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Dangerous territory you're about to tread. "Worth it" is such a relative and objective question, it's going to be different for different people. For me, I spent years slowly upgrading before I reached a point when I could first afford to buy my first high end reel. After that, all bets were off... I just found ways to buy sweet gear. If you're an enthusiast like me, and enjoy the gear as much as the fishing, a top end reel is absolutely worth it. I love fishing my Mets, Aldebarans, supertuned Chronarchs, Steezes, and more exotic reels like Exsence DC's and Conquests. I still use Curados, Citicas, Pro G's, Tatulas, and such... but they're more the reels I take out when I know conditions are going to be nasty or if I'm wading or something. I'm not a super competitive fisherman (other than just with my buddies), so I'm more interested in fun than value or function. To me, I just enjoy fishing higher end reels more. I'm on the water for relaxation and fun. My top end stuff is just... fun. That's why I buy it. That being said... will I catch more fish because of them? I'd say hardly ever, if at all. I can cast a tad bit farther with my MGL than I can my Citica E's, but hey... I could put the boat a little closer in almost every case. To your question of whether or not they're more durable, I'd say no, not really. I take really good care of my stuff, and buy almost all Shimano and Daiwa with some 1,.3 Fishing. and Lew's sprinkled in here and there. I wouldn't say my 3 year old Metaniums have worn any better or worse than my 10 year old Curados, but the Mets are tighter and smoother... and they always were. If you take care of Shimano and Daiwa reels, they just last. Would I buy again? Yep. Good reels from reliable manufacturers hold their value if you take care of them. They're an investment like good Dewalt, Bosch, Milwaukee tools ect... I can turn around and sell my Chronarch D7's for what I paid for them ten years ago. The same can be said of almost all of those older Shimano and Daiwa reels. Okay, so after all that... my recommendation. 1. Don't do it unless you're prepared to buy more down the road. You'll want to. 2. Go Shimano or Daiwa. 3. If you're looking for a great all purpose, I think there's a ton of value in something like a used '13 Met. You can find one for under $275 for sure, and they're pretty much the perfect reel in my opinion. I like the MGL a tiny bit better, but it's also going to cost you $50-$100 more. Other options would be an Aldabaran or Steez, just depending on what you're throwing with it. Congrats on the bonus and have fun!

A great post ! Nicely summarized and it speaks for many of us...

I can't think of one good reason why not. A-Jay

Muskie selfies rule! Catching a muskie on bass gear is always a blast. I see a lot of fish here, get a lot of follows, and hook several muskies every year. Even with all that I still rarely get more than one a year to the boat so it's a thrill when it finally all works out. That's why I can really appreciate your picture because I know how hard it is to get a fish like that for most of us.

Muskie was caught in Northern Minnesota. The lake I fish does not have many, but I have been lucky enough to catch a couple over the last few years while bass fishing. Caught this one when I was out alone. Muskie Selfie. My son lost a big one this year on a wacky worm. Jumped clear out of the water 15 feet from boat and snapped line. I had a very sad boy that day.

With the quality and selection of trailers available now a days pork has lost a lot of it's popularity. But it does have some die hard fans still. When I think about pork trailers, Sluggo's, in line spinners etc. all the stuff I grew up on, and then I hear and read about all the "new and improved" products that have come out, it's make me wonder how I ever caught a fish "back then" Sorry, you made me feel little nostalgic Mike

1. Higher end reels have a more refined feel to them. They retrieve smoothly and cast with less effort. They may cast further in some instances. 2. They are built with tighter tolerance so they should last longer. I have some high end reels that are 12 years old and still as smooth as new. 3. For me they are worth it. 4. Yes, I'm addicted to nice reels. 5. Any high end daiwa or shimano. met mgl, met 13, met dc, steez, conquest sv 103 etc. 6. The tackle trap or japan lure shop for jdm.

The fall pattern has finally inched its way into toasty So Flo, as evidenced by several satisfying catches during this evening's sunset excursion along the bank of a local pond, courtesy of pond water that is no longer at boiling temperature and thanks to the awesome jerkbaits from Megabass.

Building 7'6" worm/jig rod for brother Kent. This is my first build on one of the new Rainshadow Eternity blanks. Also my first attempt at acrylic turning. Kent wants a 7'6" rod to be tip light. There are two ways to do that. One is to make a stupid long handle. That is out of the question. That leaves making a heavier handle; thus the use of acrylic parts. i basically taped cork rinsg and acrylic pieces onto the blank with the reel seat taped on, and a reel mounted, until I got what was required. Took a while. Here's what we have so far. The handle assembly, glued up and clamped on the blank.

Here is an idea that you can run with... Take an old crank bait and put a heavy split ring and then use that for a broken zipper handle on your tackle bag or backpack. The smaller ones make for a cool accessory on a key chain and adds even more buoyancy to your boat keys. In the garage if you have a pull string for the light you can attach a chartreuse crank and makes it a little easier to find the light.

