Basswhippa

Diawa yes. However, you will pay dearly for the replacement parts. Way more than what they should cost. Revos? No. They will be in "Reel Trash Heaven" with their BPS cousins while the SHIMANOS and Daiwas are still running smooth. Revos will be fun while they last, but when they are done they are done, being the throwaway that they are. To be sure, I would take and use a Revo if someone gave me one. But I would expect to S*^& can it when it broke. There are no parts available, from what I read.

If you look at the reel mechanics who make their entire living off of reel maintenance, every single one that I have seen works on SHIMANO. Most all will work on Swedish ABU's. That is the only thing they have in common. Some work on SHIMANO exclusively, some work on SHIMANO and a few other brands, and a few work on anything, taking a chance that if they lose a part, or if one is missing, they will be buying the owner a new reel, because they can't get the part. But again, they all work on SHIMANO. I've never read about one who didn't like SHIMANO, many of whom claim the Curado B or SF or Chronarch is their favorite reel. They are in the know. That says everything.

Early on ABU gave us reliability and later they were innovative with their "ultra cast" which is now commonly known as super free. Diawa gave us magnetic controls. Shimano gave us excessively extreme space age tolerances. And what has Bass Pro Shops given us? Lowest cost producer reels. They are the Chinamart of reels. Well Koreamart. There's nothing wrong with that if that suits your fancy. I go to Chinamart and Bass Pro Shops regularly. They carry Shimano too. I

No that isn' t quite accurate. Swedish ABU's and Shimanos are still very good. I would say Diawas, some Quantumns, and some Okumas are as well.

I have a bunch of the first Calcuttas. Technically they are no longer supported. They are the old silver ones built in the early 90's. However Shimano uses so many of these same parts for newer reels, it can almost entirely be rebuilt. People like DVT and RM know how to do it and are more than willing to help us cross reference the new reels with the old ones, for those who are into self maintenance. After spending 7 hours refurbishing my newly acquired most excellent Chronarch, I think the feels RM and DVT are unbelievable fair. Had I done this at their fee, I would have made well below minimum wage. Those guys are well worth their money and much more skilled and efficient than I am. I just wanted to work on the Chronarch.

I mean there are people out there who put synthetic motor oil in their Dodge Neons, but it's still worthless after a few years because it's a POS model sedan. But whatever floats their boat.

Congrats man. I hope he sticks with it and you are doing what you can to help him to learn to love fishing. You should lifelong fun with your little buddy! At this point keep the trips short and the action fast, including panfish, catfish etc.

I really just buy Shimano because I like the quality. It's kind of like owning a Lexus. Once you've had a Lexus, you can't go down to KIA, which is a Korean(I think) junk automaker. Sure they will get you around for a while, but they break a lot and at some point not to far after you own it, it is trash. You can't get much for it so it goes to the junkyard. I'll take the Toyota backed Lexus over some Kia every time. From what I read, the Ardent is pretty much the Dodge(Consumer Reports say they are crap) of baitcasters. Heavy, clunky, unreliable. I'm keeping my Japanese engineered Shimanos as they represent excellence in precision gearing. Had it not been for Shimano and their Calcutta of circa 1991, we would all be using crap or at least outdated reels. I cleaned a Chronarch I got at a pawn shop. It looks to be 15+- years old and is scuffed somewhat. I just cleaned it up and it is as good as new, except the scratches. It'll outlast anything I could get from Bass Pro and I suspect the Revos as well. And I'll be able to get most parts for years, as it shares a lot with the Curado. This is why I like Shimano. ABU C3's are similar in terms of getting parts for a very long time. They are excellent in that regard. And I've been reading about the PQ's. Apparently they are pretty good and you can actually get some parts for them. Very cool. 0119 has made me aware of some stuff I didn't know. I'll be careful on the upper end Shimano stuff before I buy it.

I haven't fished for those in years except a few times with small children. You are making me want to go perchjerkin! Thanks for posting this.

I don't believe that is true but am open to what you are saying if you can back it up. I do acknowledge that they have lowered the quality of the Curado and Citica from the E level. But if something breaks, you can get parts. So I'm not sure what you are saying..... I would say that Shimano is one of the only brands that all of the superior reel mechanics (Like DVT and Lake Fork) will work on. Many don't do the other Korean reels. Some only do the Korean reels that are operational, because they don't want to go on a "parts hunt".

Goose, thanks for this very informative thread. I wouldn't be afraid to own a PQ based on your findings. Thanks again.

Quantum, ABU Garcia C3's, Shimanos, Diawas, are some examples of reels that you can get parts from for a very long time. I think I've heard that Okuma does a decent job with parts. These are the makers of the good stuff, and ABU Garcia makes some very fine products that are not throw away reels. The Korean made reels are the throw aways, from what I read. I haven't owned them and know they are pretty good for a while, but when something breaks, you chunk it. There are few parts available except maybe for the very most popular, such as the Pro Qualifier. When you go to rebuild the Johnny Morris in 10 years (assuming it makes it past the warranty date at all) and see how many parts you will find. One tackle guy keeps a box full of the Korean thow aways so he can get parts when he needs them. He can't get them from the throw away manufacturers. Me, well I just put in a call to Shimano and got a bunch of Curado 200B parts on a pawn shop find and it has been discontinued for 7 or so years. LOL It's kind of sad. We have a lot of throw away products nowadays. Appliances, guns, etc. Yeah they are cheap initially, some will even last a while, but when it breaks, you chunk it. My inlaws got a refrigerator that was made in the early 60's and it is in perfect working order. Go get one of those at Home Depot or Lowes today. ROFL My hard earned money goes to companies that support their product for more than the 1 year warranty they offer even if it costs a little more initially.

