Viper0463

I was the opposite. I grew up using spinning gear when left retrieve was the only option. So when I got into casting reels I hated them because they just felt wrong. Once they started making them lefty I was a happy camper.

It will do just fine. You may find that for diving cranks you'll need to really slow your retrieve and may lose a bit of power compared to say a 6.? ratio but, it will do the job. I have several reel in the 8+ ratio and love them. Frogs, jerkbait, soft plastics, jigs, spooks, plopper, buzzbait, popper, pompador, lipless and more. Just saying it's just fine for things.

Make sure you put a left and right retrieve combo in your hand before you buy and get what's more comfortable. I personally use nothing but left retrieve. Rights just feel very wrong to me but, my dad can't use anything but rights.

My favorite non fc or braid is pline cxx.

Powell rod off eBay and any daiwa ct casting reels also try eBay. I personally like the powell diesel and inferno in a 7'2" mhxf. If you can find a tatula ct in your price range get it and don't look back. Just my opinion though. Something I think I should add is I have the diesel still and have used it for everything. Senko, spinnerbait, spooks, frogs and more. It was a little workhorse rod for a while till I started buying more technique specific setups.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I was hoping I would hear the shorter length would be a good idea and it seems that a few of you agree with my thinking.

I'm actually in the process of selling off all my non daiwa reels. I don't think that it's a mental swap thing. I just tried reels from a few manufacturers last year and have now decided to go with all daiwa casting reels. One thing that'll be nice is cleaning the reels will be almost like a assembly line lol. I'm going with tatula sv's it the best reel I've tried.

So I bought a mojo bass 6'8" mxf topwater rod for jerkbaits and topwater last year and I liked it so much I bought a second one so I could have one dedicated to jerkbait and the other dedicated to topwater. Now I was thinking that a little shorter rod would be nice for some of the ponds I fish. What is everyone's opinion on a avid x 6'4" mxf for a shorter jerkbait and topwater rod? I know I would lose some casting distance but, should gain accuracy. Remember this would be for bank Fishing primary but I do go out in a small boat also.

I'll be honest I don't do the hard hook sets anymore, but most if not all of the break offs I've had the hit from the fish was crazy hard and that could have a bit to do with it as well. I'm not having as much of a problem as i was now that I've changed a few things. I'll let everyone know more as the week goes on.

ok everyone a little update to what I've tried and how it has gone. The 12# red label works fine i fished it all last week and didn't lose a lure to a breakoff. I tried some 8# and had one lure go flying off into the distance when I had a backlash so thats my fault as it broke at the leader knot and that was the first time that has happened in years. The 10# that I was using i tied on a small spinnerbait and hooked several good sized largemouth and didn't have a breakoff. I am really starting to think that the line getting hung on the front treble was causing my problem. I'm going to try some cxx this week and see how that does and if it changes anything with the amount of strikes I get. I also tried going straight to braid and didn't get a single hit for over a hour and then tied on a leader and started to get strikes so the straight to braid is not a option for me on the lake I fish.

I didn't notice any little curl but i'll keep a look for that if it happens again. I'll try that trick for checking for nicks in the line. I have already checked my guides as that was my second thought as to the problem and the guides are fine. I use seaguar red label fc line.

I don't really want to get into a ticking match here but, mono line has more stretch than fc in every application I have used it in. I don't need a study to show me that. Give a company enough money and they can make a study to prove whatever they want to prove. Hell communism looks good on paper but not in application. Fc line sinks period. why did you feel the need to try and argue that I don't know. In clear water the importance of visibility is important to me I don't know about you but, I want every possible advantage and low line visibility is a advantage. just ask some steelhead fisherman. You like braid, ok i get it. I like braid also but as a mainline with a leader option. I'm not going to go back and forth with anyone about whats better or worse. I'm sure I'll get banned now as I disagreed with someone. That seems to be how things work here. Don't conform BANNED. Close this thread. I'm done with it.

I understand what you were saying I was just letting you know what was breaking. Most of the time when someone asks about line breakage at the local BPS the morons there always tell them it's their leader knot. sorry for the confusion. I don't understand why you say there is no need for fc? It has low stretch and low visibility and sinks, all of those would seem to be good qualities for a jerk bait line. Maybe it's just my thought process though. I do have a problem of every so often the front hook grabs the line, maybe that could be part of the cause. I know for a fact that the last lure I lost, the cast just before I lost it the hook had grabbed the line. I didn't even think about that. It didn't seem to have any nicks or bad spots but maybe it did.

I'm going to try a new knot also. I've never had a problem with cold water and fluorocarbon. I also fish for steelhead and in well below 45 degree water have not had any problems with line breaks. I use the reel or hook hanger to hold the lure. How often do you all re tie?

My drag was set kinda loose and I will say that the 2 fish that jumped out of the water and spit the lure after the break off were from a look substantially larger than most of what I've been hooking into. I'll be Fishing this week and I'll see how the change to 12# does.

No one have not. My leader knot isn't breaking, my leader is breaking at the lure or very close to it. I always use a leader because I feel that I get more strikes. I fish a lot of real clear water and I think the fish see the braid when it's tired direct.

Ok I'm trying to figure out if maybe i did something or maybe just bad luck but, it's happened 3 times over the last 2 weeks and it's starting to cost more money than I'm comfortable with. Here's what's happening, I'm using a jerk bait and on the slack line I'll get a crushing strike I mean they just hammer it and almost pull the rod out of my hands and I'll sweep back and it's like the lure was never there. just gone. I know it's not a toothy critter as the lakes this has happened at have none in them and 2 of the 3 break offs the bass decided to jump out of the water a few seconds after the break off and give me the preverbal middle finger and toss my lure 5 or so feet away from them adding the insult to my already damaged ego for loosing a expensive bait. I'm using 30# braid to a 10# fluorocarbon leader. I have since the last break off switched to 12# to see if maybe it was just the line. I'm not doing a hard hook set I'm doing the sweeping motion but the strikes have been very very hard. Oh I almost forgot to mention I was using the Palomar knot and I have never had this problem in over 30 years with that knot so I didn't think thats the problem but it could be. Any other ideas on what could have caused the random break offs?

I think it should work out great. Thanks

It's says medium heavy. I thought it was 1/4oz - 3/4oz but, it's 3/16 oz - 5/8oz extra fast.

I'm going with the 6'8" also I figure it might make a good weightless senko rod in a pinch.

Thanks everyone for your opinions, I've made a decision and will be ordering my rod soon.

The ci4+ reels I have are the best spinning reels I've ever used. I did change out the drags to carbon after I used them for a bit and that is a noticeable improvement. These are the first spinning reels I've ever had that didn't have that drag surging thing. I'm not saying the drag is like a good baitcaster but they're better than the bps pro qualifier baitcaster that I have. Smoother and more reliable. When I find a few more of these reels at what I feel is a great price I will buy a few more. If you can find one or more of these at $150 new or less there is nothing better in my opinion. Like I said earlier mine have been put through torture and have yet to be serviced and they still work perfectly. I'll be buying the new generation one this spring also. Do I need it nope, do i want it yes.

Now that's funny right there. Very true and sad for me as well.

Another thing I forgot to mention, the reason for the list above is because I'm trying to keep all my bass rods within 1 specific rod manufacturer. Even though I may have to jump between their different series of rods the actions and powers should be a noticeable difference up or down.

I agree that it could be 2 different rods however I'm already spending a lot and need 1 rod to do both with, at least for now. Also I'm mostly shore bound so in till I get a boat in the next few years I'll have to find more of a universal setup of rods. 2 or 3 to cover the tackle I'll carry with me that day.