primetime

Every company makes good reels for pitching, many times you lock the drag down so the key is having a reel with a good frame so it won't flex on hook sets and most $100 reels are some type of light metal usually & hold up. If you need to give drag you can either hit the button and thumb it or quickly loosen it. Don't get caught up in drag power. Companies use that as a way to market and sell more reels. You only need roughly 10lbs of drag on a reel to catch Marlin, so a Lews LFS with "Only" 10lbs of drag is Plenty. If you want security I believe the Revo line does over 20lbs, Pflueger Supreme takes in almost 30" per turn and has close to 20, but again, you should just get one that balances and is easy on your arms. I would say Daiwa and Shimano are both great options, but get what you like and if it happens to be a "lower" end Daiwa like an Exceller or Revo S, it is easy to work the brakes, reliable, and then you can buy a better rod or 2 different powers with the savings. If you end up throwing frogs for a day, a heavy set up also sucks. Not all expensive rods and reels are the right fit, I have made that mistake due to mail order many times. Good to have set ups that can pull double work if limted on space, long rods are easy to break in traveling. Hope that ramble helps. 8:1 is the way to go also, but 7:1 will do the job as well.

If you fish Saltwater, just make sure the reel you choose can handle salt water. I am pretty sure the Daiwa casting reels mentioned have saltwater bearings or are sealed, I use alot of Okuma casting reels which are almost all made for saltwater or fresh, for $300 you have a ton of options, you can get a great casting reel for $100 right now of almost any brand. Lew's LFS is great for weight, just make sure it is not TOO light for the rod you choose. Almost every brand has a strong line up of reels once you get in the $100 Plus range, for rods, kind of all preference. I like to pair them up in the store or bring a reel to make sure it balances the way I like, but $300 you WILL get an awesome set up for sure. You may want to find a deal on a reel on a site that is normally $130 for $70, then stretch the money into a rod more expensive than you planned. The Rods seem to make the most difference for price as far as I can tell. A 7' Medium heavy rod with a fast tip is probably the rod I use most. When I take 1 casting rod fishing with me I bring a Medium Heavy that can throw 1/4-1 oz or similar, I seem to keep buying MH rods when on sale. Some straight Mediums can handle up to 17lbs which is actually plenty and makes casting weightless worms a breeze. From shore you probably use 3/16-3/8 the most, some mediums I have are 1/16-5/8 and I can throw most jigs and frogs if needed.

Cabela's has them like half off right now. I think it is all the Presidents. Great real.

I love the Havoc baits, the only one's I never liked were the worms (Never gave them a fair chance) and that wide load lizard which I tried once and gave up on. the Devil Spear in 3" and Subwoofer are fantastic baits, lots of colors, and price is great. Pitboss is great, so is the never discussed Grass Craw? the BB Cricket/Big Show Punch copy which has a hook holder and allows you to stick a big hook ina small punch bait and it never slides. Crawfish looks kind of stupid, but it catches fish and is great when you need some extra plastic in a tiny bait falling fast. Not sure why that never caught on.

I find Okuma is awesome when it comes to replacing or fixing a broken reel or Rod even if it snaps in a door, or you drop the reel. I Broke an EVX rod that broke in the bed of a truck last year, I told them it was my fault, they told me to send them $25 and even though I admitted it was my fault, they honored the lifetime warranty. The best part is since the Rod was Discontinued, they sent me a newer Casting rod in a better model. I have heard Abu Garcia is good with warranties as well, but I always try to buy Okuma tackle since they have literally sent me a replacement baitcasting reel and a Free Side plate and spool when I only needed a side plate. I Think it helps to simply be honest when something breaks, all these big companies have the option of being "nice", and I am sure they get tired of people sending rods that were clearly broken when not fishing, but hearing wild stories of fish breaking them. I have had another company who I won't mention charge me 50% for what I paid for a reel, simply to get a few parts since it was an older model. I would have thought that they would have cut me a break since I paid good money for the reel, and it was discontinued only 1 year after I purchased it. Plus I sent pics showing that it was barely used. So much for the 3 year limited warranty as it was only 2 years old. 3 years should be 3 years.

