bassbassontherange

I started looking at the Exsence because of the similarities to the Chronarch D, and I agree. Why not buy a hopped up, more attractive, feature packed version of it for around the same or less you could get a used Chronarch? I'm planning on using mine to burn 3/8 spinnerbaits and maybe some popping/frogging... Oh heck I don't know yet. I'm just excited to get it. I'll be the idiot in my front yard casting my new reel in the snow if you drive by. By the way, do the bearings need flushed? Are they easy enough to get to?

Thanks;!

That's a great price! Free shipping to boot. I've never used Digitaka, but on your recommendation I've got one on the way. I thought most of the Japan stock was used or $300+ based on what I saw on the main sites and eBay. This is cheaper than I'd likely get it used after shipping. Thanks for the heads up! Pretty stoked!

This may sound stupid, but I'm not trying to fill any specific need with the Exsence. I like that it's different as I'm looking forward to trying something new. I just wanted it for fun, yeah, but at the same time, I'm admittedly an elitist when it comes to performance, and even if it's different, I don't want to be disappointed. For that reason, when I got comfortable with the Chronarch Ci4's and the Curado I's (and a 13 Met XG), I sold most of the other reels I had because they just didn't perform as well and weren't as much fun to use. The only reels I kept were a 50e Curado and a Revo MGX because they're freaking fun to use. I just want something fun and a top notch performer if I'm going to justify to myself spending top dollar, and there's not as much feedback on this reel so I thought I'd ask. Side note on the 13Met and the Chronarch Ci4... do it! They're both fantastic reels. I can't decide which I like better. Honestly, they are near identical in my hands. I know you didn't mention the Chronarch, but since more people own it, it seems to be for sale on the flea market quite a bit. I've seen them go for under $190 recently new, and that's a heck of a deal in my opinion. The Curado I's are nearly equals from a performance standpoint and often I find myself liking the more solid, slightly heavier feel of them. I have no doubt the new 70's are going to be fun. That's actually the other reel I was considering along with the Exsence.

I checked out both of those reviews, and they're partly why I'm excited. Do you own any of the new I series reels? Would you say it's performance bests them in most applications?

I'm considering picking one up for freshwater use. I know this reel is catered to the saltwater community, but it looks to me like it'd be excellent in any capacity. The reason I want it is... well I just want a new, cool reel and I haven't owned a DC. I'm asking for input though, from those of you who own one or have used one quite a bit. If I'm going to invest the money, I want to know I'm getting a killer reel. I own a couple Chronarch Ci4's, Curado I's, 50e's ect, so I have a nice arsenal. How does the Exsence DC compare? I'm specifically curious about what you think of the DC system. Thanks in advance! Happy New Year.

Glad they announced before Christmas. I still have time to take the wife and kids' presents back so I have cash to put a couple pre-orders in.

I think you might be visiting stores with low inventory, and what's left for the season may be mostly left handed. I've seen that happen. Otherwise, what you're asking about isn't a reality. Most manufacturers have a more limited left handed selection because they don't sell as well. There are definitely more righties produced, much to the chagrin of south paws.

Thank you, Mission Control. I do believe that's hard evidence that most bocas are overkill, but they're sure smooth:)

I dunno guys. When I throw even a 1/32nd trout fly on my Chronarch I get speeds that would benefit from abec-11's, but that's not normal, I realize. It's my huge muscles is all. I'm surprised I don't break my rods from the centrifugal motion, honestly. Really though, this turned into quite the fishing geek thread. Everyone push their $5 polarized sunglasses a little farther up their noses and double check that your neckbeards are trimmed properly (as in not at all). I love the responses though. Good info. I just think it's pretty funny that we're arguing about fishing reel bearings.

I get that. I don't know if something that freespools for 1min will perform worse on the water than something that does 2min, but there's definitely a noticeable difference between stock (even cleaned well) bearings and good ceramics. The spool starts up faster and I think the performance is better, but the main thing is it's easier cast and just more fun for me. To each their own. I always say do what makes your experience most enjoyable.

