Take a look at the Kistler Helium3 line. They have a 6'8" LMH that is like a Medium+ in power but it's got an MBR-like flex (very similar to a GLX852) and soft tip that keeps fish pinned and throws small and big baits a country mile. They say it is a Fast taper rod but it has only a little more flex...

Japan Fishing Show 2020 is coming up on Jan 17, 2020, and should yield some cool new toys I think... does anyone have any predictions about rods, reels, or any other tackle that they expect to see at the show? I have read/heard that it's likely Shimano will put out a new Stradic Ci4+ which would be ...

Touching the blank does help sensitivity. I fish with all of my fingers in front of the trigger. The standard foregrip nut with no threads exposed is what I use on my custom builds with PULS Palm Forward seats. I have tried various larger and smaller foregrip nuts, but the standard nut is the most ...

After my first real season of fishing ever, I've learned some things about fishing rods. I won't go into all of them. But one of the things I learned is that I think I prefer a short foregrip so my finger can touch the blank. I can only do this on my Kistler Helium3 rods, which have no foregrip, jus...

Yikes... why would anyone want to uglify a Bantam like that? Especially on a Conquest, mismatching blues and all... :sick: To each their own, but... the Bantam is one of the cleanest, most refined-looking reels I've seen, and adding anything other than black, white, or silver to it just seems wrong ...

Hey, this whole thread was to discuss whether or not it could work! Sounds like it wouldn't, which is a bummer but it makes sense (want slower action and even more backbone for big hooks). In this case, what's a good lightweight muskie rod that won't break the bank, ideally no more than 8' but ideal...

Unless you’re going to throw bass baits (and obviously smaller bass instead of musky size hooks) you’re going to be disappointed. I don't throw 2-4oz lures for bass though, that's the thing. Surely not all muskie baits are 8oz+?? Surely there are some in the 3-4oz range that I could buy without bui...

I don't have any Lews gear or recommendations, but I've got that same Eyecon and I paired it with a Pfleuger President XT 30 (about a 2500 size reel). It's a nice enough reel. I definitely get more smoothness from my Stradic Ci4+, but the PXT is pretty darn smooth for its price. I don't feel any gea...

I bass and musky fish regularly . There is no way I would feel confident throwing musky baits on any of my XH bass rods. Just get a musky combo. The problem is paying for a lightweight musky rod. I don't wanna spend what I expect it requires... even the SC Legend Tournament Musky rods are around 9-...

Hey all. I'm thinking I want to get a better flippin' stick for next summer's thick weeds, but I don't want to overspecialize. I kind of need a rod to throw decent size big swimbaits on, but I don't want to overspecialize. I kind of want to target some muskie next year, but I don't want to overspeci...

I've got the HG and XG for basically all presentations. Frogs, jigs, worms, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, you name it I'm doin' it. The Bantams excel at basically every power and finesse application. I do like to give them a workout when I can though. I love a good chuck 'n wind day because these reels ...

I was looking at Kistler's Zbone offerings with the X-Ray blank, and found that they don't have any short ML spinning rods. 7' is the shortest, which seems just a little long. I inquired about getting a custom Zbone made and Kistler wants $600 for one. Seems a bit hefty given how low they drop stand...

I just bought one second hand Stradic FL, BNWB completely unused for a third of its price... Stripped it down and pictured the heck out of it for others. What can I say is that its quiet a bit parts heavy compared to the FK but pretty well remade and better spec than the FK. Adding bearings in the ...

For those who have or have tried the 7'2" Heavy... do you think the action is right for it to be a heavier jig, flipping/punching, and frog rod? I don't need an ultra stout punching rod. Thinking it could be good for 1/2oz and 3/4oz jigs, up to a 1oz tungsten for punching. My Helium3 7'H seems like ...

Those colors totally match. I don't have an issue with that. I still don't like the red lettering on the Morethan, though, and the shine still looks cheap to me, but I haven't seen one in person unfortunately. I mentioned the Zillion SV TW with the blue body and red/orange accents. I think those co...