LCG

I have had very good experience with yo zuri hybrid for the last couple years. Experimenting with straight braid this upcoming season, but will have one set up with yo zuri for sure.

Micro guides may be an issue for braid to leader. Possible solutions could be 1) straight braid, fluorocarbon, or mono 2) lighter braid to lighter leader (diameter) 3) learn the FG knot

I would check out the Daiwa Tatula XT 6'8" or 7' ML-F. I grabbed the 7' medium and it's a nice rod on a budget. I think the ML might fit what your looking for.

Tackle Advisors was an awesome channel. Very knowledgeable and helpful. I was really liking Omnia rod bend videos, that's something I wish would have been around awhile ago, would have saved a lot of money trying different rods. I liked the original host, but I guess he moved on. Some of the other popular channels have lots of good tips and advice, but you have to get passed their sponsorships or business partnership. I think they have good content, but some are clearly salespeople that fish.

In the summertime I fish a chatterbait in and around grass with an 8 speed reel and braid. I slow the retrieve enough to hit the top of grass and various vegetation. Then I have plenty of power and speed to get them out of that stuff quickly. My rod is a MH Regular action (moderate fast). Catch a lot of pike in my area doing this too.

Fellow Canadian here in Ontario. I buy my gear for myself, what I want to try or what I feel is fine tuning my style of fishing. It's not for the fish and it's not for my buddies, although they are welcome to use my gear. Some people like to discuss gear, some people don't. Luckily we have this site A couple of years ago, I learned a hard lesson when a guy across the bank was catching non stop, I had a mid tier set up and he was hand lining (no rod, no reel). I stopped fishing and watched what he was doing, then spoke with him. Learned a lot that day.

I have both a medium light and a medium spinning combo. I find wacky rigged senko and swim baits to be at the very upper end of the medium light. It can do it, but not around cover. The medium can throw Ned rigs, (actual weight is about 1/4oz with a 1/16oz weight) along with other lures up to about 1/2-5/8oz. Better if cover is nearby. Medium light is fun, especially for multi species fishing. The medium is my choice around wood, vegetation, or docks and mainly for large and smallmouth. Medium more versatile, medium light more fun.

I would spool up with 15lb braid for sure. Then you have the choice of straight braid or using a leader. You get the best of both worlds. I use 15lb 4 strand braid on my spinning combo with or without a 6lb yo zuri hybrid copolymer leader (diameter and break strength of 10lb line) on a stout medium fast action rod. Very versatile combo. Ps... Use monofilament as a backing to your reel to save cost of the braid as well as giving the braid something to grab onto the spool. Spooling straight braid will cause the line to slip on the spool.

That's interesting, I guess I might have fallen into the marketing hype. You know far more about reels than I do, so I will take your word. Thanks for mentioning this.

Our dollar sucks compared to the US dollar. Our shipping and taxes are even worse.

100% agree. I am not brand loyal by any means, I have Shimano and Daiwa reels that I love. Just surprised me that this particular reel seems to be very well made. Time will tell.

I went into BPS with the intent of picking up a Daiwa Tatula 100 they had on sale. While at the reel counter, I saw a Johnny Morris Carbonlite casting reel. It immediately grabbed my attention because it looked very similar to my Lew's Speed Spool LFS. This model is the all black model and has a few upgrades from my lew's reels. Namely handle, side plates, and drag washers are all carbon fiber. Aluminum frame. Also has a clicking spool tension cap. It has dual braking, centrifical six pin inside and magnetic adjustment on the outside. Came in at 6.3oz and was on sale for $140, Daiwa was on sale for $200, regular price for Lew's is $140 (Canadian Dollars). It felt smoother than the Daiwa surprisingly and I could really feel the difference in smoothness when adding some force to the spool to simulate under load feel. So ended up walking out with the Johnny Morris Carbonlite reel in a 6.8:1 gear ratio. It's a gamble in that getting parts might be an issue down the road, or maybe not,, not sure as it is clearly a Doyo build. But the reel seemed to have a lot of nice upgrades. Only down fall is that it doesn't have a dual supported pinion gear. Paired it up with a new Daiwa Tatula XT MH-R casting rod. Looks and feels great. Can't wait for the spring.

The stradic FL I had was smooth, but tighten up fast when adjusting the knob. Super solid and smooth reel. The Tatula LT is smooth and has a much slower adjustment knob which I like for finesse fishing. Super smooth and lightweight.

I just picked up the 7' Tatula XT spinning rod in medium power for mainly plastics. It's a nice rod, lots of backbone with a fast action, very comfortable to hold, good sensitivity.

The struggle is real