Help Pair Rod/reel Combo And Select A New Rod.

[new2BC4bass]

Posted not long ago about the Bait Monkey pushing me to get another reel although I was fighting the urge. What I did was the last thing I mentioned in the post. Bought a used Trion at a good price for now and holding off on the other reel....although a 4th choice has me very tempted. That is Cablea's 50th Zillion. I have Diawa's 50th and love it.

Did an inventory a few minutes ago. Have 13 reels (counting the as yet purchased Trion), but only 10 rods. Speaking in terms of baitcasting only. Pretty sure on what I want for some of the rod/reel combinations, but up in the air about others. Looking for some input from you guys. Secondly I guess I better make my next big purchase a rod rather than a reel. Looking for suggestions on that too although I have a couple ideas of my own.

Combos I'm pretty sure of:

Zillion 7'6" Flip and Pitch - TD-Z 103HL Type R currently has 55lb. Samurai

Zillion 6'6" Medium Extra Fast - Alphas ito with 8lb. P-Line CX

Techna AV 7' MH - STX with 40 lb Sufix Performance

Elite 6'9" Light - Sol with whatever was on reel, but going to try 4 lb. or maybe 6 lb. mono

Berkley Lightning 6' MH - Daiwa Procaster. Bought 4 my grandson....but he isn't into fishing right now

I have 3 more medium power rods: Tec Spec 6'8", Cara cc-4-17M, Falcon Elite

and 2 more MH power rods: Airrus Ultra XL 7', Cumara 7'2" Fast

Remaining reels are 3 Fuegos, 51E, Chronarch 101B, Prodigy, Daiwa 50th, and soon a Trion.

I'm thinking of pairing the Tec Spec/Trion although I want to try the Trion on a couple other rods first. Great reviews on this reel. I'd like to see just how well it performs on a couple quality rods.

The Airrus and 50th are currently paired as is the Cumara with a Fuego, but I'm considering switching the Fuego out with the 101B. I'd like to keep Fuegos on the Cara and Elite.

These pairings sound okay to you?

I need rods for the 51E, Fuego and Prodigy. As you see, I have no heavy power rods, and not sure I even need one here in Pennsy. The Podigy has been cleaned, polished and bearings upgraded, but think I would like to keep it on a rod using 3/8 oz or heavier lures. The other 2 should handle anything I'd be throwing with the exception of very light lures.

I like a deal as well as the next guy. Cabela's is having a sale on their XMLTi rods. $200 rod for $120. All have fast actions. I've never read a review on these rods. Any good? I'm thinking the Heavy model (just for giggles) or another MH.

I very much like what I have read about the 733 and 734 rods (Powells and Dobyns Savvy). Going by price alone, a person would think the Cabela's rod should be a bit better rod. Anyone know if they are?

I've also been considering the Powell Max Paddle Tail and Falcon Clark Wendlandt series...the 6'6" MH All Purpose or possibly the 6'7" MH Weightless Worm or 6'10" MH Finesse jig rods, but not the cranking rods, as I feel I already have those 2 (Med & MH) covered.

What are your thoughts? Jump now or hold off for something like a 733 or 734 Savvy? Or something different? How about another Cumara...the 7'2" MH XF this time?

Thanks.

Should add that I like to throw spinnerbaits. I like throwing crankbaits, but don't have much luck with them. I fish weightless worms and Senkos. I picked up some jigs this year, and would like to get good with them.

[ChiCityBasser]

I have one of the Cabelas XMLTi spinning rods which is the XMLTiS693-1a 6'9" M/F model that I use for fat ika, senkos and other weightless plastics. The rod is very light and very very sensitive and impressed me enough to be in the market for a casting model also. I haven't used any of the other rods you mentioned but I would say the XMLti can hold its own with them as far as weight and sensitivity. At the $120 price it is a great deal on a light, sensitive and responsive rod with plenty of backbone.

[tomustang]

The Ti and XML's are good deals when they're on clearance

As for a heavy rod, where in pa are you fishing?

[new2BC4bass]

The Ti and XML's are good deals when they're on clearance

As for a heavy rod, where in pa are you fishing?

I mostly fish Minsi Lake. Lots of lily pads around much of the shore and even out into the lake on one end. Talked to a guy last time out who had been fishing frogs all morning. He'd had lots of hits, but missed most. I figure my Zillion F&P or Techna AV might be heavy enough since I've been told that both are more powerful than the average MH rod. Actually I've been told by a much more experienced bass fisherman than I that they both would work for frogs. I've thrown a frog on both, but no strikes. That's probably because I take my daughter, and she can't/won't get up and started early enough.

