jparker98

Sorry for the delay, I got mine from username moboy9234.

I found it on eBay, I'll track down the username when I get a minute today. Definitely love this reel, granted it's the only "higher end" reel I've used so I can't compare it to a Curado or Revo. It has a very low profile and fits nicely in my hands, it's very smooth and casts a mile. I can't really think of any cons after a few weeks of use.

Thanks for the replies...I'm fairly new to fishing my local lake, I've had moderate success there, but I think I get too stuck on staying at spots I've caught fish at before. For example I've been spending over an hour fishing a spot even though I'm not getting any hits just because I've caught fish there before. Sounds like I shouldn't be wasting my time there and move on and try some new spots I haven't tried yet.

How do you guys treat a new fishing spot?...I guess what I mean is if you're fishing a new lake, pond, etc...how do you go about locating fish? For me fishing from land I don't have the luxury of a fish finder so I'm wondering how long do you spend in 1 spot before moving or how many times do you cast a certain bait/lure to a certain area before you try something different? It seems like for me I usually get a strike/bite within my first 10 casts so lately I start to feel like I'm wasting my time casting the same lure to a general area much more than 15 times. Also, I tend to look for shallow areas with a lot of cover and tend to avoid deeper areas, but I've been wondering if I'm missing out on some fish by using this approach. I've read a lot about spinner and crank baits being good for locating fish, but haven't had any luck on either personally. My "go to" setup has been a weightless worm or swim bait. Just trying to find out what strategy you guys use when looking for fish in a new spot or maybe even a spot you know, but the fish don't seem to biting.

Got to use my new TS1SH on the lake today and again this thing is amazing...I casted everything from a heavy spinnerbait to a weightless worm. I started out with 2 centrifugal brakes on and a 5 on the mag brake and had good luck so I ended up turning the mag brake off completely (0) and was still having really good luck and a lil more distance. I decided I would turn off one of the centrifugal brakes to see how that went and that worked out just as well and allowed even more distance...It was pretty windy today and at times I was casting a weightless worm head on into the wind and it still wouldn't backlash...all in all I'm extremely impressed with this reel. Very happy with my decision and purchase, thanks a bunch for all the feedback!

Cool, thanks man...I'm going to have to find a way to go fishing tomorrow cause I can't wait till next Saturday to try this reel out!

Just got my Lew's Tournament SS TS1SH and man what a difference compared to the cheapy Pinnacle Deadbolt I had...this thing casts a mile and feels 10x better in my hand! Haven't actually fished with it yet, but did about 20 practice casts in the yard. I was a little worried about buying one "reconditioned", but I have to say other than 2 very minor scratches you can hardly tell the thing was used at all. What do you guys suggest is a good starting point on the centrifugal brakes? I just figured out how the cover comes off and found that they were all off while I was practicing with it earlier. Don't really know much about the centrifugal brakes if someone could explain the differences. Basically earlier I set the brake for the lure weight and had the mag brake on 5 and it seemed to be working quite well...so what would adding 2 of the centrifugal brakes into the mix do? Would I need to turn down the mag brake then?

eBay here's the link http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-Citica-200-G-7-200G7-G7-7-1-1-Baitcasting-Fishing-Reel-CI200G7-/270921982349?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1435618d

Done, just bought the Lew's TS1SH...says it should here by Monday

I found a Lew's TS1SH reconditioned for $85 shipped do you think that's a better deal than the SS1SH brand new for $80 shipped?

Man that Lew's Speed Spool SS1S for $80 brand new is pretty tempting...Then again they have the new Citica G's for $99...decisions, decisions...might have to break out the credit card tonight and order one of them. From the feedback, it sounds like I'll be happy with whichever one I decide to go with, thanks for all the replies and opinions guys.

If you were going to buy new would you get a Citica G or a Lew's Speed Spool?

Caught these 2 large mouths early yesterday morning on Newburgh Lake. This one is probably my new personal best and I caught it on a texas rigged Berkley Havoc Subwoofer on a slow retrieve. This one I caught on a rattling jig with a piece of an old plastic worm as a trailer.

Cool, figured I'd ask...thanks for all the feedback. I'll save up a little more money and get a Citica, Curado or something on their level. Do places usually put fishing gear on sale during the winter months?

Any opinions on the Shimano Caius? Was at Dick's yesterday and they had a combo with that reel and a Field & Stream rod for $80. Looks like it has a lot of the same options as the higher priced models, but more plastic. They also had a Quantum Escalade HD on sale that looked nice, but wasn't sure about it.

