21farms

straight from the horse's mouth

from: previous thread about NASCI reel

it's confusing. for example, i use both power pro and sufix 832 in 50-pound test. the powerpro has rated diameter of .36 millimeters while the sufix has a rated diameter of .34 millimeters. yet, the sufix looks and feels notably thicker.

i just live-chatted with TW. they said that, as far as the new NASCI reels are concerned, the 2500-size and 3000-size bodies are different now; the rep said that the 3000- and 4000-sizes now share the same bodies only differing in their spools and that the 2500 is on its own, smaller frame.

if anyone can confirm that the 2500 and the 3000 sizes share the same body but only differ in spool depth and gear ratio, i'd really appreciate it. i find 2500-size spinning reels are perfect for me but i want the faster, 6.2:1 gear ratio of the 3000 over the 5:1 of the 2500. thanks.

exactly! for any techniques not involving constant winding (e.g., crankbaits, spinnerbaits), i want the highest IPT i can get. when hooking a smallmouth while dropshotting deep, they zoom to the surface faster than i can wind to catch up and sometimes spotted bass will do that too. but, if i'm swimming a grub or a spinner, i like slower IPT.

for me, it's cuz i didn't know better or even understood that there was a difference between main line and leader material. TW didn't even carry leader material until just recently when they added sunline FC leader.

i forgot to mention that seaguar also said, "TATSU main line is constructed like leader material and can be used as such". the reason i wrote seaguar in the first place was because i was having a miserable time using regular abrazx as a leader...i was using 3 to 4 foot lengths of 14 lb. test and it was breaking like crazy. i couldn't figure out what was going on since it was fine as a main line.

i asked seaguar that question. here's their response:

i recently read that somewhere too but can't remember where. the point the author was trying to make was that fluoro sinks because it absorbs water. WRONG! fluoro sinks because its specific gravity is greater than water's.

i have read numerous people report that the blue and the green NRXs are identical in weight and sensitivity. personally, i don't see how that's possible since the green has paint and the glossy clear coat which the blue does not have. according to malaysia airlines, the paint on a 747 adds 1,200 pounds to the plane so it's not like paint weighs nothing. that being said, i've got my first green NRX on the way...i'll see how i like it compared to my blue ones.

definitely, i have been using an NRX 852S successfully and the 872s is basically the same rod only longer

i just ordered an NRX 822S SYR to serve exclusively as my ned rig rod. for me, i want the same characteristics of a shakeyhead rod for ned rigs.

at that price, i couldn't resist and just ordered my sixth NRX (an 822S SYR). NRXs are far and away my favorite rods and i've never seen new ones for less than 40 percent off. i may yet add another one by tonight if they still have any of the 872S left.

ordered from JLS many times...excellent and fast service. i prefer paypal's slightly lower exchange rate conversion to my credit card company's overseas transaction fees.

yes, shimano and daiwa both use 4x7x2.5 in most of their reel handles. and, yes, you can put shimano knobs on daiwa handles but NOT the other way around; here's a webpage explaining why and how: http://japantackle.com/Knob_installing. at one time, i had shimano septon power knobs from curado baitcast reels on all my daiwa spinning reels...just added a third bearing under each knob and they worked like a charm.

i have many daiwas, both spinning and casting, and they all take 4x7x2.5 bearings in the knobs. i'm not familiar with the knob shown in your first two pictures but the I-shape knob should take two 4x7x2.5 bearings.

at the end of 2013/beginning of 2014, ardent switched from american design and production to chinese. the entire reel lineup changed dramatically as a result of the move so you can't really compare the pre-2014 models with current models. to me, their profiles looks suspiciously like many of the BPS house brand reels.

i bet it won't i started with just one and thought the same thing. next thing i knew, i was unhappy with my other rods that i used to love. i've been slowly selling off my other rods and buying more NRXs. i'm up to four NRXs so far.

here you go: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Vr1Fgoa-15_gAo9_EFYUnkR2KSMbMaiYBydoeyUgPAA?feat=directlink if you need it larger, PM me with your email address and i'll send you the file.

power pro is what i currently use although i liked suffix ghost too

for lures that i tie direct—like lipless cranks—i throw green braid. for everything else, i use white or yellow braid with a fluorocarbon leader. the fish don't care because they don't see it because of the leader but it helps me out tremendously to be able to see the line. when i first started doing this, i used hi-vis yellow only to discover that it's not that easy to see against cattails and bullrushes so i switched to white. white is my favorite because there's absolutely no bleeding or fading.

okay, i'm super confused. on the U.S. shimano website, it says that both the 2500 and 3000 sizes have 6.0:1 gears and the same line retrieve of 35" per turn. but both TT and TW say that the 3000 has 6.2:1 gears and so there must be difference in IPT as well. also, the shimano website says both weigh the same 8.3 ounces and both offer 20 pounds of max drag whereas the JDM stradic 2500 and 3000 FKs have differences of 3cm in retrieve, 20g in weight and 5kg difference in drag. TT's review makes no mention of the claimed 20 lbs. of max drag.

not sure if they're significantly less durable but their main problem is that they're just not as rigid as an aluminum frame. so, what you'll get is the frame flexing while under load, causing the parts to come out of perfect alignment, which in turn causes squealing, roughness, unnecessary gear wear, increased friction, etc. if i were on a budget, i'd get the daiwa exceler from monster fishing tackle which is only $60 on sale right now plus you get a free HUK/daiwa fishing shirt. mlbassyaker's advice on the fenwick rods is spot on. those fenwick smallmouth elitetech series are great rods, especially at that price.