FishTank

Same here. I have been using the 4in version pretty much every spring and it kills at both bass and crappie. I like the Chartreuse, Smoke and Green Pumpkin. They use to have a fire tiger tail color years ago that was the best but the only thing like it I have found is from Berkley. It too is pretty good.

I saw that they have the Revo Toro Beast for $200 instead of $400. This makes for a monster of a Swimbait reel. For as big as it is, it's really smooth and is probably overkill for bass fishing but it sure is fun.

Not to get dragged into another discussion about this but I have 4 GLX rods, 1 IMX, and 1 crankbait rod (844C x2, 803C, 783C, CBR785) . All are 12 years old or older. I have used braid (either power pro or suffix) on all at one point in time. The 844C IMX has had braid used on it for 14 years. With exception of the original 803C with recoil guides, which I broke and Loomis sent me the newer version (the new one was a let down by the way), all the guides are like new. The the second to the top recoil guide did grove after 5 years of use. As far as under rated reels and rods...... Fenwick, Okuma and some of Abu Garcia's... Reels.... In the bass fishing world....Okuma and Penn Over rated reels.... I think there are two ways to look at this. One, the reel under performs and is over hyped. Two, the reel costs way more than what you can actually get in return. Both of these are open to the user's interpretation. So under perform and over hyped, KastKing maybe (or whoever is over marketed this year). Expensive and little return, Shimano Stella. Love the different ones I have tried but I don't see myself dropping $700+ on a spinning reel. Also, maybe the Revo MGX line but when on sale, different story. Over rated rods.... This is a tough one. If the rod communicates to you and it does its job, then how is it over rated....so I guess any rod that snaps like a twig, the company doesn't back it up, and it costs a small fortune. In this day and age, rods and the company warranties have come a long way, both the expensive and cheap.

Glad you had a good a experience. I love their reels but my dealings with their in house customer service and repair was less than stellar. I always thought they were a good bunch of guys but they always seemed understaffed and overwhelmed with work.

My routine usually consists of fishing a new reel a few hours to see how it is feels, then break it down, clean it and lube. Pretty much every reel I have ever bought need some attention right out of the box. It either was way over lubed or it had no lube at all. I am often surprised how much better reels perform with just a small amount of lube. I also like to check the drag washers to make sure they are put in correctly and have a small amount of drag grease (unless they are supposed to be dry).

I would say the same. A T-rig rod for me lives in a different world from crankbaits. I have a Mod-Fast crankbait rod and it's ok for cranks but prefer a Mod. action. For T-Rigged plastic, I like either a fast or x-fast depending on what soft plastic it is.

That is where I got mine. I called and ordered the 7'10" MH Mod. and a 7'4'' H X-fast. Both arrived in the same PVC tube and have been great. Simmons has been one of my best kept secrets....

I have the 7'10'' MH and so far it has been a fun rod to fish. No complaints at all. I wish I would have bought a couple more rods from this line up.

I use a G. Loomis 844C IMX for frogs and it will pitch a 1/2oz jig just fine.

I don't own it but was able to fish the SV TWS over the summer for several hours and thought it was one the best reels for the money Daiwa has ever made. The one I used did everything I could ask and more. It was pretty much flawless.

Just fine. I set it to 3 or sometimes 4 for the wind. One thing on this reel, I didn't care for braid on it. It has been amazing with FC.

I have one and have used it for several applications. I found it worked best for crankbaits. I also liked it for spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and weightless soft plastic. I really didn't find a technique that I didn't like with this reel. It still amazes me at how well it handles those difficult conditions we face out on the water, wind especially.

I have used them in the past but they are hard to find on sale sometimes. I tend to use the Strike King version more often but Reaction Strikes are better quality. The link above are the best bang for the buck though. I placed an order a few years ago, it took awhile to get but they really good. Unfortunately I tend to go through a lot throughout the year.

I had heard of this but I thought the label was odd in that it actually said "Pure Fishing". Not many shoppers would recognize that as a name brand. I purchased a Revo Winch last year and the display model tag read Abu Garcia. I remember it since I wanted them to match Amazon's price.

From the same ftc.gov page..... Buy American Act — Requires that a product be manufactured in the U.S. of more than 50 percent U.S. parts to be considered Made in USA for government procurement purposes. For more information, review the Buy American Act at 41 U.S.C. §§ 10a-10c, the Federal Acquisition Regulations at 48 C.F.R. Part 25, and the Trade Agreements Act at 19 U.S.C. §§ 2501-2582. I hate to say it but I work for a company that uses both US and foreign components in their machines and we note it. All of the manufactures and suppliers of parts I deal with are this way. All claim "Made in the USA".

I got a Fin Noor dry bag for Christmas and it had a Pure Fishing inspection tag inside it. Go figure. I also noticed at my local Cabelas> Abu Garcia reels were labeled "Pure Fishing - Berkley".

I am curious as well. I would guess like most made in the USA items, only the legal limit of the item in question is used (50%). I would also guess that the components are all made overseas and assembled here. I could be wrong but that is the way most of the things I have seen in manufacturing are these days.

Megabass Slide. I have several Megabass baits but this one is so cool looking, it just sits in the box.

I have the old version this guy. I think I have had it about 15 years. Still works great. Another way I use to do it was to take a twig or pencil, like mentioned above, and put it in a cordless drill.

Went to Cabelas over the weekend to redeem a gift card and saw several spooled Pro Qualifiers sitting behind the customer service desk. This was the same a few weeks after the spring sale. I am not sure what the deal is with this reel but based on what I have seen of this year's (2019) model I would get the Lew's even though it's pretty much the same reel. Another thought would be the Shimano SLX at that price point but to each their own.

I have several and each has it's purpose.... for outdoor activity (hiking, jogging, etc.) I like the Patagonia Capilene, for a light layer I use the Ibex Woolies or an Icebreaker base layer 175, for cold days on the water I use a Smart Wool 250, and for extreme cold a Patagonia R1 (new style is awful by the way). I have tried Under Armor's stuff but I didn't like the way it held moister if I did sweat. It didn't wick it away like wool. If you want to go extreme with the layering, take a look at Icebreakers mid layers. You can put down $200-300 pretty easy on a zip up. I have looked but I have yet to cross that bridge due to the price. The quality is outstanding though.

St. Croix Mojo Bass 7'4'' Heavy Fast. You can also find the KVD Tour Rods cheap on ebay. I have the 7'4'' heavy and it's not to bad for the money.

Wow.... I totally missed the $150 part. I should have read a little more of the thread.... Getting old sucks...

Depending on your budget...... St. Croix G. Loomis Fenwick In general, the St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast will do just about anything.

If you can find it, there is one from Megabass. It's the baby griffon with holographic eyes (Insect Matte Black, I think) and there is also one color called Shibukin tiger. Both are amazing but they only go done about a foot.