Looking around on CraigsList I found a Shimano Citica Bantam 200 for $50. Says it's new in the box and has never been used...good deal?

Right hand.

Ahh, that's good to know...I have both a BPS and a Cabela's about 45 minutes away from me...I'll keep my eyes open for their sales.

I'm currently using a Pinnacle Deadbolt Pro that I picked up for $17 at Dick's on clearance. I'm sure it's considered an entry level reel and I have 0 complaints about it so far (3 weeks of use), but I'm wanting to make a step up that's why I wasn't really looking at the BlackMax type reels. It sounds like people using Shimano love their reels so maybe I'll hold off a little longer and grab a Curado or Citica (not sure of the differences between them if someone could explain). Only reason I was steering clear of used is because I'm new and wasn't really sure what to look for when buying used. Also, do they typically have sales on fishing gear over the winter months? I'm not in any hurry to get a new setup since I probably only have a month of fishing left up here anyways so if I could wait till the winter and get more for my money that's an option.

As the topic suggests, trying to find out what you guys think is the best Baitcaster around or under $100. Looking to grab another reel and am having a hard time deciding...here are a few I'm considering. BPS Pro Qualifier Shimano Caenan Daiwa Exceller Open to other suggestions too, I'd prefer to buy new rather than used since I don't really know what to look for on a used reel.

Just started using braid, but I've been pretty happy with my Spiderwire Stealth 50# after a couple trips out with it. It seems to cast better and backlash less than the 12# Stren Mono I had on my reel.

I guess I'd be looking to keep the combo under $125 maybe I'd go up to $150 if there was a huge difference (cheaper the better I suppose that's why the Exceller combo looked appealing). I'm pretty open to lure suggestions, but I've had the most luck with weightless texas rigged 5" Yum F2 Dingers on a 2/0 hook at the local lake (actually the only thing I've caught fish on so far). I recently picked up a KVD crankbait set that I haven't used at my local lake yet and I also picked up a couple jigs I was going to try out next time I go too. The local lake I fish most often was recently dredged and restocked back in 2007 and I'm able to access deep parts of the lake due to some floating docks, but those appear to be heavily fished, it seems most people are fishing for panfish or walleye at these spots and they tend to stay away from the heavy cover areas so I've been targeting the shallower areas (approximately 4-8' deep) with lots of cover and have pulled in 3 decent bass over the past 2 weeks there (usually in the morning or just before dusk). I live in the suburbs so there are limited lakes for me to fish although there are a lot of apartment complexes around with pretty large ponds, but I have no idea if it's even legal for me to fish there and I'm not sure if they're even stocked.

I just started fishing again after almost 15 years and was looking for some advice on what gear to use when/where/with what and suggestions on more gear to pickup in the future. Right now I have 2 rod/reel setups and do almost all my fishing from shore. My local lake is a reservoir and has quite a lot of cover in the areas I can access and from what I can tell is relatively shallow in most spots. Baitcaster: Pinnacle Deadbolt Pro Reel Berkley AMP 6'6" Medium Action 50# Spiderwire Stealth Braid Spinning: Shakespear Ugly Stik Combo (25 series reel) 8# Stren Mono I realize it's not top of the line equipment, but I'm on a budget and didn't want to blow a bunch of money on gear until I get a boat (hopefully next year). I'm wondering what I should get as a 3rd setup I was thinking maybe I need a 7" Med/Heavy rod setup to learn how to flip and pitch on? I seen a good deal on a Daiwa Exceller combo are those decent? It seems like it's easier to throw lightweight tackle on the spinning combo (such as a Rapala minnow husky jerk bait) and I've been using my Baitcast setup for most everything else (texas rig worm, top water frog, spinnerbaits and crankbaits). I've been watching a lot of bass shows and trying to learn different setups and recently seen a drop shot rig so I'm thinking I want to try one of those since I've had such good luck on my weightless texas rigged worm. It appears most of the people throwing a drop shot use a spinning combo is that the ideal setup to use for this? Also, the only thing I've caught any largemouths on is the texas rigged worm, but I have thrown my frogs quite a bit trying to get some bites, but I've yet to have a strike. I've tried all kinds of different retrieves (faster, slower, pausing/twitching in holes in the cover) is it the wrong time of year to be throwing that or just keep trying? Sorry for rambling, just looking for some tips/suggestions. When it comes down to it I feel like I've done pretty well so far just looking to expand my knowledge and hopefully catch even more/bigger fish! Adding a pic of the first largemouth I caught over at my local lake (Newburgh Lake, MI).