Goose52

Just got back from fishing - it was a New Years Eve skunk for me. Well, there's always next year............(meaning I'll be out making a few casts tomorrow morning). Happy New Year to All !

I went back and read this post from my 5-Year Challenge thread. In July 2012, the sideplate assembly (parts 79 to 90 in the below schematic) was ONLY $14 - a GREAT deal especially since you get a new spool bearing! I can't say what they would cost today. You might want to call Outdoor World next week and ask about availability and cost. The model number for that Carbonlite is CL10H (right) / CL10HL (left)

I've seen worse than that one but it isn't good. The brake shoes are probably worn as well. It doesn't mean the reel is toast yet, but it does mean that it's just that much closer to the time when the brake drum scoring gets deep enough, and the brake shoes wear down enough, that you start to loose braking force. At some point, you have to keep adding more centrifugal until you have all 6 shoes active. THEN, at that point, the reel is just about toast. The brake shoes are not available as a replacement part - you have to buy a complete spool assembly ($). I ordered 2 sideplate assemblies from Outdoor World about 4 years ago and I think they were only about $18 each but then factor in shipping and it may not be worth sinking even that much money into this reel. The brass brake drum, and the captive centrifugal brake shoes, are the Achilles heel of these Doyo DBS designs.

Yep. For some reason, Shimano Japan likes to specify the radius of the handle (from center of the driveshaft hole to center of the knob shaft) instead of the overall length (center-to-center on the knob shafts).

No problem on posting pics. On polishing the brake drum - if it's only scratched a bit, and you don't take off too much material, that might be OK. However, if the brake drum is deeply scored, there's not much you can do about it other than replace the entire sideplate (the drum is NOT available as a replacement part). Here are file photos that were taken as part of the PQ Five-Year Challenge test - these illustrate the areas that will show the most wear: Brake drum wear (scored drum on left, new part on right): Brake shoe wear (worn shoe on left, good shoe on right): Frame wear in the area behind the clutch thumb bar (those grooves indicated by the red arrows shouldn't be there - it should be completely flat): If the Carbonlite that you're looking at is good in the above areas, then probably the only thing else that you might want to check is wear to the worm shaft and line guide pawl. A worn line guide pawl will look like this: A new line guide pawl will look like the one in the upper right corner of this photo: The line guide pawls are the same between CL and PQ and should be available. The CL has an aluminum worm shaft that may (or may not) be available but you can always substitute a PQ part. If the brake drum is deeply scored, if the brake shoes are worn, or the frame grooved, then take a pass on the reel because those parts, even if available, would sour the deal from a $$$ perspective.

On parts - the Carbonlite-unique parts include the drivegear, driveshaft, clutch pawl, and worm shaft (all aluminum), the handle, and of course the gold colored frame, nose piece, clutchbar, and sideplates. Hard to say if Outdoor World still has that stuff. But, those parts, and all the others, could most likely be substituted by PQ parts which should still be available. The CL spool tension cap is unique to the CL as well and I can't say offhand if a PQ cap would substitute (if so, it wouldn't have the "clicks").

It's amazing how well the original "gold" Carbonlites (CL10H) have held their value. I just checked 3 completed eBay listings and they sold for between $65 to $80 (with the difference being box/no box and cosmetic condition). Anyway, I own 4 of this model Carbonlite - nice reels (I still have 2 NIB for a rainy day ). One thing I would check is the condition of the brass brake drum for the centrifugal brakes and the condition of the spring-loaded brake shoes. If the drum isn't scored too badly and if the shoes haven't worn down too much you could make an offer around $65 or so and it would probably be fair. Check out: CL 1 CL 2 CL 3

You can certainly cast lipless cranks a long way so you wouldn't want to use a reel that was "line capacity challenged" ! I don't use a single reel for lipless cranks because I don't always fish them the same way. If I'm burning a lipless over grass and/or skinny water, I'm using a higher IPT reel. If I'm slow-rolling them deep, I'll use a slower IPT. However, if I had to pick a single ratio - I'd pick one giving about 26 IPT as a compromise.

Looks like my bank balance might drop a bit in May... Here's the specs: It is interesting though that the advertising copy on the JDM Shimano web site says the 'first BFS round reel" - did they already forget about the discontinued Cardiff 50/51S DC and the Conquest (2000) 50/51 Shallow Special ?

