FishTank

If you're looking for a crankbait reel (and don't laugh), I would highly recommend the Shimano Calais 200APV. This is one of those reels words can't describe, you just have to fish it to enjoy it. It represents overkill in every manner possible, (mmm... with exception of the drag). It is the ultimate in smoothness and power. I am not sure what the drag is on it but I would compare the torque it can produce to a Shimano Calcutta. PS I know this is all well and good but you'll probablly come home with another Revo anyway.

I tried two spools of this stuff last year and found that I had issues with it breaking in cold water. Not sure why but it would break just about anywhere, at the knot, in the spool or just somewhere in the middle of the cast. But once the weather and water warmed up, this line worked out just fine.

I have the 6.2 to 1 101MG Core and love it. It casts a Senko better than any other reel I have owned. It also will pitch a jig with ease. On the downside it is not as smooth as I would like. I was thinking that it would be something like my Calais but the feel, minus the usual small amount of backplay from Shimano, reminds me of my Daiwa Zillion. Also, it is similar to the 50MG but costs quite a bit more. Bottomline, so far, it has become my favorite reel.

I bought two spools of it way back and both were just horrible. It had the worst memory and this line cost me more lost fish and lures than any line I have ever used. I had used XL for years and wanted to try something different from Berkley. Big mistake. However, I will give a big thumbs up for their new 100% Professional Fluorocarbon. Great line and it is the only fluoro. that lives up to the hype.

The Zillion would be my choice. Excellent reel.

Complete idiots......

OK I'll play.... I counted all six on the first try but I'm pretty sure, I'm no genius.

I sort of look at this way, I would rather invest $200 in a rod I can depend on, that is more sensitive and has a nice lifetime warranty than a rod that is $40 that I might be second guessing. To compare two rods from the same company, there is the St. Croix Triumph and the St. Croix Avid. The Triumph retails for around $40-$60 and the Avid for about $160. The Triumph I had was junk and the Avids I have are a quality, middle of the road, rod. Sometimes the old adage is true, you get what you pay for. Also, I have mentioned this before when I here people talk about highend/expensive equipment but here it is again.> On average most people spend about $1000 on a computer and $20 a month on internet service. If you can't afford to spend the cash on a quality rod and reel then what is the thought process on a computer and internet service. If I had to choose, the computer and internet service take a back stage to my fishing.

I have a pair from Native that I got for around $100. I have beat these things up pretty good and they still look great.

5in Senko black with blue flake.....

I have a Jansport back pack that I use for a tackle box now. It holds tons of stuff, it's water proof, tough as nails, inexpensive and it has a lifetime guarantee. It also has a spot with a built in cooler for a sandwich and a drink and another spot for a cell phone , mp3 player, or gps. I would also recommend the Falcon boxes. I can get 5-6 boxes in this backpack. It has worked out great for me so far.

Sam Adams Sam Adams Summer Lager Sam Adams Oktoberfest Newcastle Bud Light PS For those of you that drink Coors light, I can still remember when that was a girl only beer. Taste like water to me. but I guess water with alcohol is not a bad thing. ;D Just joking.....

I like the Gamma Copolymer. Last year I used the 14lb on my Shimano Calais. It cast better than most, the abbresion resistance was OK, knot strength was very good and handled quite well. My only complaint is that it was kind of stretchy, almost like mono. If I had not bought about 1000 yards of YoZuri dirt cheap at BPS last year, I would have purchased more this year. I think Gamma has a deal if you buy 2 spools, you get on free.

I say get the good stuff at a cheap price...... Watch for sales and coupons. Maybe even a used reel or rod in BR's Flea Market Section. But far as equipment goes that is inexpensive to begin with, you are going to take your chances. Some stuff is great for the weekend angler for occasional use. For me personally, I don't want to have to fight with my gear> I wan't the chance to be fighting for a big fish. If I think (and the key word is think) a quality reel or rod will give my a better chance of landing a monster, then I am all for it. This doesn't mean that I can't go out with my anceint Zebco 33 and not catch a quality fish. I just want there to be more fun, less frustration and lots of fish.

It was about 3 years ago that I started to buy new equipment to replace my first bass fishing arsenal which would be 17 years old. My setups included a Daiwa spinning reel (might have been something similar to the BaitRunner) and a matching rod that was used so much the paint was gone, a Zebco 33 (not sure of the rod), and a Ryobi spinning reel with a plastic spool with a Empire Surf rod.