I believe the record bass caught in Mass was in a pond that had some connection to the Ocean, and therefore had an unusual amount and type of Mullet or Big shad living in it. It was kind of the perfect Situation of Smaller Pond, Good water & Protein rich forage, genetics, and the perfect cast that we all dream of. I don't doubt that Scuba Divers think they see 20lb bass when diving lakes, Fish always look bigger in the water and we all know that many people will catch the infamous 8-10lb bass which is then a solid 4lber when you see the picture. We had an accident on a Local Florida lake a few years back and they had divers in the water for days. I was working at the local tackle shop at the time, and I heard about 20lb bass being seen, and all the stories put the Fish in the same area. 30-40 Foot hole and/or a deep 30' hole with an old bus or boat on the bottom. I tried getting GPS coordinates for the "hole", and I am 100% certain, these guys misjudged or exaggerated these stories. There are no holes that deep in the lake. Nothing over 20-24' Max. If they were so wrong on the depth, then that makes the 20lb Bass more like 10-12, and that would make sense. I still think the next Huge Bass close to the record will end up coming from either Florida, Texas, or California in a lake that does not get alot of attention, maybe one of the lakes that was great in the 80's, but now is not popular. I always figure the genetics are still in those Lakes, and catching big Southern Strain Bass are extremely difficult to catch on lures. There is a Lake in Florida called Lake Apopka which I think Holds a possible record. Little Pressure, Tons of bait, and perfect location. I will still gladly settle for 15lbs in my life, I doubt it happens unless I fish every day with Live Shiners or Shad.

Looking at this Doyo/China reel which is also sold as a Pinnacle for $200 but it has better internals than I can afford but I am learning how to adjust them to get the cost right. I need to figure out what to change besides color. I want the 2 reels to start but need more money to get the gear ratio up and also get silver/White instead of red, and change some of the internals. Maybe I can get Lucky if I can think of a new name better than KastKing which I thought was bad. Most names have been tried already or being used elsewhere, may just go with nothing written on reel & have unique colors. I think Red won't be good for a startup, Needs to look original and this one also needs some Lews style holes on the top. White reels also sell better from my smaller flea market ventures. Also like this Doyo and China reel, Since the Quantum Energy is gone, maybe this rainbow color can be good since more reels need to look different imo. Not sure about the handle but that is a cheap modification and can be done seperately, Pinnacle struggles in the high range area since they made all the inexpensive reels for years.

That's good to hear, 2 years and kast king has only improved since then. They still sell a ton of Royales for a reason. I have the Royale and the Stealth but don't use them much since I spend my spare time trying to fish all the other reels I keep trying. Kind of thinking about importing reels with my own label, Just can't mee the MOQ of the reel I want. I found lots of Junk in China, but also some Gems for under $15. I am blown away with how cheap it is to buy good reels in bulk, even from reputable OEM's, they will do 10 reels we all recognize for fraction of the price, changing the specs and getting a new name on it is the tough part. Most of these companies will handle your parts and service as well, no wonder Kast king replaces everything, same with Okuma. the 4 guys from Kastking started out buying a "Cheap" reel in China, selling it for $40 so probably paying $15 landed, started with cheap braid, Frogs etc. Until they could get the money to get with an OEM who could do what they wanted. Smart guys. THey realized bearing count matters most to buyers, Carbon and light weight matters just as much, and then toss in crazy drag ratings higher than most competitors. They also nailed the cosmetics and good for them. If you ever watched You Tube there was a video of a guy who was going to take apart a Kast King to show how cheap it was but he had a break down about 20 minutes in when the bearings were exactly what were advertised. Not saying they are $300 reels, but Hard to beat $30 for that Mela Spinning reel, they practically advertise that it is an Ardent Wire Clone by saying its Manufacture in China directly to your door to cut costs. The next big reel will be the Piscifun reels. Guys down here are sponsered by them and they also make a good reel like the Kast King. KastKing seems to sell more reels than Duckett and good for them. This is the reel I am working on hopefully getting with a few changes. Also known by some as a Pinnacle only they have a few better features than this version from Korea/China/Thailand.

