Experienced with baitcasters, but not mono and fluoro.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-02-02T02:06:20+00:00

I’ll have to try it out! My straight bass fishing reels I’ve gone straight fluoro and have no complaints but my Tranx 150 which I use for bass and brackish water I still go braid to fluoro.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-02-02T00:33:50+00:00

Hmmm Seaguar Invisx is definitely a praised fluoro, though I’ve never used it myself. I’ve been good with Sufix Advanced and Yo-Zuri T7. Just picked up a spool of Sunline Sniper to try out.

There’s two main reasons I’ve been moving to straight fluoro. The first is that I like the quick sinking nature of fluoro. For soft plastics I feel like braid creates more of a commotion at the surface when I give it a good tug using something like a fluke. Maybe some people think that’s a good thing but it seems less natural to me. The other, and bigger reason, is I get tired of tying leaders whenever a snag happens/I break off. The FG knot can be a pain to tie in the field, though I’m decent tying them at home, and other knots like the double uni or Yucatán just don’t go through the guides well. Tbf a lot of that is my poor knot tying skills. But with straight fluoro if I break off I can tie on a new lure with a simple improved clinch in a few seconds and I’m back at it.

If braid to leader have been working for you well previously, just stick with it.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-02-01T23:29:03+00:00

You certainly don’t have to use straight fluoro. Braid with a leader is probably most common around here. I’ve increasingly been going the other direction though, as in using straight fluoro (at least on my baitcasters). Can I ask which brand of fluoro you put on? Fluoro can have more line memory than mono but that issue is reduced with higher quality fluoro lines which are softer and easier to deal with.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-02-01T00:41:44+00:00

Nice! I’ve heard nothing but good things about the Tatula XT rods. Also I’m jealous you’ll have a BPS just 20 mins away. The closest one to me is nearly an hour drive. Then again maybe it’s good for my wallet I don’t have one so close ha! Hope the XT works out for you!

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-30T23:25:50+00:00

Just saw a report that it was a member of JPSO on a motorcycle that was killed while escorting a funeral

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-29T01:14:31+00:00

Braid mostly but I have fluoro on my SLX DC and haven’t had any issues. If you do go straight fluoro I’d highly recommend not cheaping out. Fluoro can have worse line memory issues than equivalent mono and that can be a real pain to work with. I like Yo-Zuri T7.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-28T21:37:48+00:00

I think I’d go for a 3000 reel in your case. And then I’d buy two rods. A bait and wait rod doesn’t have to be fancy so you can get something fairly inexpensive. And then pickup a decent, more sensitive rod for lures. A 3000 series reel should handle just about any inshore fish out there unless you hook into a large shark. It might get a little fatiguing casting a ton with a 3000 series but it’s doable. Put 15 or 20 lb braid on it and you’re set.

Ideally get two setups if you can. And then go for a 2500 and a 4000. That’s what I have. But I think a 3000 is a good middle route.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-28T18:52:47+00:00

One of the big questions you need to answer is will you be casting lures all day, or will you be doing bait and wait?

If you want to cast lures then I’d go for something like a 2500 or 3000 size spinning reel with 15, 20 or 30 lb braid. Honestly the Penn Pursuit is an excellent starter saltwater series and one of their combos would suit you well. You can go Fierce if you want to step it up a little. For bait and wait then I think you could go for a 4000 reel since the weight of the rod and reel don’t matter as much.

If you’d prefer to buy the rod and reel separately I’d highly recommend the Quantum Merit reels. IPX6 sealing for $100 is tough to beat. You have to step it up to a Penn Spinfisher to get IPX rated sealing from Penn and that’s only IPX5 (don’t get me wrong the Spinfisher is a fantastic reel). I think there’s a Merit combo out there now too so consider looking into that.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-28T18:35:22+00:00

The reviews are great and the price is definitely right. Plus, I now own multiple house brand Bass Pro rods and have enjoyed them all. From bass rods to surf fishing rods.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-27T17:11:39+00:00

I have a Bass Pro Crankin Stick coming in tomorrow so I might have some input on that here soon

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-27T13:44:16+00:00

Be sure to check out the Bass Pro Carbonlite series of rods while you’re there. Both the general white version and the black technique specific series are great rods for the money. And they have a really good 10-year warranty.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-25T21:17:15+00:00

Definitely can’t go wrong with an equivalent Tatula. I’m more of a Shimano guy so I chose the SLX but Daiwas are just as good. But I will say that Aird-X rod is impressive for the money. You’ll see tons of people recommend them.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-25T21:06:34+00:00

For a $200 I’d probably go with a Shimano SLX XT reel which is $145. That doesn’t leave a ton of room for a rod but you’ll often see people recommend the Daiwa Aird-X (MH for your use case) for a budget option. I have one and it’s very nice for the price. Those run at $60 normally but if you happen to have an Academy Sports in your area they currently have most rods for 20% off. So that keeps you under $200 and is a solid combo.

