offsidewing

Spincast combo for the youngsters. Easier for them, and less that can go wrong for you to mess with. I went through this with my oldest. He's 15 now. Didn't get him a spinning combo until he was almost 11 and developed a little patience.

I've said it a bunch and I'll say it again: I never realized the value in the Lew's reels until I started buying Shimano.

Yeah, total brainfart there on guides vs eyelets. I know better. It's like magazine vs clip.

In October I picked up a new Legend Elite casting rod. *Stop reading now if you have a week stomach* Over the winter I've tried a couple different reels on it. I finally decided on a new Aldebaran 50HG and it came in the mail over the weekend. Like a little kid on Christmas, I unboxed the reel and headed to the rod rack to grab the Legend Elite. I pulled the sock off the rod, put the reel on it, and noticed the guide on the rod tip was missing! The metal sleeve that covers the tip of the blank was still securely attached, but the eyelet itself looks like it came off. The graphite is completely intact, and the metal sleeve portion of the rod tip is still intact with no signs of bending. It's like a bad solder of the guide or something. I've not fished with this rod, only removed it from the rod sock to feel how it balances with different reels 10-12 times. I don't jam the rod into the sock - I'm careful to make sure I don't ram the tip into the end of the sock. Still, Is it possible that running the rod in and out of a nylon rod sock weakened the eyelet? I have other higher end rods tip over on boats and the tips have been just fine. All my rods are put into sleeves when not in use. These are the new Torzite guides, so I have no idea if there is a known build quality issues with the guides or if they are just super fragile. Anyways, this will be in the mail and off to St Croix sometime this week for evaluation. I'm just curious to know if the friction from the nylon rod sock could have weakened the eyelet, or if anyone else with a new Legend Elite had the same issue. I've had a Legend Xtreme and LTBs get banged onto the side of the boat or put into the back of a truck a little harder than they should and no issues. They've been run in and out of sleeves countless times and never an issue with the tip. I've always been very careful about taking care of rod tips.

If you're targeting bass, 6'6" to 7' Medium Fast Spinning rod and a quality spinning reel. 6lb Yo Zuri Hybrid line. Bass are bass. I catch 2-3lb large mouth bass in 4 foot deep retention ponds. I got my son a Cabela's Tournament ZX spinning rod when they were on sale and a Pflueger President reel also on sale. He uses it to hit all the neighborhood retention pods in the summer. It's also 100% adequate for when he and I attempt 'serious' fishing on larger bodies of water in Maine, Ohio, Michigan, and New York. When I go bank beating with my son, I'm grabbing the same "go to" combos as if I'm heading out on the water. Bass are Bass. I use the same gear and tackle to catch fish on a golf course ponds that I do on big bodies of water. Sometimes the Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops have some good value combos too. I know Cabela's often has Pflueger and Mitchell combos for less than $100 that feature solid reels and capable rods.

Like a Rock. Built Ford Tough. Grab life by the Horns.

Hello all, Has anyone heard if this reel is coming stateside? I haven't found any of the JDM sites listing this for sale/pre-order yet. The reel is listed on the Shimano Japan site.

I have two Avid X castinf rods and love them. 7MF and 7MHF. I was skeptical of the microguides, but they did improve castinf distance over similar E6X rods.

Hello all, I'm looking to replace a decades old Shimano Spirex. I'd like to pick up a Stradic FK to use for drop-shot, Tube jigs, and 4/5 inch Senkos. In the past I've used either 2500 sized Shimanos or 30 sized Pluegers. I like the idea of a 1000 sized reel for those applications using 6lb line. Does the 1000 size stradic have enough muscle for bass fishing or should I go with a 2500? Thanks!

I still don't know why it weighs more than the regular Metanium.

Avid X 6'8" Medium, Extra Fast.

Nope, OP should try and reply in Japanese. That way the seller and make fun of that response! OMG, the Green Tea Kit-Kats are the beat!

Here's the Shimano Link The Metanium MGL Scorpion 70 Antares DC Aldebaran BFS XG Stile

I was poking around the Shimano Japan website last night and it looks like most of the new reels are listed there now. I'm excited about the New Scorpion 70 and the Metanium MGL so I was checking them out online. It looks like the Shimano MGL, Scorpion 70, and Casitas all have a new SVS breaking system. If I understand the context of the Google Translated description, it appears that all four brake blocks will be "on" and the external dial will be the primary adjustment. It also looks like the the Scorpion 70 is getting a new spool similar in design to the Metanium MGL. Speaking of the Metanium MGL, while it is a 100 sized reel, the translation of the site suggests the spool is actually a 70 sized spool. Both the Scorpion and MGL have the line capacity listed as 100 yards of 12 lb Nylon. Looks like my fishing budget for the year will be spent by March!

