The Rooster

DING DING DING DING!!!

1a and 1b both involve using the newly available tackle. Then you have to choose whether to upgrade all the rest to match, or use the new along side of the old. It's part of the same answer, but the others are all different completely.

Here's a couple from early spring on my favorite lake, Yatesville in Lawrence County, Kentucky. This little guy here was fishing too!!

OK, you're officially recognized as a 1B but I think you got the makings of a 1A in ya!!! ;D By the way, welcome to the dark side!! Once you try it, you're hooked for life!! I didn't start until I was 22 even though my younger brother got into it when he was in the single digits and him and Dad were always out on the water. I missed out cause of no interest (what was I thinking!!). I finally was talked into going one day with a friend and as soon as I felt that first fish I knew before I landed it I would always do this. It's that good. That was 15 years ago and I'll be 37 this year. Since then, Dad, my brother, and I, as well as several friends have logged a good bit of time out on the water. :) :) :)

On the Roosters I've been used to using I've noticed they spin in both directions. It's a toss up which way they turn when you start the retrieve. And they also do not spin anywhere near the speed of the rotor on the reel. I'd say they are as much as 5 times slower at least. My only intention was to try to make the bait turn in the same direction as the rotor. It won't fix it all, but at least it would undo some of it, and also by not turning in the opposite direction at least it won't be compounding the problem. I don't think I could make it spin at the same speed as the rotor though. Spinning reels are going to have line twist no matter what. I've experienced a severe amount in my estimation though. The type where it jumps off the spool and wraps around itself as soon as you open the bail. It ends up wrapped around the shaft under the spool and requires removing the spool to fix. It coils on itself out on the water and tangles all over the guides. Those sort of problems. I don't remember having them so much in the past, and it could possibly be just from the way I've been putting the line on too. For years I always laid the spool on the floor, label up, and wound line on. I had line twist but never so bad I couldn't manage it, and back then I never used a swivel with the baits either, just tied straight on. Then I started reading all these alternate methods of putting line on and began trying them all. Since then it's been a nightmare, and even using a ball bearing swivel on the baits doesn't seem to help that I can notice. I'm going to try the method I saw in the youtube video someone posted earlier to see how that goes, maybe that's all I need to do to fix it. But I'm still going to experiment with the direction of turn on the Roosters too.

Those are freaky looking.

I'm torn on this. Not the Lew's stuff in general, but whether or not this qualifies as "trying the new stuff" or "sticking to what I know and like" because all the new Lew's rods and baitcast reels fall right in line with the type of stuff I already know I like. It's not really "new", it's just refined older designs in the less expensive rods, and it's basically enhanced versions of the BPS baitcast reels. I like them all!! I might have to change my status. ;D The Lew's stuff looks great!!

Wow, little bit of everything there. Quantum, Abu Garcia, Shimano, Pflueger, Daiwa. Did I miss any??

When you notice a new trend in fishing, such as micro guides on rods for example.....are you the type..... 1. that will try it, and then... a. once you've tried it and liked it you then upgrade all your current rods or reels to be the same way or... b. can fish the new stuff side by side the older stuff and not upgrade them all, regardless of any differences noticed?? 2. that justs sticks to what you know you already like and don't change?? 3. that resists change until the very last and then when finally forced into it you upgrade them all at that point?? 4. that resists change until the very last and then purchases the new stuff only as necessary and continues to use the old stuff until it finally wears out?? I voted "wear out the old, buy new only when needed" because I tend to resist change until it's force on me. Once I get something I like I stick to it blindly in spite of what's new and improved. Probably shouldn't be that way but I am. I've been getting some new reels lately but again, that's out of what I consider "necessity" because some of the others are not to my satisfaction.

BAM!!! AND THERE IT IS!!! Yep, there it is.....w2farmer's opinion Yeah, I know. I'm just playing around, having fun, that's all.

I'm pretty sure it was Duckett who dropped E21 instead of the other way around. ;D

And when the 20 yards you are actually fishing with gets weak you can take it off and put the good end out. In order to do this you would have to de-spool the reel without winding it onto anything else and then wind it back on again in reverse, or else reel it straight onto another reel. If you only have one, that could be a problem. How do you guys do it??

