FishTank

Most mono doesn't last long for me. I don't fish it as often as I use to but when I fished it a lot, I would change it about once a month or more often if I was fishing a tournament. I pretty much use fluorocarbon now. I can get a whole season or maybe two out of it. In the end, as often as I was changing mono, despite the cost, I was spending less a year with FC than I was with mono.

Here in Indy there isn't a Mom and Pop shop that is totally geared towards bass fishing but there is a great shop here called Fly Masters. They are more geared towards fly fishing but they do carry a selection of Shimano rods and reels and G. Loomis rods. The staff is great and they generally have a dog or two to greet you when you come in.

Do Live Beaver and the X-Zone Adrenaline Bug have been my favorites. Another is the Geecrack Double Tail Spiron but it's getting harding to find in the colors I like.

I have a 6'8" XFast MH St. Croix Avid (old model). I use it for tubes mainly but it handle pretty much any soft plastic.

50lb YGK Upgrade. I have had it on for two seasons now and it has been great. Still looks and feels like new.

My favorite stock handles and knobs come on the new Shimano Calcutta Conquest and the Metanium. For an upgrade, so far, I have been pleased with the ones from Gomexus. I just added this guy. I bent the handle on my Steez CT SV and put the handle from Steez A II on it. Then purchased this one for the Steez A II.

I have a four piece travel trout rod from Tenryu that is very sensitive and fun to fish. I feel every tick and small bite there is with this rod. Based on what you mentioned I would look at the Megabass Triza. Great rods that can be used for whatever. For the reel I would look at the Daiwa Alphas or the Shimano Metanium. Both these reels can handle a wide range of lures. I would checkout the JDM sites for the best prices.

There's the answer. Pflueger is not what it use to be and hasn't been for a long time. They're pretty much just another brand name that was purchased so it could be labeled on a reel. It's a shame. They had good stuff at one time. Shimano and Daiwa (maybe a little more Shimano) have figured out something different and better than everything else out there when it comes to spinning reels. They seem to be playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

@FlushdrawThe Shimano Expride can 7'2" heavy can be had at JLS for around $180 shipped. If that's the one you're after, you can't beat the price. Down side, no US warranty and it's a 2-piece.

5/10 Not sure about this one..... This guy was a legend. Can't believe I found it.

The Levante casting line is available in all sorts of actions. Most of their rods are multi taper despite them being labeled as Fast, Regular or X-fast. The rod I suggested has a fast taper and has sort of soft tip. Both the Zodias and Xprides lines you mentioned are great as well. Another one to consider is the Braillist.

A few bucks more than what you wanted to spend but the Megabass TS Destroyer line has a spinning rod that is a beast. It's a 7'2'' Heavy that is rated up to 1.25 ounces. It can be found for around $400 at a few JDM sites. But like others and the OP mentioned, a baitcaster is the way to go. I would suggest a JDM Shimano Scorpion MD and a Mebabass Levante 7'2'' Perfect Pitch.

I've posted this before. Go to the 42:00 minute mark. This shows what I am talking about when I say turning the rod over but you are actually turning the fish over as well. One important thing about that 5lb line..... On a boat or kayak, I am using a net every single time no matter if it's a dink or a monster. I also retie often.

@ol'crickety The 5lb I use will hold up to almost anything unless it gets kinked. I have caught all kinds of big fish on BFS gear. I have had to learn how to be patient and how to pin fish with small treble hook baits and rods the size of toothpicks. The lakes and ponds I fish are all full of grass. I haven't had much of an issue with it. I think one of the keys to getting them in is to not to turn the fish over once it's hooked, keeping the fish just below the surface. Next would be changing the drag on the fly to keep the fish from snapping the line. Also, I don't really set the hook hard. I let the fish hook itself. I looked but couldn't find them.... there are two old videos, one from Gary Yamamoto and one from Yuki Ito, both had good explanations on how to do this. To many times I have seen guys, even pros, hook a fish, reel it to the boat and then turn the rod over, pulling the fish to the other side of the boat. This puts the hook on the opposite side. Once the fish jumps or pulls, they pop off. For me, I have lost more fish and lures on 50lb straight braid than the 5lb FC. To give you another example, I have the same Sunline Invisible on another set up but it's 10lb. I pulled in a 20+lb snapping turtle last week on this line. That thing was bigger than the seats in the boat.

I had one similar. A Plymouth Laser. It was my first car that I bought with my own money. I got it used for around $10000. It had about 12000 miles when I got it. The guy that owned it before me was a tuning nut. He took out the stock engine and put in a JDM Twin Turbo V6 from a 3000GT. It also had a host of other upgrades. It would go 0-60 in under 4 seconds. I drove it like a regular car though. I got a fuzz over 100,000 miles out of it before it died. It never really had any issues other a tune up and lots of tires and brakes. Fun car but it was totally unpractical for my needs then. My favorite was a Jaguar S-type R. It was really a combination of the Beauty and the Beast. Comfortable, good looking and fast.

He was great and one of my favorites. His characters were always a little goofy or crazy. It just seemed to come natural to him.

I'm not 100% positive but I think the Crocs with extra bling had something to do with it. 🤔 😁 On a serious note, that time of year I down size to small stuff, like a 2.75 Swammer or 3in Easy Shiner (take your pick of swimbait). I also use small gobies and tubes. Another option is a ned rig with small crawl baits. Then my go to when nothing else works are small BFS trout baits and cranks. I will catch whatever on these though but at least they're fish.

Caught a couple of good ones the past few days. The first was on a Megabass Siglett. I caught fish of all shapes, species, and sizes on this bait. It's just a blast. BFS gear once again. I also broke in my new Tatula BF 70. Fun reel but it has a few issues, like the random backlashes (as though there are no brakes), load noise on casting (sounds like screech and a rattel) and line getting between the spool and the frame. It does bring in the fish though. I caught about 15 small ones and a couple of good ones. All on 5lb Sunline Invisible and a trout bait.

Used my Father's Day gift cards and picked a Daiwa Tatula BF 70. Going to go break it in on a Megabass P5 Siglett and some 5lb Sunline Invisible. See if you notice it. All I got to say, as a printer, is come on Daiwa, you can do better 😁.

Is it the same without the spool in it?

I have this one and have had no issues but it did take some getting use to initially. It's smooth and easy to retrieve. As far as your reel goes, I would check to see if the line you have on is making contact with frame or is digging in under the spool. Caught this guy tonight on it with a topwater bug and 5lb test line. Always a blast to catch them on BFS gear.

The JDM Zillion to me is the best bang for the buck out there. I would also throw the JDM Metanium in there as well. Both reels at under $250 are amazing. I also have one other honorable mention, the Shimano Twin Power. At around $300 or less, you are basically getting what feels and performs like a Stella at (not quite) half the price. I can't speak for the Alpha but I have never heard any complaints from the people who own them, unlike the Tatulas.

I tend to rotate them based on what bait or technique is hot at the moment but I always take these two.... Megabass P5 Six Eleven G. Loomis NRX+ 803S