Hey Hootie - you're late to the party... Check out the 21 posts here:

WOW - a lot of technology in that little unit for sure...but the trade-off is the small 3.5" screen. However, if you're sitting in the yak and have the unit rigged right next to you, you'll be pretty close to that screen. For me, screen size has always been a major factor since I am standing the entire time I'm fishing so I have to look down a ways to the sonar screen. For the OP, if GPS is a "must-have" then you would be going quite a ways over your budget to get there with the HB Helix 5. Regarding your questions about the technology - follow Wayne P's advice and checkout the screenshots thread pinned to the top of this forum - lots of images there of the different views. Briefly, 2D sonar gives you your depth, bottom contours, sometimes bottom composition (if you are experienced in reading the image), and will show fish as "fish arches". Down-imaging gives you an almost TV like view of what's under the boat including logs, brush, submerged trees, fish, etc. Side-imaging shows whats on each side of the boat wit a detail similar to down-imaging. As to how much of the technology that you want or need - that's up to you to decide. BUT, since prices have come down so much for this stuff you might want to consider getting at least down-imaging and you've already decided you want GPS so that might be your starting point when looking at units. ALSO, if you haven't researched it yet, start thinking about how you want to rig a sonar unit on your boat. There have been a number of threads in this forum about kayak mounting you can check out.

If you haven't yet, you might want to look at the HB web site for the dimensions for the Helix 7 and 9. They are fairly large units. I run a Helix 10 (which is the same size/case as the Helix 9) on my canoe and before purchase I made a cardboard template to the dimensions of the Helix 10 and tried it for fit on the dashboard of my boat. Another thing to think about is the weight of the units - my Helix 10 weighs over 6 pounds (just the head unit) and I imagine the Helix 9 would weigh about the same so that can be a factor when you are designing your mounting method. If you go for the Helix 9 you will have a unit the same size as my Helix 10. The photo below shows the size of the unit on my boat...

Humminbird Helix 5 - currently four models listing for $200 (2D sonar), $250 (2D and down imaging), $300 (2D, gps), and $350 (2D, down imaging, gps). Perhaps save an extra $50 and take a look at the $250 model here

The "new" JM-CL 2.0 is now on a different reel platform than the "1.0" that you just bought - so you can't compare weights by the identified parts differences - they're different animals. The PQ has always been a Doyo-based reel. The "Johnny Morris-Carbonlite" (both the original black/charcoal and later white color that you just bought) were based on a Dawon design having both the centrifugal and magnetic braking adjustments on the outside of the reel. The NEW JM-CL 2.0 reel, based on the photographs, is now back to being an upgraded PQ, and as such is back to a Doyo platform having the earlier DBS system with magnetic adjustment on the outside of the reel and the centrifugal settings on the spool. Older JM-CL (1.0) = Apples, New JM-CL 2.0 = Oranges ...

Indeed - the JM Carbonlite 2.0 certainly has more than $20 in added value over the PQ 2. Now that there is a new JM Carbonlite 2.0 (which appears to be the same platform as the PQ 2) - I wonder what BPS will do with the current 5.8 ounce JM Carbonlite (white) reel which is a completely different platform with a different braking system... In any event - clearance prices coming on the earlier gen reels...

There was thread earlier today regarding the PQ 2 - check out:

A much needed update to their bread and butter reel. BUT, is it too little, too late to recapture market share that they probably lost while the PQ just got older and older ? For this new iteration, weight is 7.3 ounces - not too bad. BUT, there was a 6.7 ounce PQ years ago - it was the original, gold-colored Carbonlite which had an aluminum drive gear, driveshaft, wormshaft, and clutch pawl, along with a lighter handle. Otherwise it was parts-interchangeable with a PQ. Trying to follow the high-speed craze, the new PQ gearing now tops at 7.5:1 (31 IPT), going down to 6.8:1 (28 IPT), and bottoming out (for now?) at 5.6:1 (23 IPT). Part of the versatility of the old PQ was those two lower ratios giving 21 IPT and 19 IPT - hopefully something lower than 23 IPT eventually shows up in the new line-up. Well, good luck to them - for sure they will be able to capitalize on the rep of the previous PQ and capture some sales on that alone...

