AJ.AJ.AJ.

They just refunded me the money for the rod and sent me a shipping label to send it back.

Awesome!

Got an email today from D.T. saying they are having an end of season sale.

BLXSG681MLXS , after tax and shipping it was 206, my tatula after tax and shipping was 190 so it seemed like for the extra 16 bucks why not. I dont know what the rules are here about saying the names of retailers, the initals are D.T. Got an email today from them about an end of season sale and they had it marked down from 400 to 206. Tax free and free shipping. Yeah you called it. The 6'8 ML/F. I read somewhere on the forums that someone said they didn't think it was as good as it should be at the 400 price point. But being their top end line behind the Steez i'm assuming it's definitely worth 200.

O.k. well forget about this thread. I just saw a Daiwa BLX on sale for half price and it only cost me $16.50 more than the Tatula rod I had ordered.

Well I never said I only picked those rods just for their color, of course I considered "lenght/power/action, etc..."

SOLVED! just saw a BLX for just $16.50 more than the Tatula rod i had ordered and snagged it. Needed a new $150-$200ish rod to go with my new Stradic FL. I wanted one that was silver/gray to match the reel so I could look awesome while getting skunked. Purchased a Tatula Elite that hasn't arrived yet. Today I got an email from an online retailer who is having a %20 off sale. Daiwa is excluded from the sale but TFO was not. Saw they had a really snazzy looking rod on sale that seems very comparable and has a better warranty. Was hoping you guys could tell me what you think, the TFO rod seems to be new and I can't find any good reviews online except for the ones from TFO and "affiliated" people. It's tempting with the 20ish dollar difference and the better warranty but I know nothing about TFO bass rods and can't find much online. Any input would be appreciated thanks! Daiwa Tatula Elite Signature Series Bass Rod ($180) TAEL701MLFS - Cod Myer Finesse Rod 7' ML/F 1/16-3/8 SVF™ Nanoplus Super Volume Fiber blanks X45® BIAS graphite fiber construction Fuji® Alconite guides Fuji® reel seat Limited 5 Year Warranty Temple Fork Outfitters Tactical Elite Bass Rod ($200 / Sale $160) TLE DSS 6103-1 - 6'10 ML/F 1/16-3/8 intermediate modulus carbon fiber material Pac Bay Titanium Minima SV guides down-locking graphite feel-through skeletal reel seats with black anodized hoods custom Winn® split grips TFO’s no-fault lifetime warranty.

Yeah i just got that Exceler LT about a month ago on Discount Tackle for $64 total after tax and shipping. Much less expensive reel. Just doesn't have the fit and finish and feel of the Stratic. Your watch analogy was spot on.

It's definitely smoother and has lower inertia. Supposedly the Vanford with the MGL will be better at low inertia than the Stradic FL. The Stradic FL feels much smoother and more solidly built for sure than the Exceler, also the exceler nob has a little play in it which bothers me but the Stradic FL has none. It just feels all around like a much more premium reel, as it should considering the price difference.

I received my Stradic FL yesterday but had decided to instead get the Vanford after listening to you guys on this thread. I just went ahead and took the box off my porch and put it directly into the trunk of my car without even opening it. Today I figured just out of curiosity I would open the box up and see how it felt before I returned it. Wow what a nice reel. I ended up ordering the 3000 because I wanted the higher retrieve (37in). All of my fishing in this town is from the bank on reservoirs and lakes that have very limited spots to cast from if you dont have a boat. I end up doing a lot of standing in the same one or two spots and cast my plastics out as far as I can up and down the banks to reach spots where there might be bass and that also means a lot of reeling plastics back long distances all day. The weight (7.9oz) to me feels super light so that's not an issue. Oddly enough I held the 8oz Stradic FL in one hand and the 6.5 Exceler LT 1000 in the other (both by the reel foot) and i swear that Stradic absolutely feels lighter than the Exceler. The only reason i can think of is that the Exceler is in a more compact package where the larger Stradic has the weight better distributed. In fact when I took the Stradic out of the box I thought they sent me the wrong size because I could immediately tell it felt lighter than my Exceler, first thing I looked at was what size was printed on the reel. So anyways yeah, that reel feels so smooth and lighter than I thought it was going to feel that I'm just going to keep it since i already have it, not to mention that I think it's a stunning reel. I already had ordered a silver Daiwa Tatula Elite Signature Series Bass Rod (Cody Meyer finesse) that I tried to cancel this morning to instead get the black and red Shimano Zodias for the Vanford I was going to order, but the Daiwa rod had already shipped so atleast now that's one less return to deal with if I keep the Stradic. Long story short (I know too late for that now!) the Stradic FL is beautiful and feels super smooth and lighter than I thought it would. I couldn't be happier with it!

