Question on line choice for new Avid

[Wollman14]

Hello, first post after a lot of lurking

 

Looking to get two new set ups.  Grew up a walleye fishermen and have slowly been focusing on bass last couple years.  My spinning rods are where I want them but have always purchased $50 casting rods and baitcasters.  I love to chase smallmouth in northern MN.  Rocks with little cover, both dark and clear waters. I also fish for largemouth but never in heavy slop.  For when I do fish slop I have a set up I like for this.  So planning on upgrading by casting rods.  I want one rod for spinnnerbaits, small cranks and anything else with treble hooks.  Second rod I want is a jig rod.  For smallmouth will be using 1/4-1/2 oz jigs both on bottom and swimming, and T-rigs, jerk baits, heavy tubes, etc.

 

Set up #1: Mojo Bass Spinnerbait. 7' MH/MF

Set up #2: Avid 7' M/F

 

Can not decide if I want to get Avid or Avid X.  And want to start with the M/F and later get the MH/F down the road.

 

I have a pretty good idea on reals, I prefer Abu but am open to suggestions here.  would go 6.1:1 for spinnerbait rod and 7.1:1 on the avid.

 

I cannot decide what type of line to use.  I have typically only ran power pro on my casting rods and really enjoy it.  For the Spinnerbait rod i am thinking of trying mono or yo-zuri hybrid in #12.  Again open to suggestions.  For the Avid I would be fishing a lot of bottom contact baits so the braid would shine here, but am open to being talked into Flouro for this set up.  

 

Thank you!

 

[A-Jay]

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

 

St Croix make a nice stick and both new Mojo Bass & the Avid line have a decent following.  

As a fan of that brand I recently purchased an Avid X myself.

It seems close to my LTB rods in both built & feel.  Time will tell.

 

In reality,  most everything you've mentioned "works".

Some of the fun is fishing it, and then tweaking it a bit here and there to make it work for you.

So in the end my suggestion is to purchase the gear & use the line that you think is right for you and your fishing and see how it goes.

A-Jay

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard!

 

I agree with @A-Jay.

 

Have owned an Avid, for me, too tip-heavy, now

have a LTWalleye 6'3" MLXF spinning rod, still on

the tip-heavy side, but sweet. Don't plan on ever

owning another Avid, let alone anything higher, 

most likely.

 

For my casting I prefer BPS Carbonlites. They are

light, sensitive as my former Avid, and at the $100

mark, a great buy.

 

Line, I stick to Power Pro for every single setup on

spinning and casting. I use leaders, as well, even

when spinnerbaiting.

 

Fluoro or Yo-Zuri for leader are great lines. I've got

a ton of YZH but have been testing out use of Gamma

Edge fluoro lines in 6, 8, and 10# test for leaders. So

far, excellent in durability and sensitivity.

[offsidewing]

I have a 7' MF and 7' MHF Avid X casting rods.  With a decent reel and line, you can easily cast weightless 5" Inch Senkos and Fat Ikas with the 7' MHF.  With most reels you can toss jerkbaits, 1/2 oz Football Jigs, swim jigs, Keitech Fat Impacts, and pop the top of isolated lilly pads with T-rigged Rage Tails and the like.  I don't use spinnerbaits a lot (GASP) but I'll tie them on the 7' MHF too.

 

The 7' MF Avid is paired with a really high end reel and I'll toss 3/16 oz Ned Rigs and 1/4 Tube Jigs on it.  It feels better to me with baits below 1/2 oz.

 

The Avid Xs feel ever so slightly tip heavy when I think about it while balancing them in my driveway or the basement with nothing tied to them.  Out on the water, I don't notice a thing other than what a great stick they are.

 

I don't think people mention this enough, but the reel seat on the Avid X is one of my favorites.  No exposed threads.  

[Angry John]

I would recommend a new 7.2 alphas sv for your medium avid.  I have a 7 and a 66 medium avid and this small reel is perfect.  You could run 12 lb yhb on this for jigs and have no isues and strong knots with good handeling.