Leaderboard

Had to go back and check the schooling area again since I’d have a bit more time to fish them. Fortunately, they stayed put and I was able to catch 55 more in just over 3 hours. Was a nice chance to chase numbers and take a break from quality. Back to the grind chasing the 10 percenters now that I’ve had some fun.

If I have a lure that is working, I usually give it a permanent sabbatical in a tree, wedged between rocks, or on rare occasions simply cast it off in to space. Then I have to try something else.

@Mike L That's a fact Jack! I've been throwing curly tail worms since the 70s, why? Cause they work! I've been throwing a Jig-n-Craw since for ever, why? Cause they work! A worm & a jig are arguably the #1 & #2 lures ever produced. Why would I not want to throw #1 & #2?

There are some baits that never wear out their welcome. They are tried and true, and mostly what I throw.

They weren’t the biggest bass, but I hit the first good group of fall schoolers this afternoon. Managed 27 ‘cookie cutter’ bass in a short amount of time and had to leave them biting. Hoping to get back out there again in the next day or two. Fingers crossed they don’t go too far from where I found them today.

Is there a prize for the smallest bass? In trying for my GA Bass Slam I was Redeye Bass fishing from the bank, because I can't paddle my kayak, and caught my only Redeye. BTW they have to be 8" and this wasn't near that. Swamp Girl is more appropriate than Old Crickety, I like it.

I got out on the water the other day as a low front was moving through with a forecast of unstable weather. Lots of schoolie stripers were in the system working shad with the bass feeding underneath. I must have caught 30-35 fish on a Provoke 106DD with this 3.17lber being my best bass of the day.

If @Blue Raider Bob is a swamp boy, raised in the swamp with mud in his veins, then I've become a swamp girl by dint of all the time I spend in swamps and my love of them. Here's where I fished this morning: Here's the biggest girl I caught: These two were almost as long: I caught them respectively on a spinnerbait, a popper, and a Googan Revolver. I have become skilled at extricating bass from weeds. Here's where the third bass lives: I cast the Googan Revolver in a narrow opening in the weeds and surfed the bass to the canoe. Keep their head up and reel like crazy, @T-Billy said. I caught mid-sized bass too. Here are a couple: I pulled this little bass out of wood: And for old time's sake, I lipped and gripped this one too. Actually, I just wanted an excuse to photograph the island behind it: 35 in all. Numbers-wise, the best morning I've had in a while. Hopefully this pace will continue! I also caught bass on a fluke. I missed bass on a frog. If @Pat Brown is a 10 at frog fishing, I'm a 0. A pretty pic to close my report. That's the river channel in the foreground. Thanks for climbing into my canoe and fishing a morning in Maine with a swamp girl: P.S. - I have never fished alongside so many dinosaurs. There were Great blue herons, Bald Eagles, hawks, ospreys, kingfishers, and cormorants. There were geese and ducks too. It was wonderful. P.P.S. - As I fished this morning, I was acutely aware of how no bass boat will ever fish that water. No FFS will ever pinpoint its bass. Even my canoe bumped into two rocks and a prop would be fouled in seconds before its lower unit was sheared free. I like that there are places only paddlers can go.

Don't get to do this often, but made an unplanned stop at the river on the way home this afternoon. We haven't had much rain in quite a while, so it's running low and slow. This isn't really a high-productivity stretch, but there's always something in there. Today it was a few largemouths - two keeper-ish sized, and three pretty ittle guys. Broke off something larger that managed to wrap me up on a rock. Venom Lures Super Do and a little #2 Black Fury. The Super Do is not a bait I ever hear anyone mention but they're a pretty good finesse option, especially in rivers where the tentacles can catch the current -- I put them on a slider head, and scoot them along the bottom.

Also, they work in almost any depth or cover.

I think we try to link negative feedback with too many other variables. I've seen bass annihilate panfish as well as be harassed by them, only to catch them on Hard Gill. I think something else is always going on, like they just aren't in the mood for your crystal clear fluorocarbon landing on the water, but later will almost catch your spinnerbait as it lands. Who knows. Just keep fishing and looking for the willing participants. I also find it interesting that most people try new lures out they bought over winter during the prespawn season. Hot tip: they will bite almost anything if you can get into their strike zone that time of year.

