cjam93

Oh haha ok my fault. I didnt realize those are the jdm ones. I was thinking about giving Shimano another shot though which is why I started this post. Haha I have two Carbonlites also those two have been going strong for a while now and cast as good as a lot of the reels I own. How do you like that other reel you mentioned? I love the way they feel from handling display models, but I do not know anyone that owns them to see how they work for extended use on the water. Also so many reels now days can be found on the auction site or other websites way lower than they are actually listed for, but that has not proved to be true of that reel from when I have looked for it so I have never pulled the trigger on one.

Now Id like to try a JDM I have not handled one of them. I do love Daiwa from what I have seen of them. Where can you go buy jdms I do not know. Thanks!

Thanks for the answers guys!

Right now I have a mixture of Lews, Okuma, and Quantum reels. My favorite is Lews. I have use BB1s for cranking, and then have a tournament lite as well. Those are my favorite reels. I have an Okuma Helios that I really like a lot, its just really comfortable. The Quantums are Smokes I bought at the classic because they had them at a really good deal. Two of them are holding up well and the other has drag slipping problems which I havent figured out. I actually really like the way the good ones I have preforms, but the bad one of the group has me wondering if the other ones are going to stay solid or not. I appreciate the answer though thanks that makes a lot of sense. Im not sure why the attitude here, sorry if I offended you. I do not hate Shimano though, actually for years they were the only brand I would use in spinning reels. I only moved away from them recently because I was not crazy about the new smaller frames they used on the Sahara and Symetre. I have just never seen for me what made Shimano baitcasters set apart for so many people and I was curious.

I want to start this by saying that I am not trying to start a fight or hate on a specific brand. I have noticed that people that fish Shimano more often than not are for lack of a better term fanboys. I do not mean this as an insult, simply that a lot of Shimano users seem to be Shimano or nothing. The exception it seems more often than not is Daiwa. Anyways, I have not had a lot of experience with Shimano baitcasters. I bought a Curado I after seeing all the talk, tried it and returned it pretty quickly. I will say I love the way it palms. However, the reel was not a very smooth one. I noticed that when I set the spool tension as I would with my other reels it made the handle turn almost stiffly like when you turn the tension very high. One of the things I have started valuing a lot in a reel is the weight. In that category the Curado seems to lack when compared to other reels in that price range. Anyways, my question is what for you sets Shimano apart? What does Shimano offer in their reels that cause them to have such a following?

Hey guys so I was wondering what conditions you look for when throwing chrome crankbaits. I mainly am asking in reference to lipped ones, but I supposed it would be the same answer for lipped or lipless. I would assume sunny days are better for the added reflection, but I wanted to ask anyways. On a cloudy day would you choose a chrome crankbait or a white matte color?

Thanks for all the help guys I appreciate it! I will likely be trying this line very soon!

Hey guys so I have been looking into trying out this line. I have a few questions about it though. How is the knot strength with it over? What I mean is I usually on my braid or mono setups tie up what I assume I will be using the most on the water the night before. My fc setups though I have noticed if I do this the knot in the morning will be weak and break very easily. How is hybrid in this regard? Is it easy to burn when tying like fc? Does it sink like fc or float like mono? I crank with fc usually 12lb for all depths. Right now I use Invisx. Would I need to drop down the strength of the line if I went to hybrid to get the same depth out of my lures? I have never been sure exactly how much difference there is between say .011 and .013 in line diameter. Will that difference really cause the lures to run that much different of a depth? thanks guys!

Hey guys so the reel finally came in the mail yesterday. I have not gotten to finish building the rod that it is going on yet. From just playing with it without a rod though so far I love it. It needed a little oil and grease when I first opened the box, but now it feels amazing. It feels much better than the Sahara I have, I cant compare it to other Shimano reels as the Sahara is the most expensive one I have used. We will see how it performs on the water, but if it works as good as it feels then I will likely order another when I need one.

I just use the 9 piece guide set. It comes with size 5 running guides if I remember correctly. I just use those. You could though buy the stripper guide, transition guide, size 5 guide, and then your choice size running guides to the tip. If you go that route I'd suggest looking into Fuji Kt guides or Alps PMK Mini guides. I have had great luck with both of those.