Thanks for the input. Nice name btw!?

Thanks, sounds like the Vanford is better. Think i'll be returning the stradic FL when it shows up, although i'm going to take it out of the box and look at it when it gets here so who knows i may not want to part ways with it once i have it in my hands.

Awesome, thanks guys i already purchased the Stradic FL (it's out for delivery right now) but i can just send it back and pick up the Vanford instead. I'll take the FL out of the box when it gets here to look at it but for i think about 20 dollars more the Vanford sounds like a better deal.

Thank you, it's confusing to me. I checked both models on the Shimano website and it has the Vanford listed as having the MGL rotor but not the Stradic FL. Does this make the Vanford cast better or just feel smoother?

Excellent thank you. So if i'm reading this correctly it's mostly a difference in material qualities where the Vanford is using lighter more expensive materials? But as far as performance goes they will be about the same because they have very similar working parts?

Excellent thanks! I'll have to look into that MGL spool and see if the Stradic also has the same and if not what the difference is. Thanks for the reply.

I see the Vanford is 1.5oz lighter and has 1 more bearing. Is there any other significant difference between these two? I want to pick up one of these for freshwater fishing, i really doubt i would notice the difference between 6 or 7 bearings and the heavier Stradic FL is still pretty darn light at only 7.9oz. I'm favoring the Stradic FL if those are the only major differences due to the fact that it's cheaper and a stunningly beautiful reel while the Vanford is more expensive and less attractive to me. However if there are other differences that justify the extra money and the less atractive reel (imo) i may just get the Vanford. I only fish freshwater if that helps. If anyone has had a hands on with both of these models in any sizes i would really apreciate your opinion, thanks!

I'm new to fishing and after about five trips i finally bagged my first bass! I was using a texas rig on different plastic worms for about an hour with no luck when i noticed there was a lot of thick grass on the bottom of the lake and all i was doing was dragging the worms through it and you couldnt really see the worms very well. I figured i'd try something that i could just retrieve back over the grass and see if that made a difference. I pulled out a chatterbait i had and since i already had a 6 inch gulp nightcrawler on my texas rig i just went ahead and threw that on as the trailer. Cast it out a couple times and just straight retrieved it back and BOOM! bass. It was small but it was a bass! Thanks to all of you guys who have been so great for advice on everything i've come across so far.

Thanks for the help guys. Ordered a pair of Kast Kings from amazon, i don't remember the model but i picked it because someone in reviews said it fits well over their prescription glasses and that's something i'll have to do. I think the iditarod was the model name. It was only about $17 after a %15 off coupon they had and i had some amazon points to use up. Apreciate the help guys thanks.

Thanks for the recommendations guys, i'll check out those Kast Kings you two recommended. I need the glasses to stop sun glare on the water so i can see my line for finesse fishing, what color lenses should i get?

Thanks for the extra suggestions guys.

Thank you that sounds like good advice. That kind of stuff is why i came here first.

Today i was fishing and i was facing the sun that was starting to set behind the trees on the other side of the lake. I had lightly tinted prescription sunglasses that i was wearing but they didnt help much at all, it was extremely hard to see the water and i couldn't really see my line at all. I had to twist my ball cap sideways and pull it down one side of my face to cover my eye and tilt my head sideways and down, i must have looked like a white 42 year old mentally challenged wanna be gangbanger. What i'm wondering is are there glasses specifically for fishing that make it easy to see the water and your line even when you're facing the sun? Some recommendations would be greatly appreciated but they must be affordable, i think 30 dollars or less would be reasonable for a pair of glasses i'll only use when fishing. I'm sure if i google it or check amazon there will be tons of glasses that say they are for fishing but i wanted to come to you guys first and find out what really works.

I got a new rod and have successfully gotten many snags free in the last few times I've gone fishing by taking either my plyers or my pocket knife out of my tackle bag and wrapping the line around it and using it as a handle to pull my line. Thanks for the help guys, wish i had thought of doing that with my first rod!

Oh good call, i just the other day picked up a fairly big folding pocket knife at lowes that i keep in my fishing box. That would make a great handle for pulling line. ?