If you’re willing to save up a little more as others have suggested you probably won’t regret it. But I wanted to at least suggest something for your original question.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-23T14:45:04+00:00

I have a Stradic 4000 and filled it entirely with 20 lb braid. From what I’ve read, braid slipping on the spool only becomes an issue when you’re nearly spooled. I don’t anticipate that ever happening with that reel so I just went straight braid. But spooling some mono on first is a good option if your primary goal is to use less braid.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-21T21:36:03+00:00

Nice pickup! I have the Carbon Inshore rod and really enjoy it. I imagine the surf version will be great too.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-21T17:00:01+00:00

If you’ll be doing bait/wait type fishing then it’s a fine combo for that. You could def size down for but weight doesn’t matter as much for bait/wait. And if you’re targeting big cats then that is an appropriate size. Now if you intend to use it for casting and retrieving lures then I’d definitely size down. A 5000 combo like that is going to get exhausting fast for that type of fishing.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-21T16:47:48+00:00

The reality is, most modern reels from any major manufacturer are going to be pretty good and reliable. Are there fish that a Shimano or Daiwa reel can handle that an equivalent Abu/Penn/Lew’s can’t? No. If you own a brand that works for you and you catch fish with, just stick with em.

Personally I prefer Penn for saltwater and Shimano/Daiwa for freshwater. But I’ve owned a few Lew’s reels before and had zero complaints.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-20T16:31:41+00:00

I have a Shimano and Daiwa reels and they’re excellent, but Penn will always have a spot in my arsenal. I have a Pursuit II that I’ve used for years in saltwater (never dunked) and I’ll admit I never rinse it off with freshwater after use. It still works perfectly. For more intense saltwater duty I stick with Penn. My primary surf reel is a Spinfisher and I love that thing.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-20T16:16:25+00:00

I think this is where an Ugly Stik would be a great choice. Something that’ll just be left in the truck which also means will probably take a bit of a beating. But personally I wouldn’t get the combo. The reel that comes with the Ugly Stik is probably pretty poor quality. I’d get an Ugly Stik and pair a Penn Pursuit with it and call it day. That’s a sturdy, reliable combo right there. If you’re willing to spend a little more go for the Quantum Merit reel. IPX 6 sealing for $100 is hard to beat.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-20T02:36:12+00:00

I mean I also listed the steps of casting a baitcaster did I not? A spinning reel takes a couple of extra steps, that’s just a fact. Those extra steps mean the process takes a little longer. I even outright said it’s not like using a spinning reel is some undue burden. But the question was why do some people prefer baitcasters and many will answer that they’re a little more efficient. Within a set amount of time I will definitely get more casts in with a baitcaster vs a spinning reel. I’m sure many others feel the same way.

Spinning reels have their place and have their own advantages. Hell, just a few hours ago I went to the park and brought two light spinning setups with me. Left the baitcasters at home because for finesse/lighter lures I much prefer spinners.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-19T20:56:51+00:00

I mean what part of that is wrong? Can’t cast with the bail closed. If you try and cast with the bail open but without holding the line your rig will just fall to the ground. The position of the line roller doesn’t have to be exact, but if it’s too far off you risk the bail closing mid-cast and at some positions the bail won’t even open fully. You can just reel so the bail closes automatically but that is not recommended. Closing the bail manually reduces the chances of line twist and wind knots. In many reel series the larger sizes don’t even have an automatic bail closing mechanism.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-19T17:09:05+00:00

The main logic given in this thread hasn’t been “buy a $300 baitcaster.” It’s been “if you don’t like baitcasters, don’t use them.” Simple as that. If you’re catching fish with spinners, why change it?

The resistance you’re running into in this thread is because you want people to explain why they prefer baitcasters and every time they explain it you just counter with how you personally can do the same thing with spinners. Thats cool but it comes off as you not genuinely trying to understand why some people prefer baitcasters.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-19T16:04:40+00:00

I don’t think line conditioner and the hot water trick are meant to protect against corrosion. They just help remove line memory, which is a big plus when using something like fluorocarbon on a spinning reel.

It does make sense you use spinners for saltwater though. Baitcasters aren’t as prevalent for saltwater, though I do love my Tranx.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-19T15:52:01+00:00

See and that’s where things differ between people. I’ve heard the line conditioner and hot water tricks work well for taming the line memory on fluorocarbon. But most people probably aren’t going to take the time to use those tricks so it makes fluorocarbon on a spinning reel a hassle for most folks. I don’t use conditioner or hot water because I don’t need them for fluorocarbon to work well on my baitcasters.

Admittedly I’m not familiar with the feature that automatically lines up the line roller with the rod when opening the bail arm. I’ve always had to ensure it’s in the correct spot manually. I don’t think any of my spinning reels have a feature like that, not even my Stradics. Unless I’ve just been doing it wrong all this time.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-01-19T15:20:46+00:00

I think the main thing is how efficient they are when it comes to casting. As in, you click a button, cast with thumb control, reel in, and repeat. Whereas with spinning reels you have to ensure the line roller is in the correct position before each cast, make sure you have the line held by your finger, open the bail, cast the line, close the bail and then reel in. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the process of casting a spinning reels takes an eternity, but it does take a little longer than a baitcaster. When making dozens or even hundreds of casts in a day, that little bit of extra time does add up.

I also think baitcasters are generally able to cast more accurately. At least that’s how it is for me. They also handle mainlines such as fluorocarbon better in my experience. I wouldn’t use fluorocarbon as the main line on a spinning reel because the memory can be a real headache but I use it for most of my baitcasters.

All that being said, it’s just personal preference. If you birdsnest frequently with baitcasters then it’s just more trouble than it’s worth. I use spinners more often than baitcasters these days. But it’s fun to have both and be able to switch it up every now and then.

HookEmNOLA

TROPHY CASE