FishTank

If you can go with Amazon...... The Revo SX Gen 4 is $120. And the STX is $148 Sorry I missed this....

It depends on your budget but I have liked my Shimano Caenan so far. It has been a no-frills reel but it works and gets the job done. I picked mine up for $60 on Amazon but I do see they are now priced higher.

I have purchased them when I had one go out on my Shimano Core 101 and one on a Chronarch 51e. I tried flushing the original but no luck. I went with ABEC 5 Ceramics for the Core and ABEC 7 Ceramics with the orange seal for the Chronarch. They are supposed to run dry but I found both do well with a tiny amount of oil. Also, they seemed to get better after a few hours of use. Overall though, they were only, IMHO, a slight improvement over the stock bearings when they were new but definitely better than the 11 year old bearings that were in the reels. The ABEC 5's did improve flipping and pitching and overall casting distance in the Core. Would I recommend them, maybe. It depends on the reel, how you use it and probably a dozen other things but I would not take the bearings out a new quality reel and replace them with new ceramic bearings.

+1

What I have seen/heard of the Castisas, has been mixed. I think I would wait for the STX but if you got to have it now..... The Caenan, which is a cheaper reel, has been great for me and a few others I have talked to. It just feels a little cheap in hand but works just fine. It isn't buttery smooth nor does it cast a mile but it gets the job done. https://www.sierratradingpost.com/shimano-caenan-151a-casting-reel-left-hand~p~532mn/?filterString=s~shimano%2F

Does anybody know anything about this reel or own one? I found one at a great price new in the box and bought it simply because the deal was too good to pass up. I will have it in hand on Thursday. What little I was able to find about this reel was not much help. I plan on using it for weightless senkos and light jerkbaits. You guys have any thoughts?

It was on Raccoon Lake in Indiana about 12 years ago. I was fishing with a guy I didn't know that well and he gunned his 200hp(?) Evinrude in a no wake zone for no apparent reason. We went past a point close to shore and the DNR guys were there on the other side. We were well inside the markers. I guess if you're in the boat, you're guilty. This was my first time, other than getting my licensed checked and making sure I had a life vest, that I was ever stopped. Also, my first ticket on the water. The guy driving the boat had a few beers, I had none. We were lucky they did not tow us in. There were others that day without vests that got towed. Made for a weird but memorable day.

Is thing over? I tried the link but it was no good. I would have loved to have snagged one of these.

When you tick them off, they look for anything and everything from the size of the fish in your live well to the correct size and font of the registration stickers on your boat. They got me for not having the correct size life vest (zipper was broke), plus for both of us> the going too fast in a no wake zone ticket (not sure how it was worded), open container (empty beer can that was not mine), and one fish over the limit. I know these guys are there to keep things safe for all boaters and they do a good job but sometimes they are just a little over the top when comes to the rules.

Lucky Crafts have always worked the best for me. My favorite is the Flat Mini MR. They have been getting harder to find these days.

I asked a friend at work to fish in a tournament with me..... He forgot his buy-in money and showed up with a zebco 33 (not knocking this reel), a broken rod that was duct-taped together, a styrofoam box of night crawlers, one bobber and two hooks. He had been out all night at a bar and was still lit with no sleep. It was a short fishing trip.

Went flat out in a no wake zone in front of the DNR guys. Made for an expensive day.

Picked up a Simms Waypoint Sling pack (large) this week and it has made bank fishing and hiking a whole lot more fun. I would post a pic but the video makes it easier to understand how it works.

I tried it and it's OK. I like Cals but I ran out and bought some of Shimano's grease instead. So far so good.

One of my fishing buddies fishes this rod for just about everything. He has 3 of them. He loves them and refuses to try anything else. Even the GLX models. I have the 783 GLX and he's likes it but it just not the same to him.

Fenwick HMX if you can find them on sale.

A pretty good explanation..... Audio is not the best though.

I fish with a friend from work on the same boat (except he has a 40hp) about every other weekend. It's a great boat. Enjoy.

I tried out the general in junebug last weekend and went through the whole bag. So far it has been a great bait. It's hard to say after one bag but they may get as much use as Senkos if this continues. At $7 for 8, its pretty pricey. The bag I had did smell though but it was not overwhelming.

12lb or 17lb Trilene 100% FC depending on how heavy the rod and crankbait are. I am also starting to like 12lb Sunline Supernatural as well.

I hate to say it but it was short lived love affair with this reel...... The clicking I got when I first received the reel came back and would not go away on the retrieve. I sent it to Okuma to be serviced/repaired (good bunch of guys by the way). When it came back, it was great for about 10 casts and then it started all over again. I ended up returning it and exchanging it for another one. This one did the same thing but got worse after a days use. I sent it back to the website I got it from and took a credit. I really wanted to like this reel. It was light but strong and very cool looking. I think if this reel was in someone else's hand, they may have not even noticed the click. But once you notice it and don't notice it on other reels, it just gets annoying.

I tend to use both. I swore at one time I would never use tungsten again but I picked up a pack of 3/16 oz for $3 in clearance bin at Dicks. I was back then back to using them again. I tend to use lead for areas where I either have never fished or I feel that there is a high chance I will get hung up and loose a rig.

I have looked at several Abu Garcia rods and you're right, most that I have seen have been kind of sketchy when it comes to the quality control. The rod I purchased (Fantasista Regista) is a different animal. I have found zero issues with this rod and I would compare it to my G Loomis MBR783 GLX. The build may even be slightly better.

I have booken three rods over the span of 20+ years of fishing. One in car door, second one cracked at the reels seat and the other on a 40lb catfish (which was user error). Other than that I haven't broken a rod in about 10 years.