Micro

Fenwick Techna AV 7' MH/F (AVC70MHF). About $210. According to people that own both, fully the equal of the G Loomis IMX. Lifetime warranty.

I think the Abu Garcia 600ALB is the best spinning reel under $100 right now. About $80. HPCR bearings, all aluminum (body, side plates, rotor, bail arms), brass and stainless steel guts, carbon matrix drag. super thick bail. Cabelas AG Cardinal 600ALB

A thread was just started on this lure... http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1212253441

I have several. I've caught bass, a pickerel and a couple of schoolie stripers on them. I like them. I know there was a question about their durability, but it hasn't been an issue for me. They've got a good action, and good hooks. I give it 4 outta 5 stars.

If Uncle Sam will ever send out that friggin' rebate check, our secret shop is going to get a good chunk of it.

I don't have the JMX10HB. I have the Elite, the JME10HA. I think they are very close. I scanned my schematic and uploaded it to my webspace. Here's the link. Hope it can help you. It's a hi-res scan so click on it to make it expand (as if you didn't know that ). JME10HA Schematic

This new swimbait looks pretty amazing. Most realistic looking Shad I've seen to date... Spro 4" Shad

I was using a 3/0. I'll try a 4/0 next time out. That was EXACTLY my experience. Each time it felt like I picked up a huge wad of grass.

Many brands have reels in their line-ups that are produced by OEM houses that produce reels for other brands. Some of them are the exact same reel with only the name differing. One that comes immediately to mind is the Penn Captiva reel. That reel also carries the Pinnacle and Shakespeare brand name. That was a HIGH end reel for the Shakespeare name, but one of Penn's lower end reels. Shakespeare, Pflueger and Penn were all once owned by Shakespeare. Now they are owned by Pure Fishing, the same company that owns Abu Garcia. Pflueger seems to have always offered a much better product than Shakespeare, even though Shakespeare owned them. I think the reels were targeted at different audiences. Shakepeare to the very occassional fisherman who didn't want to spend a lot on equipment. Pflueger to the more serious angler who wanted a good quality product at a reasonable price. I don't think you can go wrong with Pflueger.

I think the SX got a bad rap because of what I said above. It seemed to be the first Revo, and sometimes the first baitcaster, some people owned. The Revo, admittedly, is a little tempermental. Those that bought the SX that had no experience with baitcasters, or thought it should perform exactly as their Shimano or Daiwa, was suprised that it took some work to learn. So naturally, instead of admitting the backlashes were due to poor form or inexperience, it had to be the reel. That perception has slowly faded. Some of the members here that hated it then love it now. PK is one of them. It's the same on other forums. The SX is as recommended as the others. I have 2 of each model - 2 S, 2 SC, 2 SX and 2 STX. And I owned a Premier for a few days (which I returned because it was actually too light for me). I plan on buying a Winch and probably another STX. I like them all. Fantastic reels and great values. After wallowing fro the longest time with mediocre to just plain bizarre reels, Abu has finally smacked a home run with the Revos.

I don't think there is going to be any comparison between any BPS rod and the Fenwick Elite Tech rod. The quality, feel, and weight of my Elite Tech Crankshaft is astonishing. There isn't any BPS rod that comes close. The Elite Tech is a lot more expensive. But if that doesn't bother you, then it's a no brainer. Elite Tech is it.

nevermind.

Is it mint flavored?

The more I cast with my Revos, the more I like that magnetic brake. I thought it was useless at first, now I see how refined it is. If you practice with it, consistently, using a practice plug you will see just how effective the brake really is. I can easily get over 100 ft casts (on any of my Revos) using a 1/4 oz casting practice plug. The distance is reduced as the brake is turned up. It seems to be a linear force, too, since the reduction in distance seems to be proportional to the degree of brake setting. But usually I just set it at about the 1/3 mark and leave it there for all my casting since I rarely need maximum distance. Since I have all the models (except the Premier (owned for 2 days) and Winch (soon)), I can say there is actually very little difference between models. Once you learn to cast one, you should be able to cast them all. I think the illusion that there is a problem with the SX and not the STX stems from the fact that most people start with the lesser model, learn to use it, have some complaints based on non-mastery, then graduate to the STX once they are competent.

