PhishLI

I ordered a Lew's TP1 Black back during spring from TW. On the day it was due to arrive I got a text update from UPS that it was re-routed back to the seller. I had a hunch that meant bad news. Oddly, it arrived the next day at my door. The tube had been guillotined just past the halfway point, then shoddily taped back together. It flopped when I picked it up and sure enough the rod was snapped in two. Naturally the rod was back ordered until late September, so that was that. They issued a refund and held the discount over for my next order. They also told me that they ship thousands of rods and a fair percentage get busted by the shipper. They weren't surprised or fazed. I ordered a rod during BF. It arrived safely and all is well.

There are a few kids at a local spot I fish that use baitcasters, mostly 13s and ABUs. A few weeks ago I was wading and one of them stopped to ask how I was doing. I happened to be fishing with a Curado K and could see he had one on his rod. I asked him how he liked it and he told me it was actually a Curado DC and that he loved it. It was mounted on a Mojo Bass 7'1" Medium and had a 1/4oz willow blade spinner bait tied on with 12lb flouro. He asked if I'd like to take a few throws, so I did. I took one cast to get the feel of it, then laid into it on the second. I'm pretty sure I've never sent a bait like that so far out there. Took a third swing and the same thing. I didn't run out and order a DC reel on BF. I'm fine with what I have. But it's legit in my mind. However, from the reports I've seen it's not foolproof. The real issue here may be that if one's mechanics are not developed around normally braked baitcasters, then a DC, like an SV, is not a panacea.

My brother got a new 300 earlier this year and had nothing but hate for it because of the clutch problem. He sent it packing.

I'm with you. I have two. I think they're great reels. A pleasure to fish with. They do nicely with light weights too. They do most of what any of the CT variants can do. Day to day, I think I like the Fuego more than any reel I own.

Earlier this year a great deal was posted by a member here: Flooger was offering up a number of reels at stupid low prices. I grabbed two Supreme XTs for something like 59$ each and my brother got two Patriarchs. The Supreme XT is not the best light bait reel. It has a heavy spool. Things get tricky/touchy under 3/8oz, but it's doable, sort of like the Curado K. However, the Supreme XT is a supreme long bomb caster. No reel I own with the same line on the same rod, including the Curado K or Chronarch, allows me to chuck a frog as far. I'm not talking a few feet either. I'm talking 10-15 yards farther. There are edges of pad fields way out there that I could never reach in the past but I can now with the Supreme XT. It's a freak in that regard. Otherwise it's a solid reel. It's light at 6.5 ozs. No quirks that come to mind. A tad geary on the retrieve after a season of lots of fishing and lots of catches, when compared to the big two, but not enough to bother me. My Tatula SV's gear and pinion are horrible after a year and a half and need to be replaced, so things happen. The camlock side plate is cool. The main gear lube port is handy. I've unscrewed the spool tension knob and oiled that bearing under it and the spool bearings a few times along with the brake drum and worm gear occasionally and it stays humming nicely. I couldn't be happier, especially for what I paid.

Newest members of the club: Tranx 400 and Monster 301.

MS Slammer time!

Clearance pricing plus 20% off at Tackle Warehouse. My brother has two. Mine's on the way. Good reels.

During sales I have a habit of ordering in 2 waves: The stuff I have to have right now, then some things I want. I waffle on the "want" stuff until the last minute before pressing the button. I've been waiting for this sale to grab the Quantum Monster 301 in particular. My brother is out of his mind buying swimbaits and has four rigs to do so, but they simply fill a niche for me. He's got a Tranx 300 which is very sweet, a Lew's Super Duty 300 which is very nice, and 2 Quantum 300s. He disliked his Lexa, so away it went. I've thrown baits with all of them and concluded that the Quantum is just fine. It's held up well and you can really chuck a bait and not be concerned. My brother just added the second one a few weeks ago and it wasn't necessarily out of being thrifty. It's a nice reel that gets the job done, has stood up well to big baits all season, and for 80$ on sale I think it's a steal. Well worth a look if you'd like to dabble but don't want to fork out bigger bucks. It's all aluminum construction too: frame and sideplates. I'm putting it on the Dobyns FR795SB I got from Dix last night for 97 bucks. Pretty sweet deal in total. My poor Curado K can rest easy now.

I marched out of Dick's/F&S a few hours ago with a Dobyns FR795SB. Got the 25% off. They didn't blink.

Punch, Dodgeguy touts that reel often so he's got me looking at it. I'm liking the P2 (X-Ship) and the externally adjustable centrifugals. I'm just wondering how it does with lighter baits under a half ounce down to a 1/4oz?

I used the 10lb and 12lb Advance most of this past winter as it kept me fishing at near freezing temps far better than braid could, then into the post spawn right before the weeds totally took over. I pulled in some really good fish on both. I had one break-off on the 10lb which was totally my fault. Otherwise, no weirdness. But I felt it really needed line conditioner as a matter of course. As an aside, I got a spool of 17 Siege that was junk. I'll be spooling up a few reels with the 10lb Advance soon. It's less squirrerlly than the 12lb on the brink of freezing. Hopefully I won't get a bum spool of it.

