retiredbosn

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they make some round reels in smaller freshwater sizes that are easier to palm? I think shimano makes a 200 size that looks pretty small, same with Garcia.

What are the benefits of each. I've been looking around and it seems to me that the round reels are typically all metal and a little heavier. All I have are low profile reels but if the round reels are more durable, easier to maintain, etc, I may look into getting one. From what I've seen it appears that you can get a better quality round reel cheaper than a low profile. Is this a misconception on my part, or are the round reels made better? Is this a market driven phenomena that the low profiles are more in demand and therefore fetch a higher price? Let me know your thoughts. I've also noticed that the frames of these reels are typically die-cast, which unless I'm mistaken is weaker than say machined aluminum. Are round reels more prone to flex than low profiles? I would assume not since big game salt water reels are round. Thanks for all the input.

With any topwater bait my philosophy is to wait until you feel the fish before setting the hook. When I started buzzbaiting I would actually turn my head or close my eyes to keep myself from pulling the bait out of the fish's mouth. Once I got the hang of it, I now get to watch the bass blow up on the buzz, I love it! If the vegetation is under the water a buzzbait is what I would throw, then again I almost always have a buzzbait rigged. I would also have another pole rigged with a plastic, any blow ups without a hook up and throw the rigged plastic in there, I would throw a t-rigged craw, let it sink and hold on. Vegetation on the water go with the toads. Good luck

[ What lure consistently catches quality bass??? I want some of those

The optrician can get the glasses you want, IMO the quality of the polarization on prescription glasses can not be matched. Pick out the frame you like at the opticians, have them polarize them, get the shade you want, depending on your prescription will be the biggest factor in overall cost. BTW you probably can not use an after market frame as most of commercially available sunglasses have frames that bend the lenses beyond the point that a prescripition lense can be fitted. I've been where you and tried, ended up buying the frames at the opticians, tell them what you are trying to accomplish and they typically can make some great suggestions. BTW my Opthamologist is an avid outdoorsman and he fitted me with a pair of sun glasses that I wore hunting, the tint he put on those glasses made wildlife pop, the tint somehow separated the color spectrum to the point that the hues of grouse and deer stand in contrast to the woods, they were awesome.

As everyone on this board is painfully aware by now, it is cold and I have much to much time on my hands. Today's thought has to do with rod sensitivity. It wasn't that many years ago and the choice of rod was simple, they were all fiberglass, and the ratings were simpler, and a lot fish got caught. Anyway, now with graphite rods, and all of the ratings, modulus's and all, it gets confusing. I will admit my hook up rate soared with the new graphite rods, and I'm not complaining. Anyway now with 70million modulus graphite rods, and sensitivity increasing every day, how much benefit, v/s cost has resulted. The brittle nature of graphite means that it has limits as far as the size fish they can handle, and the more fragile they are around kids, wives, and easier to damage. How much benefit is there jumping from say 45 million modulus to 70 million, is the sensitivity improved that markedly? I've noticed that I still keep my pinky on the rod blank under the reel seat and one finger under the line where it comes out the reel, I feel that I can noticed any change in the line or feel the slightest bump better this way. So in the end is sensitivity a matter of how you hold the rod as much as the modulus rating. BTW I'm in no way suggesting that you would have the same sensitivity with a rod without through the handle blank construction or poor fiberglass. What my point is that the way you palm your reel and hold your pole has as much to do with sensitivity as modulus rating. Example I believe that I can have better sensitivity with a 45 million modulus with the way I palm the reel and hold the pole than someone who uses a 70 million modulus pole and has sloppy reel/rod handling techniques.

According to some information I requested from Quantum, the KVD reel has an aluminum frame and gear side sideplate. The Codes are some composite material frame and sideplates. I prefer only aluminum framed reels for durability. The old Accurist PT line had aluminum frames, PT grade bearings, hot sauce lubrication, and graphite sideplates. From my research I would say that the Codes in no way compare to the old Accurist, the Accurist being better. It is better to have 5 double shielded high quality bearings that 10 so-so bearings. Bearing count should never be the end all thought on the quality of the reel.

so what do you think. This is one of those things that got me thinking. Looking at reels the last week or so and I find it hard to believe that the extra bearings in the Tour Edition are worth the extra $$. Anybody here own both? Tell what you think.