I have both a 7' MF and 7'MHF in the Avid X. The 7' MF is a great, versatile rod. I also have a casting 6'8" MXF in the new legend elite. There's definitely more backbone in the 7' MF "profile" rod and I have been very pleased with it in a variety of presentations. While the 6'8" MXF has plenty of muscle, I like it better for finesse presentations. The 6'8" MXF in a spinning rod is my favorite rod.

Another good rod under $80 are the Cabela's Tournament ZX baitcaster. They are $99 retail but go on sale for $65-$75 often. Those rods were on many reviewers "Best of" or "Best Value" lists the summer of 2014. Don't let the Cabela's name fool you, its a great rod.

$275 is a reasonable price from some of more competitively priced JDM sites. It's not necessarily a clearance or blowout price. They're hard to find at $275, but you can find them for $325 without much trouble. I've only been in the JDM game for about 18 months, so I'm not as versed in the sales cycle of the reels like many other on these forums. It's tough to tell (for me anyways) at this point if the Metanium MGL is a replacement or alternative to the 13 Metanium. The MGL looks to have a newly designed spool and it has a new braking system. Perhaps someone has translated the Shimano TV clip and can give a few more details. The 13 Metanium is a fine reel and other than it not being the latest and greatest - it's one of the finest baitcasters out there. Getting a Metanium MGL is a 'wait and see' proposition for me as I already have a 13 Metanium. However, I pre-ordered the 2016 Scorpion 70 the moment I was able to.

if I had to do it again, I would have just stuck with the regular Met and used the $400 I spent on a DC for killer spinning setup or another Met and some BFS do-dads. Right now, if I were you, you could hang onto that $400 and pick up a couple Scorpion 70s/Curado 70s for Bass Fishing. Or a Scorpion/Curado 70 and a nice rod. I have both a Met and Met DC. I got the Met DC specifically for fishing on open water in windy conditions (I fish some big lakes in the summer). I've never fished with the legendary 4x8 DC system, but the Met DC system does a nice job minimizing backlashes with lures that can tumble or fishing in windy conditions. It is not a magic backlash eliminator. If you load the rod incorrectly, you will get a backlash. The fundamentals of bait casting are still required with the Met DC. Keep in mind, the DC unit doesn't kick in if you're pitching/flipping short distances as the spool RPMs aren't high enough to engage the DC system. The DC really helps in windy conditions, at the expense of a little bit of distance over the Met. I like my Met DC and it got a lot of use last season. However, the regular Metanium offers a lot of versatility (different Spools), is a pleasure to cast in it's own right, and is lighter than the DC. I only reach for the DC over my regular Met if the wind is stronger than a breeze. In golf terms, having a Met DC is like making the most expensive golf club you own a 4-Wood. You don't use it a whole lot, but you've very happy when you're using it.

I have both a Met and Met DC. I got the Met DC specifically for fishing on open water in windy conditions (I fish some big lakes in the summer). I've never fished with the legendary 4x8 DC system, but the Met DC system does a nice job minimizing backlashes with lures that can tumble or fishing in windy conditions. It is not a magic backlash eliminator. If you load the rod incorrectly, you will get a backlash. The fundamentals of bait casting are still required with the Met DC. Keep in mind, the DC unit doesn't kick in if you're pitching/flipping short distances as the spool RPMs aren't high enough to engage the DC system. The DC really helps in windy conditions, at the expense of a little bit of distance over the Met. I like my Met DC and it got a lot of use last season. However, the regular Metanium offers a lot of versatility (different Spools), is a pleasure to cast in it's own right, and is lighter than the DC. I only reach for the DC over my regular Met if the wind is stronger than a breeze. In golf terms, having a Met DC is like making the most expensive golf club you own a 4-Wood. You don't use it a whole lot, but you've very happy when you're using it.

I emailed Jun yesterday specifically about the 70XG and he said Shimano doesn't list it as "available" to vendors yet - so it's not listed on their site, yet. They will list it as soon as Shimano updates the other gear ratio status. I feel you though, trying a left hand retrieve would probably be worse than me trying to brush my teeth with my left hand. I pre-ordered a 70 HG just because.

http://japantackle.com/shimano-16scorpion70.html

Where from?

What size Tackle Warehouse reel covers does everyone use? I have the TW "Low Profile" size and they barely fit over my 50-sized reels and can't latch the velcro on Shimano 100-sized reels.

I recently picked up a New Legend Elite 6'8" MXF casting rod on an impulse. I have not had a chance to fish it yet. I prefer using Fat Ikas and 6 inch senkos on casting gear, but wanted a little more sensitivity in the rod. This is the first sub-7 foot casting rod I've owned. Compared to my 7' MF Avid X, the 6'8" Legend Elite does seem dainty. However, my personal best was caught on a 6'8" MXF LTB spinning rod, so I have no doubts of the strength of the Legend Elite. Holy cow is it light though. I've fighting the urge to re-acquire an Aldebaran 50 to have a sub 9oz combo.

The moderators should create a macro for this response to reply to posts like the OP's instead of the typical "ERMAHGERD, CHECK THE STICKIES"