NYWayfarer

I lose mine way before they start looking like that. I probably lose them on purpose as an excuse to buy new ones...

He posted an answer to this question above: "I bought the spool for last spring for the same thing and took off line and now that I got another bait casting combo, I put the same spool of line back on (it was a 300 yard spool). I apologize for the confusion" I translate it to mean he had a 300 yard spool of line. Originally he used some of the 300 yards for one baitcaster and now used the rest on another. If the line had been sitting on the factory spool for a year there is no wonder its got a lot of memory.

Ditto. I don't sell my old gear because I hate haggling. I give it away to co-workers that have young kids so they can introduce them to fishing.

Could it be @Yeajray231 He hasn't been around since October. I have missed his posts.

Interesting you say that. I have noticed in his last few vids he is using Favorite rods. Yampa River, White Bird and Jack Hammer I believe. From what I have watched and read it seems he pulled out of whatever deal MTB had going with the squad at the last minute. They then had to renegotiate the contracts with the remaining 4 Googans. That's why they were all ticked at Mike. Mike says it was something in the contract he didn't like and he had his lawyer look at it. Others think Mike backed out because he didn't want to move to Texas as his girlfriend is a nurse in a Maryland hospital and he didn't want to leave her. These guys have more drama than my wife's soap opera.

There is a positive to take out of that. A whole new generation of kids are being introduced to fishing.

I have checked out the Bonafide kayaks website and reviews because of this thread. I want one! the 10' version weighs 60+ pounds and seems so stable for a sit on. I watched someone fishing out of one in Florida. He even loaded it solo on a truck with little effort.

There are so many great rods and reels out there right now. You will never know if you will like something unless you try it. I don't get the fear of trying new things a lot of people have. The only thing that ever scared me was when something says, "new and improved" because I like the old whatever it was and didn't think it needed to be improved. When it comes to reviews I watch or read as many as I can and compare them. For instance if 90% of the reviews say a reel is noisy you can bet it will be noisy. Now do you care about noise is a different story. As far as Favorite goes the only thing on their site that interests me is their Yampa River rod. Fantastic looking trout rod IMO videos and reviews I have seen are all positive. I would wait until they have a free shipping day before I purchased one though.

My Bass are still doing the rip van winkle for another month at least.

For this coming season I have purchased a lot of fishing gear (Rods, reels, lines, terminal tackle and lures) between November and now. That's because this will be my first full fishing season where I have a kayak. I have had to upgrade my arsenal as I found things that work and didn't work fishing from a sit-in. I am a frugal shopper and almost everything I bought was a sale or clearance item. In the end I spent between $400-500 dollars total.

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/denali-zenyx-crankbait-casting-rod-17drouznyx7ftmcrnrod/17drouznyx7ftmcrnrod Denali Zenyx rod. Dick's exclusive, regular $100 now under $50

I still have my Mitchell 300. The only thing that hasn't lasted is it's paint job. I wouldn't want to fish with it today as it is heavy and noisy (clicker) but it was built to withstand nuclear armageddon.

Sounds like a job for some KVD line and lure conditioner. Trilene XL, XT or Big Game are perfect mono for baitcasters. Just spray them with KVD L&L the night before fishing.

2018 soft plastic arsenal will be my staples, Yum Dinger, GYBC Senko, Z-Man TRD's & Hulastickz Zoom Salty Tubes, Roboworm. I am adding some finesse baits as well. Gene Larew inchworm, Biwaa Patate, ZMan TRD Tubez and Zoom shaky head worms. Hard baits will include staples like Rat-L-Trap, SK red eye shad, Whopper Plopper, Zara Spook and Jitterbug. I will be adding an assortment of Berkley hard baits, the Skinny Cutter, Squarebull, Digger and Flicker Shad.

For the WP 90 I use 12 pound Berkley Big Game or XT Trilene mono. I tie it directly to the lure. I have caught some toothy Pickerel in the 2 pound range and not had a problem. With the WP the treble hooks are crazy sharp. Fish basically hook themselves. I have to force myself not to immediately set the hook with this bait. The stretch of mono helps when my reflexes get the better of me and I set the hook to early. If I had better control I might try braid.

I have never had a graphite reel fail. I have however felt my graphite baitcasters flex while fighting 2+ pound Smallmouth and Catfish. The difference between baitcasters and spinning reels is I palm my baitcaster so I am able to feel the reel during the fight with a fish. Unlike a spinning reel where my hand is in on the handle and reel foot and rod alone. This has concerned me enough to start investing in aluminum framed baitcasters. So in summary, I don't hate graphite or plastic. I just prefer something stronger even if it comes at the price of a little more money and a little more weight.

Thanks. I bought one last night. I would say the description the salesperson gave you was spot on. The reel doesn’t have any flex to it. For $40 it’s pretty solid. It it will be a great reel for pond fishing.

The Source X

I looked at the clamshell package and HTS does stand for high tensile strength. I figure it means graphite as well but the review said it was metal...

I saw a reel I am interested in listed as having a HTS frame and rotor. Does anyone know what material HTS is? Or what it stands for? My guess would be High Tensile Strength? doesn't really tell me what its made of. I saw a Icast review that said it was made of metal. Could it be High Tensile Steel?

I have several free shirts from buy a reel, get a shirt mail in forms. Not really free as you have to pay shipping and handling. Pflueger, Lews and *** all have these offers.

That about sums it up. I check the line after every catch. Running the first 2 feet through my fingers for any abrasions or nicks, then the knot. If there are none I keep fishing. If there is I cut and re-tie.

I am usually not a big fan of combos. However the Lew's Mach series (I, II and Crush) all look great. Both rods and reels look like they are equal quality. Not always the case with combos.

10” of snow here on Super Bowl Sunday. We get a break today then another 8 to 12” on Wednesday. The weekend looks like a wintry mix of ice and snow for Saturday and Sunday.

Like I said logic be damned, Eagles win!!