I will first state that I haven't read all of the resonses so this may be redundant; but there are a few things in your original post that I would like to respond to. Before I became disabled I was in the Coast Guard, contact an area Marine Safety Office and they can provide you with a lot of raw data that you can use. You would be amazed as to what is legal to be dumped in the water. In the late 80's it was still legal for a tanker to dump the bilge straight into the ocean, it was perfectly legal to dump 100's of gallons of dirty oil in the ocean! Additionally in better days I was an avid upland bird hunter, and of course most upland bird shot is 100% lead. I personally think lead is so over rated as a potential environmental hazard. I think of states like ND and SD where pheasant hunting is a multi-million dollar industry, the ground in those states probably have a higher lead count than any other state in the union, with no threat to humans or the wildlife population. As evidenced by the explosion in population of these regal game birds. Sportsmen fund almost 100% of all conservation efforts in this country. The current population of pheasants are a direct result of the CRP and Pheasants Forever. There has been such an explosion of birds that the population is higher now than anyother time, all of that in the presence of filling the field with lead. If you consider the amount of lead that would have to be present in the water for the fish to somehow become contaminated the ppm would be astronomical. The problem with lead and ducks was that the ducks being bottom feeders would ingest the lead, that and the "tree huggers" were screaming for something to be done, end result is steel shot for waterfowl. The recovery of waterfowl is more due to the CRP and organizations like DU and Delta Waterfowl than non-toxic shot. Studies have since been conducted that show that lead doesn't hurt the reproductity of the bird. There is also a study being conducted now on California Condors, where the main focus is to try to trace the birds decline to lead shot in unrecovered game. Anyone who has hunted knows that the amount of lead in game that is killed is almost non-existent as most passes through, but that is another source of lead info. Bottom line is that lead in the water from fisherman is so miniscule as to be non-existant, and hard to determine whether is directly related to the fisherman, run off, or a natural source. Personally I believe the only negative environmental impact that people have with regards to fishing, are the slobs who leave their discarded line laying around, the wrappers from their snacks, styrofoam containers worms came in, boxes from crankbaits, etc. Everytime I fish from the bank for cats, or stocked trout I always take a plastic bag and fill it up with trash from these slobs. Makes me sick. I am firmly convinced that recreational fishing has more positive impact on the fisheries than negative. Sportsman today are more educated in general about their potential impact on the fishery. Not to mention sportsmen are better stewards of the environment than any segment of society, after all we have a huge stake in keeping the waters full of fish. To think that sportsmen would damage the environment is about as ridiculous as saying a golfer would intentionally dig up the golf course, we have to much at stake to hurt the thing that we get most enjoyment from.

I use them as trailers on swim jigs or chatterbaits. I'm still looking for the perfect jig trailer and now will try the Paca

I have used them for years, and think they are great. I primarily use the variious shades of brown for the crystal clear river, with a yum or zoom craw trailer. In off color water will use green and the black/blue. Good Luck

I've been experiementing with different rod actions with my buzzbaits and spinner baits. Much to my suprise I've had good success with a BPS CrankinStick MH on the buzz, I think it has to do with the amount of give. If I get over excited and set the hook to quick, the give of the pole seems to allow the fish to get the bait in its mouth and I end up with a fish on the end of my line. I have been using a MH Tournament Grade PT rod for spinner baits ( a lot stiffer), and don't seem to have that problem. I know the hooks on these baits are more like a pig sticker than a fishing hook, so you need a good hookset. What are your thoughts on the right pole for the buzz bait and spinner bait, should you use the same pole for both? Or is it recommended to have a softer action for the buzz? Thanks

What happened, cause you a big fish, or just overall failures?

Fellas, I just discovered these little gems, you tie them on and then can change cranks with ease, just squeeze and release the old crank for a different one. I am wondering how strong they are? Will the clip affect the action of the crankbait? Any information would be great.

Wow I see now that the Shimano reel causes the same kinda of mind set as a sidelocked double. Those who had them knew how great they were, those who didn't were completely satisfied with the gun they owned. It could cause problems in the field, I routinely ran into people that unless you owned a sidelock double, you weren't worthy of sharing the field with. Granted many of these guns easily exceeded 6 figures with a year wait to get it from the factory, oh and a trip overseas was a prerequisite to be measured. I have owned sidelocks, boxlocks, pumps, automatics, O/U's, Benellis, Remingtons, Brownings, and some you probably never heard of. But I never had that attitude, spending time in the field with good dogs, friends, and some good dog work was what it was all about for me. One thing I've learned is that at the end of the day it is the enjoyment you have on the water not the sticker on your real that matters.

70-100 bucks

I'm in the need of some more experienced advice. Right now I have four poles, 2 cranking sticks, 7' MH fast tip with BPS David Fritts reels, 5:2 and 4:7, obviously CB setup. Quantum Tournament Grade PT pole, 7' MH, with a Accurist PT reel, 6:3, this is my worming a jigging pole. And another one that I'm looking to replace a Quantum IM6 pole 6'6" Medium with a Pinnacle reel 6:3 which has become my topwater rig. The reel has been wore out, this was my first BC rig and has a few seasons on it. The rod and reel are perfect for buzzbaiting, but any way I'm looking to replace the combo and thought I may need a specific set up for Carolina rigging. Is the Quantum setup adequate for carolina rigging, or do I need a specific rod for that. I'm wanting just to purchase one more combo, but need to replace the older set and will also need a topwater rig. Please provide some direction as to what set up is good for carolina rigging. If I have to buy two setups I guess I could make myself ;D

I have an Accurist PT and like the reel a lot. I know that the reel was reviewed over at tackletour and it recieved as high marks as the Shimano Curado. I'm in need of a new reel and found the same deal as you, and will be taking advantage of it.

