. I am not a huge fan of bibs. I like the option to be able to easily put rain gear on and off as the weather changes. So for pants I use REI's Gore Tex Rain pants as a cheaper but very effective option. To me the jacket is the key and... Gore-Tex 3-layer for cold heavy rains. Pac-Lite is great but the 3-layer is better in wind. The down side is less breathability and it feels crunchy. https://www.backcountry.com/simms-prodry-gore-tex-bib-pant-mens?CMP_SKU=SMM005I&MER=0406&skid=SMM005I-GUN-XXL&mr:trackingCode=A0135DE9-47C9-E711-8102-005056944E17&mr:referralID=NA https://www.backcountry.com/arc-teryx-beta-sl-hybrid-jacket-mens?skid=ARC00X6-BUS-S&ti=U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM6YXJjdGVyeXggamFja2V0czoxOjEyOmFyY3Rlcnl4IGphY2tldHM=

I too am a big Shimano fan but if I was looking for function over form, the Steez gets my vote. I have several Shimano reels but I have to confess I do not own a Metanium. I do have the Steez SV TWS and I would recommend this reel all day long. It's truly fantastic and it may be the best reel I have ever fished (still debating between this reel and the Antares 19 though). My only complaint is that it sort of flexes under load. I know some will say "Nope" but it does if the fish is big enough. I have not found a thing this reel can't handle except lures over 3/4oz but that may be because of the rod I use with it. It's not completely a finesse reel but it does cast light lures extremely well. The one thing on this reel that out shines all the rest, despite it being super smooth and light weight, is the breaking system. I don't think I have ever had a backlash.

When I fish from my kayak, I like to use a one of two rods when I am flipping jigs..... St. Croix Avid MH Fast or a G. Loomis 844C. I also like to roll cast lighter jigs with a G. Loomis 803C GLX 6'8'' X-Fast. I have tried longer rods but they seemed awkward.

G. Loomis IMX 844C and a Shimano Curado with 40 or 50lb braid.

That is very well done. I have looked at other work like this over the years and I have to say it is one of the best I have seen. A true talent.

I would say no to both. I use to use Ultra Soft and I liked it for years but all of sudden the current version started to break easily. I tried multiple spools for a few years and decided to give up. I just started using Defier Armilo and it is a stiffer line, IMHO. Regular Defier, though, is awesome. Soft line that casts a mile. I have been using 13lb and 17lb on casting gear and love it for crankbaits. On spinning gear though, I like Trilene XL 100% FC 6lb.

G. Loomis 803C GLX with a Shimano Core 101 and 12 lb Invizx.

When I was younger I had few spincast reels.... Zebco 33, Zebco Bullet, Daiwa Goldcast, and Daiwa Mini-Cast. They were all great and they, at that time for me, had their place. My favorite was the Mini-Cast. It was a blast to fish. It was like an ultra finesse reel. The days of fishing these reels have passed me by but they will always bring back great memories.

I have a 2019 Shimano Antares and an NRX 853C. Each time I have used it, I'm like..... What was I thinking? Followed by... Ya, it really is amazing. Then I don't feel so bad.

There is a guy I know (sort of), I have fished against him and he is sponsored by Aftco. They have nice stuff and I believe I saw him with one of the hoodies last year on a few occasions. If it is the one I am thinking of, I think it's less than $40, which is not too bad. My favorite summer time shirt though is Patagonia Capilene. I have yet to find it's equal. Am still searching for a sale on Megabass stuff. There are a few baits that I have a hard time paying full price for.

Got it. Thanks. Picked up a few odds and ends. Seems like a good site.

I have the 7'2'' Med. I have been repeating this too often but it is the best crankbait rod I have ever used. If I could own all the rods in this line up, I would. Just a thought on the Heavy... If the Med. I own seems big and heavy, I can only I imagine what the Heavy is going to be like. I think the diameter on the one I have is about double the size of my G. Loomis IMX Heavy 844C. If you are planning on using this for big cranks and heavy lipless cranks, at 7'11 that rod should cast them a country mile.

One of the guys I fish with uses E6X and likes them. I have tried a few of his and did not care for them. They seemed kind of cheaply made compared to other rods at that price point. They also felt kind of dead in hand to me. I am not knocking Loomis rods. I have serval and I am a big fan, just not these rods. Couple of suggestions around the same price.... St. Croix Legend Glass. Best crankbait rod I have used. I have the 7'2 Medium Mod. Another cheaper option and I just received this rod. I have used it once and right off the bat it's much better than expected.... Shimano Curado Crankbait 7'4'' MH Mod. I plan on using this as my dedicated square bill rod. It easy to load on a cast and can send a 3/8oz or 1/2oz square bill a long way. It's not very sensitive but it doesn't have to be. Last one.... St. Croix Avid.. all around great rods and probably the best bang for the buck.

I was just on their site. Where in checkout do you use the coupon code? I can't find it. Thanks