The Rooster

Hmmm.....this was not my experience at all. I was even able to cast mine without having to thumb the reel until just before the lure touched down, just as I was able to do with mono. I have my reel set up the same way as I did with mono, same settings for same lures, just different line now is all. I was even able to cast left handed while throwing a buzzbait which is something I normally never do. I only did that cause it's a right handed reel and I wanted to start cranking as soon as the lure hit water so I swapped hands before the cast instead of after it and then was able to do so. Only had one bird's nest the entire time I was out yesterday and that was my fault for throwing a 1/4 oz. spinnerbait into the wind and not touching the spool with my thumb at all. I did have a couple of very minor overruns where there were 2 or 3 loops of line that came up but that sometimes happens with mono too. All in all I was able to use this line in the same exact way as with the 12 pound mono I previously had on. Just now it's 14 pound and fluoro are the only differences I saw. I give a lot of credit to my reel though, it's just so easy to cast with. I've never owned one I liked better.

Yeah I'm not interested in their rods at all. I already decided a while back that the ONLY rod I'm gonna use for all my baitcast combos will be a Shimano Compre. No exceptions on that.

So the Nitro has the same frame size as the Brownings. That's good to know.

I'd say part of your trouble with the cast distance is that the rod you have is pretty heavy for those smaller baits. That and the line. The rod isn't loading well enough when you rare back to cast. That's where the lure weight printed on the side of a rod comes into play. A lot of them will have a range of say 1/4 to 3/4 oz. If you go below that then the rod doesn't load up well to "sling shot" the lure as you cast it. The lure wasn't heavy enough. Then if you have heavy stiff line (factory line especially) it's gonna hamper the cast that much more. That Bandit lure you bought is probably the heaviest one of the ones you got, and it's 1/4 oz. in weight incase you're curious. By the way, see that bass in my picture to the left?? It's not huge but it is a keeper bass, it measured 15 inches long. I didn't weigh it but I'm "guessing" a pound and a half maybe?? I know it's not big but it is decent and it fell prey to a Bandit 100 series shallow diver, same size and weight as the 200 of which I've caught numerous bass on, but just has a shorter lip to dive with. It was the taco salad color which is a chartreuse back with chartreuse scale pattern and has orange/yellow sides. These things just WORK!! I caught quite a few fish on them this year. Even bluegills hit these things and their mouths aren't nearly large enough to eat them. Sometimes they just want to fight them and they get hooked. Which brings me to another point. I ALWAYS sharpen my hooks on all my baits right out of the package (a very few exceptions to this but usually not with crankbaits). I do this incase I get a strike that fails to hit the bait with the fish's mouth. Sometimes it will snag the fish anyway. To me a fish in the boat is a fish caught no matter how it happened. Having extra sharp hooks also helps to set the hook on impact as well incase you can't get a good hookset for some reason. You can just use a small whet stone like you'd sharpen a knife with and drag each hook tip backwards on the stone along the outside of the hook and on both sides (probably can't hit the inside J part of it but that's OK, 3 sides are enough). A few strokes for each hook are all that's needed most times and it makes a difference enough I feel it helps. I know it brings the blood on my fingers when I test them sometimes and that's sharp enough for me!!

Well I decided to give it a whirl anyway to see if I would possibly be happy with it so I bought some fluorocarbon and spooled it up today. I casted with it for about 20 minutes or so and just decided I didn't care for it so I wound the fluoro off of it onto my other BPS Extreme reel and am now going to just send the Rick Clunn reel back. It's a decent reel, but besides the handle issue it also feels a bit bulkier in my hand than the Extreme does. Not to mention that the removable side plate moves up and down some. It's not a lot but once I thought I had a strike so I "set the hook" and hauled water, but when I did that I felt the sideplate move and made a clicking noise. It was locked on good too, so that wasn't it. It just wiggles and I don't like that at all. My Extreme does not do this, it's very solid. I really like the Extreme a lot so I'm just going to get another one of those for now and go with that series of reels for my arsenal that I'm starting up. Hopefully by spring time I can manage a small fleet of these things so I'll be ready for anything in a second's time. Crankbait tied on, spinnerbait tied on, buzzbait, T-rig, jig.........the list goes on and on and I want to have a rod/reel for each one.