Mattlures Magnum Strong Gill. 7 3/8". 4.25 oz. Shazam!

t bone, We have lots of bass fishing spots in my area, with the biggest lake being a mere 240 acres. There are plenty of 20-ish acre ponds we call lakes. I've had the chance to fish at many of these spots throughout the island I live on. There are lakes about 70 miles east of my house where daytime fishing can be very productive. However, where I live the dusk/night bite is the deal. So, some lakes are good night bite lakes exclusively and some can be very good during the day. I'm pretty well networked with the local hardcore grinders. I'm one of them. I know what goes on and who catches what and when for the most part. My local spot is well known as the second most highly pressured water in the entire county. It's broken many spirits. While bass are occasionally caught during daylight hours, it's rare. But hit this spot at dusk and fish for a few hours afterward and your reward can be great. Crazy action and legit big bass. You'd never believe it if you'd fished it only during the morning or throughout the day. At one point I was convinced one particular local spot was devoid of fish, or that aliens had beamed all the bass to pluto, until I fished it at night. So, maybe you can try to mix your fishing times up a bit?

The BG 4500 is a giant and heavy reel. I wouldn't go more than the 3500 if you're set on a big spinning reel. It'll be fine with 40lb braid. Probably ok with 65lb. But in my experience, using heavy-ish inshore spinning setups for freshwater bass fishing is sort of miserable. Not fun.

Mattlures Meathead Perch. Delicious!

My newest diabolical delicacy: Shellcracker G2. It'll get a workout tomorrow night.

Is it a pitch/flip or the long cast? I have an itch for the long cast.

PfB, You're asking alot of any MHF rated to 1oz throwing the WP130. You'd be better off throwing the WP75. Personally I didn't love the Mojo 7' 1" 2pc as an all arounder. It may be for some people. Everyone has a different feel. I tried the OMB 2 7'1" MHF 2pc and preferred it. Blasphemy, I know. I ended up with 2 more for travel and convenience. Plus I like a full cork handle. I've put them through the ringer. They've been shown no mercy. Not one problem and I've dragged out lots of good fish through pad fields and I've clipped lots of tree branches. I prefer the 7'3" MHF one pc a bit more. If I can only take one rod on a wade that's the one. I really like it, but it doesn't break down. TW is closing out the the OMB 2s for a decent price.

Same here! However, after I'd readjusted to the '78 Ugly Stik's odd action, it's very clunky and whippy, it can be fun. I think most people can adjust to anything eventually. I had no problem target casting with it once upon a time. The reel's still tight and was pretty fast for it's day. I don't mind it too much, but it's a little weird being the only guy at the lake with a constantly engaged clicky anti reverse. I'd never considered the noise the reel made back then, and I used to catch lots of fish with this setup. Now I'm positive the clicking sound scares them away! Ignorance is bliss.

You have good taste, Sir! This past April we were on a good bite one day, then hit a multi hour slump. The conditions by that point screamed spinnerbaits, so we tied on willowblades. Zilch. But because I had my entire box of spinnerbaits that day I also had my Wigglers. I tied on my yellow perch looking version. The original yellow and black skirt had turned to goo, so I'd replaced it with a generic Wht/Yel. I targeted a juicy looking spot and went to work. On the second cast I flung it into a stand of cat tails because you can do that with the wiggler. I reeled it out about 5 feet then felt a hard pull. Fish on, but just barely. The trailer hook had found just enough thankfully. She was a dandy for these parts. My son in law couldn't help but laugh and shake his head as this wasn't the only time this ancient lure has hit paydirt while I was fishing with him. The corkscrew blade gives it an almost chatterbait-like action. It's still a great bait, IMO.

A No.3 undressed Mepps Black/Yellow saved the day today. I threw it as a last resort. The bass was so small...I just can't show the picture, but the skunk was off the boat! Should've probably thrown it earlier as we had to leave right after that. This isn't the first time I've thrown it as a last resort and had success. I need to remember it.

I agree with you here. I noticed it the first time fishing mine while I was burning back a lure. I actually thought the handle nut might've been loose at first, but that wasn't it. The main gear drive shaft just has a bit more lateral play between it and the frame than I'm used to with my other reels. The clicking sound is more audible anyway. My Chronarch has a dash of play, but it's far less noticeable in use. I checked a few Ks at a few different stores and they were the same, so I got over it. There's a remedy though. If I get bored enough once the ice comes in I might fiddle with it. Otherwise the K is a dandy. I had my first multi-lunker night earlier this week with it in the mix, so I like it even more now!

on sale on eBay

Right this minute the wind is howling. It's Dusk. It's overcast. The air pressure is low. My buddy's there right now hammering them. I'm stuck home in the midst of a digestive emergency instead of there slinging with him. How come nobody's invented wading diapers yet???