U-boat Aficionado

I'd hit up a local tackle shop when I got there and buy my soft baits based on what they suggest. Saves packing and might allow you to try some new things.

I like the perch color.

The safety pin idea is great and if I hadn't read it here, I would have never thought of it! Thanks for posting, my terminal tackle kits are 100 times better now.

That's too bad. My wife and I always share the things we buy for our hobbies and pastimes.

I went out for an hour and it was better after tightening the spool tension. Only two minor backlashes but overall still not the amount of control I feel with the Lews. I'll keep working on practicing with it. Thanks.

I'll see if further adjustment of the centrifugal brake works better. It certainly doesn't backlash all the time, it just seems a lot more sensitive than the Lews. Cast distance seems about the same with both.

I got my first baitcasters last month and have been practicing casting whenever it's warm enough to get outside. I have a BPS PQ and a Lews SS LFS and started with #12 mono on each reel. Overall it's been a lot easier and fun then I thought it would be and I haven't had a backlash that didn't take more then a few seconds to clear. I've now put on #8 mono with no problems. The problm is I'm finding the Lews much easier to cast with hardly any backlashes while the PQ is a lot harder to control. I'm using the same line and same weight lure on the same rod. I'm trying to adjust the brakes the same but the PQ also has the centrifugal brake, and even turning three of the six on doesn't seem to help; it seems like the spool is over accelerating. I can really chuck the Lews and nearly every cast is perfect but the PQ gets a backlash quite often. Any suggestions or is the Lews just better? I thought the dual breaking system on the PQ would be easier to learn on but the Lews is just simple and accurate

Salmo Lil' Bugs picked up in January at a nice tackle store in Bucharest. I'm really impressed with these and can't wait to use them in the pond. I don't believe they're available in the US, but can be found on online auction sites. These new Salmo Bass Bug are being sold in the US and look like they will be an absolute blast to use!

What? You don't want to watch a half hour video of someone opening their latest Mystery or Lucky Tackle Box?

Many thanks. Looks great for the smallmouth!

Gonzo Grub. Thanks. Looks like it might work pretty well (if I figure out how to rig it).

The one on the right is a Wooly Beavertail but still stumped on the creature bait.

I found these Yum plastics in a bargain bin at Walmart and can't identify them. I think the chartreuse tail grub is a variety of Wooly and have no idea about the other. Thanks!

Went to local BPS to pick one up, nothing I wanted in stock. Just gotten tired of BPS in general so I'll go for a Lews Speed Spool as I can get one for the same price as the PQ.

I live on the water and, when it's not frozen, watch on a near daily basis the idiotic things people do in boats. The only thing that surprises me is there aren't more accidents. When I'm out in my canoe, and that's nearly every evening when the water is warm enough where I'm not afraid of falling in, my head is on a swivel and I stick close to shore. If it's a crowded weekend I don't go out. Even being as careful as possible I've had jerks almost run me down. Worse are the jetskis people buy for their kids. Talk about maddening, what a way to ruin everyone else's enjoyment of being on the water.

Make yourself a rod float. I fish crystal clear water but it's deep, cold and often rough making retrieval near impossible without diving for it. Since I'm often in a canoe, tipping over is a possibility so all my gear gets clipped or tied to the boat. For rods the best thing is to make a float out of pipe insulation and Velcro straps. You can buy them pre made for under $15 or build a bunch for under $5. I make mine as small as will safely float the rod and reel by weighing the gear on a scale and doing a float test in the sink. You'd be surprised how little you need to safely float the gear and when attached to the rod it's not in the way when you are fishing. If it does go overboard, retrieval is simple.

I think you'll be impressed with the standard President. For their price they seem every bit as well-built as more expensive reels. When I hold them next to other reels they look and feel as nice as the more expensive reels, too. Better yet mine fish really well and I just got a tiny 20 size for an ultralight setup. I'm sure there will an occasional lemon just like any other mass produced item.

Presidents are great reels for the money. I wouldn't make a decision based on a couple posts when the overwhelming opinion on them is positive.

They hand you a slip of paper when you and them a rod or reel. It was a pre-printed form and the woman didn't write anything on it, just tore it off the pad and handed it to me. Didn't really look at my reel, just dropped it in a big bin. I don't know if it was day specific; I don't think it was but you would need to go in and speak with a manager. Overall it seemed pretty casual.

When they built the BPS here, must be more than ten years now, everyone was saying it was going to revitalize the area and bring in tens of thousands of tourists. Of course that kind of talk helps get tax breaks and puts money in the developers pockets but in reality its just another store and the novelty wore off, especially after a Gander Mountain opened up then another BPS just an hour away. When I walk in on a weekday it's often like a ghost town. It seems like they may be a victim of their own success and over expanded. With BPS high prices I usually go just to check out in person what I want then turn to other sources like Amazon for my purchases. Why spend nine bucks for a Rapala when the Walmart has it for six? I do like they will match any of their online sale prices and that's when I usually make purchases.

To get the side plate off, while pulling the release pin on top of the reel you need to twist the side plate up and it will come right off. To put it back on simply twist it back into position and it will lock itself in place.

You are correct, the trade-in won't be applied to a combo price. I'm heading over to pick up a Pflueger President for an ultralight outfit and will take advantage of the trade-in on that.

Well, I just wrote a long post and it disappeared when I went to submit it, so I guess I'll try again. I've been a lurker here, wanted to get into bait casting and was waiting impatiently for the BPS spring classic where I hoped to get a Pro Qualifer on sale. With all I've read and what I want to spend, I thought it would be a good reel to start with. I live a short drive from a BPS so I've been able to look them over. Last week the store told me the PQ wouldn't be on sale (not counting the reel trade-in) but would instead be paired with a Carbonlite rod. Since I was planning on buying a cheaper rod to go with the PQ, it seemed like a good deal as the Carbonlite is well reviewed. Yesterday morning I went to BPS and the combos were selling fast. I'd wanted a two piece rod but the combos were all one piece. I needed a left hand retrieve and the store had one on a medium/fast rod, which was my preference. I grabbed it, along with an on sale Husky Jerk and a couple packs of on sale Gamakatsu hooks, and went home happy with my purchase. I started playing with my new toy and, being obsessive, did a search for the PQ combo and found a post saying the reel wasn't the same as if purchased separately. This upset me so today I called BPS and talked with someone in the tackle department. He confirmed the combo reels are labeled China and the box reel is Hong Kong. He also told me it is still a great buy and he's fished one for a couple years and the reel should be the same . The model number and specs of the reel I bought are identical to the regular PQ but I'm feeling like I made a bad choice. Maybe I'm worrying for nothing. I'm no pro but since I live on the water I fish almost every evening when the weather is decent, haul in lots of smallies and my gear gets a good amount of use. I don't want to spend too much but don't want sub-standard tackle either. BPS prices usually run high so I don't buy much there but feel a bit taken advantage of after learning the reel may or may not be as good as advertised. Any advice is welcome. I hope I got a good buy that will serve me well but I'm not opposed to returning it if was a bad deal. On the bright side, I stopped at Walmart for cheap mono to practice casting and found a box of Yum plastics for a buck a bag so I got enough Dingers, craws and various others to last quite a while. Thanks for any help Steve