TackleTour

Thanks a lot AmericanSkin! Of course I still have lots of questions and curiosities... but that's why the reel will be at my door in two days!!

To answer your question, Fishingelbow, I have no reel preferences for rod weight, as long as the balance is there. To me, balance is paramount as far as rod performance is concerned, and I've held a lot of 6 and 7 ounce rods that were incredibly well balanced and feel significantly lighter in hand (these are all custom built). Of course, putting a reel like the Calais on a rod like the Steez or any number of factory featherweight sticks is probably not a pragmatic match. But I fish a great deal of inshore saltwater bass, and rod/reel weight doesn't play as much of a significant role. Then again, even if I fished freshwater exclusively, I'd most likely stick to aluminum reels - the durability and reliability in my mind far outweigh weight variances. This is just my own personal taste.

Excellent review AmericanSkin...

I too was impressed with the STX (although the Morrum SX lines are better IMO), but just could not get used to the feel of palming this reel and the way it casts.

Dats why they make a lot of diff types reels for diff type fishers...lucky us!