I agree in pretty much every instance of this sort of topic. In fact, I bought these bearings not knowing they weren't actually Boca. I assumed they were and didn't look closely enough. I noticed today when they came in the mail that they were just in a generic plastic baggy, not a Boca package like I was used to seeing, so I asked. That being said, I went ahead and popped them in just now. They seem 100% identical to Boca to me. I wonder if it's like when you buy a bargain alkaline battery, a lot of the time you take the outer wrapping off the battery itself and it says "energizer" underneath. They sometimes repackage their older batteries with one of their other brands (I've seen it happen with Everready alkalines). I'm wondering if it's not Boca or their holding company just marketing these to different markets, cheaper, without the name? I popped them in my Chronarch Ci4 and was absolutely blown away... 2:07, 2:05, and 2:10 freespool. I guess I'll see how they hold up. I ran them dry btw.

I've used Boca bearings for some time now. I think for a good real, if you want to get the most out of it, this is pretty much a necessary upgrade. -But- They're kinda expensive in comparison to other orange seal abec-7 bearings that are out there. I recently purchased these-- FISHING REEL BEARING SMR623C-- I won't link because I dont think we're supposed to here, but they look identical to Boca's. If you search "smr623c abec-7" BOCA's website is even the first hit but I don't find that model anywhere on their website. Anyone have any experience with other "orange seal" ceramic bearings? Thanks!

Everyone is saying what they'd do, qualifying WHY with logic. We're all justifying by saying "too good of a deal to pass up" or "this will work forever" or "I could have gotten by with cheaper stuff". Okay, I get it, but... to me, fishing is fun, it's relaxing, and it just makes me FEEL GREAT. I love getting on the water, away from almost everything, and enjoying life. The reason I buy what I buy is based on how it makes me feel when I fish it, not on whether it makes absolute sense logically or financially. Fishing is an escape for me. Do I think my Chronarch Ci4 will catch me more fish? Maybe 1 or 2 over the course of a year compared to my oooold POS Shimano Lexica I bought when I was 10. But the Ci4 sure feels great in my hands and I love how it casts. Do I think my Curado I's have more power to reel in the hawgs when I finally hook into one than my old 200b's? No, I know they don't, but I love how smooth they are letting out drag and on the retrieve. To me, it's about enjoying the experience, not just whether fishing with "x" rod and reel makes sense or not. If you start with whether it makes sense, some will be satisfied with that, but most of us may not necessarily enjoy the experience. I love going home, thinking, "Jeez, that was fun! I can't wait to do it again!", rather than, "I caught some fish, I wonder if I really needed to spend that much to do it and I'm not completely satisfied until someone else agrees with me about it." I just want to go home with a smile on my face as often as I can. -If that means I love fishing with the cheapest I can get away with and that makes me happy, I'd do that. -If that means I save until I can afford what I really want, that puts a smile on my face every time that I make that perfect cast and just makes me feel great, then THAT's what I'd do. More often I'm in that second camp.

You'll find a lot of differing opinions here, but in my own mind, if you really want to get the most bang for your buck from a baitcaster you'll be in the 100-200 dollar price range and there are a ton of very good options there. You really can't go wrong (in this price range) with: Shimano Diawa Lew's Okuma Abu Garcia There are many solid options in this range, like I said, but there are some standouts as well that seem to really have followings. Shimano has the Curado I and Citica I (as well as used reels from previous generations) Daiwa has the Tatula and the Tatula R Lew's has the BB1 and BB1 pro Abu Garcia has the Revo line with a few options in this range You can fish bass with any technique with any of those reels above, and have a blast doing it. Try them out at the store, see what feels right to you on a rod. For my money, I'd pick up a Curado 200I online for around 130. Great reel that does everything exceptionally well and should last you a lifetime, but like I said, to each their own. You really can't go wrong.

That's what I was thinking!

This is a great thread with a lot of advice. I think the rod you use should also reflect what type of line you're going to use, though. For example, a MM for treble hook lures makes sense, but you can have a hard time setting a hook sometimes if you're using a MM with a high stretch line. I guess I'm getting into maybe a little too much detail, but it can be important to consider.

