Mhan7

What I decided: Not everyone's cup of tea, I get it. But I got a good deal on a 13 Fishing Concept Boss. I heard lots of talk about this not being a $400 reel. For sure, it's not. But that being said, it's still a d**n fine reel. Definitely casts better than my Smoke reel. Some don't like that you have to open a cover to access the magnet setting. I love it. I will only ever fish frogs on this rod/reel, and that means set and forget. No bumping or accidental changing. It also is one less place for gunk and grime to get into, so in theory, less maintenance. The drag is great, the reel is compact, it casts fantastically well. Objectives met. I paired it up with a Cashion Elite 7'3" Heavy action, fast tip frog rod. Haven't got to fish the rod just yet, because the first one I got came damaged. So I had to put the reel on my other rod, first trip out. New rod is here, waiting for a tolerable day for my next outing. Still curious about those Japanese Revos. Coming soon.

Sounds like Revos are a pretty popular reel around here. I really think I'm gonna end up with one of those Big Shooter compacts. Thanks for sharing.

I've tried to make it clear by updating my first post. I ask questions in bass forums, because there is more overlap between snakehead fishing and bass fishing, than most other types. We literally tend to either use the same kind of gear, or at the very least, run in the same circles. I've seen more than one fella who likes a fully locked drag for jerking fish right into the boat. So that's why... Well, thank glob there are grown ups around here, to keep us from using bad sounding words in nice ways.

We have started to notice some hanging about that are well over 12lbs... some that are possibly in the 13-15 range. There are areas that I fish that have been relatively undisturbed, and they've gotten a chance to grow into some impressive dimensions. If you're not familiar with the term "coconut head", it's a very real thing. No Shimano low profile with the 11-12lbs drag is the right reel for me. I don't want to enjoy a sporting fight. I want to ****** and winch. I can't afford to pontificate about how smooth and buttery this or that is, when I've got a fish charging like a bull across a minefield of underwater obstacles. (trees, heavy vegetation, thick fibrous plants both in and out of the water) . . Seriously moderators... the word $natch is censored? What are we, 7 years old?

Good info. I always forget about taking the foreign avenues. I definitely still love walking the canal banks. I typically cover about 8-10 miles in a day of fishing, so it's nice to have the exercise. My son just bought a gheenoe, and he's all about trying to get me in that thing. We'll see. As for the baits... I've settled on just about anything soft and noisy/turbulent. We have a nice 3D printer that builds beautiful molds for plastisol or other. So we can even recycle our old stuff into new lures. The Snakeheads aren't really picky, so I don't use anything expensive or durable/semi-durable, anymore.

I actually bought a 13 Fishing reel, in the course of this conversation. Waiting to test. Still looking. That recommend for the Japanese Revo seems pretty solid. I think I might pick up one of those, also. Also, the guy is right about being able to use just about any bass baits, but they d**n sure will do a number on wire baits. I've had them twist spinners into knots, and pull the blades off of chatterbaits. When the water gets warm, they get especially lively. I have heard the bullseye are harder fighters than the other species. Just watching that other video that was posted, that Asian snakehead looked pretty docile, compared to these down here in SoFL. I've never seen one of ours sit still like that when landed.

Haven't even heard the words since I left the trailer park. Thanks for the memories. Say hello to everyone for me. I'm quite certain that you've landed those fish just fine. The real issue is that I don't fight my fish on drag. It's more or less a matter of winching them out. Where we're fishing, if you don't do that, then you get a salad with your protein. If you have a reel that will hold the drag, you can pull them up over the green stuff, and they'll almost launch themselves out while they're thrashing. But I'm definitely not looking to let them make any runs. That was actually the first reel that I looked at, before I bought the Smoke.

Thanks for the suggestion. That reel looks interesting. Pricey, but interesting. The first catch this guy makes, is exactly why we use heavy line and drag locked... He's a little dramatic, and not used to big ones... but you get the idea. And what's to say that I haven't already asked this question in multiple places? THANKS for your suggestion...

Thanks for the feedback. I think the Smoke S3 is a very good reel... for awhile. Mine are already showing signs of wear and tear from use. Again, we are catching snakeheads, not bass, and there is a HUGE gulf in class between these species, in terms of fight, and landing. That drag is a big deal. I don't think (as you've said) that the components are really designed to hold up to the strain of constant full drag. I actually used to fish with round reels, and have pondered going back to them. I just really hate fishing braid on the round reels.

Snakehead are not bass. It's the difference between towing a Ford Escort and an F150. So in that regards, the Shimano drag very much does suck. You can like it all you want for what you do with it, but I asked for what I asked, for the specific reason that I asked it. I get that there are some who like to play favorites with specific brands. I'm not really interested in that. I'm not confused in the least about the input parameters. Quite frankly, I think that Shimano is missing a portion of the market with their outdated drag numbers, but what the hell do I know. It's not like I live in a state where I get about 7-8 more months on the water than the average fisherman who is LARPing around with their fanboy brand labels. I'm fishing with 50lb braid, in heavy vegetation, with fish that average around 7lbs, and punch well above their weight. I'm not interested in employing drag as part of the landing strategy; I'm looking for a reel whose components are designed well enough to handle constant stress from a drag that's on full lock. The reels that I have, are doing a fairly good job, but I don't get the impression that they're going to last for the long haul. (or much longer at all, really) I enjoy the type of fishing that I do, well enough to write off the reel as a cost of doing the business. But... I'd also like to compare something that's at least like-for-like, and see if I've made the best choice. The Shimanos are lightweights when it comes to drag. For bigger or harder fighting fish that are caught on low profile reels, and bass type tackle, I think that there will eventually need to be new reel designs introduced, that are an upgrade to the existing designs. I think that some of the low profile bait cast designs with high drag, probably won't hold up to the stress of full drag. But I only know one type of these reels, at the moment.

Why might I choose one of these over the other? What is the real standout feature? The Revo family has reels that have up to 30# of drag. To be able to hold that kind of drag, means that all of your components have to be able to withstand that kind of force continuously, as well. Are the Revo reels that good?

The drag is a deal breaker, because this is a snakehead rod... not a bass setup. Not saying that the Curado isn't a great reel otherwise. It's nice. It's just not got enough nuts for this job.

I would have bought a curado over one of the Tranx models all day long. But that's just not the reel for me. Thanks for the suggestion, but the drag is a deal breaker on ALL Shimano reels in a size that I'd use. Quite frankly, their drag just sucks.

But those Tranx reels are HUGE. They don't really come across as something that a guy throwing baits 75 feet would want to put on a 7' rod. Maybe I'm wrong... I actually don't see a 200 size offering on their site, at the moment. EDIT: managed to find one on another site. It's got 12lb of drag. Not what I'm looking for. Especially for something that costs that much. 20# is minimum.

I'm needing another froggin' reel, and I'm willing to pay a penny for it, if I have to. High drag and fast retrieval is king here. I currently have a Quantum Smoke S3. Mine is the 7.3:1 gear ratio, and that has about 25lbs of drag. I'd want something similar, but thinking about trying out something else. I've looked at Revo Beast, Quantum Smoke HD PT, and a couple of the Bass Pro house brand reels. Can anyone tell me the real difference between the Quantum S3 and HD (do I really care about 11 bearings vs 7)? And how would the Abu Garcia reels compare, in a real world fishing scenario? I see the noticeable difference is the lesser line capacity, but maybe they're just super great reels. All suggestions welcome. UPDATE: Shimano reels are a non-option, due to the drag numbers. They produce nothing over 12 lbs in a low profile reel. This reel is a snakehead reel, not a bass reel.