It's complicated, I am still trying to figure it out. The Shismano and identical reels that are like 18 bearings are shelf reels that get picked up by distributors and small OEM's and re branded or stripped down to get the price low. The Original kast King's were Trulinyo LMA 100's, but I think Trulinoyo makes reels for a bunch of different companies, plus I think they distribute. The Doyo site lists reels as LFS, and now I just saw the new Kastking in their Catalog. Its the same frame as many reels. I see the Pro Qualifier sold under a bunch of different names, They don't keep it a secret, I know what lFS means, and if I want to start copying them, I just need to get the MOQ money, not call it lew's, and change at least the color. I think Shimano has a Patent on their system, same with some High End Daiwa but all the other stuff is free game to "Re-Design". I know many Okuma reels are made in China, I am pretty sure every company Outsources, One Small city in China has over 250 Reel OEM's, so things are always moving around. That is why it often makes sense to pay for Quality Control. The guys from Kastking went over to China when they first started, they also used to be a distributor for Abu Garcia and Daiwa until they won the Icast award and now they left the Eposiedon site. Doyo and Dawon are in Korea, I don't know how much they actually make, not that it matters, I find Chinese made Okuma Reels to be just fine. I just buy them here. I just laugh when kastking gets hate yet they are an American Company who started small and are now doing really well. They are doing what Duckett, and every other Reel Manufacturer does. They just found the sweet spot. Light reels made with Carbon, Drag power that is crazy high even though you only need 10lb for Marlin Fishing. Specs sell, I am 99% certain Japan outsources most reels as well, at least the popular ones. all the main reel companies seem to come up with good ideas every year with R&D. Heck, Kastking did a 9:3 and a 5.6 oz reel with 19lbs of drag? The frame for most reels starts out super cheap, then you choose the options and get a price. Anyone can do it, you can find Carrot Stix, Falcon and other companies reels that never made it all over the place cheap. Many companies take Disco'd reels and Re-Brand. Shimano seems to run the tightest ship, the Lews, Abu,BPS, Ardent, Even the Daiwa frame from the Exceller is everywhere now. You never really see Shimano knock offs that can be taken seriously. Buying a Shismano is like buying a Bolex watch on 42nd street in NYC. You know its fake. At least they make it easy for you. After seeing how kastKing and Piscifun are doing, heck BR sponsers kast King now, Guides in Florida are sponsered by Piscifun, and on reputable sites you see reels from Noeby getting ranked in the top 5 which is crazy.

The first Kast King reels were sold as the LMA 200 which is made by Trulinoya or at least sold by several distributors in China under the trulinyo name. I see all the Korean reels being sold in China, Most companies make reels in multiple factories which is why you see the same reels being sold under 8 different names. It;s super complicated these days. I don't know how it works between the 2 Korean Reel Companies since plenty of places (Legit Factories which show Import sales to the USA in huge quantities) and they are sold as a Doyo reel, and then they have the same reel under a china label. No company puts all their Eggs in 1 basket, they use multiple factories for different models etc. Quality control, and for cost reasons, so things are always changing.' Pretty sure many of the Japanese companies also outsource except maybe the reels over $300. I have seen all the Tatula's and legit ones sold in China but they are with the legit companies and they won't sell them in bulk unless you keep them as a Daiwa. I know Banex was making some of the Okuma reels and now several other factories are making them, but Trulinyo and a few other companies usually have reel frames that are all different brands. In the City of Wehia in China their are over 250 Reel OEM's alone. Most will tell you who they make the reels for, it is usually public info, or info you can find, but you have to be careful for knock offs or OEM reels that are defective etc. Best part of China is you can order overstocks and refurbished reels in bulk at crazy low prices at times. they somehow get Shimano reels, usually the lower End ones. I am still trying to figure out where Ryobi fits in. They have really nice reels that are identical to high end models, The Okuma reels are easy to spot since they have that dial system and shapes are easy to spot. I think Tica used to make them as well, China is a complicated place, that is why I would rather trust Quality Assurance to reputable companies.