Sabbatical for me = Doesn't get big bass bites for me here. Eventually they usually get rehomed during hard water season. #glidebaits A-Jay

Being a bass fishing guide is the worst way you can ever make a living. The hours are long and the pay is little. Many people show up with no skill, no common sense and unrealistic expectations. The only way to be successful is to hang live shiners on a hook and wait for a fish to appear, then hope the angler can hook and land a fish. Truth be known, more money is made selling live bait to customers than fishing. Bass fishing with artificial lures takes skill and experience. Unless the fish are jumping in the boat (not often), it is rare to have a great day. My best customers were out of town tournament anglers who wanted to know how and where I fish. They always wanted me to fish. They were not looking for spots or advice, they wanted to see what I did and then make their own decisions. I met some great people this way, some of them you would know. My second best customers were avid weekend anglers with skill and experience. It was always a pleasure when they booked me and I enjoyed them all. Again, they wanted me to fish. This man came to me from Minnesota in the dead of winter. He told me in Minnesota bass are considered rough fish and trout are the sport fish. I found this odd. He wanted to catch a big Florida bass, so I gave him my favorite Rattle Trap. This was the result.

@sllymz I don’t own a boat and don’t want one. I’ve been a tournament co angler for years either with friends in team tournaments or in a blind draw but the “rules” are always the same for me. 1) Talk to your boater before you go. Confirm your meet up time and place and don’t be late. *Ask about how he expects to attack the day. If he pre fished he probably has a pattern or 2 in a few areas that he will hit first. If not what you bring will be a little different. *I always offer to buy ice, drinks and a sandwich for him. But that’s just me! *Offer to launch the boat. If you’re not comfortable doing it tell him up front. It’s usually no big deal. 2) Personally I always bring 6.. If the boater has a plan or not I only pre rig 5 combos. One for each level of the water column plus an extra bottom contact with a heavier weight and larger bait and a top water frog. One rod I purposely leave empty, that for me is the most versatile one I have. That way I can just tie something on quick if you’re on a pattern he didn’t expect. 3) Don’t bring everything you own. You don’t need a duffel bag either. I use a small bag that fits between my legs when we’re running and will fit on my seat when fishing. 4) Tie your rods down against the gunnel next to your seat. I have a small bungee cord (Newer boats have some type of apparatus but older ones may not) 5) Have your PDF on EVERY TIME the big motor is on regardless of what he does. It’s your life! 6) Never cast in front of or over his line. “Your area” is from the steering wheel back. The front deck is his. Some boaters will offer to switch, some will not. Some tournament rules specify that a co angler should be given the option. 7) Always start with something different than what he’s throwing until a pattern emerges. Here is where it can get tricky.. Some boaters don’t like his back seater using the same baits, I don’t care. If he’s on a frog bite, there will be some he missed or didn’t present it right that you can pick off as long as you cast away from him in water you’ve passed. 8) Ask about netting his fish. Some won’t want you too, some will. Just be sure it’s understood. 9) Be ready to pack up on a moments notice. Try to be in your seat by the time he gets to his ready to run with your PDF ON and secured. 10) Always offer to pay for fuel or reimburse him for anything he gives you during the day. How much is up to you. What I do is always add 10.00 more than what I think is fair. We may fish again sometime or he may know your next boater. Again that’s just me!! Notes… * If you smoke ask permission. Be prepared to repair his carpet if you burn a hole in it, flick ashes down wind. * NEVER use dye inside the boat! Always dip or apply over the water * Keep an eye on the fish in the live well if that kind of tournament. * Check them once in awhile always listening to be sure the pump didn’t shut off unexpectedly. * Be careful when opening as some fish may try to jump out, then you have a problem!! Just crack it open enough to make sure thier gills are moving Anyway, these are just some of things I do every ones different. I know it’s a lot and there are more but I tried to give you some things just from my perspective. You already got good advise from others. Above all have fun, enjoy yourself. Don’t give yourself added pressure because there really isn’t any. Just go fishin and don’t worry about procedure too much. Most boaters were co anglers at one time too, they understand. I’ve struggled and been embarrassed more times that I’d like to remember. It happens. But I’ve also been fortunate and lucky enough to win a lot of money and a few accolades Just remember you’re just 2 guys in a boat who just met doing the same thing. Just be sure to be respectful of his time, and his property when you’re in his house. I’ve never had a problem keeping that in mind. Best of luck to you and report back. Mike

