Khoa Vu

Spinning - Medium/Fast, 15lb braid to 10lb leader, regular wire hook 3/0 Casting - MH/Fast, 50lb braid to 15lb leader or straight braid, superline hook 3/0 Yamamoto Senkos weighs enough to be casted with both. Your setup will work fine, just make sure to use lighter wire hooks and it will penetrates just fine. I find when I fish weightless senkos with spinning combo, a strong smooth pull upward and it hooks up fine. just make sure hooks are sharp.

1) What's your favorite rod/reel for the Ned Rig? (I've read M or ML) need recommendations! 6'6-7' Medium Light/Fast to XFast action, most sensitive stick you can afford. Go longer (7'3 to 7'6) if you fish open water majority of the time. 2) What line are you using? - I've always used straight Fluro - what's the advantage of using braid to fluro if that's your pick? 10lb PowerPro braid to 8lb mono leader. Advantage of braid to any leader line is that braid is super sensitive when line's semi-tight to tight. Floro is actually better at detecting bite on semi-slack compared to braid (correct me if I'm wrong). I use mono as leader as a shock absorber. 3) Can I use this setup for Trout as well? I don't see why not.

When I see "all around", I think it has to be optimized for good enough accuracy and distance, and that's probably has to fall somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of rod length. We see rods from 6'6 to 7'6 being the extremes on both ends nowadays, so 7' is a good middle ground, in my opinion. Long enough for distance compared to 6'6 rod, but short enough to still be accurate.

I have both the 6'11+ casting and 6'7 spinning. love them both. best reel seats I've ever held, though I haven't held many. The handles do get cold during chilly days. For me, doesn't matter how sensitive a rod is if it's not comfortable to fish with, and both the casting and spinning models are very comfortable to fish with. The full carbon monocoque handle and reel seat were the selling points for me. I just got the 6'11+ in so I don't have much experience with it. I took it out on a recent warm November day in Texas and put a popper on (lol), casted the Pop Max extremely well and had no problem asserting any kind of actions on it. Still need more time on it, but liking it very much so far. Balances at the hood nut with Met MGL and weighs in at ~3.7oz. The 6'7 spinning, I've used it for drop shot, ned rigs, micro wake baits, smaller poppers. It's as sensitive as I need it to be, didn't have a problem detecting bites with ned rigs and drop shots. balances at the top of the drag adjustment for reels around 6.3oz. the rod weighs in at ~3.2oz.

floro leader for topwater? no problem with the actions of the lure with the line pulling the head down? I usually go braid to mono leader for topwater but have heard some people using flouro so that it drags the top of the lure down giving a different action.

Contemplated on this exact thing recently, though not on the Stradic FL specifically. Ended up liking 2500 size more due to the larger handle. I find it's more natural for ME when fishing it compared to 1000 size. The 1000 size just felt very restricted while fishing when turning the handle. Not a knock on 1000 sized reels, it all comes down to preference in the end. If you care about combo balance, the weight difference could play a role in choosing 1000 vs 2500 based on what rod you'll pair it with. 2500 is typically ~1oz heavier and it does change the fulcrum point. 2500 is more universal if you do end up needing a bit more drag or line capacity down the road. I'm obviously biased towards 2500 sized based on what I found trying them both. You should try both out and see for yourself.

check your guide rings for cracks. the braid could've been slowly frayed away until the final cast that it snapped. could be braid quality too? 40# is no jokes though, to just snap like that if there's nothing wrong with it. any sharp edges on the line guide that could be fraying the line too?

I myself also prefer the Shin's Lazy Alberto knot over both Albright and Alberto knots. Micro guides will definitely hinder the ability for the knot to pass through properly. Another thing is how you cut the tag end off. Try cutting the tag end of mono/flouro at an angle so it "slides" through the guide. If you cut it square, the edge of the line will catch more often than not.