I know this is an old thread but I have been spending the last few months, maybe a year researching all Chinese Reels on the market since I import products from China & other countries to sell part time. I am familiar with the Korean Company & 2 others which help create the image of "Not Made in China" but Taiwan, China, outside the USA all the same to me for most part. When I say Chinese reels, I have been testing reels like *** (In my town and started the company at the same time as the 4 guys from Kastking. 99% of the reels we fish are from China and other countries not in the USA unless you are looking to go deep sea fishing and use Avet. Reels from Lew's,Abu, Daiwa, Okuma etc. may have R&D Offices in the USA, Sweden, but they simply outsource the reels to factories elsewhere which makes sense. Obviously all companies have different Quality Control & different specs so I am not knocking any company, but I can pick a reel from a catalog, order 500, call it anything I want, and simply add a new color to a $200 reel and just mark it up for much less, or use cheaper bearings etc. Not too much goes into R&D anymore, and KastKing is no different than say a company like Duckett or Quantum,BPS etc. They give free reels to everyone, focus on Customer Service, and simply do not mark up reels at 400%. Most reels we fish are sold in other parts of the world under different names, The Ardent wire spinning reel is sold as 8 different reels I believe. Bottom Line, Chinese reels under Chinese names are coming like Japanese Cars. The China Fish International show was all New reels from China and you still often get what you pay for, but just because you pay $300 for a Duckett Reel, or Quantum, does not mean it is worth $300. Every company makes cheap reels, Kastking has a few models in the $100 Range now, but I would put their casting reels for $50 on par with any $100 reel, I would argue the Pro Max for $49 online is the best value under $100, Advertising, Sponsership, add cost, Eposeiden is selling reels cheaper by using Chinese Factories & using Proven Technology to keep costs down, then they do not mark them up so high. The Academy Meddle is $60 and if I gave that reel a new name, some new paint, Titanium coating on the line guide, It could sell for $150 no complaints if KVD fished it. All reels have issues after a few years. Kast King is based on Long Island and they are using the same factories and frames as other Chinese reels, They are based on Long Island like *** is based in Florida, both do the same things when ordering reels, only Kast King has better customer service. Eposeidon which is Kast king now has $100 reels but they are no different than buying from Quantum, they all pick em out of catalogs and then import them. Chinese reels are going to be like Japanese Cars. China fish International the biggest fishing show in the world is usually 2 years ahead, and it was all Chinese Reel Companies, branded in China, going to be Sold In America. Why not cut out the middle man? Japanese cars are pretty good after a tough start. Kastking is an American company so if a Silver Max was working for you, you are tough on your stuff, Expect a good 2-3 years from a Kastking just like you will get from your Lew's Laser. Sorry for the rant, Obviously Lews makes a good reel and they "Design" some nice reels, but so does Kastking, ***, and Abu Garcia. After trying dozens of reels, I would say the ORRA and Pro max are best reels for heavy fishing, good drags, if you go that way again. Lew's are great, but at $50 every company has a comparable reel, some companies just sell them for 4x the price. Check out Browning Reels. Saving a ton of money if you buy the one's that are a year old or so. Unless BPS lies about the Specs, hard to beat a Browning reel. Then again, they don't advertise like Kast King so they only sell for $80 same Internals as a Jonny Morris?

