FishTank

I know nothing about this rod but just reading the specs, I would say no. You are asking, on the heavy end of it, to throw almost double it's lure rating. In general, I look at lure ratings on rods as a giude line but not a rule. I would go a little over or under on most rods but 1-2oz over is a lot, even for a heavy rod. Also, the taper may not be the best for swimbaits. I am not sure about your budget but the Megabass TS Destroyers and the Valkyrie XXH are designed to throw your namesake. I use the H+ Valkyrie to throw the 175, A-rigs and I have thrown some 3/4oz jigs. It's still new to me but it handles all of them well.

Well I hope the new Vanquish was worth the wait. In hand, it's crazy smooth. It actually feels smoother than the Stella, but just slightly. I love the previous version. I also got a few odds and ends as well.

I liked the 700C so much, I was going to buy the longer 740C but in hand it felt different than the 700. It seemed softer and more whippy at the tip. Also, like you said, I am not sure it could pull a fish from cover. With the 700, I have used it for light jerkbaits, topwater and small BFS cranks without issue.

I have the Dobyn's Sierra Ultra Finesse 7' and really like it. The tip is fast but it softens up in the middle. It makes it easier when fighting largemouth. I have caught a ton of fish on this rod and tend to like it better than the two Megabass rods I have for BFS. My only complaint is that this rod is not made of best components. The guides are so so and the cork looks old after just a year of use. These are minor things and wouldn't stop me from buying another one.

Not suggesting he use that light of line but my point was that the reel is made for lighter lines and more finnese fishing and that light lines can be fished successfully around structure. Line I was using is an extreme example. He could use that reel for whatever he wants though. Just suggesting what I believe I would use. I have fished this lake for years and it is a mine field of trees and stumps. Braid will cut into wood easily, speaking from experience. I have braid on 4 rigs and fish it regularly but find FC best, followed by mono, for jigs and especially Texas rigged soft plastic. I use braid with leader on two spinning setups for Ned Rigs, light finnese stuff and wacky rigged senkos. I also have it on a BFS setup for the same lures. Then lastly on a flipping and pitching setup for heavy vegetation and some big topwater baits.

From what I understand, it's designed for light weight lures from about 3/16-3/8oz. So you are looking at finnese jigs in the 1/4oz and under size with a trailer or a light Texas Rig like a 3in craw with an 1/8oz bullet weight. I throw 1/8oz finnese jigs on 5-8lb FC all the time. You just need to be careful how you fish. So far, knock on wood, I haven't had but a few break offs. This one was caught on 5lb FC in about 8ft of water around trees and stumps. If I had used braid, the line would have gotten cut into the stump I pulled her off of. The picture is not the best but it's what my buddy's camera took.

The 15lb braid with leader for the spinning reel but I wouldn't use it on the Metanium. I would go with 12 or 15lb Invizx. Another would be 14lb Sunline Invisible.

Thanks. I have Boca's ABEC 7s, non orange seals, in a few of my reels. They have been great. I'm good at the moment. I usually do projects, like upgrades, during the cabin fever season. I can reach out to you then. I will probably have a reel or two for you as well. ?

Could you suggest a quality source? The ones I ordered on ebay were not of good quality, even after being cleaned and oiled but this was quite some time ago. I have since replaced the ones I used on my own reels with Boca's. For the Shimano reels I have worked on, I have ordered from them directly. Their low end 3x10x4 use to run about $3 a piece. When I phoned in an ordered, Shimano told me their bearings were a minimum of an ABEC 3. For some reason the stock part bearings always seem better to me than the ones in the reels.

I ordered some bulk bearings years ago that came in a tube off of ebay and none of them were great and maybe 2 out 10 were totally bad. They shipped directly from China and were about $2 a piece. They were not worth it. As far as your SLX goes, if it's been sitting outside and exposed to the weather there is no telling how bad the insides are. My guess is you will have other parts you are going to need besides spool bearings. I would take the reel apart, clean it and assess what you have going on. I would get the parts you need directly from Shimano. If all you need are the spool bearings, I would get the bearings for the Antares. I believe they are the same size and would be a good upgrade for your reel. They run about $14 a piece and will last a lifetime if properly taken care of.

What reel are you trying to upgrade? Is this a repair? Depending on the reel, the factory bearings may be a better choice. Also, it has been my experience that purchasing bearings from a trusted supplier is key to getting the most out of them.

Couple of things....There are not many short rods that could handle fishing bridges. Also, when fishing bridges, it's like boat flipping on steroids. Not the best thing for most rods, especially short ones. If you add in sensitivity, you generally increase the crispness of a rod, which could also be bad on bridges. The Megabass Tachyonshaft is about the only rod that comes to mind that is built shorter, 6'7'', has a wide weight range, and maybe stout enough with some sensitivity that can handle that type of fishing. The JDM version can be had, shipped to the US for about $350.

It's a either casting net or a hammock stretched between both sides of the dock suspended in about 5-10 feet of water. If you cast in there you get snagged easily. Years ago I learned my lesson when I pulled one up using braid.

I have seen those. The people I'm referring to take specific issue with fisherman. There are even a few that have put nets between their boat slips to snag lures. One guy in particular collects them every Monday and sells them. Luckily there aren't usually fish around his dock so I just avoid it.

I would never buy Senkos at Wal-Mart. The 7 per pack at their regular price is kind of a rip off. I always get them on clearance at either Dicks Sporting Goods or with a gift card at Cabelas. I have scored enough from Dicks that I probably don't need to buy them for the rest of my life. I do like to try at least one or two new colors each year just for the sake of variety. This year it's pro blue and fire craw but really all you need is green pumpkin black flake, black with blue flake and something natural.

One of lakes I go to there is a group of docks that have trolling motors and/or water pumps under them or around them because the residents don't want anyone fishing near their docks. Crazy people with way too much money.

I caught a 40lb+ blue catfish on a small rattle trap using a Shimano Sahara 500 and 6lb test mono. It took some good old fashioned luck and about 30-45 min to get it in. It destroyed both the reel and the rod I was using but it was a blast.

If the water is stained, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits work well for me but fished slow. If the water is somewhat clear, a Ned rig worked great early on this year.

Not necessarily a lure but a slip bobber. When I was a kid this was like a high-tech gadget. I would kill my dad when it came to catching big blue gill. It made me feel like the greatest fisherman in the world.

I can tell you first hand that the new Vanquish went up in price, 54,100 yen (around $400). The Vanquish would be a good choice though. My other thought would be Daiwa Certate. It's seems to be built like tank. I only held it in hand but it was smooth and appeared to be made to take a beating which is what I would look for in a travel reel.

I have the 2019 3000 size Vanquish and love it. It has been the best spinning reel I have ever used. I also have the new version in a C2500S on the way. Can't wait. It will be for ned rigs and whatever light stuff I want to throw on it. I also have some sinking braid from YGK I'm going to use. This will be my first time using sinking braid. Should be a fun learning experience.

If the Pflueger brand was a movie it would be called "The Dead Presidents". If you search this forum and others, you'll find a common down hill slide on Pflueger reels. They were great 15+ years ago.

I have two of these and would highly recommend it. They hold a ton of stuff.

Between the two, the SLX DC would be the obvious choice.

I have the 20 Metanium and love it for jigs and soft plastic but I also just picked up the Steez A II and it has been great for crankbaits. The 2023 Met is going to be a deep spool version so I would choose based on the application you are going to use it for.