I think (correct me if I'm wrong) another way is to just use the reel and tie a loop around the hook on the weight scale. Set drag at the point where you think it's 5lb, then start pulling. Look at the scale to see at which drag setting you start pulling 5lb drag. This method doesn't involve the rod at all . Or put the reel on the rod (better leverage maybe..?), and pull straight back.

casts right, reels left with both casting and spinning outfits. KISS.

2015 Shimano Aldebaran 50, 4.7oz 2018 Shimano Aldebaran 50 MGL, 4.8oz The K has micro mod brass gears and Aldebaran has alum gears. The frame materials are different too. you may get the hollow feeling using the Aldebaran, but you get the smaller size and weight savings. It's still dang smooth, don't get me wrong. Some Daiwa reels are in the sub 5oz weight range too. I don't own any so can't speak about them.

70 sized, mgl spool, micro mod brass gears would be awesome.

it's not about not being able to lift a 4oz rod and 8oz reel combo. it's about efficiency. with modern blank design where you can achieve lower weight, why not use it? People enjoy different things too. Don't think people prefer lighter combos because they can't cast a 12oz combo. c'mon now. it's about the joy of throwing a sub 8oz combo around all day long. fishing is about having fun. if they seek a lighter combo because it's enjoyable for them, let them. Plus, who got time for the gym when you got fish to catch?

Okuma Helios micro guides, Shimano Cumara gen 1, Falcon Expert, Quantum Smoke (old gen), Falcon Bucoo Micro. all are <= 3.5oz for Medium power. Phenix feather like you mentioned is great. I have the 6'9 MH/F and it's 3.2oz. the Falcon Expert 6'8 Froggin/Pitching is H/F, 3/8-2oz and is 3.8oz.

one thing to consider is warranty. Scorpion is JDM and Shimano NA won't warrant it. They are generally pretty robust but something to think about. I'd still get the Scorpion over Curado due to color scheme and better bearings.

1. set spool on the ground 2. run the line through the last page of a heavy book (for tension) 3. run the line through first 2 guides from rod butt up to the reel. (Optional step) 4. start reeling line onto reel making sure the line is tight to avoid line digs. 5. Add desired tension by placing foot on book. this is how i've been doing it without a spooling tool.

PowerPro 50lb - .370mm Seaguar Smackdown 50lb - .360mm don't think it will help much. retie a few times and you're toast. I tried adding leaders too and casting with 50lb leader knot is not fun.

Its line capacity is a pro and a con. I love how lightweight it is and wanted to use it for everything but found its limit - frogging at distance. Using 50lb PP braid, I often cast almost all the line off the spool. After cutting off and retying a few times, it's worrying when I see the metal of the spool at the end of a cast. For everything else, even punching, I wouldn't mind using it but distance frogging gets a no from me.

you can cast out a full cast length of line, tape some electrical tape on the spool, reel it in, then practice skipping with a baitcaster. worst case is you have to pick out a full cast length of backlash rather than the whole spool.

had a Zodias spinning rod that I wasn't a fan of. The aluminum locking nut, while nice, is not very comfortable with how I hold the rod while I fish it. I do have a gen 1 cumara casting rod that I like quite a bit. The Exprides line is very highly regarded too for the price point. I'd like to try one someday. And the new Poison Adrena...

I just bought a Falcon Expert EC-7-1611 for frogging and punching. msrp is 199. It weighs 3.8oz for a 6'11 Heavy/Fast with lure range of 3/8oz to 2oz.

wouldn't looking at the schematics provided by Shimano be what you're looking for..?

Curado K no doubt. I had both, sold both, but would pick the K. It had a very solid and buttery smooth feel that the 200i didn't compare to. Looks wise, the i with the blue and silver color scheme was better IMO.

I think I've seen a few instances of people getting Zodias. You can add some $$ on top to get the Expride I believe.

I'm very happy with my Phenix Feather 6'9 MH/XF at $139. 3.2oz and sensitive. they do fish a bit lighter than advertised, think midway between M and MH, and F and XF.