smcentee

I was taught that the line should come off the plastic spool in the opposite direction it is being taken up by the reel. If the reel is winding line clockwise, it should be feeding from the spool in a counter clockwise manner, and visa versa. No difference if the spool is laying flat, or mounted, as long as the feed from spool to reel remains the same direction.

Currently fishing with a Pflueger Supreme, and Daiwa's Steez and Viento, and am considering another reel to use with a Light & Tough 7' M or H rod. The two reels under consideration are a Revo STX and an Advantage HSTA and, again, turn to members for their opinions on the reels. Both reels seem to have good ad reads, but I'd like to get some user inputs. Any thoughts?

I tried the 15# test and didn't like it. Perhaps I grabbed a bad spool, or maybe the suppliers truck caught fire. The line had an awful lot of flat spots. It didn't feel good running the line through my fingers and looked clumpy on the reel. I now have a few hundred yards of leaders for fishing braid.

"The Works" bass pliers by Rising tool company; unique design, well crafted.

"It may not have the aesthetic appeal of a Carrot stick, but who cares?" Orange, red and black - butt ugly IMO!

I have e21's spinning and casting rods that I paid $120 each. Aside from a somewhat short grip, I like both rods. Not too many products are offered with a life time over-the-counter warranty. Last May I saw a 6 year old, first time fishing, hook a 5 lb LMB on a blisterpack Zebco combo his Dad had just opened an hour earlier that morning. Seeing that kid and his Dad reeling that fish to the bank made my day. That was a lot of bang for the buck.

Don't have the Loomis, but have been fishing the e21 for a few months and my one dislike about the rod is the grip. I like split grips, but the top grip on the e21 is very short. Half my hand is holding rod blank (large hands don't help).

reelmechanic - you da man! Thanks.

Like a lot of folks out there I'm one to rarely read instructions, but the other evening I was skimming through the Steez instruction sheet and came across something odd. Daiwa is suggesting the Steez spool shaft bearings be oiled after every use with their "Special Oil", and not to use the oil on any other parts. Anyone have any idea what gives? Is their "special oil" too thin for other reel applications? Is the reel at risk if other oil is used? Does oiling the bearings after every use sound excessive? I've never oiled reels after evry use. As always, comments are welcome.

Thanks for the info.

I spooled a reel with Sufix Siege "Camo" for topwater fishing and realy like the line. It's smooth, casts well, holds a good knot, and has little memory. The shallow waters I fish, 7' or less, are pretty stained. On a good day I can see my bait 18" below the surface, but typically beyond 12" is the dark abyss. So my question. Do you see any issues using this line for cranks, jigs and weighted plastics with respect to visibility? Is the line too dark, or will the broken color pattern of "camo" be enough to reduce line visibility in heavy stained water? I'd appreciate your feedback.

Take a look at Sufix Ice Magic, a mono targeting the ice fishing market; stays limp in the cold and water absorption/icing is minimized by the blending of additives during formulation.

I've been a member for a few short weeks and have sponged a lot of good info; probably saved a ton of $$ reading what tackle works, or doesn't which is much better than trial (purchase) and error. Problem is that my wife now says I'm hogging the computer, so I'm looking for a good reference book - a bible of sorts. I'm not interested in a bunch of childhood fishing tales, nor do I want a multitude of books. So, if you could have but one book in your library, what would it be?

This is my first year fishing a baitcaster. I've been using a Pflueger Supreme that is whisper quiet. I lucked up at an estate auction, and picked up a Daiwa Steez in what appeared to be hardly used condition; reel, box, oil, pouch, but no schematic. I fished the reel for about two hours, and immediately noticed a cheezy "whirring" noise, much more so than the sound of the Pflueger. I dropped some oil on the spool bearings, and it did nothing to quiet the reel. It still sounds cheezy. Is this indicative of Daiwa? Anyone else fishing a Steez experience this? Could the reel have a bad bearing? All thoughts or comments are welcome.

I use the fold-back mittens by Remington and slip out index fingers. These mittens have leather patches on the palms, and 1/2 the thumb also folds back. In extreme cold you can slip a "shake-to-activate" hand warmer in the top half of the mitten. They are a bit bulky, but warm.

Great info. Thanks much!

On another thread (read so many I'm not sure which one) a member had replied that the depth of a crankbait was altered by the weight of line, app. +/- 1lb. of line = +/- 1 foot of depth. Or at least that is what I think I read. This being the case I'm confused as to the mfg's stated depth of the bait. Is there a standard test line used when the say a bait will run 5-7 feet? What I'm trying to get at here is this; if I fish a bait marked 5-7' on 15# line, what depth is the bait running? How does one know what weight line gives the 5-7' depth? I'm sure this is overly simplistic to many of you, but catfishing I'd just through bait to the bottom and wait. Any help here would be appreciated.

I tried a wrist model a few years ago, and after a couple of outings I dumped it for a few bucks. For me, the size of the display was just too small. I went up a step to the smartcast RF 15, and have been pretty satisfied with the unit. The downside - though relatively light in weight, it's one more thing to carry as I'm working my way along a bank or around a pond. Whether wrist model, or larger, I think anything is better than nothing when fishing the banks of strange waters. Nothing worse than casting into a submerged christmas tree. Hope this helps.

I'm sooooo glad someone asked this question - I lacked the courage thinking I'd be bucking the system. I, too, went with leftie baitcasters because all my spinning reels were left hand crank. My local tackle shop always has a few leftie reels in the case, or is able to lay his hands on one in 2-3 days.

GK- Thanks for the info. The goofy grip on the L&T sure is comfy. Thanks again, Shawn

I've fished for a few years with spinning tackle, and just started bass fishing this year. In April I picked up a Daiwa L&T topwater rod and really like it, particularly the comfort of the grip (arthritis setting in). I'd like to get another L&T to fish weighted plastics, tubes and crankbaits in the 3/8-1 oz. range and usually use 10-14 lb. line. Most of my fishing is from the bank of a shallow lake, fishing water 3-9' deep. I'm looking at one of two rods. The L&T 661-4RB is a 6'6" rod rated MH, 10-17 lb. line and 1/8-1 oz. lure. The other rod, the 701-3FB, is 7' rated M, 8-14 lb. line and, too, 1/8-1 oz. I'm not trying to split hairs here, but I do have a lot to learn and being new to the forum I'm soaking up info like a sponge. So if anyone has any experience with these rods, or opinions, I'd appreciate your recommendations and comments.

I'm relatively new to fishing, and just started bass fishing this year. I fish from the banks and often employ a two handed hurl to reach a target. Fishing a c-rig with braid and a mono leader connected by a swivel, I often reel in a line that has the leader wrapped several times around the braid, above the sinker. It's as if the mono is clinging to the braid during the cast, or when hitting the water. The age of the line seems to make little difference, and the lake has little current. Is this a common fault of long casting braid/mono? Any recommendations as to how the lines twisting can be avoided? I'd appreciate any advise. Shawn