My PB was caught on a Revo SX with Red Label. I've since upgraded to mostly Shimano reels, so using Tatsu would be a completely unfair advantage. 😆

As Mike pointed out it is one of the main ways. When I fish a Senko weightless I use BPS EXCEL mono in fluorescent. Not clear, not green. It helps with the line watching and actually gets brighter blue in the sun. My old favorite was Berkley Tournament Pro mono in Photochromic. Sadly discontinued. Another tip to help when line watching is to focus on 2 different spots. First where the bait enters the water and is sinking, pulling your line down into the water and second where the line leaves the water coming up to your rod tip. That’s 2 points separated by your line laying on top of the water. Good gear helps feel the thump in the rod but many times it’s a suttle pickup moving your line left, right or some other unnatural way. As I have said, when I throw a senko, my mind goes completely blank and I am visualizing what the Senko is doing as it falls. Hyper focused. Back to the main topic, as I said, different methods require different guide skills. Saltwater, especially blue water is totally different from wading which is totally different from trolling. I did some trout walk in fly guiding in the Blue Ridge mountains off the Shenandoah river and I fished on those trips as well. I was pro staff for Bass Pro and a lot of my clients were referred through the store I was headquartered out of. There were all different skill levels. I was also sponsored by a local marina that kept a “brag book” with pictures of all the guides and their catches and contact information. There’s a lot of negative talk about guiding but there are also tremendous highs. Putting someone on their first bass, putting someone on their biggest bass, seeing the pure joy in kids eyes catching bass, having a tournament angler call me after pre-fishing him to tell me he won the tournament, guiding for multiple Wounded Warriors tournaments I got to give back to those who were willing to give all. Those are the moments that make guiding rewarding more than just the $$.

I do not put baits on sabbatical. I do switch just because I don’t want to be a one trick pony and keep my skills sharp on many skills

Sabbatical for me is they're taken out of the rotation permanently!

Did some full moon fishing yesterday evening after work, Josh was putting it on us with a popper. No long arming detected……

You got one right in my process. The other consideration above all is cover present. Those two come before all others, which are totally variable. You don't want to toss a treble hook bait in slop. Likewise, you probably don't want to wait for a senko to fall 20'. Those two things not only determine bait selection, but also what set up I'm going to use. Line, rod action and power, reel retrieve speed, etc. There's a pond I show up at that is literally completely slop streaked with hollow frog trails, and several spots where you can tell a fish was caught. They still bite a hollow frog there.

These are the only baits that have better than a snowballs chance in hell at getting bit around here. I find that when fish learn lures - YOU start to learn conditions. The first thing I am FORCED to do when I arrive at a pond is make the determination what lure is best suited to the water clarity/amount of wind/depth/forage/speed I need to work the bait. If I was asking myself 'what lure do I want to fish today?' I'd never catch anything. I think fishing pressure merely expedites the process by which we are forced to adapt as anglers to conditions because every lure is ideal for certain conditions, even the Whopper Plopper! I think when fish haven't learned a lure yet, they'll hit a noisy big bait that doesn't look like their food on a calm day in clear water, but only to a point. I think if we learn where and when certain lures shine, regardless of pressure - we'll never have a day where the bait is making it harder to catch the fish. The added bonus of doing things this way is you get good at identifying a 'whopper plopper day' and you can get justifiably excited when you see a good opportunity to throw one! What's interesting is I typically go the opposite route when I'm ready to really learn a lure! I might throw it every day in all conditions for months at a time. I want to learn EVERY nook and cranny the bait can shine in and the only way to do that is commit to it.

---Treat his boat with respect; watch how he gets in; wash bottoms of your shoes if he does if it's a really nice boat. ---Don't cast forward of the center of the boat ---As mentioned, don't bring 20 rods, even if you come across some ---When he says he's moving, immediately pack your rod, put on your life jacket and sit down. Boaters sometimes have some heartburn with slow movers in the boat when they want to move ---Offer some gas money ---Be quick with a net if he calls for it ---Ok, now the fishing part 😅...just go and fish your style, unless you're looking to learn new things. Personally, I would start out with something opposite of what he's throwing to establish a pattern. But if he's on a bite, I wouldn't hesitate to tie on exactly what he's throwing...that's part of being a non-boater and he should expect that. If you have the opportunity to talk with him before the tourney, I would ask specifically what he plans on doing for the day. This will let you prep mentally and rig rods for that plan ahead of time...I'd try to make it a point to do this. ---Most of all, just go fishing and have fun. Update this thread afterwards as we'd all love to hear how your day goes.

