Scrapiron

Hold on, somebody replaces their 20# FC after each outing?? Surely they're sponsored.... or just rich.

As I'm getting back into conventional, trying to figure this out (again). Boat can hold 13 (six secured under the gunnels). Right now I'm back to three- M spinning, M casting, and MH casting for most days on the lakes I fish. Which is exactly what I previously. Different rod/reel manufacturers and different tapers. If I'm on the bank it's one.. and that's cause I'm fly fishing.

Though I want to keep the 905c, in all likely hood the 844c will handle what I throw. Besides the big swim bait and 1oz jigs. A rod for crankbaits may be next, but the 782c has done alright with cranks and top waters. Also have a 7’ MedLight Tidemaster that is more like a Med Mod/fast I might try for cranks. Will look at a MH. Great suggestions everyone!

Man oh man… same here! I keep switching back and forth this weekend and wow- so very close. As others have said— depends on your rod. I have a Vanford but it’s my least fav reel… nothing wrong with it at all, but out of 4, it’s in last place. I still love ya Stella baby, don’t worry!

I'll look at the Diablo(s), thanks for the suggestion. 843c has been on my radar for a while. If I drop the 905c, I'd need the 844c to handle the bigger stuff. Pitching though, with the 905c... maybe I should try that. Cbump, 21!?! I'd rather have a few nice rigs and fish the heck out of them. Nothing wrong with have a combo for a specific purpose though, I understand.

Ah.. that's what I'm trying to avoid... six or seven rods x2! LOL. Agreed on MB for jerkbaits. We both tried a MB Madbull but neither of us particularly liked it.. too long. I had thought about a St. Croix glass rod... DT-6 to DT-10 cranks are her favorites to throw. Just not sure that rod is as versatile as I want it to be if we try to keep it at 6 rods for both of us. We can mix/match of course.

Good suggestion! I do (did) have a CNQ 782c w/Alderbaran that is (was) my favorite. My wife has decided that she prefers that combo to pretty much everything else. She uses it for cranks, topwater, jerkbaits, and has put on a Ned rig on it once or twice. Can't blame her, it's as light as a feather, casts a mile, and has a stout backbone.

As I get back into bass fishing, looking for feedback on any 'holes' you see in my lineup. One thing I want to do is limit my rods to 3 (maybe 4)* so looking to get adequate coverage. We fish open water in NC- no weeds, lilys, grass... so no punching, flipping/pitching, frogging. 1. CNQ 842s w/Stella FJ 2500 2. CNQ 844c w/Met XG 3. CNQ 905c w/Bantam Toying with getting an 843c and dropping the 905c. Not sure if that gets me anything besides going lighter. For a 'finesse' spinning setup I have a Cashion MedLight 7' spinning w/Luvius 3000LT. I have 14lb Sniper on the Met and 16# Sniper on the Bantam. I most likely will put some 30# braid on the Met to give me more versatility (top water, etc.). *we have a center console so have places for 13 rods but that leaves a lot of poles standing up (not ideal with 2 or 3 anglers).

Still available?

Megabass sure does know how to make an excellent rod... and reels, lures, etc. they seem to be the gateway into JDM stuff. I was all Megabass (US and JDM Destroyer, Orochi, X7, and maybe 1 or 2 more) but moved on to other stuff. Their rods are some of the best put together on the market. As someone else mentioned - I looked at my NRX and thought “what the ? Couldn’t the wraps at least be straight ?”. LOL. Different company priorities I guess. it’s a fun rabbit hole, enjoy!

I’d get the Conquest for that price. The 843 MBR is a great rod.

slowly pulls self off floor.........Yowza! What a setup! What line is on there? BTW, great pics!

Wow! Beautiful!! make that a BFS reel and I’ll pass out

Great advice on this thread- and you made some awesome combos! Those Avid rods have stood the test of time- quality right there. Same with Shimano. As far as cost- I wouldn’t stress. Those combos will last YEARS and still perform well. That’s pennies per day. The ole ‘buy once cry once’ cliche is true... just don’t tell the bait monkey!

I’ve had the Avid X and E6x (previous gen). Tough call- the advice to put a reel on and see how it feel to you may be the deciding factor. I’d probably lean toward the Loomis if you could get the 843 MBR (another suggestion already above).

So I’ve been through several and I mean several setups looking for a bottom contact rod/reel. Right now I’ve got a Steez AGS Bottom Contact rod with a Steez A and a ZPI PG spool and 15# Tatsu. It’s sensitive, light, comfortable, strong, and awesome. I can cast a lure to the moon and feel a fish breath. It’s versatile and has a wonderful tip. But I’ve come to realize I don’t like dragging a jig or c-rig across the bottom. I feel like I should enjoy/have a combo dedicated to this type of fishing. I kayak, so 99% open water. No weeds/mats where I fish. I’ve got a Zbone MH mod fast rod that can handle bottom contact just fine. It’s lighter, just as sensitive but can’t handle as large as lures- up to 3/4. It’s rated to an ounce, but Trey pulled newer rods down to 3/4 which is probably more realistic. So after all that- reckon I’m more inclined to finesse fishing. I’ll admit I’m a gear junkie but I also limit what setups I take out (less is more) as simplicity and versatility are important to me. Catching all fish on 3/8 top water, smaller shakey heads, Ned rigs, T rigs. Maybe I just went too big the last couple of years. Am I missing fish? Possibly. Just chucking a larger lure doesn’t excite me. Hi, my name is Scrapiron and I’m a finesse fisherman.

@Jake51823 as a recent “convert” to FC, totally agree! I’ve caught more and larger fish using FC since switching. Could be lots of factors involved of course, but FC seems to do it. Now on my spinning reels- about the same catch ratio with braid. But a Ned rig in FC is a winner for me. But OH that line twist! I’m using Sunline Shooter Finesse 7#. Maybe I should try something else.

I’ve had that combo and enjoyed it. Quality right there. Congrats!

I’ll add my vote for Tatsu. But gosh, Sufix 832 has always been solid for me. and Armilo? Guess I should give that a try soon. ?

Kayak fishing I limit myself to three; I rotate depending on mood/conditions/location: MH MF 7’3” Zbone M MF 7’3” Zbone ML MF 7’0” ZBone spinning MML F 7’6” Steez AGS spinning MMH F 7’5” Steez AGS Bottom Contact ML F 7’0” Steez SVF Spinning Steez A baitcasters and Exist spinning reels. I can cover 90% of bass presentations. I fish open water, no weeds, no frogging. I use snaps on 1 or 2 rods to save time. Haven’t noticed any difference in catching/not catching fish. At times I’ll mix/match rods- they get along just fine. ?

Love that ASC... looking for one.

I use Tatsu- 15# for bottom contact and 12# for other lures. Lots of KVD line conditioner the night before. I've found the Tatsu to be fantastic; I've used a lot of different FC- Sniper, Invisx, Vanish, others I've forgotten. I have Sunline Shooter Finesse on a spinning reel, but the line twists kill me. I use braid to leader on my most used spinning combos.

Another kayaker here.. don't use floats, but do use a leash on setups not in my hand.

Well, Let's see the other side!

Steez SVF 7’ ML fast with an Exist 2506 spooled with 7# Sunline shooter finesse. Also the Steez 76MML AGS with an Exist 2510 is another combo I use often. For now anyway. ?