mrpao

Your line probably needs to be changed out with a fresh new spool of line. I have had the same issue with 4 and 6 pound trilene XL. Once the line gets a little aged, it loses its strength. I'll test it by pulling on it, once I tie a knot. If it snaps easily, then it's time for new line. Usually with 4 and 6 pound trilene XL it will only last a few weeks or months depending on how much you fish. During the summer time, the heat seems to be quite harsh on this light line.

TW did give me the discount. It showed up in the confirmation email

I have an expride in my cart. So if I finish the purchase and pay then, I'll see the 20% discount?

That gear ratio will work well for crankbaits.

Might not be a bad reel for the price. Not sure how smooth or durable it may be, but heck it's only $50. Its seems pretty light weight at around 5.3 oz. Switch that handle out to a carbon fiber handle and it may go under 5 oz.

The 6'10" med would be better suited for crankbaits and other treble hook lures. It may be decent with small spinnerbaits. Never tried it yet. It probably wouldn't be too good with jigs. The rod is more of a moderate taper and you won't get a decent hookset with a jig. Most people, including myself, use this particular model for jerkbaits and topwaters.

^^^ Sweet Abu. Would love to see picts of your entire collection.

If you're going to do a lot of cranking, get a good reel. Deep cranks can put a lot of stress on the reel. If you're not going to crank that much, you can get by with something cheaper. Whatever you get, a lower gear ratio is usually better.

Since they stock it weekly, I would try to fish it the day of stocking or the day after. The most number fish and they'll be hungry from the truck ride. The other two guys have given pretty good advice already. I would add to that small crankbaits and jerkbaits. Throw them out a retrieve in slowly. Since these are hatchery trout, there is no reason to try to match the hatch. Brighter colors seem to work good. Just try different things until you find something that works. Somedays they want power bait, other days they want different lures.

The lighter frame of CI4 material makes them feel more geary because it transmits more vibrations. It also makes the CI4 material a good choice for bottom contact techniques due to it been more sensitive. The same goes for magnesium framed reels. Lighter but you'll feel more through the reel.

Usually around $15 give or take a little by priority mail. But most of the time there is a balloon rate for being over sized. Usually also around $15. But dont forget to insure it because rods can easily get damaged.

I think that combo will work fine for buzzbaits. If you ask, you're going to get a bunch of different answers. Everyone likes something different. I throw my buzzbaits on a 7'2" hvy rod with a 7.8:1 gear reel and 40# braid. I like the slightly longer rod to make further cast and the braid to get better hooksets at the end of the cast. The faster reel will help get the buzzbait up on plane faster. This combo also works well with the smaller to med sized whopper poppers too. Other people may prefer a different combo though. But we all fish differently.

I feel differently. I really like the expride reel seats. I think it fits medium to smaller hands better

There are other factors here too. Big lake or smaller pond? Fishing from bank or boat? What's the typical size of the fish there? How often do the fish get stocked?

It never hurts to add more pictures.

I have done this before. I have taken both rods and reels into a store to see how it would feel.

Most of my reels are shimanos. I use both the shimano and TW covers. With the shimano covers, I cut a slit at the front for the line. With the TW covers, I haven't done that because there's some extra seams woven into the cover that may come unraveled. An issue I've had with the shimano covers is that there's some kind of glue that hold the seams together. In hot weather (I'm in the South)sometimes the glue will melt off the cover and get on the reels. It's kind of a pain to get off. Not all the covers do it, but I've had a few to have this glue issue. The TW covers are a liitle smaller so I use them for smaller reels. The shimano covers are better for mid size to slightly larger reels. Shimano also makes round reel covers which I use on my Calcuttas and Conquest. I alternate between those and the round reel covers from Academy Sports. Both are good, but the ones from Academy are cheaper in price.

It has been quite a while.

Dont forget majorcraft rods. They are well known for their light action rods.

Shimano exage or SLX would be good beater rods. Plus it will match the colors of the reel. But they may not be slow enough for you.

I had that same model. Used it one time and got rid of rid. It was to flimsy for my needs. Some of the other models are great though.

I haven't fished a SLX rod. I haven't fished the jerkbait special. I do really like my 6'10" exprides for both jerkbaits and topwater. I do wish it had a little more backbone though. But the flex in the tip helps to keep the fish pinned on those treble hooks.

I still have some black cumaras that I use all the time. Probably one of the best rods shimano has put out.

I have only heard mediocre thing about the IMX Pro. I personally haven't fished one so I cant say. But I do really like my exprides.

Try a jigging spoon or blade bait. They seem to work pretty good for bass in deeper water.