noob150

Sorry to reply to an old thread. I have owned 2 Pflueger Presidents and have played around with the Pflueger Trion at Cabelas. I recently purchased the Pflueger Summit for $39. I was looking for an inexpensive real around $30. I check out all the reels at Cabelas for $40 or less and the Pfueger Summit felt the smoothes to me. It also looks nice. IMO it is smoother than the trion and very close to the President that I can't tell what is smoother. I also own a Shimano Symetre. The Symetre is a bit smoother BUT not $60 smoother. So bottom line, The Pflueger Summit is an awesome reel and I would have a hard time picking a smoother reel in the less than $75 catagory. From my limited experience, Pflueger makes smoother reels at the same price point as Shimano. Shimano reels feel more solid and higher quality.

Are you suggesting looking for these used or the newer versions? How about the Abu round S, SX, STX?

I have a low profile baitcaster that I have been using and I really liking. I want to try out a round style. I am open to used reels on the bay but don't know what size and model to bid on. I will be using it for bass mainly but may use for the occasional cat. So a smaller size would be great. If I can score a used one for $50 or less, that would be great. If I went new, I wouldn't want to go much more.

I bough a lipless and a shallow 1-3ft crankbait to try. Thanks everyone for the help

I have tried crankbaits multiple times without success. I also don't typically care for them because I sometimes hit the bottom and they get get caught on weeds and I have to constantly clean the weeds off. I have been reading and it looks like crankbaits are supposed to be bounced off the bottom and ripped through weeds? Is this true? I have been trying to fish them so they don't hit the bottom or don't come in contact with any weeds.

I narrowed it down to these 2 reels. The Daiwa imo feels smoother but I also want something that will be good quality as well and last a long time with proper care. So which one should I buy? Both are about $100 Also I like the 2500 size Shimano reels. What size Daiwa should I get? Thanks

So is carbon fiber the same as carbon? My reel says "Carbon frame, sideplate and rotor". To me it looks like plastic. It is really light. The bail looks thicker and heavier duty than my other reels.

So I upgraded to a new reel. I was used to $50 reels but my new one is $100. It is much lighter and looks nice. The problem is that it isn't noticeably much smoother. I cleaned and lubed it and it still isn't much smoother. Are there any other qualities that you all use to judge a reel besides smoothness? If so can you please elaborate on these qualities and how to assess them. Thanks. EDIT: Sorry i forgot to mention spinning reel.

Thanks man. I will try that out. Quick question on the popper. When you say pop, is that just jerking your rod tip parralell to the water to quickly pull the popper along the water or jerk the tip vertically ?

ok thanks for the tip. I will check it out

I have been using mainly soft plastic worms texas rigged or wacky. I wanted to experiment with some other types of bait/tackle this fall. So I bought some hollow body frogs, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, poppers, and crankbaits. As a noob, I enjoy experimenting and trying to find what works but it can be confusing. I realize that I could search on the internet and find these answers but I was hoping someone would be able to briefly tell me in short answers so I can print out and keep it in my tackle bag as a reference. Can someone please tell me how these types of baits are fished (technique wise)? 1) Frogs 2) chatterbaits 3) buzzbaits 4) poppers 5) crankbaits Thanks.

I already bought the H2o. I tried it out 2 times already and it works really well although don't really have many baitcasting reels to compare it to. Why do you say Speed Spool? I am curious if spending the extra $30+ will give me a smoother, easier casting, higher quality, less backlash reel. It has magnetics brakes compared to the H20 centrifugal.

I was also thinking of a rod to catch crappie, trout, or small sized bass. Maybe a light or UL spinning rod?

Sorry I guess I wasn't clear in my post. I am just looking for recommendation on type of rod not brand or specific rod. As far as what I will be throwing, maybe weightless wacky rigs, spinners, shakey heads.

