FishTank

Nice choice. I have a couple of the older model stradics FE, FH, and FI. The FI is an amazing reel. I am not quite sure what they did to the reel when the FI came out but it was a big leap forward in smoothness and design compared to the FH. Enjoy.....

I always feel bad for people who buy this stuff and end up wasting their hard earned money. Maybe it would be best to find a reputable dealer, be patient, save your money and wait for a sale. Reels, rods and lures always get clearanced out and great deals can be found. Today's cool new tech reel is tomorrows bargain (if you don't mind waiting).

I totally agree. I don't mind spending a couple extra bucks to increase my catch rate or to increase the fun factor of fishing but tungsten weights is where I draw the line. When they first became main stream it wasn't so bad. I think they were $4 or $5 for a 3 pack of 3/16 oz bullet weights and that to me was still expensive. One other thing that bothers me is that once Tru Tungsten went under, there has not been a really good product like it since. I can buy a year's worth of lead for $9.

Not sure what your budget is but you can find the Zillion Swimbait rods clearenced out a few places. Tackle Warehouse has them for $190.00-$210.00. Tackle Tour gave these rods a great review.

I think the Zebco name helps Quantum. Who hasn't owned a Zebco 33 or 44? The 44 was high tech back in the day. I saw guy fishing one today that had to be 20 years old. He was fishing for bluegill but caught a nice size LMB with it. The reel performed flawlessly. I think Quantum needs to develop a workhorse reel (like the Zebco 33) and stick to it. They seem to lack a fan base towards a particular model. One other thing I would like to know is, how many people have older Quantum reels that they regularly fish? >>As to say, how people have a love affair with the old green curado. I have seen some held together with duck tape/glue and guys still claim it's the greatest reel ever. You still see them on ebay, in beat up condition, going for $75. One quote on this thread said that they were the worst of the best. If they want to loose that perception, they need to develop the blind faith that people have with that old curado.

The Curado 300E or a Calcutta. Maybe a TD Luna. What rod do you plan to use?

I have been using 6lb Yo Zuri Ultra Soft and never had an issue. I can only guess that it is either bad line or something in the water caused it to breakdown quickly. I have reel in the garage now that has had it on it for almost two years. I may fish this set up once every two weeks but I have it out with me all day. I do use the KVD line conditioner every once in awhile, maybe that helps with the sun.

I have caught all kinds of fish on the Fat Ika but nothing like this (warmouth?). I caught several large mouth with this bait today but this took the cake. Funny thing is, it hit harder than anything else I caught.

I'm digging the megabug. Nice website though.

Looks like interesting but I would question how effective it will be based on how heavy a normal senko is on the front end. Also, it looks this was a great engineering way to use up some factory screw ups.

A big bait always doesn't equal big fish. I have caught big large mouth on rooster tails. But overall if I had to pick a bait that I would catch larger bass, I would say the 6in or larger senkos.

For the me they have been hit or miss. Sometimes they are awesome and other times I'll catch nothing on them.

Crankbait rods in general feel like a different animal to me. Some are made for small crankbaits while others excel at deep running crankbaits. I guess it all depends on how you set the hook. With some rods you need to let the bass take the bait or you will rip the bait out of it's mouth and others lack some sensitivity which helps delay the fisherman's reaction when setting the hook. I believe that when choosing a crankbait rod, you need to consider the reel and the application very carefully. Once you have matched the reel and the application, it may require some patience to learn how to fish the rod based on your personal style. This would only hold true if you are, like most of us, use to fishing fast or extra fast rods. As far as the exposed blank, I don't feel it makes a difference. The number of guides is not a big deal to me. I would prefer a moderate fast medium or medium heavy 7' or longer rod.

I am not a big fan of the GL2. I think G.Loomis rods quality and sensitivity start with the IMX. I would agree that the GL2 is like the Mojo and maybe even the Triumph in the St.Croix line. I also believe that the quality and sensitivity start in the Avid rods when comes to St.Croix.

St.Croix is, to me, a better rod but Fenwick does make a good rod at a great price.

I can remember having the first Daiwa minicast. It was high tech to me. It was gold and it had a cool factor to it. If you want to take a walk down memory lane, check this guy out...... http://www.ricksrods.com/index.asp

Amazing. The next time I have $1000 for a reel, I might consider it. Just joking..... I would love to be able to own one though. I did get a chance to play (cast and retrieve for about 30min, did not catch anything) with one of the older models and I can't compare it to anything I have ever fished.

I have to go with my G. Loomis MBR 803 GLX jig and worm rod. It has had a sort of magical feel to it since the moment I picked it up.

I am curious as to what Quality Control issues you are talking about. I had a few Quantums, as stated in this thread earlier, that had issues, they went back to Quantum and later developed they same issues. I got about about a year of fishing out of them before I decided to move on to something else (anything that worked). I was always curious as to what exactly was wrong with these reels. For me, they did not cast well, the brakes did not work, they sounded like coffee grinders, and the drag was unreliable. In all the fishing I have done lately, I have seen no one with one of the Quantum reels I use to have, which includes the Quantum PT Tour Edition, PT Energy spinning reels and the PT Energy baitcaisting reels. I do however see a lot of older Shimanos, Daiwas, Abu Garcias, and few Okumas but no older Quantums.

I have used them as a tralier but that is one expensive trailer. It does work well though. I mainly use them in same way I would use a lizard. I Texas rig it with a 3/0 EWG and a 1/8 or 3/16 ounce bullet weight. I have also tried with a jig head. Still not sure, if I like it this way.

When I go bank fishing (which seems like it's all the time know), I use a Jansport Daypack. It can old 4 double side Plano boxes, a spinner box, and a terminal tackle box. I also have hooks, weights, and a few soft plastics. Jansport backpacks also come with a lifetime warranty. I used their warranty once for my son when his school backpack ripped. It did take a while but they did send him a new backpack.

My PB was 10.2lbs. I caught it on a zoom lizard, black with blue tail with a 3/16 ounces tungsten bullet weight and 4/0 EWG Gami. I was using a St. Croix Avid MH x-fast with a Shimano Stradic FI 2500 and 6lb test Yo Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft.

I love FC. It last longer, it casts longer (but only a little) and I do catch more fish with it. With that said there are certain conditions where FC is not the best choice. For example, heavy moss, for this braid is the best option. I do like hybrid lines as well, like Yo Zuri hybrid ultra soft.

It takes some skills to cast on of the older model baitcasters. That is pretty cool. I use to have some Ryobi saltwater spinning reels. They were nothing fancy but they got the job done.

I had an older Sahara for a few years. I unfortunately killed it when hooked into a monsterous catfish. The new one is far improved and one of the best bangs for the buck. The 2500 size is fine for bass fishing. Pflueger Purist would also be a nice option in that price range.