Bait/gear monkey and an unused rod - new reel?

[Capriceragtop]

Hey folks,

 

In a previous post, I asked whether my 7' Medium Ugly Stik Elite was too light to throw 1/2oz or 3/4oz chatterbait and trailer.

 

In short, yes, it was too light. Upgraded to a 7'6" Johnny Morris Heavy, and moved my Lew's reel over to it. That new rod will handle most of the larger jigs, chatterbait, etc, but now I'm considering repurposing my Ugly Stik. I'm considering adding a new baitcaster and am eyeing a Shimano DC, either the Curado or SLX.

 

I'm thinking the Ugly Stik will be for lighter jigs, small chatterbaits, and a lot of weightless soft plastics: Texas, wacky, etc. Given I'm considering making this a light-to-medium duty rod, are the Curado or SLX a good choice?

 

I've never run a DC reel, but the purported benefits seem appealing, especially with lighter lures.

 

Tight lines!

[LCG]

Highly recommend the SLX MGL 70 model. 

[Capriceragtop]

17 minutes ago, LCG said:

Highly recommend the SLX MGL 70 model. 

I'll look into it, thanks!

[Bankc]

I'm in the opposite boat.  I found a Penn Warfare in the trash a while back.  It was attached to a broken rod, and apparently the previous owner got so mad, they threw away the whole combo.  The reel needed a good cleaning, but is otherwise fine.  I don't have a use for it, but I still find myself looking for a rod for it.  

 

As for your situation, I'd just find a cheap reel to throw on that.  The standard SLX would be good.  Pairing an expensive reel to a cheap rod is kind of like putting expensive racing tires on a Ford Tarus.  Will they improve it?  Yeah.  But it's not gonna turn it into a race car.  A really nice reel will just make you want to replace the rod altogether.  For the price of a Curado DC, you could probably get a nice Johnny Morris combo that you'd appreciate a whole lot more.  

[ironbjorn]

10 minutes ago, Bankc said:

I'm in the opposite boat.  I found a Penn Warfare in the trash a while back.  It was attached to a broken rod, and apparently the previous owner got so mad, they threw away the whole combo.  The reel needed a good cleaning, but is otherwise fine.  I don't have a use for it, but I still find myself looking for a rod for it.  

 

As for your situation, I'd just find a cheap reel to throw on that.  The standard SLX would be good.  Pairing an expensive reel to a cheap rod is kind of like putting expensive racing tires on a Ford Tarus.  Will they improve it?  Yeah.  But it's not gonna turn it into a race car.  A really nice reel will just make you want to replace the rod altogether.  For the price of a Curado DC, you could probably get a nice Johnny Morris combo that you'd appreciate a whole lot more.  

Yep, and it's pretty backwards in general. The rod should be the more expensive quality part of the combo.

[Capriceragtop]

8 hours ago, Bankc said:

As for your situation, I'd just find a cheap reel to throw on that.  The standard SLX would be good.

Aww man, now I wish I'd held off! Pulled the trigger on a Curado 70 MGL to make that a weightless Texas rig and light tackle setup. Presently have no bait caster for lighter stuff, and weightless Texas rig trick worms are one of my confidence baits.

 

Looks like I'll have a rod purchase in my future.

 

Are the Johnny Morris combos good? Picked up a Johnny Morris rod a few weeks ago and like it. I've been a bit gunshy of combos and private label reels, even though I know the reels are made by Lew's, Diawa, or someone else reputable.

[CrankFate]

Consider the Curado BFS. It’ll cast better and easier than anything DC, at a better price.

[Capriceragtop]

50 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

Consider the Curado BFS. It’ll cast better and easier than anything DC, at a better price.

Thoughts on the Curado MGL? Ordered one of those, as I'm aiming for a reel for weightless plastics, or small jigs.

[CrankFate]

1 hour ago, Capriceragtop said:

Thoughts on the Curado MGL? Ordered one of those, as I'm aiming for a reel for weightless plastics, or small jigs.

I have never used it, but you really can’t go wrong with the Curado. 

[FishTank]

I would invest in a better rod for those techniques, unless you're dead set on it.  

 

I have the Curado DC and it's a great real but it looks like you are building an arsenal, not adding to it.  The DC reels to me are a nitch reel, great for specific situations.   So based on what you stated above..... a St.Croix Avid 7'MH Fast and a regular SLX.

