The Rooster

Myself, having owned a Sedona, I wouldn't get either one. Don't care for them. The Sahara is not that much different from the Sedona, I think just one more bearing is all. But you should know that the Spirex does NOT have an instant anti reverse. It only has the one stopping point anti reverse at top dead center, in the position where you would grasp the line to make another cast. I wouldn't own a reel that didn't at least have the ratcheting anti reverse where it stopped at several points in the rotation. All of the reels I own now have the roller bearing anti reverse which is just dead stop anywhere you stop cranking at. That's an instant hook set when you pull back that way. The anti reverse the Spirex has will allow the bail to rotate backwards a very long way before setting the hook. Some may not mind this but I would not be able to stand it.

You can't beat free reel oil from someone who knows what's the best to use. But just so you do know, Wal-Mart does have it (at least here they do). It's packaged and hanging on peg hooks on their counters under the name of Zebco. You can buy it separately (oil only) or as a kit (oil and grease both). Oil by itself, I paid $2.00 for a pretty good sized amount of it. Being that one drop is all you need at a time on a bearing, maybe 6 or 7 drops total to relube all the bearings in a reel, then it should last a long time. After all my experiences lubing reels over the years, I'll never use anything but reel recommended lubricants ever again. Don't use 3-in-1 oil, WD-40, or anything like that. My brother in law says to use vaseline but I think he's nuts. I'd never do that (again : ;D). Yeah he talked me into it once and at the time it seemed like it might do the trick. But now I know better, that stuff was a waste of time. It just evaporated after a short time and it was like it had never been greased at all then. Bad experiences have helped me learn otherwise now, and since then good experiences with actual reel oils and reel gear greases have changed my views. You can save yourself the bad experiences by listening to people here who have done it before.

Thanks all. Just wanted to know about them, they seem nice for the price, but I like an aluminum frame since owning the Bass Pro Shops Extreme. For the same money, I'd get another one of those before going with a non aluminum frame.

Do either of these reels have an aluminum frame (pretty sure they don't)?? Other than color and one single bearing more in the Silver Max, are there any other differences between the Abu Garcia Black Max and the Silver Max?? And lastly, would you recommend either one as a good reel?? They look good but looks don't mean a thing if they suck.

Check out this combo from Cabela's. It's an Abu Garcia Black Max with a Cabela's Pro Guide rod. Available in a 2 piece, 6' length as a combo and for $59.96. Plus shipping of course, but that means you're only a few dollars away from owning it. Would mom or dad maybe help you out there, float you a loan so to speak?? Once you follow this link, scroll down the page a bit and it's the 4th one down on the list, model number C602-2. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0053390123234a&navCount=7&podId=0053390&parentId=cat20285&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat20166-cat20285&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20285&hasJS=true

Wal-Mart here at home used to sell the Harold Ensley rod. I had one and it was really nice for it's price. They don't sell them here anymore though, or I'd buy one and ship it to you. I got a rod from Dick's last year, it was a Quest LS-7, and it was a 6' medium power 2 piece baitcasting rod. Very nice rod. I paid $25 on sale, it was normally $40. Later I saw them on sale even lower, down to $20. I should have bought another one. See if they sell them at your Dick's store, they don't have them here anymore either. Man I really wish I'd bought another one of those now. What about ordering a rod from Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops?? I've seen the Cabela's Classic for $20. They might have a 6' 2 piece casting model if you look.

I read this and picked up on two distinct differences. Your dad said the line snapped well above the knot, but you say you think it might not have had enough tag end.......implying that the knot came untied (that's how I took it anyway). Have you guys figured out which one it was for sure?? I'd definitely want to know before going back in again. If it's knot failure you can work on it, and if it's line breakage, the only thing I see you could have done is checked the line several feet up after every cast. Of course I ain't in no position to be giving any advice on something this big. My PB is probably only 15 inches or maybe a little over, from a pond. Largest one I've ever used a tape to measure and KNOW was 15 inches is in my avatar. : But I was just curious cause that seems like a pretty important detail in knowing what happened. Good luck next time, and like leftcoast said, the more you throw to that spot, the more education that bass is gonna gain. Stuff to think about anyway.

Bandit crankbaits to me are a lot of bang for the buck. Series 100 for shallow diving 2 - 5 feet, series 200 for 4 - 8 feet, and series 300 for 8 - 12 feet. Also the footloose series for super shallow diving, 0 - 2 feet. Available in dozens of colors, good quality hooks on them..........and they simply WORK. Cost an average of $4.50 each. So you could get quite a few and still have some money left over. The 100 series is my favorite one, though I've caught more on the 200 series. Used it for a long time until I bought enough of the 100's to use more often so that's why I got more on them. I fish an average of 6 feet of water depth a lot and the 200 hits bottom in that depth too much and hangs up at times. 100 doesn't do that cause it doesn't dive as deep, plus the square bill on it deflects off of cover better than the rounded bill on the 200 does. These are just awesome little crankbaits for the price.

