NEbucketmouth19

I was planning on getting the same setup as you OP but this is what I was afraid of. I was hoping the rod would be up to the task of chucking some hudds and be able to touch it's upper weight rating.

Lzzy is definitely one of the best female singers in rock, very powerful voice, haven't heard that song before though. 8/10

Nice fish! I got an S-Waver 200 this year and can't wait to give it a go.

It's open where I am, I won't have the chance to fish for a week or two though

I really like them. The silicon is extremely durable, which when I first got them had be worrying about how well they would kick at slow speeds but man was I proven wrong in actually fishing them. Great paint jobs too.

Aww man, I just came across that same seller on Ebay. I wasn't planning on buying this for a couple months at least but I'm seeing some pretty good deals. Is the Lexa HD much better? I'm seeing some of those going for under 200 as well.

Hey guys. Currently I have a cardiff 300 paired with an okuma guide select H. I like the setup but I'm looking to put together another one to handle the next weight class of baits like 8" hudds, larger Real Prey's, some Possums etc. The Cardiff was my first round reel and I like it but just want to try something new with this next one. Currently I have my eyes on the Diawa Lexa 300, the 13 Concept A3, and the Curado 300 but that one is a little out of my price range, I'd like to stay below 200 and whichever I got I would probably be waiting for a sale. Whatever I get I am planning to spool with some 25lb P-Line PF Original so spool capacity is high on my list of requirements. From what I've read so far and on hear I'm leaning towards the Lexa 300 in a 5.1:1 model. I'd love to hear from anyone that owns any of these reels and would certainly be open to other suggestions.

Mine was actually pretty similar. I was using a Mattlures Ultimate Gill and hadn't had any bites yet that day so I just did a tiny little half-hearted under hand cats maybe 15 feet away from me so I could watch it swim. Next thing I know the skinniest 3lber I've ever seen rolls on it about 5 feet away from me. Fight lasted about 5 seconds. Poor thing must have been starving.

Yea I had my eyes on the Irod as well. Which one would you recommend, the 8' Bailey Swim (H-MF)?

That's pretty much all I do. I hear part of a song an think "hey that sounds fun to play" and I either find a YouTube video of someone else playing or if it's basic enough I'll try doing it by ear.

My main concern is I currently have an Okuma Guide Select but contrary to what it's rating says I don't feel like it can handle baits above 4 ounces, the heaviest I throw is the savage gear line throughs at 3.5oz. So I'd like to get another set up to handle that next weight class of baits like 8" hudds, the larger real preys, etc. You said it felt stiff enough to handle jig hook baits like hudds though? That was my other concern. Do you feel it has enough flex still to handle treble hook baits like a Cl8 Baby Possum?

I've been "playing" for about 6 years. Not very good at it since I never really devoted significant time to practicing. More of a "pick it up and have fun for an hour" here and there kind of deal. I have a cheap Ibanez RG Series.

Does it feel like it would be up to the task of baits at the upper end of it's weight range, like say a 10" real prey?

6/10. Not bad at all but not something I'd normally listen to.

I'm considering one for next season and was a little worried about line capacity as well.

I still can't believe what I just watched. It's like I just lived through a dream of what my heart wanted when we were down 3 -28

I'd love to know how it handles Hudds. I'm interested but only if it stays true to it's 8oz upper range.

Let us know how you like it! I'm going to be keeping an eye on these and if people seem to like them a lot might pick one up for the spring.

long term forecast doesn't look good for open water fishing. Ice should be forming pretty much all of this week in most of the state.

holy crap lol

Outdoor Pro Shop has them now if anyone is interested

It's alive, it can fit in their mouth, and the opportunity arises for the bass to eat it. I'm not sure their thinking goes much farther than that. Now, there are many places around the country that bass have the opportunity to eat Rats and Mice. Swimming a slammer right along the shoreline they might recognize that as the behavior of a rat or small muskrat and attack it because it's a repeatable pattern that they have seen before in their habitat, mimicking a pattern of a food source they see often may make them more apt to attack. Or like JC said, if the bass recognize a pattern of a food source like rats, then trying to mimick that can produce good results.

Someone with the XH can chime in on how well it throws the smaller stuff. But as someone who owns the H, I will never throw anything over 4 ounces on it. I tried the Savage Gear 8" 3D real trout and even that I am putting aside until I get a heavier rod. I wouldn't even consider Hudds, and not just for casting, I'd have little confidence in hooksets. It does throw the 68 nicely though. If you absolutely had to you could lob hudds with it without breaking the rod but it just doesn't feel right trying to cast things that heavy with it and I can't get good distance at those weights.

How is the A3 with line capacity? I am considering it when I upgrade my setup next year and would probably spool up with 20 or 25lb P-Line PF.

x2 I have the H and the ratings are not accurate. It says 1-6 but in my experience it's more like 3/4 - 3.5. Even with 4 ounces it loads up in a way that I do not like. It is a very soft rod and I honestly would not recommend it for jig hook baits.