Thanks for the explanation!

Just curious... what advantage do you gain with more line?

Smallies?! I didn't realize there were any in there. That's cool, and thanks in advance for contributing to me wasting way too much time tubing those rock points hoping for a smallie.

Everything below is reflective of what's been working late summer--> into fall for me on SSFL. Spring, early summer, and mid summer I fish pretty differently. I almost always get a couple in the southeast corner first thing after I launch. A popper usually does pretty well right before the sun comes up. Last couple of times I've been out, they've been chasing the schooling baitfish around the dam in the mornings and evenings, especially when it's been overcast. I had pretty good luck with a white/chrome lipless crank hitting the edges of the schools, using a fast reel and really burning it to get reaction bites. That's what I've done to catch them around the dam. However, for me the action around there dries up after about the first hour of sun up. If you notice they're still hitting topwater, I've had more luck frogging (green and black) around the lilies and shallow in weeds, and using a walking bait in the open water in front of cover. Lipless cranking (chrome or white) whenever I find schooling baitfish has been killer once the topwater bite has slowed. You'll typically find this going on in that first cove northwest of the dam. There are usually some big fish in that small area. All that works, but nothing has been as effective lately as a plain ole white spinnerbait, all day, regardless of conditions. Trolling the shore and casting up to the cover on the west side of the lake has netted a bunch of smaller fish, but I've caught the bigger ones sporadically hitting that same white spinnerbait or a lipless crank about 10-15 feet off the shoreline, right where it drops off. They seem to be moving shallower in general now though, so that bite has slowed a bit. The cattails at the north end of the lake have been excellent. You can hit most of them with a spinnerbait, and there are some real monsters sitting in ambush around them. Be careful though, it's extremely shallow back that way. You can fish it right now, but you're in 2 feet of water if you're lucky. I take a buster type boat for this very reason. When the bite slows, I've been going more finesse. A white/silver keitech 4" weightless minnow has done well around cover, swimming it an inch or two below the surface as long as it's not super hot outside. In the spring/summer senkos have done well for me, but I can't get much of a bite now, no matter how I've rigged them. Maybe I'm using the wrong colors (been sticking with primarily green pumpkin and black/blue). White or chrome has been a good color lately. The water is clearer right now, so finding what's working has been a little tougher. Like I said, my report was based on an exceptional day, and it definitely was an exception. I don't usually do that well out there.

Then after they're done soaking, throw them in a bucket full of motor oil. 5w works best for the warmer months, something heavier if you fish during the winter. Just remember to take your handle off so it's not all oily when you get the reel out.

So I have been on BR for a couple of months now, and I don't think I've ever seen a report on Shawnee Co. SFL. It's about 20 minutes northwest of Topeka. Not the most exciting lake in the state. Fish the rock points, trees overhanging, or weeds/cattails. There's also a small cove with lily pads this time of year. Pretty straight forward fishing. It's not a huge numbers lake for bass (all LM), but there are some hawgs in there. The average most days goes north of 2lbs and I've caught a handful over 5 in the year I've been fishing it. On a morning or evening you're going to pull in around 10 if you fish peak hours. This morning was exceptional for this lake. A 20 year old SK white spinnerbait did most of the damage along the weeds and cattails, but I had pretty good luck when I found the bass chasing schooling shiners and caught a couple on frogs as well. Ended up with 22 fish, all bass, in three and a half hours. No real pigs this time. One went almost four, one more over three, and several over 2. Best five was 14lbs and change. I included some really crappy pics of three of the nicer ones for your viewing pleasure. Just wanted to bring some attention to this lake. No Melvern, but hey, it's close for me.

Well I'm envious nonetheless. Who wants to watch my two under three year old kids while I go fishing? How big are the smallies at Melvern? My oldest is pretty strong in the water. Maybe I can use him as a swimbait.

You all make me crazy. Some day when I'm divorced I'm going to join you at Melvern. It blows my mind you get down there every weekend.