Do bring some gas money for the boat and offer to pay if it's his personal boat and he's paying for gas out of pocket.

You obviously have never fished with Berkley Silver Thread. 😂 I agree with Ajay. I still use 15 year old Bass Pro- Pro Qualifer reels that perform well. I will ask the question though that just like rods and reels there is a point (IMHO) where you pay for a name more than the actual substance of the product. I use Bass Pro Excel mono line. Have I gotten some bad spools? Yes I have but for the price, I can respool once a week if I want.

Neither. Time on the water is more important. You can't catch you PB or even loose one if you are not fishing. You can have less expensive but quality gear, and good strong line that doesn't break the bank. Take your saving's and go fishing more.

Line or equipment? Line. It's the only thing between me and my new PB, regardless of the cost of my tackle. There is nothing more final in fishing than broken line. btw, I use Tatsu quite a bit. A-Jay

Seasons put baits on sabbatical for me. Slow meandering glides and blade baits don't do much for me in water above 60. 7-8" flutter spoons and large preacher jigs haven't produced for me in cold water yet, but I think they're gonna get another shot this winter/spring. scott

I’ve only been on a few guide trips in my life. Two were saltwater flats trips and one on Headwaters. The SW flats trips, the guides never fished. The poled the boat around all day and told us what to throw and the approximate location. We caught fish on both of those. The guided trip on HW was with a guide that didn’t fish. I discussed this with him beforehand. He ran to the spots and once there, he ran the trolling motor from the back of the boat. He recommended what to throw is all. Towards the end of the day I told him to fish and he declined as that wasn’t what he did. The reason I talked to him about that was because I’ve seen a number of guides that post pictures of the fish they, not their clients, caught on their charters. That to me is wrong but that’s me. If it’s discussed beforehand ( and it should always be) and you, the client, agrees that the guide is allowed to fish, then that’s all good. If I’m not catching fish, based on where the guide takes me and offers advice as to what to throw, then I might ask him to fish to figure out a pattern. But once it’s established, I expect the fish to be mine to catch, not his.

If the bass tell me to, I will. I'll wait until they stop hitting something to bench it. If you've got something working, work it until it don't work no more! Besides, fish are dumb. If the fish can "learn" a lure, they will also "forget" that lure in a year or three. Their brains aren't big enough to remember things long-term without writing them down. So long as you don't drop mechanical pencils in the pond (because the wooden ones float and are too hard for them to use), you'll be fine. That's assuming, of course, that you're the only person fishing this pond. Because if a whole lot of other people are fishing it hard every day, then it doesn't matter what you do. They'll learn or unlearn those lures with or without you.

Fixed that for me.

I've been on a guided fishing four times. Both in Florida saltwater fishing. First time in Tampa, second was a 3 day trip to Key West. Every time I went the guide did a little fishing. But their first order of business was getting us to the spot, finding the target species, and trying to catch them. One of the days our guide caught a keeper sized yellow snapper and he offered it to us to take home, so that was a benefit of the guide fishing. I never got the impression that the guide was doing it so they could catch the fish themself. I was with my wife once and my Father in Key West and we had good fishing every time, so we tipped handsomly with straight cash. I intend to do it again when I'm able to.

I've never put any lures on sabbatical for the reason you mentioned Swamp Girl, but I've got a bunch of lures that I stopped using for various reasons.I also think in the type of waters you fish, bass won't learn to not strike the baits you throw. More remote backwoods swamps etc, don't see high fishing pressure.

Flipp'n and pitch'n paradise right there.

Lot's of great advice, thanks y'all! I think being respectful to his boat/gear is gonna be a big one to me which I already planned on in the beginning anyways just because I hate when people use my things and mistreat them. That and communication, I'll make sure he knows he got the crutch here out of the bunch lmao. Again, thanks for all the advice and I'll try to remember to come back and update afterwards!

A wise, old fisherman friend (78 years old and going strong who once owned a tackle shop) told me the best advice for catching more fish. I read through this thread and I hope I didn't miss it. The advice? MAKE SURE YOUR HOOK IS SHARP! New, does not mean sharp.

