The Rooster

Why yeah. You aren't buying it to protect the child's life in the future, you're buying it to protect it now. Get it to fit.

I know most people, including me, pair up rods and reels due to performance and techniques they're being used for, but doggone it, some rods and reels just flat out look good together, too. So what rod and reel combos have you seen that just flat out look good together? For me, one that jumped off the page at me recently was the new Bass Pro Bionic Plus reel on the new Bionic Blade rod (the maroon rod, not the micro guide white one). I'm sure there's more, but if looks alone was enough to make me buy one, that one would be it. Of course, I make better buying decisions than that, but this post was just for fun anyway so there it is. What ones have you seen and liked?

I know of a Walmart that has this same reel new in box right now. They have a big red tag on it for $200 which is ridiculous after all this time. That's why it's still sitting there. They have several old D models, one of which I think is a Citica.

Funny you should say that. I'm a sucker for handle bearings now. I just ordered 4 more to upgrade one of my old Extremes that has none now. The one in my pic, I did it years ago. Makes them super slick feeling and I'd swear it seems to improve sensitivity since I'm more in tune with what the bait is doing and not distracted by little ticks, bumps, and other things that I might feel from cranking a handle without bearings. I love it! Extreme laziness at its finest. If I get a reel with a bent handle, I'm going to try this.

2006 Ram 1500 truck, has about 78,000 miles. 2000 Mazda MPV van, has about 80,000 miles. 1997 Chevy Cheyenne 1500 truck, used for work, has over 150,000 miles.

They are? Haven't seen any yet. What models?

I actually don't have large hands, or small hands either. I'm 6'1" tall, if that helps.I hope this picture works. My wife took it. I'm holding one of my old BPS Extreme reels with the straight handle. See where my knuckle is compared to the nut cap. Not all that close to it but a Pro Qualifier with the same nut cap on a bent handle will have my knuckle closer to it. I'm still planning to get one or two of these reels anyway but I'm wondering if I'll have to alter my grip on it to keep from hitting the nut cap.

Hmm....I may have spoken too soon. I'll wait on more replies.

Yeah, I think it's just about looks. There is no advantage at all to a bent handle. I don't buy into the manufacturers saying it helps balance the reel by moving the weight inward towards the center. That's total BS. But I think curved handles are here to stay so sooner or later I'll have to get used to them. As of now, none of my reels have them. I'm about to get a Pro Qualifier though and I was wondering about banging my knuckle on the nut cover cap, and then I read a review where this is happening to one guy.

With most baitcast reels going to curved handles now, do you ever find them uncomfortable to use, like maybe banging your knuckles on the nut cover?

I voted Bass Pro. I love my Shimano Curado and Citica E reels. I like the new G reels in hand but haven't fished one. But I have a few older Extremes also and they are very enjoyable to use and much much less costly. I added some extra bearings into their handles which made them feel smoother for lures you chuck and wind like crankbaits and spinnerbaits. This isn't an option for my E reels. Not a big deal but considering all you get in a BPS reel for much less, and even less again when on sale, I think they are just the way to go here. Lew's is really similar as well. I'm also really interested in the Daiwa Lexa 100. Can't wait to see that up close.

This coming Friday starts the Bass Pro Shops spring classic sale. They have a baitcast combo for $70 on sale in it. It is the Bionic Plus combo. I've not handled it personally but the specs read well on paper. Aluminum framed reel, 6 bearings. Should be pretty good for a starter baitcast rod. I wouldn't get any baitcaster that doesn't have a aluminum frame or you may find yourself wanting to replace it sooner than you'd like. A lot of guys like the Silvermax reel but it doesn't have an aluminum frame. To me, this is the backbone of the reel. It can't be plastic or graphite. If you want something different, maybe a better rod, reel, or both, then I'd start with the Pro Qualifier reel on sale for $80. Trade in a reel for it and get it for $65, but that's 5 days only so hurry. This reel is normally $100 and many say it's worth it at full price. I'll be getting one or two this time around.

I wish that was going on again. $200 is just too high for me. $120 per reel though and I probably wouldn't look at anything else.

I used to use a spinning rod on worms for bottom contact and swimming both. Any rod would swim them as fas as I thought. I wanted a crisp feeling rod for bottom bumping them, for more sensitivity. I like a medium power with fast tip for most of this, but sometimes a medium heavy could be needed, depending on cover being fished. I switched to casting gear for worms though and now I wonder how I did it before without it.

Ah....sorry. Doggone it, now you made me rethink my trade in plans. I'm still fairly sure it's gonna be a couple of Pro Qualifiers though.

I put it on all lines. Heck, I even apply it to the line guides with a Q-tip. I figure it might dry there and help lubricate the surface for less resistance. If nothing else, it seems to work in removing residue build up in the guides when I clean my rods.

Shimano usually doesn't participate in the BPS trade in program.

I have two Shimano Compre rods from when they were full cork handles, and I paid $100 each. Love, love, love them. That said, for less than half the price of them when on sale, the Cabela's Tourney Trail rods are nice also. I got two of them last fall at $45 each on sale. That was a bargain for a rod like that. I haven't fished them yet but they feel nice in hand. Quality is there, too, don't think because they're a house brand rod that they're junk. Definitely not. The reels sit farther up the rod for the same length. Mine are all 6'6" rods. The Cabela's rods have about 2" more rear handle and 2" less rod in front as a result. I prefer this. The guides all line up exactly in the same places as the Compre rods. It's like the same rod but with more handle. I went with them because I still want full cork grips, not split grips made from foam. If you're into that though, the Tourney Trail has a full line of foam split grips also. Edit...I hate spell correct on an iPad.

Sell the other reels to help fund the new one.

I use the Symetre 2500 and like the T handle, but I also like the ones that are not. I guess any of them will work for me, except just the plain round knob like on the ci4. I don't care for that.

Some of the smaller sized spools had a knob that wasn't a T. The 1000 size is one step down and has a flat handle. It might fit.

Can't deny Apple's success. When you're worth more than some small countries, you've made it. Now, get Flash. I want to watch videos.

What's funny is I never paid attention to Dodge trucks until I bought my Ram a year ago. I actually thought they were ugly. But after I drove mine I loved it and then their looks started growing on me really fast and now I can't believe I ever thought they were ugly at all. I think they are sharp looking. Some would say I jumped the band wagon because I got one but that's really not it. I think I was too hung up on Chevy to really give them a chance before. I bought this one because I needed a truck and it was a good price. I looked at a GMC but it was too high priced. The Ram was several thousand less and had the same features and mileage for a used truck. It was the better deal so I took it and it really impressed me and made me pay attention to the other previous and current models more. Now I'm finding I like the looks of the trucks clear back to the generation 1 styles. Who knew?

That's a nice truck. I like all Dodges in general. Even the Dakotas, but the Rams are my favorites. I thought Ram was officially its own brand now, and not Dodge anymore. Is this right?

And I still kept on drinking Mello Yellow even though I hated it (it is not a substitution for Mountain Dew, people, but that's another argument). Anyway, I finally stopped ordering it in Coke only establishments and tried, of all things, Coke. Surprisingly, it's not bad. Neither are androids. I use an iPad at home from sheer laziness to lay in bed and be online with a larger screen. But I'm annoyed to no end that Apple won't run Flash programmed videos and other things. I've had experience with androids in the phone market. I wonder how a larger one would have been? What did you not like about the Galaxy? My wife has one, not sure which but its a year old. She likes it. As far as I know, each device is set up user specific and operates on the android system. I can't use her phone at all because of how it's set up, but I can mine with ease. Both are androids but mine is a different brand.