If you visit the main BR website page, you can find articles that break down all the different types of hooks, guage, size etc. Glenn Has a video he put out a few years ago about choosing hooks for Flukes, Senko's and other plastic baits which will help you out. My only advice with hooks is to buy quality, You don't "Need" the higher end hooks, but I find that you get what you pay for when it comes to hooks, and in reality, the hook is the most important part of the equation. I tend to use 3/0 4/0 Hooks for most of my soft baits in standard sizes, I match the guage of the hook to the line I am fishing. Thinner hooks penetrate easier, and quality hooks can bend if you have the wrong hook on heavy braid. If you are looking for value the BPS Magna Lock hooks are good hooks. I would just advise you to stay away from Matzuo hooks. Had them bend in the past and points do not stay sharp from my experience.

I like Power Pro Plus and most 8 strand braids. I also like the Tuf Line braids. I find I can cast best and have the least issues of line kinking up in lines with 8-10lb diameter. One thing I notice is I can cast further without Micro Guides when using braid.

You can find the Abu Veracity on sale on one of the 3 bigger websites for $69 right now. Down from $159. You can find some great deals right now on all the Abu Vendetta 2.0 rods for around $70, but one rod you can grab quickly at Dicks is the blue Tech Spech for $45 which is a nice rod, Shimano Selles for $39, I saw a Silver Max on a Vengence rod for $60. Sell the reel online and you have a $15 rod. I always buy combos and sell the reel. You can get a nice $100 Rod for $30 or so by buying a Lew's or BPS combo. Same with Academy. That is the best way to save money imo and get more value.

I am looking to invest in a Punching rod and luckily I have a brother and nephew who are really good at building custom rods. Neither one of them do any punching or flipping, so I was hoping someone can tell me the right blank and Guides to buy for them to put together. I am willing to spend roughly $200 for this rod, do not like Micro Guides, so what is a good blank to buy. I need it to handle 1.5-2.0 oz. and be light. Light Weight is probably my main priority & want to have confidence boat flipping bigger fish. I keep breaking the rods I buy in the $70-$100 range and it is time to make a smart investment. Any help would be appreciated. I had the chance to use a Kistler rod yesterday, and I don't think I have ever fished with anything 1/2 as nice. I need one, but was hoping I could have something similar built in the $200 Price Range. Thanks.

Buy lures YOU have confidence in, if you truly believe you have the right lure, color, size etc. You will catch fish. If buying a $20 Popper or walking lure gives you more confidence than throwing a Spook or Rebel Pop'r, then that is money well spent. Value is different for everyone, and if you simply read a few threads on lures, you will see the same brands always coming up-Strike King, Rapala, Academy, Zoom, Yum, Berkley, gambler etc. The most important money you spend is on Jigs with good hooks and the right type and weight, Right size hooks in baits, Sharp trebles, right line, Rod, reel for the application. You generally get what you pay for, and with so much competition in the fishing market, you can spend $50 at TW buying any brand you want, and have enough lures and baits to catch fish. TW doesn't carry any "Junk" like you see at certain places. If you look back at Bass Tournament results in the 80's, the lures they used to win, you will realize that those same lures are still around, just in 300 colors and slight modifications.

Guys sometimes catch Big Bass on catfish baits at night. Kind of the same thing I guess. I would still say a Hot dog works better.

I tend to hook more fish with a spinnerbait, but both are good and the chatterbait is really effective in grass that is often a bit much for a spinnerbait. I think fishing a bladed jig is more complicated than a spinnerbait, I am still learning how to fish the chatterbait efficiently, a Spinnerbait is a lure that I have confidence in so I will give it more time. Kind of 2 different lures, but I think both are important to have. Chatterbaits certainly seem to be much more popular these days. A spinnerbait is one of the easiest lures to catch fish on regardless of skill.

Shad raps on spinning gear are almost always money, not just a cold water bait. The shallow shad rap is one of my favorites, I also love a small crankbait like the Storm Subwart, KVD 1.0, Speed traps etc. The bomber series is tough to beat pound for pound imo. Norman makes some of the best cranks as well. I am always hearing about the DD22 and Middle N.