I have, with most Pfluegers, and with ALL Shakespeare reels that share the same design. I've seen it DOZENS of times on them. Never figured out what it was, but I noticed it each and every time right as the spool bottomed out on it's oscillation, and also at the top of it as well when having a Shakespeare in my hands. Seems they do it even more, and do it louder than the Pfluegers do. It's usually 3 little ticks and then silence until the spool reaches the end of it's travel the opposite way where it does it again. Doesn't seem to affect the reel at all, it's just a characteristic of them. I have 2 Pfluegers. The President does it sometimes, but the Trion does not. My nephew bought a Shakespeare Dimension from Walmart which shares the identical design to the Pfluegers, and his reel makes this noise all the time. Doesn't hurt it in the least though. I'm glad somebody else finally noticed this. Every time I pointed it out to anyone here locally they just acted like they couldn't notice the same thing, like I was imagining it.

Nice reels. Where are the rods??

I'm religious about closing the bail by hand. Now that is. Have been since reading it on here a couple of years ago.

BAM!!! AND THERE IT IS!!!

I do some of them but below 1/6 oz (that's less than 3/16 oz) they don't cast very well. 1/8 and 1/16 are impossible to throw on my reels unless they are spinning reels.

Aw, that's niiice!! A reel got a vote that wasn't even asked about and the Symetre STILL got nothing. ;D

Wow, the Symetre is getting no love in this thread. :-[ ;D ;D ;D

OK, where you would tie the line at on that lure is a lot farther out of center than what I was able to bend the line tie out to on the Roosters. That might work better. Thanks for the link.

That's good to know. Thank you. I mainly wondered if the same bearings I already have on the stock handles would fit on there in place of the bushings. And if they would, then I wonder if the same knobs would fit also. That way it won't change the looks of the reel too much, it would look like a "special issue" version of the reel with the ported handle shank and the same everything else otherwise. I'm sure now that I know it does have bushings that I could order a bearing to fit it if I wanted it and if nothing else just use the rubber knobs that come with the handle. I know it would be wasting some money, but not that much, I still couldn't buy a new reel for what I would spend. I'd just be doing it mostly for fun, all except for the extended handle for the cranking reel part. That would actually be a functional upgrade. I'd just do the others to keep them matching. Besides, wasting money on useless fishing stuff is what 1/2 of this sport is apparently about. No one needs reels or rods that cost nearly as much as some of the stuff available does.

They don't need replacements. The stock handles are fine now and have actually been upgraded a little bit with 2 bearings in each paddle instead of only 1 and a bushing like from the factory. I'm just playing around with them, thinking they would look sharp with the ported handle shanks, not to mention I could get them in longer versions for deep cranking. But I like how free the bearings in them now make them feel and wondered if I could do the same thing to the new XPS handles.

None from the factory but I have made my own by bending the wire on the Rooster's frame just below the line tie. It didn't work, body still kept spinning. Maybe I didn't bend it enough. Looked sickly bent to me though, was completely out of line with the center, but that's only 1/8 inch or a little more out. I wonder if the overall size of the bait and blades will affect it much?? I use everything from 1/16 oz sizes up to the 3/8 oz ones, with plans to get some 1/2 oz or more too.

Some Roosters have a body that's triangular shaped, which I think must be to act as a keel. There are also a few models that have the blade attached the same as a Panther Martin as well. But I generally use the traditional ones since I can get them without having to order them, they're cheap, and there's loads of colors available. I've tried cupping the blade some to make them spin more easily, which does work and adds thump to it also, but it also really cranks up the line twist too. This is why I thought that I might be able to adjust it so it only twists in one direction, the same way my rotor is turning. Hey J Francho.....what is this --> Side-spin casting a centrepin?? I've never heard of it. I know it's unrelated to my question here but was just curious.

I'm not sure either but I do know a Citica/Crucial feels great in the hand. Pair them up at a store and see. I did and was almost sorry I went with Compre rods instead. Not too sorry though. My Citica/Compre feels really good too.