FishTank

Good God..... Feeling old today I guess... I was thinking of the Leviathan.

I had one of these on lone from I a guy that wanted it cleaned and serviced, even though it was new. I pretty much had this reel for most of last season. I had several things I noticed with this reel that bothered me and this oddly was not one of them. One thing I do remember that I thought was weird, there is a cap (sort of) on the spool shaft, break side. If that comes off or is worn down, then there will be play side to side and no tension between the spool and the cast control. See pic below from TT.

Good to hear. It's one of my favorite baits. I like it better than the flap slap and the trick darter. I just tend to catch more fish with it. I hope they update the colors though.

Who knew the bait monkey liked fishing line too?...... Got my line for the rest of the year. The one that has my attention is the Runcl line. It, surprisingly, looks like it will be good line. I have tried breaking it by hand and it's really tuff but at same time, it's soft. We will see what happens this weekend. It's supposed to be nice.... Can't wait.

I have fished a few tournaments were we released our catches at the boat ramp only to watch guys waiting about 50 yards away to try and catch them. Within a few minutes they were biting. As far as a myth goes, I grew up believing (to this day as well) that white rods are bad luck. This started in the 70's when I was a kid fishing with my dad and his friends. I can't say why it was a thing but it was pretty much a given that if you saw a guy fishing with a white rod, you avoided the area because his bad luck would rub off on you.

7' MH St. Croix Avid with a Shimano Curado K and 40lb Seaguar Braid.

Just in case, I like Sniper for baitcasters though. It's pretty good line but I do like Invizx better.

I like it in 12lb and 14lb. Based on the lures mentioned, I think 12lb will do it.

I have tried Sniper on spinning gear and it tended to jump off the spool and it also seemed to break easily. I tried two different pound tests (6lb and 8lb), both were the same. I tried the Trilene XL (sorry left out the XL version above) 100% FC and it just did everything I asked of it. It's soft, casts well, durable, average stretch and invisible under water. Also, the price is good. I have yet to find a FC I have liked better on spinning gear than Trilene XL 100%. I would pick a more expensive line but this one gets the job done.

For baitcasters I like 12lb Seaguar Invizx or 10lb Tatsu and for spinning gear, 6lb Trilene 100% FC.

To me it doesn't matter if their reels are good or bad, it's just nice to see another reel manufacture/company making a name for itself. I have heard some people are very happy with their reels and others are not.... And so it is with all fishing gear. I think that from what I have seen, it's not for me. But as long as they stay relevant and not gimmicky or cheap, they might create a decent fan base.

Downsizing.... Where's the fun in that? It's really not a bad idea but I don't think I could even if I tried. I would just replace them. Also, I know I can only take maybe 5 at a time on a boat and maybe 3 at the most when bank fishing or in a kayak. I often find that I look at my stuff and go "I can't make up my mind". Sometimes it would be easier to have just 5 setups that are all the same reel and with different specific rods.

Yes, sort of. I think that is where the gears are coming from. The guy I purchased the reel from offered to buy them. I sent him Plat's website and schematics. They should be here next week. I bought the bearings from Shimano US though.

Fast forward to 22:50. And see the difference between the Met gears and the Curado. On another topic....I recently purchased a used JDM Antares HG 2012 which had the sort of geary feeling that people talk about. I was convinced that I just needed a new set of gears like everyone else has mentioned. I called Shimano and I asked the question... Is there a US equivalent in parts for my reel? And their answer was, "No. Despite their simalarites, JDM reels can be produced with different parts that vary from market to market, especially the gears. I would need to contact Shimano Japan for parts or send it in and wait up to 2-3 months for the repair as they would have to contact Shimano Japan for the correct parts. They do not keep or use JDM parts or schematics." After taking the reel apart a few times, as sort of mentioned in the above video, I found the pinion support bearings were bad (busted actually) but I still need a new set of gears as they are just worn. I ordered the new bearings (still waiting on the pinion and main gear) , replaced the bearings and the geary feeling is 99% gone. This is just my guess but the plastic ring that is located in front of the spool side pinion support bearing is somehow causing the damage. I also noticed that the plastic ring has two different sides. I'm sure that makes some kind of difference. It would be easy to miss when taking the reel apart. My suggestion is to look at the bearings first before changing the gears.

I for one like the hooks but they do tend to get dull quickly despite being very sharp at first. I have used the VMC hooks mentioned above and they are pretty much the same. I have too have suffered from getting the hooks stuck in my fingers. It was stuck so deep and in such way I couldn't push it through. I had to rip it out. It was mighty painful.

I have the 803C GLX and it's great for skipping and tossing 3/8 jigs. I like the shorter length for skipping and it may feel light but it has plenty of hook setting power. It's sort of surprising. I also use it for weightless senkos. Just a great rod.

I have the Waypoint. It's no longer made but I like it. My only complaint is that for the price it's not remotely waterproof or even water resistant. In the rain if you are out on a long journey, the bag can take on water and hold it at the bottom.

I use a Simms Sling pack. It easy to just unbuckle one side and I can swing it around to the front. It has a platform that unzips so I can sit a bait on it and tie it on. It also has a rod holder. It will hold 2 3700 and would have a separate pouch for soft plastic. It is costly but it has been great for bank fishing and for kayaking.

https://fishshop.shimano.com/collections/st4000fj Here is the parts list from Shimano. I would venture it's going to be about $57 for the side frame, the rear protector and the body. If you have someone put the parts on, again just a guess, it would be a complete breakdown. That on a Sustain I had cost about $50>10+ years ago. If it was me, I would replace it.

I have an Elite Tech Bass casting rod 7'2'' H Fast. It's sort of broom stick but it's not bad. I also have an Elite Tech Walleye 7'2'' ML XF Spinning rod. This rod I like quite a bit. It's just fun to fish. It's not the most sensitive or the most accurate but the taper and hook sets are great. I would say there is not much difference in build quality between the Elite Tech Bass and the Elite Tech Walleye. I believe the reel placement is slightly higher on the Walleye rod but not much.

What was difficult or different about these reels? Just curious...

I am ambidextrous. I use my righthand for most everything (writing for example) but I use my left for tools and such. When I have done the above test in the past, I point at an object with my right hand never moving my hand, close my left eye, and what I am pointing at remains in the same place. I then close my right eye, open the left and the object moves. Next I re-open my right eye, close the left, and the object is in a different place from where I started. Close both eyes, reopen both eyes and the object is back where is started. Weird. Doctors have not been able to sort it out exactly but I was deadly when I was younger with a rifle. As far as reels go, I have tried both right handed and left handed. I like using left hand retrieves the best. They feel more natural. On a side note and it's just food for thought..... I had heard this years ago from an Abu Garcia collector....... Baitcasting reels were originally designed to be used with the reel seated on top when casting and then turned over to retrieve> using the left hand. Fisherman found that they liked it the other way, with the reel staying on top.

Mepps Black Fury #5 has always been one that has caught fish for me. I think I have caught bass, crappie, bluegill, and small mouth on it.

I have the 783GLX and I use it for jerkbaits in the 3-4 foot range. The 843 would be about the same. The reason I like the 844, it's just a fuzz heavier and I like the extra back bone this rod has for deeper (6-10 foot range) baits. With it being a little stiffer, it makes it easier to work those deeper baits.

G. Loomis GLX 844C has worked great for me. It's a pretty versatile rod. The IMX version though is a little stiffer and less sensitive but will also do the job. If I was going all out and I was buying again, the 844C Conquest when I "held it my hand" felt awesome and a little softer at the tip than the GLX. I think it would be the perfect rod for this application.