FishTank

Senkos. No matter what else I fish, I always catch more fish with them. Hard baits though... I have to say for the money Manns Baby Bass -1 is hard to beat.

I won't pass judgement until I put one in my hands. The Avid was a great rod as is.

Not quite 10 years old yet but close is my G. Loomis 844C IMX and a 783C GLX.. Love these rods...

I know this thread is about reels but having owned a couple of Jags. The Taurus comparison is not realistic. The X type was designed on the Lincoln LS platform and there is a short list of parts that transfer over but this about it and maybe the 5 speed ZF transmission in a few early models (1999-2002). It is true Ford owned them and helped design the Freelander 2, X type and the S type but all the cars, control and manufacturing stayed in England (Halewood and Castle Bromwich plants). They have been owned by Tata Motors of India since 2008. Without Fords money though, they would have folded.

I have a 6'ML St. Croix Avid and a Shimano Stradic that I use for these. It works perfectly and is a bunch of fun one I hook into a decent size fish.

It definitely would be improved with less oil and grease. A small amount goes a long way.

It has been a few years but I used to fish a bunch of strip pits that had crystal clear water and a few of them had a depth of 50-70 feet just a few feet away from the bank. I never had much luck with braid but FC and mono never failed to work well.

This is just an opinion> But with what you are suggesting........ Do you like the Revo? It is pretty good reel. If not and you can return it, go for it. Either way, I am not a big fan of the Mojo Bass rods. Again, if you can return it. With that said, if you keep the revo > G. Loomis NRX 853C Jig and Worm Rod MH Extra Fast Returning both> Shimano Chronarch and G. Loomis GLX 853C Jig and Worm Rod MH Extra Fast You do one of these two options and the Bait Monkey will never go away.....

Some of the best hits I have gotten have been in open water (depth is not important) with a buzz bait. This may not be the best bait for this but it sure is fun.

I have a M G. Loomis Crankbait Rod I through these with sometimes but I get better distance and control with a spinning reel on a ML Fast St. Croix Avid.

I checked out a Helios Air this weekend and I was blown away. In a way it reminded me of my old Daiwa Steeze but slightly better. It my be next on my radar. It has everything you could want in a reel. If you want to stay under $200, a Curado would be a no brainer. Another to consider would be the Daiwa Zillion at around $250. I love mine.

I picked up a G Series Curado about a week ago and so far, no complaints. Just a great real.

Looks pretty sweet.

Years ago, this was not a concern.....

Got ya... There is a ton of grease and oil on this reel. I have put through it's steps and as is, it's not bad but once I clean it up and oil it again, I think it will be vastly improved. I just figured at the price I paid for it, why not try to improve it a bit. Once I get the reel apart, the super tuning is not such a big deal. The Carbontex drag would be awesome for this reel. As far as the bushing you mentioned, do you have a part number for the bushing and the bearing. And just curious, how would replacing the bushing with a bearing effect the performance of the reel.

I have a few of them the square bills are OK but the lipless cranks are fantastic. Dicks had them for $2.99.

I am not sure when I will hit that side of town but if I do I will pm you and follow up with you. One word of caution on the Crucial rods, the one I had (6'8" MH Fast) when they first came out broke on the second day I used it. It cracked 1 foot from the top. I did not do anything special, just tried to set the hook on a fish. When I took it back to BPS, they had several of them with the same issue.

Fenwick Elite or the St. Croix Avid but like others have said there are a lot of options in that price range.

I saw them too a month ago but they were $69.97 on clearance. When I picked mine up today I was told they had 2 more at another Dicks on the other side of town.

I took it out for a quick test on the pond behind my house and it's not bad. It's kind of a do all, no frills, basic reel. It cast well. The retrieve is OK. It could do with a better set of spool bearings. The material it is made out of is not the best and the breaking system is cheap but effective. I am not knocking the reel. It will work perfectly for my intentions. For the original price, I would still say it was worth the money. I caught a couple of dingers so I can't say how the drag is but it pulled these small fish in nicely. You're right the knobs are just OK. A tackle shop on the other side of town carries parts. I'll make a trip that way one day this summer and pick some up.

I have only purchased the ready rigs and in my neck of the woods, I have not had much success. When I have, this is how I set it up with some sort of creature bait.

Megabass lures have put me in the poor house a few times but I have spent more money on Yamamato baits than anything else.

I am not sure of the weight but I like the #3 and #4 Mepps. I have a ML spinning reel set up I love to use for these. Just flat out fun fishing.

I like 6lb Trilene 100% FC with some KVD line conditioner.

My local Dicks Sporting Goods has the Lexa spinning reel clearanced for $75. Seemed liked an awesome reel at that price.