That pond so small you can just get in it and try stuff. My fav pond bait is the Zoom Trick Worm weightless. The spinnerbait is awesome as well, especially when you bump it off the timber. If they won't hit reaction baits, try the old T rigged worm. I want to hit the side that gets more sun with topwaters first, then mosey over to the shady side after the sun climbs a bit. then take that old spinnerbait and get the ones that started shying away from topwaters. After that, it's trial and error. It seems to me you ahve the basics down. I rarely catch any catfish in ponds and I don't know why. They're there, they just don't bite my offerings. Granted, I'm bass fishing, but they bite bass and crappie lures in lakes.

if i were you , i'd spend that money on a custom rod instead !!! reels are great , but i'd think you'd benefit from a rod built with a great blank and components , built exactly how you want it ....

Have you seen curling?

I don't care what anyone says. It'd be more entertaining than ping pong !!

Caught the Muskie burning a spinnerbait over a weed bed. Only had bass net in boat so I had to hand land it. My son caught the bowfin on a wacky worm.

This is one of the new colors I am getting ready to release with a few other new colors. Its our Sexy Shad Swim Jig.

In Virginia its when I make a cast and my presentation bounces off a frozen surface.

This is one of the few times when a detailed fishing log would be beneficial. If you are familiar with, or have heard of the 80/20 Rule, also referred to as the Pareto Principle. It basically states that about 80% of effects/outputs are usually derived from about 20% worth of causes/inputs. One example of this that would apply here is what I found from my logs for a particular tournament circuit (on a single lake) I fished over several years. I had every catch recorded over that time frame, for more than 75 events, and what I found out was that just 4 lure types accounted for 75% of all the bass I and my partner caught that resulted in a cashed check. Adding the next couple baits (6 total) brought that total up to 90%. It made it pretty easy going forward to stock a small box with just those baits and not feel bad about bringing little else. -T9

Debating what tackle to get rid of? Toss each lure up in the air, if it hits the ground, keep it. If it doesn't hit the ground, sell it.

I was in a similar position last year and I picked up a Shimano Calcutta Conquest 101. The Conquest is extremely smooth. I love it for slow rolling a spinnerbait or swimbait. It's tough to put it down once you pick it up. I'll have the conquest for the rest of my life.

I bought two 90.s. One sank and the other didn't. Caught lots of fish on the one that didn't sink. Threw the one that sank away. Only time mine would spin was when I fished it very fast. Was catching more fish with a slower retrieve, so I didn't have a problem. I did try a small swivel, and it worked fine.

Lews contracts with the same factory but they are separate business entities. ABU has been good with my dealings with them. even though the reel in question is an entry level reel, the likelihood of three lemons to the same consumer seems unlikely. Is it possible that that they are working but just not what you're used to?

There were two tips that helped me tremendously when I first started with a casting reel. The first is to pull out a casts worth of line and then put some tape on the reel. If you backlash again it won't go any farther than the tape. I even fished with the tape for a while. As you cast to the tape just keep moving it further down the reel. The second tip was to identify when in the cast the backlash was happening. You said early. Early in the cast = spool tension. Middle of the cast = thumb. End of the cast = brakes. Good luck. Keep practicing. Before you know it it will be second nature.

In my backyard is an almost 2 acre pond w a small island, the west side of the pond is shallow, namely one to three feet, minus a few spots near the dam. There are a good number of grass beds in these shallow flats, and a good bit of down timber. the north side of the island gets decent morning sun, while the south side is much more covered/shaded. I can fish from the bank just north of the island, and found a bluegill hole just past the grass bed. I also stand up paddle board fish the pond to access other areas. The water stays stained for the most part w visibility around 1 foot, getting very muddy after a storm, and remaining for a few days. I've been tossing square-bills in the shallows with pretty good success the past two weeks. Ive also caught two 5-1/2 pounders this year, one on texas rig baby brush hog, the other 1/2 oz double willow spinner. A few on the whopper plopper 130, but no hogs. My brother in law caught a nice 5-6 lb on rapalla pop-r late evening early summer, and my father in law a citation crappie yo-yoing a shad swimbait late evening about a month ago. Ive attached a pic with depths. Just looking for some general tips on what to throw and what retrieve to use to go after some hogs, any areas stick out to you? Are any Lunkers down deep during fall? Possible there are some catfish in there? What would be the best time to fish now that its fall? Better to hit the sunny side or the shade? Would a slip float and live bait produce? Thanks in advance!

We really have no magic bait. You have to determine what level the fish are holding and throw baits, accordingly. Topwater - Cavitron's, RICOs, Frogs and Spook-like baits. Mid Range - Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits and swimming plastics. Bottom - Shaky head, drop shots, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, MOJO rigs, deep diving crankbaits, slow rolling spinnerbaits. Experiment at each level and keep a log so you will know what works and does not work under what specific conditions. Looks like you will have a fun time finding where they are hiding. Enjoy!