Well, I'm not sure what that guy was talking about but there most certainly is a crankbait specific rod out there. They have a slower action tip than just a regular graphite rod does and I believe that's supposed to help with not pulling the lure out of the fish's mouth when it strikes and you set the hook. I'm not an expert on crankbaits though, just getting into them this year actually and did somewhat decent with them too, but I have a lot to learn yet. You can fish them on any rod though. Some are just a little, or even a lot, better than others. I don't have a special rod for them, I just use a regular 6' long medium power (a lot of rods call this the "action" but that's not correct) graphite rod. I like it because it's sensitive and I can feel the bait bumping into things underwater that I can't see and that lets me know what the bait is doing, how close to cover or structure it is where a fish may be lurking, and also with crankbaits they can get snagged up with those treble hooks they have so feeling the bait hit an object is a big deal for me cause I can stop the retrieve long enough to give the bait time to float up a bit and maybe clear the object it hit so it doesn't get snagged. I can probably do that with a crankbait rod but I do OK with mine so I just use it. Incidentally, what kind of crankbaits did you get?? I like several but one of my favorites is the Bandit brand, 100 series for shallow depths, 200 and 300 for deeper depths. The longer the bill on them, the deeper they dive. Also when the bill on bait sticks more downward below the bait it dives shallower but when the bill is sticking out in front of the bait almost horizontally with it, it will dive deeper that way. To start out with the Bandit crankbaits are good ones to use. The 100, 200, and 300, and even the one they call "Footloose" which is a really shallow diver, those 4 series of Bandits will cover a LOT of water for you and get you in the game. They're also cheap too at under $5 per lure most times and come in tons of colors and patterns. They have a nice wide wobble to them also that you can really feel and that attracts fish sometimes, depending on their moods though. Sometimes a crankbait with a tight wobble is better.

HOORAY!!!!! I made this work for me today!!! I had a crankbait snagged on a log about 40 feet away from me today and it was underwater to boot. I was just about to turn the boat around and go after it but I decided to try this to see what would happen. Low and behold, it WORKED!!! That lure popped right out and floated up to the surface. I was speechless but pleasantly surprised and now I have a new trick for next season. This might have saved many countless lures for me over the years if I had known about it way back when. Some of those that were up in a tree way out of reach maybe?? Oh well. At least I have another way to get them back now.

Well I bought some of the Transitions today and spooled it up. It's also the first time I've ever used any line heavier than 12 pound test. I got the 14 lb. size. I fished it for 3 hours but didn't catch any fish. Only had one strike and I missed it. Here's what I know so far about it though..... I did get an idea how it fishes from the time I spent out today. Using a T-rigged craw or a jig and craw I was able to feel every inch of the bottom contour whereas before with just 12 pound Stren mono I was unable to tell that much detail about it. It's very sensitive stuff. I was feeling every single dent and twig that was on the bottom and was even able to tell the difference between gravely bottom vs. just dragging across a rock. It's super sensitive and I'm thrilled with that part. I can see I'm going to be a fluorocarbon user from now on just from this alone. It also casted smoothly for me off of my BPS Extreme baitcast reel. I had no issues with that. Smooth long casts and smooth retrieves also. It honestly casts like what I'm used to in the Trilene XL or Stren mono, either one. And I do like how it is when fishing in the wind, it wasn't nearly as affected by the wind as the mono I used a while back and had a horrible experience with due to wind (that was another post about a month ago). It's a bit heavier than the mono is apparently, it sinks in the water where mono would always float and be pulled along by the breeze. Knot strenght as well as line strength I can't fully judge until I hook a fish with it. I did get 2 snags using a crankbait though and it didn't break off on me. It held tight the whole time for me to get the lure back and one of those snags was pretty severe. That's not much to go on though. Gonna take a fish on for me to tell how it will be. Only complaints I have with it are that when tying the improved clinch knot I really had to watch to make sure the knot pulled completely down and was tight. I never had any knots slip or break but I did notice that it would tend to tie somewhat loosely if I didn't watch it and make sure that didn't happen. Also it's fairly noisy when casting it. I could hear it sizzling on the reel as I was throwing that 3/8 oz. jig and craw. I guess that part's not a big deal though. Now if you guys say there's a better fluoro out there, then I can't wait to see it. I sort of liked this Transitions but this is my very first experience with fluorocarbon of any kind. If there's something out there that casts as good or better, has a better ability to tie a knot with, and maybe doesn't make so much noise as it casts, then I'm all ears to hear about it.