I have not yet noticed any difference with soft baits of similar profile like say a GYB creature, Craw, or Worm compared to say a pack of BPS, Charlies, Havoc, Zoom, Yum etc. I think once you go past 1/2 ounce, the flipping/punching bait is essentially a hook holder to keep the hook weedless. I catch just as many fish on my Rapala Minnows, Long A's, Rebel Pop'r, Super Spots, home made chatterbaits and cheap spinnerbaits, and for cranks I am good with almost any crankbait under $7 and most of my "go To" baits are a simple Red Eye shad, Torpedo, Spook etc. I like buying tackle, I like nice stuff, I have purchased $15 Ima Lipless cranks on sale, $20 topwater lures, Glide baits, expensive plastics etc, and the only difference I notice is they look really nice out of the water with awesome paint that I doubt the fish are staring at. If you love the Ima Skimmer, Try throwing a Rebel T-10 the next time you are on a walking lure bite. You will be surprised. The most important thing is buying Quality Hooks, line and the right stuff, not the most expensive. I love to collect frogs and have some imported ones that fish awesome, but when I am only bringing a dozen frogs with me, I grab my Booyah, Live Target, Snag Proof, and Spro Frogs. I also will always grab the $2.99 scum frog Rat for skipping on spinning gear. I actually do better with scum frogs when it comes to hook up percentage, the new one's are pretty, but not a Scum Frog. If you want to make them heavier simply add some split shots, but over weeds, not sure the fish are aware what is moving, or what it costs. I gave a young kid a bunch of bass tackle about a year ago, and he is in love with casting the Creme Midget crawler and reelling it in like a spy bait. some days He will outfish me when I am using a Swim senko etc. We all over think fishing and the companies do a great job of catching us, They get me all the time, buying lures is fun, but results are usually based on figuring out patterns and finding fish, the stuff that takes years to learn. Just my opinion. Just stay away from matzuo hooks. Some days nothing will beat a Zoom Trick worm or a Centipede worm. Those 2 plastics can save days.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the Daiwa reel especially for the $99 I paid for it. I can cast it a mile once I get it dialed in and have it on the right rod etc. I am always changing rods and reels since I enjoy buying new stuff to "Try" but I do have issues getting the T3 dialed in, I think it is probably user error, I need to spend more time to figure it out. I mainly use the T3 for throwing Frogs on a heavy Rod and have #50 braid on it, it works great for heavier frogs, I will say the distance is amazing once Set up right, but Whenever I switch to say a Jig, I need to spend too much time to get it adjusted. It could also be the braid. I find most casting reels handle mono extremely well, especially in the 12-15lb range if on the right rod. I was always under the impression that if a reel can be thrown without any brakes at all, and a loose spool, it needed service since you are loosing distance. I always have the brakes set even if at a 2 since I skip baits no matter where I am. I am just surprised at how nice the Pro Max compares to all my other reels. I figured it would make a good pond reel, and go well on a Lighting Shock, but now I have it on my best Pitching set up. Maybe they labeled it wrong and it is really a $300 abu reel since all the frames look similar.

I usually like my rod for throwing anything with treble hooks to be Moderate Fast or even a bit softer so it has more flex, but I am not familiar with all the St. Croix rods, I know they have a ton of choices, models, and one MH Fast may feel different than another which is labeled as the same Power/tip. If you don't like the feel of the rod, return it to get what you like. If you like a fast tip, liked the one that broke, keep looking until you find one you like. I would return it if you have doubts, You will probably always wish you purchased a different rod if it feels to heavy for your liking. One Rod can say Fast and feel like a whip compared to one that is the same power and labeled Mod Fast so I guess my point is buy the one that you like regardless of what the specs say. I never buy rods online for that reason. I have ordered rods xfast and when they show up they are not what I expected.