Dip boil?? You mean just dunk it in boiling water for a second or so?? Might have to try that one. Does the plastic retain it's newly gained softness indefinitely or will it stiffen up again later on??

I've found out over the years that storing them in Plano boxes OUT of their original packaging, just loose in the box, will warp the box you put them in. Especially any of them that are very oily or greasy. But even some drier ones such as the Zoom super salt + plastics will do it too. Box lid will actually curl up along the edges and actually not even let the snaps that hold it shut work right anymore. That may be better now that they have changed the snaps on the lids to the colored tabs that can actually be removed. They seem like they snap better. Before when they were just molded on the lid and the lid warped to where they wouldn't grab hold anymore, then I had to get a new box. Boxes that aren't supposed to warp like that are called "wormproof" boxes. Not sure of the Plano clear trays, whether they are or not, but the ones made in the past were definitely not. So now I just keep them in the bags they come in and have a pocket designated for them on my tacklebag. Only bad thing is I have to pull almost all of them out to get to any of them that are on the bottom. The cooler idea is interesting. Might have to look into something like that.

I have bought some of the cheap hardbaits before. Ended up giving almost all of them away cause they run crooked as a dog's leg right out of the box. I tuned a few but my heart wasn't into fishing them. Only ones I have now are the hard jerkbaits that float. I can catch fish on those and they don't run crooked, but it doesn't matter cause the way I fish them they don't run at all anyway. Just get the snot jerked out of them or twitched softly on top of the water. I have one I've caught so many fish on I figure it's paid for all the rest of them I gave away. Then I have a bunch of the Renegade twirl tail worms too. Rarely used them and just recently I took them all out of my tacklebag to make room for Zoom U-tales in more colors. ;D I did catch fish on them before though. Just don't like them cause of the way they bag them up, sitting in the bags they are all bent up and come out with a permanent crook in the length of the worm that causes line twist so I don't use them anymore. Zooms don't have that problem. I'm a Zoom man now. ;D

Makes sense to me. I have had decent luck this year using my 6.4:1 BPS Extreme reel and cranking Bandit crankbaits. Caught several bass using that reel and never felt like I was overfishing the lure with excessive speed. So, anyone looking for a new baitcast combo for crankbaits, would you just go ahead and get a 6.1 to 6.4 ratio reel?? I'm looking for a new setup to fish crankbaits with, and the reel I have now I'm about to make my jigging rod reel. Since I'll need a new one would you just stick with the same ratio or get something slower?? I was looking at the good deals I can get right now on the Quantum Accurist AC500CX reel, but it's 6.2:1 and I thought it might be too fast.

Is a 6.4 or 6.1 or similar gear ratio too fast for crankbaits?? I read once that it should be slower, like 5.1 or less.

Man. I was thinking about buying some of that in the bulk spools. Seemed really cheap for the amount you got and I didn't get it cause i thought it seemed just a bit "too cheap". Now I'm glad I waited. Anybody think brand could have anything to do with what happened here?? Should we try Berkley or another brand over just Cabela's or Bass Pro brand line??

Was at Wal-mart today getting stuff for the 4th of July bash we're going to. Me, my wife, and her two brothers and her sister are going to the lake with all their spouses and children, taking 2 bass boats and one 24 foot pontoon. My boat will be one of them, and me and my wife will be the only two on it. 8-) Anyway, while there I looked at the fishing rods. They only had 2 I would have even liked. The Team Daiwa-V rod and the Quantum Torsion. The Quantum said medium heavy but felt more like a medium in terms of power and stiffness. It had a moderate tip also, not very fast at all. It was only $18.96 so I figured that had something to do with it. Nice rod for that money but not what I want. The Team Daiwa-V rod is SEXXXY though. They had it in 7' and 6'6", both in medium heavy. The 7' one feels a bit too long and heavy for me right now I think. I believe I'm gonna go with the 6'6" to begin with. I didn't get it tonight, had to spend $200 on other stuff for the party and for a camping trip we're taking later on this month. But it's definitely in the future for me, possibly before the end of the summer, but I'll have to wait till I swing another big job done before I can just lay down for it (I work home improvements and construction). Shouldn't take long. I'm glad I found such a nice rod for the money. It's only $49.96. Should do everything I want when I get it. Already have a nice reel for it, the Bass Pro Shops Extreme in a 6.4:1 ratio. Just gotta get by on the rod it's on now until I get the Daiwa rod to replace it. :'( Oh well, soon enough I'll be jigging with it. And spinnerbaiting, and buzzbaiting, and T-rigging and.........hopefully catching some FISH!!!