I have built a pretty good number for myself as well as clients out of the high mod blanks. To be honest, they are nice, but it is hard to tell a difference between the high mod and mid mod. It is slightly lighter and thats about it. The high mod sensitivity is a bit more crisp, but the mid mod is plenty sensitive. To be honest, I do not see myself ever building another high mod for my own use as the difference is not enough to justify doing that over a mid mod. Also being a higher mod the blank will not be as durable. If you take care of your rods then that does not matter, but something to remember is with any brand when you go up in modulus you go down in durability. Something I do with all of my rods is I build them with a very minimalist approach. What I mean is unless a customer asks for it I do not do any fancy decorative wraps, trims work, or labels outside of the blank info label. The less you have on a blank the lighter it will be, the more sensitive it will be, and just the better it will preform all around.

I just built a client a spinning rod on the 7'2 ml Eternity2 blank. It would make a great dropshot rod. I also am working on the 7'2 ml Immortal blank and it is really nice as well. The Immortal feels like it is slightly stiffer but both feel great for dropshot, shakey head, ect. You cant go wrong with either. Also I love Fuji components, but for spinning rods the only thing I use is Microwave guides by American Tackle. You should check those out they are great. I don't buy that the casting microwaves work, but the spinning ones are great.

I have built a lot on MHX blanks and I like them they are solid blanks. However, my main stay now in blanks is Rainshadow. I love the Eternity2's they are like no other blank I have handled. It is pricey though so for a first time build you may want to look at some of RS's other blanks. The other option I would suggest is Liberty. They are GetBit Outdoors house brand and in the price range are some of the best you can get. I have had nothing but good things to say about these blanks.

Will do! I just ordered one, should be here Saturday!

Ok cool thanks for checking it out. I think I will give that one a shot. I like the Lexa, but I think the Fuego being a bit cheaper and lighter wins out for me.Thanks for all the help!

Do you know anything about the newer Daiwa Fuego? I was looking at the different Daiwa reels, and the Fuego is .7oz lighter than the Lexa, it is newer, and cheaper. It also looks like they both have a lot of the same features. I like both, I just can not really figure out the main differences between them.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I know a lot of people love Pflueger, but I have not really liked the ones I have felt. Granted, I have only ever got to handle a limited number of them, but I have not been to impressed with any of them. I will check out the lexa for sure, thanks!

Hey guys so the other day I asked about what size reel you use for shakey heads and spy baits. Right now I have a Shimano Sahara 1000. My issue with it is that it is uncomfortable because the stem of the reel is short and the reel is close to my knuckles. It is hard to explain but basically my pinky knuckle that goes under the stem in the bend of it is what part is uncomfortable. I am looking at moving to a 2500 sized reel. I have always used Shimano, and have nothing against them, but I wouldn't mind trying something different. I am looking to spend $100 or less, but will spend a bit more around $120 if there is something that is head and shoulders better than the other ones in that price range. I do have a Daiwa Revros that I like, I bought for a knock around reel fishing saltwater. Outside of that though I know nothing about Daiwa spinning reels. What would you recommend? thanks!

Hey guys so I need a new spinning reel. It is going on a 7'2 ML rod that will be used for shakey head, spybait, and drop shot. I will be using 10lb braid and leaders of different sizes depending on where I am fishing or what technique I am using. What size reel would you suggest? thanks so much

Just posting to remind myself to check this, I would like to know as well.

Green Pumpkin magic Ultravibe Speedcraw. It is my favorite bait to c-rig, and makes a great texas rig too plus so many other things

Thanks for the link, I checked it out. That actually is the older Citica, haha I would have for sure jumped on it had it been the new one.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I left out Daiwa because I have used Tatulas and I find them a little to bulky for me. Im not interested in them, thanks though. After doing a bit more reading I am really leaning towards the Okuma. Does anyone have experience with them? I like the looks of the Shimanos, but Im not sure on them because of the extra weight they have when compared to the other reels at that price point.

Hey guys so I am in need of a new reel. I am interested in an Okuma Helios TCS, Lews Tournament MB, Lews Tournament Lite, or a Shimano Citica I. I will be getting a high speed reel to go on a 7'2 MH rod for football jigs and larger Texas Rigs. I can get all of these reels within $30-$40 of each other basically in a range of $105-$145.

Hm Im not sure why. Was the link I posted not working for you?