I second the ss air, although I fair pretty well with my ss sv 103 and t3 with a shallow sv1000 spool going that low, but I rarely fish below ~1/4 total weight. Either will launch a 3/16 duo rozante, which is aerodynamic and equipped with a weight transfer system and I can cast a 1/10 shroomz with a...

Lol, holy crap, that's gnarly! That's the beauty of an sv spool. If the Senko flies off, it shoots off into the water, presumably to be inhaled by the fattest pig in the lake, the jig head winds up somewhere behind you, and the spool barely backlashes.

I use a Major Craft MS-X 65ML/RF (3/16-1/2, 8-14#) with a Daiwa SS SV 6.3. It slays. The whole thing weighs ~9.2 oz and is perfectly balanced. You'd be hard pressed to find anything better IMO. Managed to get it together for $390, too, so there's that. It's excellent for a lot more than finesse jigs...

Yeah, the hlc is for swimbaits and deep cranks, things like that. It has a stationary inductor for minimal brake interference. Not a good idea with 1/4 oz baits.

While we're on the subject, does anyone know if a tatula drag star will mount right up to these with the stock handle? I'd like a longer one so I can twitch shakey heads one handed, but I don't want a longer handle.

Mine has the small amount that most of them do. Nothing you'd normally notice. Could be that whoever swapped the handle installed the spring washers in wrong. Turn them around to where they are opposing each other and that should eat up that play and improve your drag pressure. He may have lost a wa...

They are supposed to be released sometime in August. I hope they moved it up, I was told they weren't being released until January. Hey, Bronzefly, when you get the scoop let us know! I'm debating the SS air 8.1 or the aforementioned 103....the air doesn't seem to be too versatile though. I have th...

You won't need an sv spool for that. The 1016 is great for flipping duty and runs cheaper. If you were trying to pitch Ned rigs or something, it'd be a different story, but for what you're talking about, any difference in performance would be negligible. I flip just fine with my tatula type r and n...

I have a t3 with an sv1000 shallow and HHS ceramic air bearings that use for BFS but would have no qualms whatsoever about spooling it up with 65 # braid and pitching 1 oz jigs into a brush pile. It's perfectly suited for either task. They're awesome. "super versatile" is no joke. But for just short...

You won't need an sv spool for that. The 1016 is great for flipping duty and runs cheaper. If you were trying to pitch Ned rigs or something, it'd be a different story, but for what you're talking about, any difference in performance would be negligible. I flip just fine with my tatula type r and ne...

I will say that Shimreels' novel approach to tape the rod in its packaging to a shower rod and put that in a triangular box seems to work just fine, but I'd definitely feel safer with PVC à la Plat.

Your length requirement is a bit limiting for such a rod. If you're willing to go 6'6"-6'9" I'd say an MS-X or MS-X limited BFS would suit your needs perfectly. The volkeys are nice, too, but obviously a step down in terms of weight and balance.

I think the main difference between the ss and Steez sv, aside from a few cosmetic differences, is the lack of two bearings somewhere internally. That's what detracts from the feeling of connectivity since plastic bushings both dampen vibration and increase friction. I think if you swap those bushin...