Looked my receipt over tonight when I got back from Cabela's. My total had been less than I was expecting. Thought I had gotten a killer deal on the XMLTi, but when I checked the model number out on the Internet it wasn't the $200 rod, so now I have to make a trip back to Cabela's. The salesmen picked out 3 rods for me to look at after I asked about the $200 XMLTi rods that were on sale for $120. I liked the seat and looks of the foam split handle better on the 7' Heavy even tho I normally prefer cork. The cork didn't look that great while the foam seemed like it could withstand a lot of abuse. However, I don't see a need for a Heavy rod at this point in my fishing so I went with the MH. Model number is XMLTiC 66WJ, not XMLTiC665-1A as listed on their site.

The salesman had told me the difference in the seats was because the cork handled one was last year's model. Apparently this is a MagTouch series rod. At least that was the closest model I could find with those numbers.

[new2BC4bass]

Started fishing when I was 5. Had a 23 year hiatus before getting back into fishing last year. Had very few rods. All got used for whatever lure or bait I felt like using at the time. Never knew there were technique specific rods. Which is why I'm asking for help now. I've read several of the articles offered on this site so I have a general idea of what should or shouldn't work.

I guess maybe the best thing to do is buy what I think will work based on what I've already read and can afford, then find out for myself if it does what I expected. Course my funds are a bit limited for making mistakes in choices. Also once I buy an item, I have the bad habit of never selling it. So if I make an error in judgement, I'm stuck with it.

[tomustang]

Fellow minsi fisherman, I probably ran into you once before up there, I'm usually with my wife when I go up. I'm always wearing a St Croix hat

With the frogs, the misses could more of a line issue, whenever I frog up there I get plenty of hits but I don't use braid for the best hookup, since mono is on my multiuse setup.

Magtouch's don't have any cork, that's the design for full sensitivity, I was just up at cabelas today playing with the xmlti 7' heavy, it seems good. You also have to check the models since they have technique specifics, the worm and jig should be a medium heavy but it has a higher rating

Message sent

[new2BC4bass]

Fellow minsi fisherman, I probably ran into you once before up there, I'm usually with my wife when I go up. I'm always wearing a St Croix hat

With the frogs, the misses could more of a line issue, whenever I frog up there I get plenty of hits but I don't use braid for the best hookup, since mono is on my multiuse setup.

Magtouch's don't have any cork, that's the design for full sensitivity, I was just up at cabelas today playing with the xmlti 7' heavy, it seems good. You also have to check the models since they have technique specifics, the worm and jig should be a medium heavy but it has a higher rating

Message sent

I don't remember the hat, but are you the young couple that moved back from Texas? Greetings regardless. We should get together some time.

I didn't get on my computer til late this afternoon. Missed your tip about the Compre. Customer Service called an employee working in the fishing section up to the front. Happened to be one I talked to yesterday. He went back and found an XMLTi-665 rod for me. According to him the one I bought yesterday IS last year's model...a $190 marked down to $90 when the 2011 model came out. Last year's MH is rated for 3/8-2 oz. while this year's model is rated at 1/4-1 oz. You can see that last year's model has a bigger diameter throughout its length. This year's Heavy is rated 3/8-2-1/4 oz. Last year's MH looks to be very close to this year's Heavy. I couldn't tell a difference in flex there at the store.

I don't know if this year's model is also considered a Worm and Jig rod, but given the difference in ratings, it seems to me that you wouldn't consider them to both fill the same slot in your arsenal. Since I had 3 more reels than rods, and since I had made the trek out there, I decided to keep the one I bought yesterday and buy the other. All my previous MH rods are 7' or longer, so I went with 6-1/2 footers for both new rods. I signed up for Cabela's credit card so I got a one time 10% discount on my purchase. Last year's $190 rod cost me $81 this year. :) Kind of deal I can't pass up.

I'm going to mount my Prodigy with 12 lb. Big Game on the 2 oz. rod, and a Daiwa with ?? line on the 1 oz. rod for now, but think I will try the new 51E on it after I get the reel cleaned by DVT.

[tomustang]

Born and raised here Wouldn't mind a meet up if the weather is good

Yeah cabelas went nuts with rod types for a bit, good to see they reduced them, bad that I have one that needs to be returned under the 25 year warranty and the length isn't made anymore

On that 51E you might not have enough room to cast far

[new2BC4bass]

On that 51E you might not have enough room to cast far

Now you are making me feel bad. That comment tells me just how bad my casting sucks.

[Dockhead]

I think I have your solution.

Sell the three Fuegos - cheap - in the Flea Market!

[tomustang]

Now you are making me feel bad. That comment tells me just how bad my casting sucks.

Well it depends on the line, it is meant for smaller applications

If you wanna meet up some time let me know, weather permitting

[new2BC4bass]

Well it depends on the line, it is meant for smaller applications

If you wanna meet up some time let me know, weather permitting

I'm using 8 lb. P-Line on my Alphas ito with no problem. Going to try 6 lb. on my Daiwa Sol (BC). If that works, I'll try 4 lb. Want to use it for the lightest lures I can throw with it.

Going to send you a PM.