Smooth out your casting stroke. Don't try for the moon.

Senko (any color , seriously) rigged weightless t rigged. And wacky. Tx style will allow the worm to last much longer in my experience. Double tail hula grub. Again rigged weightless. Jig with trailer of your choice. I'd take a good look at the rage chunk. Bomber 4a. Year after year this shallow crank catches bass for me. Its so fun to use ! And usually under 5 bucks.. That rapala popper you mentioned landed me my PB. So I'm a firm believer in that lure as well. Also an x-rap. I think you only need two colors. Olive green and black/orange. I second the swim jig as well.

I prefer a full battery at all times, if mine isn't on the water it's on the charger.

Very simple for me as always. I stock up on these in spring and use them all year... 4 and 5" Yum dinger in green pumpkin, black, black/blue flake, and Carolina Pumpkin/chartreuse tail 6 or 7" Green pumpkin, and in black. These larger ones are killer at night for me. All of these are t-rigged weightless This year I tried and loved the Ribbits frogs. GrnPkn with white belly. Plastics I want to try that I never have are the brush hog, beavers, and yums in tinfoil, cajun neon, and smoke pearl laminate.

Unless you are going to replace it, I'd just get a dremel tool and shave it off smooth.

I bet the Jamaicans would put together a team .

Yea I do but no ya can't borrow it!

The deciding factor is INDIVIDUAL ATHLETIC ABILITY AND THE MEASUREMENT OF THAT SPECIFIC ACTION. Fishing could absolutely be in the olympics BUT ONLY IF if was something like "who can cast a 1/16oz weight the farthest" and DEFINITELY NOT "who can catch the most fish" as that depends too heavily on outside variables and not the individual athletic performance itself. So come on- nobody is saying fishing at a pro level isn't physically demanding. The very structure of the sport is why it will NEVER be an Olympic sport, and curling can be.

I've done it and it isn't as easy as it looks on TV. Long story made short ... a few guys and I decided to go give it a try. We rented the lane and got lessons on how to play (we've all seen it on TV many times). The day ended up in the ER as someone slipped while sweeping and cracked their head open on the ice. The club owners told us it happens all the time. So, I'm not saying that you need to be an incredible athlete to curl but is just isn't' as easy as it might look. More like golf, pros make it look easy to hit a 300 yard drive down the middle but us hacks slice and struggle all day long.

A few more back up rods.

Put your money towards the purchase of a used canoe or kayak. Get out on the water with what you have.

lake fork magic shad, it has a paddle tail as well as the cutouts

I've been holding off on this reel got it last week. Picked up the jigs today.

Archery? Trap shooting? Lots of unatheletic sports in the Olympics. Way more than the 3 or 4 sports they show on ABC. Lol

No golf carts but someone else carries the bag! Fishing is more physically demanding than golf if someone else is carrying the bag or your using a cart. If you carry the bag for 18 holes your pretty tired but still less taxing than a day of fishng.

8hrs,that's it? Man I do that all the time both on a boat and on land in +90 degree heat and it still doesn't compare to what Olympic athletes can do. 2 foot waves is nothing, I have fished in +10 foot seas, still doesn't compare to what Olympic athletes do. Olympic Sports should be extremely physically challenging, not easy like most forms of fishing.

There's no need to use a snap for spinnerbaits.

Tackle junkie and whitwolf are one and the same. I don't let It bother me that I don't use a lot of the baits I have as I sometimes simply go Into the tackle room and sit, admire, and enjoy what I have worked for. So to me there's really no such thing as too much tackle. That being said If someone needs something I gladly give It away. I have started a tackle box for the grandson and If he continues to want to fish he will, for many years to come, not have to buy anything. Lastly, If you really want to downsize give what you want to away or If you want a high priced item sell what you can to help offset the cost.

Uhhh! No!

Olympic sport fishing. How many categories? Winter ice fishing using rods & reels and another using spears. Summer games with off shore big game fish, coastal surf fishing, fresh water bass, trout, walleye, musky, pike, crappie, wiper, striper and various bream, combined, team, individual categories using the MLF format? As you can quickly determine fishing has too many elements for a sport to be considered multi national Olympic venue. Tom

A friend of my father's came fishing in our pond about 40 years ago. I was 7. When he was done fishing, he called me over and went through his tackle box and gave me a lot of his lures. Looking back, it was his unwanted stuff. But a 7 year old did not see it that way. I thought it was great. Keep your unwanted stuff on hand and when you see someone who would appreciate it, give some away.

Sounds like a high capacity cooler (aka. Assault cooler). Those have to be illegal in California by now...

I use North Star Baits Original Swim Jig in 1/4oz and 5/16oz and the Flip and Swim Jig in 3/8oz and 1/2oz for heavy cover...

I don't see any benefit from having a snap on a spinnerbait. crankbait maybe but not a spinner

Hello Jeff and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay