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For me personally - with that hook I will have more potential of hooking myself after a catch. For that reason alone I think I will pass.

I like your thinking! There use to be a lure of similar design way back when. It was one of my favorite lures.

I got wind Shimano was discontinuing the Curado. I didn't want a smaller Conquest as it was cumbersome for me. The ergonomics for me always pointed to a non round low profile reel - especially on my smaller rods. I was on the fence for a long time and kinda gambled on what was to replace the Curado being my next reel. I gambled and won.

To give you some background info - I went from a heavily mondified Shimano Curado DSV (OG grey) to a stock Calcutta D for improved casting distance. I then moved into a stock Conquest for an even smaller form factor and a significantly smoother reel straight out of the box. The Conquest 401 was way too much reel for my smaller baits, but handled them just fine. By that I mean, the reel was too large for my smaller rod/bait combos. Not wanting the 300 series Conquest, I decided to hold out for an alternative solution. Queue the Tranx. It was released just in time for me to move right into them. They feel like the Curado but built as smooth as the Conquest. My friends all said once you go Conquest - you don't go back. They were right. I feel the same way about the Tranx now too. I will be getting the 400 series too, to round out my collection. All Curado, D series and Conquest owners should check out the Tranx. * I am strictly a Shimano reel fan. I do not know any other reels, so I cannot compare them to any other manufacturers.

With the power handle, it throws off the balance big time. I will be swaping out handles too.

Not sure what happened in my last post, but this is the 300series with the power handle.

300 series. Standard handle and lower ratio. 300 series. Power handle and higher speed ratio. My initial thoughts is the gearing feels like the Calcuta. Thumbs up! However, the high speed ratio reel only comes in the power handle. I personally don't like that. This looks like a winner and will definitely be a suitable Curado replacement.

Personally I just didnt like the color green. I was already in deep with the DSV reels too. I modified each reel with upgraded bearings and drag. I also purchased extra spare spools. There was zero incentive for me to switch to the E300. That changed when the 401D came out, but I wish I had known the new Calcuta reels were going to come out shortly after. If I had known that, I would have skipped over the 401D reels.

Originally built to go toe-to-toe with the toughest saltwater predators, the Shimano Tranx Casting Reels have been re-sized to meet the demands of freshwater and inshore anglers. A true powerhouse-of-a-reel, the Shimano Tranx Casting Reels employ Shimano’s signature HAGANE, X-Ship, and HEG technologies, providing massive cranking power with every silky-smooth turn of the handle. Whether you’re targeting trophy largemouth or peacock bass, the Shimano Tranx Casting Reel boasts CoreProtect technology, which ensures long-lasting performance in the harshest environments. Championing the “big baits catch big bass†mantra, the Shimano Tranx Casting Reels packs an astounding 22lbs of drag (with the 5.8:1 model) into a low profile, ergonomic package, making it the reel-of-choice for large baits. Maintaining all of the tough-as-nails attributes that have earned its larger predecessors a reputation for reliability in the saltwater market, the Shimano Tranx Casting Reels provide bulletproof performance that sets-the-bar in-terms of raw power and performance. LINK: - http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/invisdescpage.html?pcode=TRX30 I purchased a bunch of DSV (grey version) reels when they first came out. Then I moved into the 401d. I missed my DSV so much, I bought them back from the buyer. Finally the lowpro Conquest came out and I moved into those reels. I think I am about to go full circle and pick up a bunch of these too.

When one door closes another door opens!?

Designing a bill for each application. If you are only building a few lures at a time, you can still get away with cutting each lure by hand without having it too time consuming. If the plan is to make multiple lures of a single pattern, you will need to decide how valuable your time is or you need to ask yourself how much do you enjoy cutting each bill. There will come a time where everything falls into place and you have a lure you will want to replicate. After all, you can never have too many lures.

you have a sickness, a good sickness! well done!!!

Dobyns is a great choice, and I believe they have made sound decisions to benefit us all. They moved away from the champion series to the champion xp series to better serve their customer and their very loyal customers. I know this may sound biased, but before all these manufactures existed I tried every rod out there. I was never happy. My buddy introduced me to Dobyns and I never looked back. Why fix whats not broken is my motto. I have been a loyal Dobyns angler for over 12 years now. All my rods are champion series, and slowly changing them to the champion xp series. I have their entire line of swimbait rods dating back to the gen1 series, along with a couple of their frog rods and beefy spinning rods. I have had over 25 champion series rods, and only 2 had issues with the guide. 1 was user error - I stepped on it when it was on the deck of the boat. Do yourself a favor and go the xp series unless you are buying 2 champion series rods. Once you break a guide, you may be down a rod. I had the same experience. Hope this helps! * FYI they also changed blank manufactures to better serve their customers (who remembers that?)

Bigger ones notice the hooks sooner than you think. When running along docks, this allows the whole hook to be hidden. Hope this helps!

ill play! K'S LABO: - cant fish it wrong - super loud topwater (if you get that version) and probably the loudest out there at all levels of retreive - catches fish of all sizes, both big and small

Awesome setup guys! My rooms are always messy and I can never keep them clean for long.

I mainly have the Champion series rods. I started from Gen1 until present. I have yet to try/get a hold of these Fury rods. I hear good things about them and this thread might possibly make me get a couple. Thanks for posting/sharing everyone!

they busted last year - and now they have an even bigger target on their backs with KD in the lineup. though KD might actually allow them to keep their minutes down and stay healthy. either way - LET'S GO RAPTORS!

Not sure if you tried yet but I can get rods bigger than 7'3 into my subcompact: you can also trying putting the rod from the passenger footwell and angle it back to the drivers side rear. that might give you the room you need.