I've been running down-imaging / side-imaging sonars on my canoe for 6 years (currently running a Helix 10) - this technology is the real deal and can help you catch more fish. Not sure you would want the hassle of trying to rig a 360 unit on your canoe however. I have a fairly pimped-out boat and didn't want to even go there when it comes to trying to mount the 360 imaging unit and still keep my boat readily transportable. You might want to visit the Humminbird 360 imaging web page here to see what the 360 units look like. If you decide to bypass the 360 option, you can go for a cheaper version of the Helix 7 than the one quoted by Wayne P. - the HELIX 7 CHIRP SI GPS G2 (without networking) - factory list price of $699. Perhaps even less would be the previous model Helix 7 SI (before the G2 model) if you can find one someplace on close-out.

Yes - the white one is the 2nd gen JM-CL - coming out in early 2015; the black one was the first gen, coming out in early 2012. I got my black reels from that first run in early 2012. Then, of course, there was the earlier gold-colored Carbonlite - but that was a completely different reel that didn't use the "Johnny Morris" prefix...

I don't have personal experience with the newer JM-CL - just the 1st gen black ones (of which I have two). Both of mine have the grindy feel - one more than the other. Both of my reels were purchased from the initial production run. The grindy feeling was caused by a manufacturing problem early in production (reported to be caused by the hole in the main gear being drilled very slightly off-center). The folks that bought 1st gen JM-CLs from later production runs haven't been reporting this grindy feeling. Perhaps the owners of the 2nd gen (white) JM-CLs will chime in to confirm...

RW - I guess you're asking about the Conquest 14 vs. the CTE200GT. If that's the case, I guess I'd have to say that both are excellent reels with great performance but the CQ14 just takes it that much farther - having all the new gadgets and gizmos: micro-module gears, X-Ship, SVS Infinity braking system, etc. The Conquests (both 2000 and 2014 generations) also have some other differences compared to the TE-GT family: CQ has a forged handle / TE-GT has a stamped handle CQ has a forged drag star / TE-GT has a stamped star CQ has clicking spool tension knob and drag / TE-GT has no clicks CQ has a ported palm-side sideplate / TE-GT is plain/unported Will all the new technology and the added bling of the CQ catch more fish...probably not but it will make it more fun to catch the same amount of fish. The most noticeable difference between the two would be that the CQ15 will palm smaller than the CTE-GT. The SVS Infinity braking system is nice as well - having the external adjustment to fine-tune the braking. Lastly, the line capacity on the CQ14s are somewhat smaller than the older CQ00 (or TE-GTs) so depending on what line you run on your CTE-200GT that could be something to check into. It's difficult to know just how much line the new Conquest 2014s actually hold as the figures on the Shimano USA web site and the Shimano Japan are vastly different. Shimano USA says that a 200 size CQ14 holds 110 yards of "12 lb" test - Shimano Japan says that it will hold 130 meters (142 yards) of .330mm line. In the U.S., .330 mm line could be anywhere from 12 to 15 lb depending on brand and whether it's flouro or nylon mono.

Well, I always answer the question of "what is your favorite (rod / reel)" the same way: "the one with the big honkin' bass on the end of the line"... BUT, if I had to answer the question as intended, I couldn't - there are just too many great models that have been produced over the years. SO, I will identify a "group" of reels as my favorites (and following the lead of several earlier posters) and say that my favorite ones are the ROUND ONES...

I just got home from fishing a 2015 Aldebaran - it doesn't feel cheap to me - it feels light (4.7 ounces). The reel is tight, smooth, a great caster, all the qualities you would want in a reel, and it's light as well - what's not to like. OTOH, I also fish reels that weigh nearly 10 ounces - that I enjoy just as well. They're all different tools in the tool box. I think the concept of light weight = longer fishing endurance is overblown - especially when you're only talking an ounce or two. For me, the advantage of a light weight reel manifests itself when used with a light rod for bottom contact. Could just be me, but I sense that I'm getting more feedback to my hand with a lighter combo than a heavier one (all else being equal). My Aldebaran is on an NRX 852C - total combo weight is under 9 ounces with line - sorta feels like you're holding a toothpick, thus making any taps on the line just that much more noticeable. At the end of the day, fish what you like - gear that gives you not only the needed performance for the intended use, but also the aesthetic and sensory pleasure as well...

If interested, there's a test report on that scale here

2012 thread...a blast from the past....