Rod/reel suggestions

I'll second what Brandon said. My Lexa's (both a regular and a HD) froze up after one season in the salt. And i rinse and/or dunk in a boiling pot of h2o after every use, lube, etc.  Lots of people love them and they work well for them, so could have just been me.

However, I've gone almost entirely Avet SXJ at this point. As Brandon said, simpler, bulletproof and actually less expensive and a lever drag is a bit easier to use than a traditional star drag.

Second on the Ugly Stik. I paddle so I occasionally hit my rod, guides and all with a paddle and a kayak is a rough place for a rod in general. Cheap and durable. For a reel I find that something of a little better quality is less likely to seize up. I run a Penn fathom and it seems to hold up well. A friend who runs charter boats uses that as his client reels. There's a whole world beyond that, up into really, really nice stuff, but for salt that is where I would spend your money. Just make sure whatever you buy is built for salt water. I've had better luck with conventionals than spinning reels.

I just checked with the owner of Bay Tackle and he said he thinks they are still making them because he just received an order, and heard anything about them being discontinued. They had plenty in stock when I was there about a week ago.

Oh good, tackle shop owner I know mentioned this non-truth.  I stand corrected.   Go Shimano!

Lizabeth, this is the big one...ooh frack, I am going down....wait? what?  False Alert!

Not to threadjack, but I’m looking for a new reel too. I used a Tekota 500 for several years. It’s awesome except that the low retrieve ratio is hard on my wrist. So last year I “upgraded” to the Tekota 500HG. That solved the retrieve ratio problem and my wrist was happy. Unfortunately the drag is not nearly as smooth on the HG and I blame it—rightly or wrongly—for the loss of several nice fish.

So I’m looking for something similar to my beloved Tekota 500, but with a higher retrieve ratio and silky smooth drag. I’m willing to spend a bit. Opinions?

You need to check out AlanTani.com, he has a tutorial for rebuilding the Tekota LC (Line Counter), not sure the differences between that and the HG model. He does show you how to replace the drags on it.  You have options and to make any reel better  check him out.  He is not a paid sight and he does this gratis.  Many of us have learned to fix a reel from him.  https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=357.0

No more Trevala's? 

Not to thread jack too. But I have a Trevala Spinning Rod want to trade for Trevala Jigging Rod Light - ML. Let me know.

Not to threadjack, but I’m looking for a new reel too. I used a Tekota 500 for several years. It’s awesome except that the low retrieve ratio is hard on my wrist. So last year I “upgraded” to the Tekota 500HG. That solved the retrieve ratio problem and my wrist was happy. Unfortunately the drag is not nearly as smooth on the HG and I blame it—rightly or wrongly—for the loss of several nice fish.

So I’m looking for something similar to my beloved Tekota 500, but with a higher retrieve ratio and silky smooth drag. I’m willing to spend a bit. Opinions?

You need to check out AlanTani.com, he has a tutorial for rebuilding the Tekota LC (Line Counter), not sure the differences between that and the HG model. He does show you how to replace the drags on it.  You have options and to make any reel better  check him out.  He is not a paid sight and he does this gratis.  Many of us have learned to fix a reel from him.  https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=357.0

I previously contacted Alan Tani and he said the HG is not user-serviceable. I’ve used his tutorial to service my non-HG Tekotas several times