Which Fenwick? I have two BPS Pro Qualifiers, one BPS JM Elite, five Fenwick HMXs and four Fenwick HMGs. The Fenwick HMXs are very comparable to the Pro Qualifiers with respect to sensitivity and weight. They are also a better value - $85 for the HMX and $109 for the PQ. The Fenwick HMGs are very comparable, and maybe a little more sensitive, than the Johnny Morris. Yet again, a MUCH better value - $100 versus $150+. With respect to overall quality, I've never had an issue with a Fenwick. I managed to break one - but that was my fault. Otherwise, every Fenwick I ever bought has been top notch. Beautifully made with great warranties (lifetime HMG, 5 year HMX). Not so with the BPS rods. I've had to return two so far, both PQs. One had what looked like a crack in the blank under the epoxy. And another's glue on the guide wraps started flaking off leaving bare thread. Given that the HMX is comparable to the PQ, and the PQ is a higher end rod than the Extreme, I'd definately recommend the HMX over the Extreme. I'd recommend the HMG over all of them. The original poster didn't ask about Fenwick. If he had, I'd have recommended Fenwick immediately. I'm not trying to disparage BPS rods. Even though I like my Fenwicks better, I still like my BPS rods. I think Fenwicks are better, though. When I replace my PQ, it will be with Fenwicks. Given Fenwick's quality, and significant price superiority, I think Fenwick is the better choice. For carolina Rigging, I'd recommend the Fenwick HMX 7' H baitcaster (HMXT70H). The MSRP is $90, but you can find it for less.

You are not rigging it correctly. George Welcome fishes the Swimming Senko with some success down your way. : Exactly. He must be using the Wimming Wenko, a cheap copy made out of melted rubber bands. My swim senkos performed as advertised. Actually, better than I expected.

Could be worse, I could live in SE VA. : But then you could philosophize, and have a tan.

Open it up and remove the spool. Place a drop of oil on the bearing on the side plate you just took off. I also like to put a little grease on the brake gear teeth. Place a drop of oil on the bearings on the spool. I like to LIGHTLY swab a little oil on the spool shaft as well - make sure it's nice and clean. I like to make sure the inside of the frame is clean. I like to swab a LITTLE oil on the bearing sleave on the inside of the frame. This prevents the bearing that fits in it from sticking and being hard to take out. (see picture) One or two drops of oil on the worm shaft, and on the shaft end that's visible on the left side of the frame. I'd take the cast control knob off and place a drop of oil on the hole.

Here's how you open it up...

Burley lives in Coeburn, Virginia. Not much to do there but philosophize.

It may be $2.00 a gallon next November, but it's $4.00 a gallon now, and I have to drive to work tomorrow. This isn't about a gas shortage, or even an oil shortage. It's about a weak dollar, oil producers lowering inventory, and demand that exceeds refining capacity. All this crap is happening all at once to a greater degree than it's happened in the past. Sooner or later the dollar will strenghten, inventories will stabilize and increase, and demand for gas will lower due to price and refining will catch back up. Then prices will drop. Until then, it sucks.

For the same price you get a Zillion with none of this to worry about. Better yet, a Revo STX and a few Lucky Crafts to go with it. ;)

Boy, on that news I went out and bought a brand new V-16 Chrysler Behemoth SUV. 3 MPG. Seriously, I these super high oil prices can't be sustainable. Gasoline demand HAS to fall (or increase at a much lower rate) given the super high prices. I'm interested to see if gas prices fall with the oil prices. I'm not confident about that.

I have 2 Pro Qualifiers - 7' M/F. I use them with shaky heads. I've found them to be very sensitive, light, well made, and attractive rods. I also have a Johnny Morris Elite 7' MH/F which is extremely senstive, even lighter, and also well made. I've got my JM Elite reel on it, spooled with 12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid. It's a MH/F, but the tip is soft enough that it's a good rod for several different baits.

I am a Johnny-come-lately to Swim Senkos. I bought a bag of 5" watermelon colored swims about a year ago and just got around to trying them. I tried them last week on two consecutive days. I fished them in the corridors that wound through huge, thick lilypad patches. I fished them weightless, t-rigged on a 3/0 Gammy EWG hook. I used my spinnerbait set-up - a 6'8" MH/F and 14# mono, Revo SC 7.1:1. I threw them on the edges of the pads, into deadends, onto slop, in the weeds. I used a steady moderate speed retrieve (too slow and they have too little action). Weightless, they will run about 6-8" under the surface with the rod tip parallel to the water - which is important for me due to the type of water I fish. It turned out to be an extremely productive technique. I NEVER lost a tail. Like RW said, they tear first where they contact the hook. I voted for the swim senko, but that's only because it's my favorite right this minute. That will probably change next time I try something that tears 'em up. I'm wishy washy that way. I've torn them up on regular senkos, too, and they were my favorite then. It was the