The thing about the Pro Max that makes me love it is how easy it is to cast light lures long distances without having to keep adjusting settings. I have one set up with 12lb test and the first time I took it out I put the brakes on 3, kept the spool kind of loose, and never had to thumb the reel unless skipping. I can do that with some of my other reels, However I find some of the high end new braking systems more complicated to get dialed in. I still can't get the Daiwa T3 baitcasting reel I purchased on sale from TW to ever get set right. When I do get the settings right )has 20 brakes on 3 different modes, it will cast anything a mile, but I find myself using my Pro Max more than I do all my Okuma reels right now, and that was never the plan. As a Huge Okuma fan, I will say I would put the Pro Max and My Komodo in the same category, but my Pro Max seems to have a better drag. Maybe It's personal preference but it seems Abu Garcia has really upped the quality of their reels in the past year.

I have been on a reel buying spree the past 2 years and have been trying all the lower end priced reels since the specs of reels like the KastKing and others were calling my name after all the hype. I will say that for $50 Kastking makes a nice reel, I think they are now a legit player in the market, but after fishing with a few other models in the same price range I am now convinced that anyone looking for a reliable, nice looking, smooth casting reel, the new Pro Max Low Profile at $50-$60 may be impossible to beat. I have been amazed at how much smoother it is than many of my other reels, and the newer Silver Max reels are also a great deal. I have not had much luck with any of the quantum models although the hellcat is pretty good, the Daiwa Exceller is now $50 and is another steal. Add in the Okuma Ceymar, Cerros, and the new Shimano Caius reels, I think the BIG manufactures are starting to realize they need to compete at this range. I guess the point of this post is to say, I ordered about 6 Chinese baitcasting reels after a guy on You Tube who I follow started pitching the Piscifun reel and yes the reel is ok, but not really cheap in price. He also looks like he is being held hostage in his garage since he has always been a big Lews and Abu guy. Most of the China Generic reels are ok but they will rattle and shake and grind, where if you spend the same $50-$70 you can get a reel like the Pro Max which has exceeded all my expectations. I think now is the time to buy reels on certain sites since Revo STX casting reels are $85 right now, Lew LFS $69, Orra sx reels in the $50 range....I guess I can pass on the $80 Kast King reels which keep going up. It looks like Pflueger is becoming a player as well, the president casting reels were tanks years ago and have always been good, just hard to get parts, but the new models $30-$70 have to be tough to beat. The Academy Mettle is my newest purchase and so far it is almost too good to be true and I found it in a clearance bin for a price that is just absurd. No need to go China direct when this time of year comes around. Anyone looking to save money and get a reel that will cast light weight lures, handle big fish in any condition, rarely back lash regardless of settings, I am now a Pro Max guy, the new ones look so much better as well. Not sure it is worth buying any other reel in the same price range especially if you are like me and do not clean them all the time.

I was cleaning an old computer when I found an old picture of a Big NY Upstate Winter Bass through the Ice. My Brother and I used to fish a lake near his house which was pretty big and if you fished it in the spring through fall, you would each catch Stunted bass on almost every cast. We used to assume that all the fish were stunted in the lake with an occasional 2lber but my brother discovered that targeting them through the Ice in the part of the lake choked out with Hydrilla so thick that you really couldn't fish most of it (This is before Braid & b4 we knew about Hollow frogs etc.) I forget how much this fish weighed, we used to call everything over 21-22" 5-6lbs and I kind of think this fish was 23" since that was a really good quality bass in upstate NY and in this lake, you could literally catch 5-6 Bass over 21" in a solid day of Ice Fishing. This Fish barely fit through the hole and I believe it was caught on a small Road Runner or small Jigging Spoon (We used to use a Hopkins spoon) We only caught the big fish in the deep areas over 15' in the areas that you could not fish during the year. I guess the lesson of my story is if weeds are too thick they can cause bass to be stunted which I have seen in ponds, but if you have a lake where you only catch small bass, try fishing it through the ice. Live Minnows will also speed up the process & it makes the cold not seem so bad. Here is the picture of my brother with one of the biggest through the Ice and this was Mid Winter with thick ice. Bass eat in the cold, especially the bigger ones, you rarely would catch the dinks in winter which still seems strange to me.