You asked about the bearing number being any advantage at all. I compared my President to my Trion, and I really can't feel any difference. One is as smooth as the other when fishing with them and they're both great reels. I looked in the owner's manual to see where all the bearings are located at inside the reel and I was surprised to see that certain gears have bearings supporting them which will make them smoother than any reel that doesn't have them. Couldn't imagine 10 bearings being in there until I saw how they used them. Good idea they had when building it, that's for sure. In looking at the two reels I have to see where the President has the extra 3, I wasn't able to tell just by looking at the parts list. It wasn't detailed enough apparently. I did notice that when I had the spools off of them, I found one on the President that the Trion doesn't have and it's on the shaft that the spool sits on, the spool actually rides on it as it would spin with the drag being pulled out. I guess that would make the drag smoother since it's free to spin on a bearing instead of only the shaft. The Trion doesn't have one in that location but I can't really tell any advantage to this. But I rarely see any fish pull my drag so it doesn't mean much to me (right now). Might mean a lot if I ever hook a fish that can really pull my drag. But right now, the Trion is a good reel for the money, 2/3 the cost of the President, reel or combo either one. But the President is a great combo also. So if you get it, you won't go wrong. By the way, one of those 79 reviews of the President reel at Cabela's is MINE!!!

I've fished the carolina in the past and done OK with it. Mainly I use the texas rig though. I do pretty decent with it so I'm guessing the jig will do good too.

Ima learn from you, and I'm gettin' that Team Daiwa-V rod.

Well to be honest, it might have been the knot. I had caught several bass back to back on the same hook and only had to put on a new worm everytime I caught one, but still used the same hook and knot. The knot might have gotten weak from all those fish. All I know is I set the hook and SNAP! Reeled it in and could tell by the curvature on the end of the line that it had broken at the knot. No frays that I could see there, just snapped clean it looked like. I used an improved clinch knot to tie with. Should have use a palomar maybe?? Also if you don't have the remains of the knot still on the line, then how can you tell if that's indeed where it did snap at?? I "assumed" that was where it snapped cause of how the line looked. Didn't look stretched on the end, or frayed, just clean but slightly curved and reminded me of times when I tie on and pull down to tighten the knot and have it snap like that before even casting. The line looked just like when that happens. I really love my 8 lb. line and don't really want to go up in size. Feels like I'll lose some castability and distance that way. I've used 10 before and can tell a difference in even that, have it on one rod right now and don't care for it that much. My buddy uses 12 which I think is too stiff for the spinning rods we use. He likes it though. But I seen it smoke him while fishing the same lure as me. Sink rate had to be it. I fished my 8 lb with a weightless worm, and he fished 12 lb. I caught probably 8 bass in an hour and he didn't catch any using the same worm as me.

I use a jig for everything from flipping 10-15' from the boat out to 35-40 yards casts on deep structure. You're able to cast 35-40 yards?? I do well to hit 70 feet, which is just shy of 25 yards. That's with a 3/8 oz. lure though. About the largest I fish. Until now that is. Once I get a good jigging rod I might be throwing up to 3/4 or more. Gotta learn first though.

I have the President reel, the 6735 I think it is. Holds 145 yds of 8 lb. test. That's the one I have. I like mine really well. Its internal components were a little dry when I got it so it felt just a little rough but I oiled it and it smoothed out. All in all, a solid reel. I think the Trion is probaby just as good though. Have one of each and like them both equally really. Only real differences I can see is the President has 3 more bearings than the Trion and it also has an aluminum side plate instead of graphite. Either one is a good reel to own though.

I saw the reel is available in a 5.1 ratio and there is a cranking rod made of E-glas to go with it. I'm looking into a crankbait rod and thought maybe this could be the one. Just read about them last night in the catalog while shopping for a jigging rod also. I'm sort of rethinking my entire outfit of rods and reels and trying to get set up to be better prepared to fish seriously. Always before I just bought rods based on feeling and how expensive they were(n't). Never knew enough about them to know what I needed and should have bought until coming on this site recently. Now I have a knowledge source to set me up RIGHT!

Just curious. Anybody here use or have seen the new KVD signature series rods or reels that are in Bass Pro Shops catalogs?? The baitcaster is made on the same frame as the Quantum Code it looks like. The rods look nice too. The combo is $160 plus shipping in the catalog, but I think I've seen them on sale recently on the website.

I think this is the rod I've been looking at at Wal-Mart for $50. They have them in 6'6" and 7' both. I'm still shopping though, now that I have some more idea what to look for. I'll probably use fluorocarbon since it sinks better than mono does, and is more sensitive and I can get a little heavier size for the same size of a mono in a smaller pound test. Like 17 lb. test in 15 lb. mono diameter. And more sensitive too. Never fished a jig so I'm gonna need all the help I can get.

All these replies you guys have given me are great. I feel like I have some idea where to start shopping now to look for a jigging rod. Thanks a lot to all who replied. One last thing though. Would a regular mono line in about a 12 to 14 pound test be good enough?? Or do I need heavier or something different?? I don't really want to go braided though.