FishTank

I can give a solid opinion on the Zillion. I've said it before, IMHO, the Zillion is the best workhorse reel out there.

I have both rods, would say the IMX is the better of the two and it is well worth the money. Both are excellent rods though.

Go for it but you will need a Loomis BCR803 to go with it. ;D

$70 to be exact and a little Shimano clothing bonus. I had gone to great lengths to get the Premier to workout for me so I the owner of my local tackle shop cut me a good deal. It's nice to get great service. I could have all so picked up a Shimano Calais 201-5 or an older Team Daiwa Z105HL for an even exchange. Both these reels were new and in the box. He has just been unable to sell them (this store has made me a customer for life). As far as the 50MG goes, I have fished it and it was a pretty good reel. The one I fished had been well used by a buddy of mine. The paint was mostly scratched off and the drag needed some work but other than that it worked great. To compare it to the Core, I would say the Core casts better, has more power and has the over all feel of a better reel but these are marginal comparisons. Is it worth the extra cash? Maybe and maybe not. Only time will tell.

Rooster Tails still catch a lot of fish for me. The original Rapala is still one of my favorites as well.

I had one of the new Curado 201 for about a week and returned it. It was ok but I liked my older BSF Curado better. Like everyone else I did not like the size or the weight. I have to be picky but it was just uncomfortable to fish for the purpose I had intended it for. I have fished but do not own the 100 size and I liked it a lot better, go figure.

I have the Fenwick Elite Tech 7'3'' Riggin Stick. I would work great for a Carolina Rig rod but my personal favorite is the Loomis MBR 844C (only 7' though).

The more stuff Roland tries to sell the more he reminds me of this guy.

Well I took the plunge, took my defective Revo Premier back and for a few extra bucks I picked up a Shimano Core. I have been fishing it for about 3 weeks now and it has been a pleasure to use. If I had to pick one thing that this reel excels at, it would be casting. It has to be one of the best casting reels out there. Not joking, I can almost empty the spool. I can through an unweighted Senko, with no breaks on, from one end of a lake to another. With that said, this reel is the best I have ever used for soft plastic. This may sound weird but when you palm the Core it seems to add to the sensitivity of the complete setup. I have also found that the Core makes for a great flipping and pithcing reel as well. The Core also makes a giant leap forward with the design as compared to the Curado. I would hope that Shimano takes a lesson from this and incorporates how the Core is made into their new reels. The only thing that I would complain about with the Core is the smoothness. For the price I would think that it would be smoother on the retrieve but it is smoother than the Premier I had. I would compare the Core, minus the small back play, to the Daiwa Zillion in this category. It is smooth but I was hoping for more. When it comes to drag, the Core does not disapoint either. I have hooked a 14lb catfish and a 6lb largemouth with this reel and had no problems what so ever. Overall I would say the drag was smooth and powerfull. Bottomline, if my confidence in Shimano was shaken by the Curado, it has been restored with the Core. This reel, so far, flat out kicks butt.

I have never been a big fan of Chrysler products. I have pushed a few further than I have driven them but they have come up with a great idea. I hope they sell a ton of cars. http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/06/news/companies/chrysler_jobs.ap/index.htm?eref=rss_topstories

I have the Elite Tech 7'3''Riggin Stick and it is a nice rod. It's kind of heavy but it cast a long way. As far as sensitivity goes, it's average. I would put it somewhere between the St.Croix Avid and the Loomis IMX. If I was looking for just a new rod I go with a Loomis IMX series. But if you're looking for a good combo, Abu Garcia has a deal were you can get $50 back if you buy a Revo and a Fenwick rod. Overall I would say it is a fine rod for it's specific purpose.

http://www.***.com/descpageDVT-DBSL.html You might try these from Tackle Warehouse but I like the 6/0 1/4oz weighted hooks from Reaction Strike. Dick's has them now. I'm not sure where you can order them on line.

Just want to give a heads up to any of whom are still considering getting a Shimano baitcaster. I think all rebates need to be in the mail by May 1, 2008 and from what I here Shimano is being very strict about this.

I too have this reel and it is, IMHO, the best workhorse reel for the money. I use it for just about anything but I like it best for lipless cranks, jerkbaits, and buzzbaits.

I have a topic that I will start once I have all the info and details taken care of but it involves me returning a Premier after it was serviced by Abu Garcia. In short in came back in worse condition than I sent it out in. I have not fished the STX but others on this forum have nothing but great things to say about it.

I found this on Shimano's website and thought it would be useful. http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/fish/sac/us/en/customer_service/reel_maintenance_instractions.-MainContent-0001-DownloadFile.tmp/Maintenance%20Tips-%20Baitcasting%20Reels%20(2%20pages).pdf.pdf

If gas stays this high, the only thing this country will be able to produce is debt.

The Zoom 10.5in Ol Monster worm gets my vote or any monster bait for that matter. Bigger baits (swimbaits, ect.) and heavy long rods seem to be the new thing (again).

I love the Fat Ika. I fish my weightless backwards and with a 5/0 G-Lock Gamakatsu hook. My favorite color is black with blue flake. I fish like a Senko but I have also had success fishing it like a jig, just bouncing it off the bottom. I guess it just depends on how the fish are biting.

I like the Gander Mountain by me. It has a good selection and nice staff to go with it. The only bad thing is that they are expensive. I can get most of the stuff I fish with at Dicks at a much cheaper price but there genearally is no one working in the fishing department at Dicks. When I want real customer service I go to Gander Mountain and my local tackle shop but the best prices I go to Dicks.

I have the MBR 783 GLX and it is sort of like a magic wand. It's extremely light and sensitive. I works great for soft plastic and crankbaits upto 1/2oz. I have tried it for light jigs but prefer my BCR 803 GLX for that applications. I have also used it for spinnerbaits as well but it's overkill. I wouldn't consider it a good rod for Carolina Rigs the MBR844C is better suited for that application. I would say it would make a great general purpose rod.

Living here in Indy you would think that she was just another driver until you go to a race or especially carb day. She always has the longest line for autographs and the largest amount of fans. She used and did what she could to promote a sport that was losing fans. With Indy Car and Champ combining, some of the attention will probably fade. Lets face it, she may not be the best driver but she is a good one.

I live close to several ponds where I can use a john boat or fish from the bank but I will not be going on to many long trips this year to fish. Several people I fish with have cut back on their travel to major lakes this year. They just can't afford it. One guy I work with said his bass club is going to three man teams instead of two during tournaments. Most of the guys have large diesel trucks that get about 10 miles to the gallon and can't afford to spend about $150 bucks on gas for one day of fishing.

I use them just about anytime. Like today, it was cold this moring and foggy but changed to sunshine and warm temps. I bagged over 15 fish in about 5 hours on 6 black with blue flake senkos. But on a side note I also caught a few on a 6in junebug Dinger. Go figure. I also tried some Zoom Lizards, a Culprit 7.5in worm, and a GYCB hula grub with no success.

I too have the Premier and I have been debating on taking it back. It makes a grinding noise towards the end of the cast. I put a drop of oil on the spool spool shaft, one on the break side of the spool, and I then wiped the spool with a lint free cloth. The noise is gone but now it will backlash frequently and the breaks seem to make little difference. I also noticed that the drag is not all it is made up to be. It works well for the small ones but I hooked a 5lb+ LM earlier this week and it seemed rough on the retrieve. With all the bad said, it casts well and feels smooth and light as a feather. If I take it back I might end up with the Core or another Daiwa Zillion. I'm not sure what to do just yet. I might fish it another week and see what happens.