[Capriceragtop]

Thanks for the advice, FishTank. I've got a Curado MGL in the wind to me. Baitmonkey has me spending more lately than intended, so I may have to put the better rod on the back burner.

 

At this point, I've got a 7'6 Johnny Lewis rod (not sure the model, but is was about $180) and Lew's reel. That will cover basically everything from 3/8oz chatterbaits, jigs, etc, up to about 2oz. Then, I've got another Lews on a rod for frogs. Then, this Curado MGL, as stated, should cover my lighter lures, weightless plastics, etc. Not exactly finesse, but hopefully covers the light end of the spectrum.

[GreenPig]

8 hours ago, Capriceragtop said:

Thoughts on the Curado MGL? Ordered one of those, as I'm aiming for a reel for weightless plastics, or small jigs.

The MGL's are great casting and smooth. I fish two MGL 70 XG's and one HG. My Curado DC can't handle the lighter weights the MGL handles effortlessly. 

[djhands]

i have the SLX 70MGL and its crazy smooth and can cast a weightless texas rig nicely

[Capriceragtop]

9 minutes ago, djhands said:

i have the SLX 70MGL and its crazy smooth and can cast a weightless texas rig nicely

Good to hear! I read good things about both the SLX and Curado MGLs. Figured I'd appease the bait monkey and go with the Curado.

 

As can be expected, other folks have now got me considering a better rod for it. Maybe I'll throw my old Quantum reel on it and use it for cranks!

[CrankFate]

On 7/28/2021 at 2:25 PM, Capriceragtop said:

Thanks for the advice, FishTank. I've got a Curado MGL in the wind to me. Baitmonkey has me spending more lately than intended, so I may have to put the better rod on the back burner.

 

At this point, I've got a 7'6 Johnny Lewis rod (not sure the model, but is was about $180) and Lew's reel. That will cover basically everything from 3/8oz chatterbaits, jigs, etc, up to about 2oz. Then, I've got another Lews on a rod for frogs. Then, this Curado MGL, as stated, should cover my lighter lures, weightless plastics, etc. Not exactly finesse, but hopefully covers the light end of the spectrum.

@FishTank is right on. No one should fish 3/8 to 2oz on one rod. It’s too big of a range. I fish 2 to 5oz saltwater and 6 to 8oz on another rod. But 3/8 to 2oz is not possible by physics. You cannot fish .375oz to 2oz on one rod. That’s a max weight more than 5x the minimum weight. That is the equivalent of fishing 2 to 10oz on one rod. Anyone regularly fishing saltwater will tell you this is just not possible for most techniques. This isn’t about the bait monkey. It’s about the right tool for the task.

[Capriceragtop]

@FishTank and @CrankFate

So, I'm stuck with this 7' medium Ugly Stik Elite. Don't get me wrong, it has served me well, but was way too light for heavier baits, which I started throwing.

 

However, I also have a 7' MH Ugly Stik Elite with the sticker still on it. It presently has an 8:1 Lew's on it, and I planned on using it for frogs.

 

Given it's not used, I can most likely return to Bass Pro for credit.

 

In that case, I will still have the 7' medium Ugly Stik Elite, and the Curado 70 MGL 7.4:1 and the Lews 8:1. I also have two other not-so-great casting reels, one of which is a Quantum 5:1.

 

So, given the assessment a different rod would suit me better, what should I replace the MH Ugly Stik Elite with, and what reel should I put on it?

 

Any additional advice is appreciated!

[Capriceragtop]

@FishTank @CrankFate I went a bit crazy at Bass Pro and was hoping you could provide some advice.

 

I picked up two St Croix Premiere rods: a 7' medium power fast action 1/4 - 5/8oz spinning reel, and a 7' medium-heavy fast action 3/8 - 1oz casting rod.

 

My thought process was to use the spinning rod with my Pflueger reel and use that for weightless flukes and trick worms, possibly ned rigs, tubes, and maybe unweighted senkos. Then, I would use the casting rod with my Curado 71 MGL for weightless 10.5 and 12" worms, light jigs, weighted and unweighted senkos, etc.

 

Considering picking up a 7' medium light for a Pflueger 20 reel I've got, and using that for ned and finesse baits.