That is a great fish. Congratulations on catching it. Thank you for showing us it's picture. Many of us here would love to see a picture of your fish when you get it back from the taxidermist. It is true that you will never catch that fish again and may miss out on it becoming larger, but you will enjoy the mount for many years to come. Good luck in the future and I know you will release the vast majority of the larger fish you catch. Do the quarry/pondowner a favor and help him understand how important it is to get the 12-14 inchers out.

Awesome. Love looking at those pics you post.

The mid to upper level Shimanos are made of quality components, are well engineered, and if you stockpile the right parts in the event they quit making those parts, will last your entire lifetime. I just put a new set of gears for a grand total of $15 in a Curado 200B and it feels brand new. I got the reel at a pawn shop and expect it to last at least a decade, if not longer. I kind of bond with my trusty equipment, so I like it to go and go and go. The Swedish ABU Garcias are really sweet. I have several. 4600, countless 5500's of all makes, a 5600, several 5000's, and a prized Morrum and 5500CS Mag Elite that will cast 200 yards. They are all great. That said, REVO's are throw away reels. They work great, sometimes for a very long time, but when they break, they are done. You can't get parts for them. What is to like about that? REVO's, BPS, Pflueger, Lews are all throw away reels. You use them til they break and then you buy another. I've got 40 year old ABU's I can still get parts for. But if you are out of warranty on your $180 REVO, you can throw it in the trash. Diawa is good, but I hear they charge excessively high prices if you need a part. I hear Quantum is pretty good and own one. At least you can get parts for a good long time if you fall in love with one of their reels. Again, I like Shimano because most of them are very good quality reels, they last a long time, and you can get parts with a simple call to Shimano in the event something does wear out. What's not to like about that? I don't trash peoples throw away reels. If you are the type of person who likes to get a new reel regularly, they are for you. Break it and trash it. I like the fact I can get parts for my nearly 20 year old Shimano Calcuttas and make them feel brand new. I have a lot of good memories with those reels! They will compete with Korean reels and I'm never outreeled by a throw away and mine are almost 20 years old. I also bonded well with my 5500 CL3 that I hotrodded and caught my personal best 9.5 pounder this past winter out of Okeechobee. I caught a 6, a 7 and a 9.5 on back to back casts with that reel. I love that hot rod of a reel and will keep it going for the rest of my life. It isn't my personality to have it break and then just take it to the dump or put it in a box for sentimental reasons. That would be the case if it were a Winch. Break it and chunk it. That doesn't get it for me.

That is a monster NY fish. Congrats. You really got a great fish there!

I don't know the lake, but wouldn't there be a chance that a largemouth could even grow larger? That is typically the way it is in the southeast and the other areas of the country such as portions of the midwest and west that I am more familiar with due to publicity. 10lb smallmouths in the TN River vs 12, 13 and even 14 pound largemouths. Largemouths just grow bigger than smallmouths here, and for that matter out in Texas, Oklahoma, California etc. May not be apples to apples. I was thinking Van Dams record was for a smallmouth only and there may actually be 10's in Erie, extremely rare though they may be.

I'm almost certain that was a smallmouth and not a largemouth. Toad smallmouth isn't it? LOL

You mention you are a novice and that you kind of are even thinking of giving up. Do not give up. I'm not sure of the quality of the reels, and low quality reels could be a problem, but I doubt it. Make sure your line is 1/8 inch from the top of the spool. Get a heavy lure. Tighten all the mechanical adjustments on your reel. Go to your local pond or yard and start casting. Slowly back off the mechanical adjustments. You will be fine. Practice and stick with it.

What OK Bss Hunter said!

So long as you can live with it's stretch properties, Big Game is an extremely good line, especially for the money. The guys that say braid will save you in the long run might be right. Buy some Powerpro for $13 +-, divide the 150 yard spool in half, and so long as you don't backlash, you can have two reels filled for many years.

This may sound counterintuitive, but given the description you have given, I would take all of the smaller fish I could out of there, and maybe a few of the larger sized ones and pray for rain. You have to get some of the biomass out of there. If you don't, and mother nature will and mother nature might anyway, if it stays so dry.

Well since you asked, no there is no room in Texas or any other state in the southern US for Yankees, but you are more than welcome to spend some time on the Mexican side of Falcon. Be sure to mention around at local establishments you are an American entrepreneur working an angle on the the local pharma biz, have plenty of capital, and nobody has a faster jet ski than you. Mention that Poncho is no longer the "honcho" and the new "honcho" is the new game/kid in town, namely yours truly. Then say something about the ignorant locals better get out of your way or they will get run over. LOL Just kidding man. Nice fish Big O!

I bought 4 on clearance. That said, now that I have them, if I needed a reel, it is worth the $119.00. If you are handy, you can add a ball bearing to the base of the driveshaft and have a reel that is comparable to the new $200 Chronarch.

I've read up on the Lews. They clutches apparently are plastic and there are few if any parts available. I might just stick with Shimano if I could decide that the wobbly sideplate is designed that way for a reason. At least you can get parts.