21farms

IPT is 35.8

exactly what bobp says. if you want to see high-sticking, watch any stacey king video on youtube. now, regarding using the rod to lift the fish into the boat, watch the latest video over at TW of a shimano rep fishing the new cumara rods...i was dumbfounded...the first guy brought in fish like he was using a 3:1 ratio reel just reeling like mad...the second guy (the shimano rep) did what rod companies always tell you not to do: hoisting big fish into the boat with a rod.

same as the alberto knot except 10 twists each direction instead of 8?

KVD L&L is so well-loved, why hasn't any line manufacturer licensed it from RMR industries to incorporate it into their lines during the manufacturing process or during the packaging?

my experiences have been similar. i had two of the tournament pros and have a team pro and those cast great. i've only had two outings so far with my BB1. the first time, i wasn't get much distance and a lot of backlashes...i was pretty perplexed. the second time, i tightened up on the tension knob like lew's service manager told me to do (not unlike what you had to do with the 1G and 2G revo SX's i might add) and i concentrated on being smooth in my delivery instead of trying to "kill it" if you know what i mean...everything was better...better distance and fewer professional overruns. so, i think it is finicky in that you can't just whip out casts without thinking about how you're doing it like you can with other reels. i think i'll have it all figured out shortly.

i remember being very put off by the idea of not having an instant anti-reverse on a modern reel. my experiences with the shimano spirex with no IAR are not good ones which is why i bought the 6.4:1 with IAR instead of the 5.1:1 without IAR. the previous BB1 thread caused me to think back to my fishing in the early 1980s with the original lew's reels. i remembered that cranking was indeed fun without the IAR...when a fish hit, i definitely knew it because the handle would jerk backward which is definitely a more immediate sensation to me than it would've been through my hand holding the rod. i wish now that i would've gotten the 5.1:1 version.

if there is, i don't have it. i got this directly from lew's service manager who emailed it to me. we were exchanging emails because i wrote him with a question about the handles on the BB1. the part about setting the spool tension is directly from him too. if you have any questions, just email lew's directly...everyone i've dealt with there is extremely responsive and helpful.

skeet8 and grantman83, yes, the BB1 is a different animal. here's the brake setting guide: basically, you want to set the tension knob a little tighter than you normally would. so, instead of setting it so that your lures slowly falls when you release the clutch, you want the lure not to drop unless you jiggle the rod. then, when you cast, take it easy with smooth, controlled casts until you get used to it.

i spent a lot of time on the water with mine this week on two fishing trips. i have the low-speed version and i was throwing #7 balsa shad raps with it. so far, i'm really impressed. it really does cast light lures pretty well. what's more, it is smooth. i really like the 90mm handle (why don't more companies use 90mm handles??? 80mm is way too short, 85mm is okay but 95mm is kinda long...90mm is perfect) and how easy it is to thread line from the spool out the line guide because of the elongated shape (if you have revos, you know how difficult that can be in low light a full spool). i only wish it were a little lighter and the design of the sideplate were a little sexier.

tbone, on the 5:1 BB1 doesn't have instant anti-reverse. to the OP, i highly recommend you dip you toe in the water slowly and start with the one TP and perhaps one BB1. the BB1 casts differently...kinda hard to describe but you should check it out. where i think the BB1 excels is heavier lures...for the lighter stuff, my TPs give me better distance.

i can't stand using straight braid for spinnerbaits...it's too limp and gets all wrapped about the wire and the blades. i am, however, very happy with 30# powerpro with 20# seaguar abrazx fluorocarbon leader or just straight 20# flourocarbon like seaguar red label. if you're fishing fast, heavy 20# line is fine.

the FIRST thing you should do is mount all of your reels one-by-one on the same rod as your gold carbonlite is mounted on and try casting that way one after the other. rods play a HUGE part in the distance you can achieve and how you perceive the reel. certain combinations of the right reel for the right rod are like magic but sometimes certain combos just don't "click". to really determine if your reels need work, you need to eliminate all other variables as much as you can. good luck.

the BPS prolite finesse was the poor man's daiwa sol. even though i had two sols, i also collected the prolites because they were just fun to fish with. i had one of each: the original PRL05H, the 2nd generation B model (PRL05HB), and the 3rd generation C model (PRL05HC) such as the one in your pic. the C model was by far the best of the bunch. too bad BPS went from the 05-size frame of the prolites to the 10-size for the carbonlite reels.

well done!

i don't have any but a friend of mine put them on his revos...after about a year, he decided to remove them but they left behind rib indentations on his knobs...even a year later, we could still see them. just something to be aware of.

FWIW, the pro max from many years ago are unrelated to ABU's current pro max line. i have both a pro max and a BB1. the pro max has a graphite frame and, after a couple hours of fishing, you'll know it...it gets a little loud as i think the frame flexes and the gears aren't perfectly aligned. the BB1 is really smooth and solid. when i bought it, lew's service manager (rick collins) told me it casts differently than the other lew's reels and that i should set the spool tension knob a little tighter than i'm used to. trust me, he's right anyway, get the lew's.

i feel sorry for you...i live in california and, when i place an order with TW before noon, my order is on my doorstep before 10am the next morning...many times even before 8am. this is with their standard free shipping. i estimate i spend at least $1,000 annually at TW...i think they're the best.

the backroom conversation between BPS and one of their contract reel manufacturers might go something like this: BPS: the 2013 classic sale is coming up and we need to add something to the sale to spice things up. what can you do for us? OEM: well, we have some old style pro qualifier frames laying around. we have bunch of leftover johnny morris signature extra handles. we also have a run of 6-arm drag stars that were an extreme flop as well as 100 gallons of discontinued purple metalflake paint. we have enough parts to cobble together 4,000 of them for you. we'll give you a really good price. BPS: excellent! we'll feature it in the classic flyer...let's call them the "johnny morris extreme qualifier limited edition"!

i had the previous-generation shimano sahara FD, and it was absolutely the smoothest reel i ever had, spinning or baitcasting, even more-so than my other reels costing 2-5 times more. however, if i were buying today, i'd go with the symetre 2500FL simply because of the heft and feel of the forged handle (the sahara FD had a forged handle but the current FE model has a cast handle).

i've never heard of these breaking so durability is not the issue. rather, how quickly or effortlessly the brakes actuate. when i slowly twirl the curado/chronarch spool, the brake pads slide up and down on the pins easily. not so with the citica spool...i have to twirl the spool faster for the brakes to go up and down. that being said, i've never really noticed much difference between them castingwise on the water. i think where it might make a difference is pitching since the spool startup speed is slower and the casting duration is shorter.

of course...i don't post anything that wasn't meant not to be shared

here's a picture of my citica E spool and my chronarch E spool (basically the same as the curado E except for the black finish). you can see the differences in the brake assembly. i've seen the G's and the same difference applies there as well. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/651/d7k1103.jpg/'>

chad, you already mentioned the handle and the spool but they both bear highlighting. the knobs on the curados are big and meaty and made out of a theromoplastic rubber that maintains their tackiness even when wet or cold...they are really nice, especially compared to the standard barrel-shaped knobs of the citicas. the centrifugal brakes on the curados slide freely up and down on brass spindles whereas the spindles on the citicas are plastic which don't allow as free a movement.

yeah, but the MGX uses IVCB brakes, a variation on centrifugal brakes with different braking characteristics

whoa, i got home and just checked...it is indeed not metal...i've only had the chronarch for a month and have played with it but never fished it yet but i never noticed.