I use InvizX for those. As for line stretch? I'm not concerned about it. I have no problems hooking and landing fish using fluoro, braid, co-poly, or mono. I think it's one of those things that we bass anglers tend to overthink and emphasize too much. There are other, more important factors to focus on, such as proper hook and rod selection, hookset and fish-fighting techniques, etc.

I don't remember you filming me, @gimruis, but thanks for getting my good side!

That is the name of the game. If it were fun and games, they wouldn't call it work. I have guided my entire adult life, and have seen anglers who's skill level was negative 100 on on a scale of one to ten. Some people don't only not learn, but try as hard as they can to get worse. One time I had a lady fishing for silver salmon. The stream was loaded with salmon, and you could catch one on almost every cast with a spinning rod. She insisted on fly fishing. A skilled fly caster could cast far enough to present a fly to a salmon without spooking it and catch a salmon on almost every cast. An average angler could cast well enough to hook enough to keep their rod bent for most of the day. A beginner fly angler if they progressed well, would be able to hook a few and if they were quick learners may catch even more After trying all morning to get this particular anglers casting skill to the point she could catch a couple fish, I realized she was never going to catch a silver salmon on a fly rod in that river. It was getting close to lunch and she was getting very frustrated, so I suggested she take a break, from fly casting, grab a spinning rod, and catch a fresh salmon for shore lunch. She looked at me holding a spinning rod, like I was the devil with a pitchfork. She told me she would never cheat and use such an sporting method of fishing. I wanted to tell her, that with her skill level, dynamite thrown in an aquarium wouldn't be considered cheating. She couldn't cast a fly 6 feet with a nine foot fly rod but held my tongue and tried to figure a way to survive the afternoon. I tried every spot on the river, from the shore, drifting the boat, the boat anchored, or me walking the boat slowly through a hole. I tried every size, color, and type of fly I had. I did my best to teach her to cast, but to avail. At the end of the day she was not happy, it was my fault she didn't catch any salmon. All the other guides clients landed multiple silvers, and most of them on fly rods. She was sure I was the worst guide in camp, maybe the whole state. For the record I didn't fish that day. I had to be careful not to even let the fly touch the water while holding on to a rod in fear that a salmon would hit the fly while dangling in the water, knowing I would be accused of sore mouthing all of the fish depriving her of an opportunity to land her very own silver salmon. I did offer to hook a salmon for her, and let her land it on her rod, but I got the devil with the pitchfork stare again, and decided to exercise my constitutional right to remain silent. I got up the next morning welcomed the new guest while they unloaded from the plane, smiled and said lets go catch some salmon. Guiding is not easy, it is lots of work, but the good days make it seem like a vacation, and the bad days at least make for good stories.

The struggles continue here. I’ve pretty much been camping out at the crappie hole since I can’t catch numbers anywhere I figure I might as well go for the big ones. Unfortunately the big ones did not cooperate today. After two big hits on the Mayor, but nothing to show for it, I switched to the Ned hoping to avoid the skunk. It worked but I all I caught were dinks with the below fish being the largest.

I just fished my pond for one hour and fifteen minutes, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. As I've been doing lately, I only took two lures, this time a 4", bubblegum pink Senko wacky rigged and a brass-bladed Mepps spinner. Both caught three bass, which surprised me, as I was fishing under a high Sun on a pretty cloudless day. Maybe I've gained a little insight into catching bass under a high Sun. I caught one bass on a weed line, one approaching a shade line, three in the deeper water adjacent to a dropoff, and one in the middle of nowhere. I didn't put the fourth bass on the bump board so you could see the weather conditions. Nothing big, but all chunky except for the fourth, lip-gripped bass. I used two, little lures because of @Glenn, who coaches us to downsize in the fall. I figured my Mepps would imitate a shad and the little Senko would appeal to sluggish bass.

Quick trip yesterday morning started with a nice fog and overcast. Tried to make topwater work but no success until I started throwing a spinnerbait. Caught these two and a few pickerel.

Went bass fishing with the boy for a few hours this morning. I had not been bass fishing since August (I’ve been muskie fishing for the past few weeks instead). Caught about a dozen fish ranging in size from 12-17 inches. I got up at 6am and Garrett was already chomping at the bit to go. We’re still working on how to hold the fish correctly. Water temp is 73.5 degrees.

