katmandew

I was thinking braid was the way to go on spinners so that you get a better hookset. I have 30lb braid on a good MH to H powered rod with a fast action tip on my spinner bait setup. I think it helps reduce bad hooksets that lead to the bass throwing the bait. I do plan to use strikeback spinner baits this year for the first time.

Add me to the "Shimano Only" crowd when it comes to spinning reels. They just feel smoother and last longer.

I've been fishing hammers on a 6.4:1. With that bait, the slower you reel it the better. I'm actually considering using a 5.1:1 Lews BB1 cranking reel with them this year because that dang thing just casts a country mile...and just to see if I can get more bites with an even slower retrieve. If you can slow down with a 7.1:1 it wont matter. Some people have a hard time doing that, others do not. I think the 7.1:1 will help in cases where you throw at a bluff ledge and hook up with a smally that runs deep (right at the boat) immediately when hooked, allowing you to catch up with him and get the slack out of your line. Other times like if you are fishing a grass flat where deep water isn't as close by and they dont always run toward you, the lower gear ratio would probably be better because you can slow your retrieve easier, and with that bait, slow is the key...but either should work. You'll just have to be conscious of your retrieve speed.

I get about 2 months out of Halo FC before it gets so much memory I cant stand to use it anymore. When it starts birdnesting due to memory, it's time to change. Braid on the other hand is a different story. I have a rod that has had braid on it a year. It still casts fine because there's no memory. I did spool it off so the line on the bottom is now on the top though. It was discolored until I exposed the unused portion of the spool.

I've dropped so many pairs of sunglasses in the lake, I say get the rod. There's a reason I buy $25 BPS sunglasses. They dont last very long for me. I think the rod would last a lot longer.

Havent used Tatsu, but the other seaguar FC I have used had a lot of memory fast and didnt last long on the spool. I found that Halo works best for me. Usually have to respool every 2 months with Halo, where other lines are 2 or 3 weeks between respooling.

Ditto. I don't think you can beat the Lew's TP for the money. They are great reels.

I'd say both are of the same quality. Might give Shimano a slight edge due to looks, but that's personal preference really.

Awesome info. Thanks. GIves me a better idea of what techniques I might want to use it for.

I'm looking at getting another Lew's. I already have a 6.4:1 TP. The 7:1 only gives you 3 more inches per turn. Other than being a tad better at allowing you to catch up with the fish as he runs toward the boat, how does this help you? Wondering if this is technique specific? I've always used 6.4:1 bait casters and don't completely understand in what situations the 7:1 may help me. Generally, even if the difference is more than 3 IPT, what techniques do you use the 7:1 reels for?

Personally I think the Lew's Tournament Pro is the best buy available. For the money, they are great reels.

For those that prefer the regular power pro, I'm Curious what the downside is to the 832 and Super Slick 8? Does it fray easier? Not as strong? Cast as well? The noise regular PP makes coming through the guides really gets on my nerves. Other than that I have no complaints tho. If SS-8 is the quietest, holds up as well, and casts as well, I may want to give it a go.

For those that use these lines, which is a better braid? 832 isn't as noisy as regular power pro, but It's still a tad noisy to me. Wondering if the super slick 8 is any quieter and how does it cast vs the 832? I was thinking of trying Super Slick 8, but if the general consensus is that they are pretty close to the same, I don't want to spend the money trying something I may be disappointed in. Thoughts?

Deep runners. Any thing from DT-10's to the new strike king 10XD's which run about 25 feet.

I used the BB1 yesterday for the first time on the water. I was very impressed. I haven't used the winch, but my experience with the Lew's TP vs the Abu STX 3rd gen makes me think I made the right decision for my new cranking reel. It's butter smooth and casts a mile with little effort cranking those deep running baits. Now I'm looking into the Powell diesel glass cb rod to pair it with.

What a toad!

May be too nice of a rod to just let it sit. If I wasn't going to use it much and I needed another good casting model, I'd take it to a shimano dealer and swap it. You could always take the bps store credit on a return.

Honestly, I don't get it as far as all the hype they get. If I had it to do over with, I'd have bought another Lews TP or tried one of the new Okuma Helios. I'm probably going to sell mine and get a Helius and give that a try. I held one last week in a tackle shop and really liked it. It's not that the STX is a bad reel, I just expected more with the masses that are loyal to Abu. Guess I've just been spoiled by better reels and I expected too much out of the STX.

I've never used this line. It's basically a nylon/flouro hybrid according to the description, but how close is it to 100% fluoro when it comes to invisibility in the water? Pretty good buy here, looks like. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yo-zuri-Hybrid-Fluorcarbon-600yd-Line-Choice-of-Size-/370751926593?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5652897141

I'd have to agree. Bought the STX Gen 3 this year and after about 3 trips to the lake, I'm wishing I had just bought another Lew's TP. Personally, I don't see what all the "Revo" buzz is about. It's not that the Revo is a bad reel, but I'm thinking the Lew's is the better buy.

Does anyone currently own a Helios? I'm currently trying to decide between a Helios and a second Lew's TP1H.

They felt similar to the EVA knobs on the Patrriarch XT's to me. Not quite as "boxy" as the knobs on my Gen3 Revo STX. I thought they were very comfortable, but again, I love the EVA knobs.

I handled one of these tonight and it was about the smoothest casting reel I've ever felt. Just going by winding it without line on the counter of course, but it sure felt nice. Wondering if anyone has one of these that could attest to the way it performs? Retail is $219, but it's on ebay for $169. Seems like a steal for that price. http://www.***.com/Okuma_Helios_LP_Casting_Reel/descpage-OHLP.html

All I know about replacing boat carpet is that I don't want to pay someone else to do it. LoL Hoping someone here has done it before. Through researching online I found boatcarpet.com, but there are several types of carpet and I'm not sure which type of carpet to buy, what kind of glue to use, etc. Would love to hear the thoughts of anyone who has done this themselves and wouldn't mind sharing what they know.

Now I'm considering another 2500 FJ Stradic just so I can have a second bass reel to use it on a drop shot rod as well. I can move it to my medium crappie rod while I'm chasing specs, and that way it doesn't sit there the rest of the year doing nothing. Only disadvantage is that the 2500 uses more line, but I'll use cheap mono for crappie anyways and ill get more use out of it if i have it on a second bass rod.