 

Any thoughts?

[CrankFate]

@Capriceragtop hard to say. The spinner you got will go lighter. Fish the two you have, then the holes in your techniques will appear naturally.
 

FWIW, here’s my opinion on finesse fishing. When finesse = very light line and super small baits, it’s pretty overrated. Any cheap light spinning rig will do. When finesse = using gear that appears way too light for the technique and size of fish, but it holds up like a heavy rig — that’s when you break out the ???

[Capriceragtop]

@CrankFate I also snagged a 6'6" light St Croix Supreme casting reel on sale on Amazon. It is for really light tackle, something like 1/16 - 5/16oz. Got it for a somewhat stupid reason: a trip coming up where the house is right next to a stream, and was hoping to spend a lot of time fishing it.

 

A lot of folks suggested inline spinners and grubs, so I wanted something for that occasion. Figured I can use it for some 4" worms or such. Wasn't sure the medium rod would work for 1/8oz rooster tails or 1/16oz ball head jigs.

[Fishes in trees]

What a question and it begs the question - "Has anyone ever owned an equal amount of rods & reels?"  I don't think that I ever have - not even back in the day when I was a poor meat fishing bush hippie.  I tend to have more rods than reels, mostly because I shop bargain bins for rods alot and I haven't seen any reel bargain bins where Shimano Curados & Calcuttas & the like are all jumbled together.   Also because I tend to break more rods than reels, the concept of  
"I must get this rod as a backup" comes into play.    Not that I break a whole lot of rods.   Some years I haven't broken any - other years 2 or 3 or 4.  The notion that I might break a rod at some point is enough for me to rescue a rod from the bargain bin from time to time.

[MN Fisher]

13 minutes ago, Fishes in trees said:

begs the question - "Has anyone ever owned an equal amount of rods & reels?"

(Raises his hand)

 

If I pulled my old Cardinal 562 off the display shelf (yes, it's been serviced and is eminently usable), I could set up an even 16 rigs without left-over rods.

Still leaves the Pflueger 640 on the display shelf (yes, it's very usable too) without a rod...but it's a left-only retrieve and I've gone to all right-hand retrieve.

 

So yes - reels and rods I'd use are of equal number in my house.

[Capriceragtop]

Grrr... now I'm really considering a Dobyns Fury cranking rod. I was advised a 7' MH/Moderate was a good rod to have in the arsenal.

 

The smart thing is to pair it with an old Quantum 5.1:1 I have laying around that looks like it'll hold a mile of line, or with an old Diawa with Twitchin Bar 7.3:1. But I'm looking at a Curado 201K with a 5.0:1 or 6.4:1, and they lookin mighty tempting.

 

Don't get to do much cranking since I primarily bank fish, but I've heard this is a solid rod for most treble hooks, so I imagine I could use it for jerks, cranks, swim baits, as well as other lures that should go slowly.

[Fishes in trees]

If that Quantum is an old IR 4CW, that is a good feel , IMO - it is well worth sending it to DVT and getting it reconditioned.  That way you'll be able to throw cranks a long way for a long time with that reel.    Never was very impressed with the old Diawa reels that had the twitching bar, but I've never owned one either, just looked at them at the tackle shop and just like almost always, decided to go with another Shimano.   It is hard to go wrong with any model of Curado.  Granted that some models of Curado were better than others, but they all were pretty good.  Personally, I don't have any of the K models.  If you can find any of the older Curado D reels, they had a wider spool and were made for throwing crank baits.  You're in Memphis Tennessee,  I believe they have more than a few pawn shops there and that would be a great way to screw off a rainy day, going to different pawn shops looking for fishing gear.  Me - I can't drive by a pawn shop and not stop by from time to time, looking for fishing bargains.

Just because you primarily bank fish now - doesn't mean that you shouldn't construct your lifetime bass fishing rod  reel arsenal like you're going to be a bank fisherman all your life.  If you think you need a decent cranking rig - then get one.

 

Hijacking the post for a moment - to MN Fisher - how did you manage to end up with an even # or rods & reels.  My guess is blind dumb luck - but maybe you handle your addiction better than I handle mine.

 

In my case - a modest amount of disposable income and low self esteem = buying fishing gear when ever I feel bad about myself.   Over the past few decades, I've accumulated some stuff.