I want to buy another rod and reel to have as another option to my current equipment. I have been fishing for largemouth bass and some cats. I own the following: 1) 7'2" Heavy spinning rod with Okuma Avenger 40 ( I use for Catfishing) 2) 6'6" ML spinning rod with a 2500 Shimano reel (wife's) 3) 7' MH casting rod (crankbaits, frogs, spinners, buzz) 4) 5' UL Daiwa Travel Spinning combo (old combo) 5)????? Spinning???? Any suggestions that I could own to fish Bass? I do like the idea of having setups for certain techniques/lures/baits and I am leaning toward a spinning setup. Plus I like being able to try/switch up what I am using quickly to see what the fish are biting on.

Thanks everyone for your help. I practiced using the Mettle in my yard. It casts smoothly and is smooth reeling the line in. Much better than another reel I used briefly before. I am hoping to test it out in the next few days.

I went with the H20 xtreme. It gets great reviews, was priced right, and has a lifetime warranty. Plus I read that Academy will take care of me if anything happens. I paired it with a 7ft mh rod $50 rod that was on sale for $35.

I was looking to get my first baitcaster. I have briefly fished with them in the past but not for a significant amount of time. I wanted to get something that was good to learn on but decent enough where I won't want to buy another reel for some time (I know eventually I will upgrade). I plan to buy a lower end rod to start out with but I don't know what reel to purchase. Here are my options. Please let me know what you think or if you have any other suggestions. I want to buy new. 1) BPS Pro Qualifier.$100 Seems to be one of the most popular reels to start out with. Has Centrifugal and magnetic brakes. Only problem is that it isn't on sale at the moment and I read that in time, they aren't as smooth as they were when new. Can't return for warranty work. 2) Lew Speed Spool.$90 I always here good things but doesn't seem as popular as BPS pro qualifier. I think it only has magnetic brakes 3) H2o Mettle: $60. In expensive and popular but I am not sure Academy sports has the customer service that Cabelas but I could be wrong. Return policy states only in new conditinon and within 14 days. I read that these reels have a lifetime warranty. 4) Pflueger Summit $90. It looks to be a Cabelas Exclusive. Has Centrifugal brakes. It would appear to be a great buy but I don't hear much about this model so that is a bit concerning. My upper limit on a reel is $110 or maybe $120 at most. Thanks.

I have tried a baitcaster several times and I think for now and am going to just stick with spinning. Maybe a ML rod would serve me well as Keeper suggested and it looks like you own one to accompany your med and light rods. I have recently bank fished two nearby lakes several times without much luck. I am having more luck at some local ponds catching largemouth bass. I do not know the weight or length but just guestimating about 1-2lb bass mostly out of the ponds. I have seen larger catfish in these ponds but haven't fished for them.

Right now I have a 6'6"ft Medium rod with a Plflueger 6935 spinning reel. My wife has fished with me and she enjoys it and we want to buy another rod so we both have one to use. I think it will be smart to buy another rod and reel that is a bit different than what I have. I want a set up that will complement my current rod and reel. I want something that is versatile but can also cater toward something different if that makes sense. So I guess I am looking for something that is either lighter or heavier duty (to put it in layman terms). Any suggestions in rod and reel configuations (rod length, power and reel size)? Thanks

I bought an inexpensive horizontal rod storage holder. I didn't give it much thought but when I store my rods with the reel on, the rods have a slight bend in them. Would this bend be enough to permanently damage my rods? Notice how the rod on bottom has slight bend compared to rod (without reel) on top.

Bought a pack o Roboworms and it took me about 2 minutes to rig it up. I will save the Z-Worms for wacky and texas rigs.

I tried the pinhole but it is still a pain in the ass. I will try the lighter trick. If not they are going back. I tried a Zoom Trick worm and had now problem screwing it in. So they really melt when they come in contact with other plastic worms??

Ok I will give that a shot. I will report back

I bought some buckeye spot remover jigs and some z-man worms. I tried for about 20 minutes to rig it shaky but I couldn't get the worm to screw in. I tried to cut the end flat but that still didn't work. Any tips on how or why I am having trouble. Thanks.