I have the a high speed Zillion and love it. I have fished for two years and have no issues with it what so ever. I do recal the reel feeling tight when I purchased it and questioned the same thing but once I put line on it, it felt fine. I have had no issues with the drag but I don't fish for monster striper. I have caught a few 20+lb catfish and I was surprised at how fast and strong this reel was. It can get fish back to the boat in a hurry. As far as light weight baits go, it's ok but not great. It does OK with some 1/4oz cranks and great with 3/8oz cranks. Having a rod that will handle light weight baits helps this reel out a lot. I have fished mostly braid on this reel and it handles it quite well. I think I have said something like this before, the Zillion doesn't excel at one thing or the other but it does all things, on average, better than most other reels. It is the best balanced reel, IMHO, when it comes to casting, strength, smoothness, durability (so far) and price that I have used as of yet. I believe Redline Robert said something to the effect that other than the weight, the Zillion is very similar in feel and performance to the Steez.

I have seen this letter numerous times over the years and I have yet to see it make a difference. There are several ideas out there but here is something to think about. The US Military in Iraq consumes 400,000 barrels of oil a day. They are the biggest purchaser of oil in the world.

Gander Mountain is closing out the Ultra Soft Line for $4.97 for 2, 4 and 6lb. 8lb and up is $6.97. They said as far as they know they are no longer going to carry it. I bought the last of what they had in the 6lb, 10lb and 15lb.

I looked at the Fuego last year and almost brought one home but I decided to go with a Zillion. I have great success with this reel. I don't think the Fuego would have been a bad choice either but when I consider the other reels I own, I think of the Zillion as the workhorse of the bunch. It just gets the job done. It is not exceptional at one thing or the other when it comes to the aspects of a fishing reel, it's actually very good at all of them.

If you are going to fish soft plastic for the most part, I have my Core paired with a Loomis BCR803 and it's a match made in heaven. If you're looking to fish some cranks, I'll second RW's suggestion.

Abu Garcia (Pure Fishing) is offering a rebate for $50 if you buy a Revo and a Fenwick or All Star Rod. After the rebate it would put you in your price range for a Fenwick Techna AV or one of the new Elite Tech rods. Both are sweet rods. http://www.abugarcia.com/media/File/08352850Rebate.pdf

They can all have problems. There's a long thread at TackleTour regarding the Core having the same problems as some Revos - roughness and grinding. The Revo is scarcely a year old. And who knows whether or not the problems we hear about are on first-run models, or newer reels. I read the reviews and complaints on the Core and it seemed to pertain to my only complaint as well. Which is that the Core is not as smooth as I would hope it would be. It is still smoother than the Premier I owned when it was fresh out of the box and I can't recal anyone saying it was rough like the Revos or that it had grinding, just not smooth for a $300+ reel. The Premier I had sounded like a coffee grinder and ever worse after I had it serviced by Abu Garcia. What I think the comments on Tackle Tour refered to where the Daiwa guys that have the Steeze and are trying to compare it to the Core. I do know a couple of guys that have bought the STX this year and love them and they have had zero issues. But I also know one local tournament fisherman/bait maker that had 5 Revos STXs, three of which he returned with problems and the other two he sold. He now has 8 Cores. This guy is the one that convinced me to go with Core. With that said, I will not be purchasing more than the one I own. I not convinced this reel is worth $100 more than the 50MG but it is, so far, a perfect match for it's intended purpose, the rod I have it on and my style of fishing. Just to reiterate what I said about the Premier, I had high hopes for this reel and I do wish that it would have worked out. I may take a second look at the STX but not for until next year.

I had a Revo Premier and had several issues with it. When I got this reel I had high hopes because of all the hype I had been hearing regarding the Revos. At first this reel was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was light weight, casted extremely well, felt smooth and the drag was good but not great. After a week it started to make some noise towards the end of the cast but it performed fine. Then I started to get backlashes plus the noise. I sent it back to Abu Garcia and when I recieved it , they said that they had serviced it and all should be fine. It was fine for about 3 or 4 casts. Then I started to get the grinding noise again and it did not seem to matter where I put the breaks, it performed with the same amount of breaking power. I then wiped some of the excess oil off of the break side of the spool. This helped but the grinding was louder and finally I started to have problems with the drag slipping. I set the drag the same as I do with all my reels but when I had a fish on (nothing over 4lbs) it would slip and was not smooth at all. I ended up returning it and getting a Shimano Core. This reel has gotten about 40-50hours of use over the last three weeks and has been flawless. I would take your Revo back, if you can, get another one and if it does not work out then maybe a Shimano Citica or a Daiwa Advantage would be the ticket.

Tho guy has some skill. I hope he is able to take somewhere besides youtube.

I had a Quantum Energy Pt Tournament, had a few issues with it and ended up returning it. I have not fished the MG enough to give a solid opinion but with short time I did fish one, I can say it is a fine reel. Another recommendation would be a Daiwa Zillion. Solid reel for the money.