It was a “busy boat” couple of trips

I went muskie fishing today for about 5 hours. I had one sizable fish swipe and miss. Caught 7 northern pike, including a 34 1/4 incher, my biggest pike this season. Water temp is up to 74.5 degrees today with the heat this week.

The last of my garden harvest. Handful of Cherry tomatoes, 3 undersized cucumbers, and a small pumpkin that the dog wants to eat.

There isn’t a line stretch test approved method. The most important factor testing plastic is force over time and rate of force applied. TT is using a 3 pound weight or approximately 25% of rated 12 lb line strength. The claim a short time of applied force but not defined seconds or minutes. Fluorocarbon line isn’t hygroscopic so soaking in water should have zero affect. Nylon Trilene is hygroscopic water does affect physical properties. Strech is the line elongating to force if the force reached yield strength the elongation is permeate. The lines tested have a yield strength approximately 33% of ultimate strength. 25% is well below the yield strength of lines tested. You can only evaluate line by equal diameter. Fluorocarbon FC line has 2 negative physical properties, low impact strength and deformation ( cold flow) time under stress. Cold flow and impact strength shows up as poor knot strength. This is the reason so many different knots have been tried to resolved this issue. Bottom line is FC or mono doesn’t stretch under the low force retrieving lures. What felt is the bow in the going through water straightens out under more force. To answer your question which line is better only you can determine which line performs better in your opinion Tom

Depends on the scenario... I spent a fair amount of the last 20 years guiding, I never fished while guiding unless it was purely an effort to get them to do something properly and they needed to see how it was done... I can't imagine hiring a guide to do a walk and wade Bass trip, that being said, if a guy can get hundreds of dollars a day to do walk and wade trips, more power to him. If he can do it and get to fish too, seems like he has it figured out LOL I have to ask, this guide charges hundreds of dollars, per person, per day? For walk in trips for Bass? Most guides accept up to, two anglers per guide trip. So if your buddy won a guide trip, but the guide wants "hundreds of dollars" for you to go too, something seems fishy here... This dude either is the greatest guide of all time, or your buddy is trying to get you to pay for the entire trip LOL

I’ve never had a guide that fished while guiding. If I did, I’d probably ask to be returned to the dock. If we’re gonna fish like buddies in your boat, I’ll throw you gas money, but not a penny more. Guiding should be done professionally. The only “fishing” I think that is acceptable for a guide to do is a scenario where fish aren’t biting and they throw out a bait to see if they can get a bite, that way they can tell you what you may want to fish with. If they are fishing to catch fish, it’s no longer a professional relationship, so I won’t pay a professional rate. I’ll give the “buddy rate”, which is some gas money and that’s it. Having taken a dozen guided salmon and trout trips, and a few bass/walleye trips, I’m lucky I’ve never had a guide think it was acceptable for them to be fishing. Could you imagine if you bring your car to a mechanic, and the guy reclines the seat, smokes a cigarette, and takes a nap in your car, and then charges you for the privilege? That would be insane. I see it no differently than paying a guide to get you on fish, and then they kick back and drop a line to try to catch the fish you are paying them to catch yourself.

Old dog but I grew up throwing a spinning reel, right hand with left hand retrieve. During my teenage years I moved over to baitcasters and there were really no left hand retrieves back in the olden days so it was what it was. About 10 years ago one fishing day I did a lot of cranking and started having tennis elbow issues. I did a lot of computer work and even using the mouse with my right hand was excruciating, so I actually switched over to a left hand trackball mouse and that helped me recover along with going back to spinning rods. I had a mix of baitcasters and spinning but tended to use the spinning rods more but this past summer I semi-retired and have been doing a lot more fishing and started throwing some deep cranking baits and my stupid elbow has been bothering me again so I think if I can get used to them which I think I can, it will help my elbow until I irritate my left one, lol. I see many more pro's now throwing with left handed baitcasters and I think it makes a lot of sense. At least for me I have always thrown my spinning reels right handed and reeled on the left side. Will see how it goes, so far the reels seem really nice...should have bought more.

Had to follow up, purchased 2 shimano SLX xt 151 left hand reels from ALF when they had the sale, reels were $65ea with discount. I thought that was to good to be true but they showed up today, look brand new in the box. They are left hand retrieve and that will be new but going to put on my deep cranking rod which bothers my elbow so I may eventually just switch over to all left hand retrieve. Awesome place!