John G

I will add my Antares AR to the list as well. DVT has it right now and it was smoother than the Zonda 68 BEFORE I sent it off to be serviced. I think the Alphas (Zonda 68) is a nice reel. I even thought about keeping it just because it was a Megabass and I was interested in using it for BFS purposes but it was not meant to be because other than it being a Megabass, it did not excite me at all.

The truth hurts! LOL

If you are coming from Shimano, you might be disappointed in the Alphas. I bought a Megabass Zonda 68 a few weeks ago from the Megabass Outlet Store and I was underwhelmed by it. I never did use it and while it palmed great and was light enough, it was not as smooth as any low profile Shimano that I have and it certainly wasn't as smooth as my Conquest 50's and it did not have a clicking drag star. My low profile Shimano's that are smoother than a brand new Megabass Zonda 68 are Curado 50E, XT1000's, Aldebaran Mg7's and a Curado 200HG. I have since sold it to a member over at TT.

I think that I may have that rod. If I do, it has been used for throwing unweighted Shrimp and light jigs on saltwater flats and it has caught plenty of inshore fish that roam the flats.

Get yourself a low profile 50 size Shimano and have fun.

I have had the the Curado B, D, the Scorpion 1500 series, same as Curado E, and the I, and I think the I is the best Curado of them all.

That is a great ad. I remember seeing ads in Florida Sportsman Magazine I guess back in the early 80's of guys using Shimano baitcasters catching sharks and I had to have one. It wasn't too long after that that I got my first Shimano baitcaster.

For a general purpose reel, I would take the Shimano Scorpion XT1001 over the Curado I any day of the week. I am disappointed in myself for not thinking of it first. LOL It is already a Classic and Japan Lure Shop probably has the price anywhere on this reel.

Shimano Curado 200I for $135.99 tyd on ebay You said General Purpose so this reel is 6.3:1 http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Shimano-Curado-I-201-CU-201I-Left-Hand-6-3-1-Baitcasting-Fishing-Reel-Bass-/361323458562?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item54208e7002

I was going to say a cane pole but I figured that if it doesn't have guides and a reel seat, it isn't a fishing rod. LOL

I thought so. I remember in your straight flouro Thread you mentioned that you got a birdsnest. I kinda figured that was with spinning gear. My advice to a first time user of a baitcaster is to buy yourself a couple spools of 10 to 12# Big Game and practice with that instead of an expensive line. I don't know why you bought the bearings because the bearings that come in that Aldebaran are more than likely very high quality bearing but hey, it's your money. LOL

Great! Is this your first casting reel?

The rod a Zebco 33 combo came with in the mid 70's.

I have bought and sold many reels on eBay and everybody was happy. I think it helps if you buy a used reel that was a great reel when it was new. If you buy a used reel on eBay that was a lesser quality reel when it was new then IMHO, you kinda deserve the crappy reel that you are going to get. I don't care if it's an Antares HG that has a low Buy It Now price, if it looks like it was abused, do not buy it. IMHO, buy a reel that looks like it was cared for from the Big 2 and you more than likely will be ok.

I don't know anything about the E6X so my experience is based entirely on the Classic Mag Bass rods. The MBR782GLX, 783GLX, 842GLX, 843GLX and the 844GLX have earned a legendary status over the years as excellent bass rods that do a whole lot of things very well. In the 3 powers, I have the 783GLX and I have had the 843IMX and they load up very well with a 1/4oz bullet weight and a regular size soft plastic or a 1/4 jig and trailer. Lately, I have been using my 783GLX for throwing unweighted Super Flukes and it also a great rod for 5" Senko's The 783GLX and 843GLX also have a reputation as excellent 3/8oz spinnerbait rods. There are many other uses for these rods as I have only mentioned a few of them. I my experience, the fast action of the 3 power Classic MBR's are a lot easier to cast than the ex fast BCR803C GLX or the ex fast NRX803C with the NRX803C being easier to cast than the BCR803C GLX. 783GLX and a Super Fluke this weekend.

You have me confused with someone else as I have never owned a Megabass rod.,

Bass&PanMan, with all of the inquiries regarding rods n reels that you have made here and over at TT, have you actually bought any of it? http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=64429

I think that I will backtrack on my not really having a problem with Shimano's decision making nowadays. That said, I am very happy with my Curado 200HG and I would not have a problem buying a Citica if I could find it cheaper than a Curado I.

If they are the same performance wise then it I guess it all comes down to color.

Citica 200E6?

Loomis MBR844 GLX / Curado 200HG and right now I am using 14# Sniper FC with a 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG and a 3/8oz Tungsten bullet weight.

If it is, it's the first Mudfish that I have seen with a red tail.

What about if you can't get the pin back in far enough to use the Hedgehog tool. I just had that problem with an Avail spool so I sent it to DVT. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say about it. Do the pliers work ok.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of reel are you using?

Is it the one on Amazon that has 14 bearings and is $40.00?