i never felt the 9ft. that mudhole carries. since u live near to mudehole, u can try some of the blanks they have. tell me which ones you like so i can order it or u can purchase it and ship it to me to build. im not gonna charge u a butt load...i take care of u man. just pm me or give me a call.

hey snagg, i read over some shimano and daiwa reels. what is your opinion on a shimano sustain? thanks

Shimano sustain is not much better than a stradic. I say, save yourself a hundred bucks and go with the stradic. Alan Hawk or Alantani ripped the two of them apart and let everyone know that the sustain is not worth the extra $100 vs the stradic.

I got a Daiwa Advantage 2500 I'll let go for $80 if you're interested.

Sold my Sustain and Stradic CI4 on here not too long ago. I like my Stradic MGFB.

Thanks for the input Wilson. I know this is a subject I should be on top of, but I�m really just trying to get back into surf casting 100% again. Roy and I, use to talked everyday for 15 years about the latest items on the market. That�s when one of the best reels you could buy was a Diawa Black Gold BG60 for $90 bucks. Here for the last 4 years, I really haven�t paid that much attention to the braided-mono debate, but it�s time for me to get with the program. When people use to ask me about my equipment 15 years ago, I use to tell them. Just because you go out and buy a $400 dollar driver, doesn�t mean you�re going to hit the ball straight, and long. If you don�t have the proper technique it just another club in your bag. My casting is still not bad for a old man, but if braided can get me 10 more yards, that would be pretty significant, and worth the money. Stayed tuned.lol and thanks again.

What is the knot you use for braided to mono leader SNAGGED?

I use a blood knot also dont get flat braid b/c its cheap you get what you pay for when it come to line.

Thanks for all the help guys. I feel like the George Forman of surf casting lol. Back in the day, I could throw with the best of them. Now, I'm just a little old man trying to hang on.lol

Very interesting crappie. I did not know that a Blood Knot would work on a braided-mono combo? I�m very proficient at a Blood Knot, so that would work out great for me. Do you have the braided on top, or below when you tie it?

25-wrap albright is the easiest for me to tie in the field.
(read: dark, windy, old-man eyes..:)

much better than blood knot, because it doesnt bend the mono at lots of odd angles (stress points)

I use double unit knots, with my popper set up. never lost a big one yet.

Thanks lite, an old man like me. Needs all the help he can get.lol

From what I've seen moonriver, you've have had plenty of experience with big fish.
You should know.

yea i use double uni to uni. never had it slipp before and it takes me 30 seconds to tie.