I typically always use the palomar knot for everything. However there are times that tying the knot is just a pain, like getting the loop large enough to go around a big crankbait and then untangling the line from the hooks, ugh. I will probably start using the improved trilene knot for CB, both knots are rated as 100% strength knots. Just got me to wondering what knots you use and do you change knots for different applications?

Here is my PB a smallie taken from the Greenbrier River, we are blest here in WV between the Greenbrier and the New River we have untold miles of prime smallie habitat. However a 4 lb smallie here is a bigun and 5lb almost unheard of. BTW the fish was right at 4lbs and was 19.5 inches long, caught in July, long after the spawn and the temp in the river was high, and the fish were somewhat stressed. You know as I sit here and look at the pictures that fish sure doesn't look like a 4lber. My goal this year was to break the 4lb barrier, when I caught the fish I remember thinking that I finally broke the barrier, the scale read 4.1lb, but after looking again I may have to recalibrate my scale!!!!

I have the Fritts reel from BPS and like it a lot. Can't say how they compare to the $200 reels as I've never used one. I know how they compare to some of the 100-150 range reels, and the Fritts reel is as good as any I've tried. Some people don't like the dual pawl anti-reverse, but for a cb reel the anti-reverse is fine. The one with the 6.2 speed has true instant anti-reverse, which will serve you better in certain applications, ie worming, jigging, soft plastics. The design of the reel results in really long casts, I'm nowhere near an expert but my own casting immediately improved a lot. Don't let your budget deter you, there are true deals out there. BTW most BPS reels have high quality stainless steel ball bearings, solid aluminum frames, etc. Anyway most companies farm out the manufacturing of the reels, and the number of actual factories producing reels are few. Do your research and find the company that makes Diawa, quantum, shimano, whatever, and then buy one of their private labels that have the same construction as the high dollar reel you want. IMO at the end of the day what makes a shimano or a diawa is the sticker on the reel not what is inside it or who made it, many times the actual manufacturer is a mystery. There are other reels made with the same components, in the same factory that are less expensive to buy.

I went to the Mercury prop site to look at the differences of the props. The tempest was built for a heavier boat and maybe that is why you are getting more top end from the tempest, the fury may not be enough prop for your boat. Also the change in the prop may require a change in the carb jets, the fuel/air mixture may need adjusted to get the most out of the prop. The "hidden properties" of the propl may be the culprit as to why you can't get full engine rpms, that is why I'm thinking that you will need some engine mods to get the most out of the prop. While in the Coast Guard on of the mechanics was a performance nut, constantly changing the props to get the most speed, power whatever. I was a cox'n (ran the boats) he was constantly asking me what I thought of the props, what I thought was the differences between them was so miniscue that I really couldn't tell the difference. Then again that was 15 years ago and technology has gotten a lot better. Merc has staff that should be able to pinpoint the restrictions of the props given the make of boat that you run, considering factors like hull design, weight, weight distribution, fuel requirements of the engine, etc. Putting a performance prop on the boat without taking into consideration all of the factors of boat handling, loading, fuel mixtures, carberation, jetting, etc, is sort of a shot in the dark as far as results. Good Luck

Roadwarrior, to your knowledge does anyother manufacturer do a true copolymer like Yozuri? I really like buying from my local tackle store, nothing like supporting your local "hookers", and do not know if they carry YoZuri. I noticed on their website they claim that other manufacturers just coat the nylon with floro, which results in a "ladder-type" of bonding instead of molecularly bonding on all sides of the polymers. BTW for those who are wondering why I'm researching this so much, I guess it goes back to my bird hunting days. I can talk about choke sizes, shot size, dram equivilent of powders, the affects of backboring, felt recoil, and don't even get me started on dogs! I guess I'm just really curious and like to know as much as possible about the tools I use to enjoy my hobby.

All of this my flouro is better than your flouro is kinda silly. Brand name has little to do with quality as according to available resources there are only three factories worldwide that are able to produce floro http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/fluorocarbon_line.html if that is still the case, there isn't much difference in the line. As far as anyline saying it is 100% flouro, it is just plain false, as the flouro has to be mixed with other materials to produce line.

In the absence of any thing that you can judge from, ie grass line at 5 feet, fish suspended at that range or a graph, you don't know for sure. Rapala publishes a book that you can buy that shows how deep their baits run on different lenghts of line at different speeds and different diameters of line, there is also precisionangling.com that sells a book that does the same thing with a variety of bait companies. All I am saying is that there is a lot more to what causes a crankbait to dive to a certain depth than just line diameter, there is line construction, length of cast, speed of retrieve, etc. What I found annoying is that the depth ratings are typically calculated from trolling a bait on 150 feet of line at 5-7 knots. Also the baits didn't varying more than a foot or so with a change in line size from .012 to .014.