I was thinking that same thing but I didn't say it, now I don't know why either. I'd get a Pflueger Trion for a spinning reel, they're affordable too, $40 for the reel or $60 for the whole combo. Model 4730GX or 4735GX Both are the same except the 35 model is larger and holds more line. It's a good size for all around fishing with 8 or 10 pound line on it. I got one of each size but the larger one is an upgrade from the Trion, it's the President instead. Trion is more affordable and they're both awesome reels.

Actually that number means that for every revolution of the reel crank the spool inside rotates 3.2 times. When you see numbers like that on baitcasters, like 6.1:1, it means for every revolution of the crank the spool on it rotates 6.1 times. Some reels will tell you how many inches of line this draws in each time as well. I have one that's 6.4:1 and it draws in 28 inches of line everytime I crank the handle once. Make sense now??

That Nitro is pretty large isn't it?? It's line capacity is more than the Brownings I'm talking about, even though it looks just like them. It does look like it's a nice reel though.

Can anyone tell me if the Browning Midas or Citori baitcast reels are larger framed reels compared to reels like the BPS Extreme or Abu Garcia Revo, or are they comparable in size?? I want a reel that's pretty small in profile and BPS has a good deal on the Midas right now, on sale for $100. But a few years ago I was at a BPS and looked at the Medallion reel up close, and I believe it's the same size as the Midas, and at that time it impressed me as being bulky in size. Now I can't remember anymore.

Well I'm gonna return it tomorrow. I have another post about the reel I was getting this for and if you saw it you'll know that that reel is getting returned as well so I can afford to wait a bit on line now. I'm going to get the Transitions though instead. I was told it is just like the Vanish but just gold instead of clear is all. So I might be returning a bad apple for another one just like it but I'll let you know how it goes.

OK, since I posted this I discovered that there was a very small spacer that had fallen out of the handle onto the floor. Once I found that and put it back where it belonged, that fixed the drag problems. It's just enough space to let the drag star loosen up without affecting the handle's tightness. But everything else I said still stands. The handle cannot be tightened down enough on my reel to guarantee it stays on with an accidental bump backwards. It loosens up immediately when it's bumped in reverse. That and the stripped thread potential is enough to make me want to return it BEFORE something bad happens...........like say I'm out there fishing and I hit the handle backwards, it falls off into the water and is gone. That would be a disaster. And I really just don't like how it feels like I have to "manhandle" the reel to put it together again. I've always looked at a breakdown to relube as a delicate procedure that needed to be done with precision. To put the crank handle back onto the Rick Clunn reel I have to squeeze it tightly and torque it to death to get it on enough to stay. I don't like that at all. Feels like I'm going to bend the paddle grips before it gets tight enough. It would be so much simpler if they had used the nut to secure it with. Sorry for so much ranting and raving on my part. I am just disappointed from ordering this last Thursday and looking forward to it coming in for over a week now and within 10 minutes of getting it I'm disappointed with the purchase. That just sucks. But I learned a lesson in it. Now it's just gonna cost me shipping to return it again, and shipping again after that to get something different. If I get a Citica though, I'll just go to the local tackle shops to see them. I only ordered from Bass Pro cause it was a Bass Pro branded reel I wanted.

Rick Clunn might be the greatest angler in the world but his reel SUCKS!!! > I ordered the Rick Clunn baitcaster from Bass Pro Shops and it came in today. Right out of the box I was actually pretty pleased with it. Before I had ordered it I was worried about that handle being an issue for me partly because of the way it attaches to the drive shaft on the reel. It just threads on instead of being secured with a nut like some other reels, including the BPS Extreme I also have. I knew eventually I'd have to take it apart and clean and relube it and rather than wait until I had to I decided to see how the handle comes off. I know from experience with other reels that it just simply turns backwards to come off. The instructions say to tighten down the drag as much as possible before removing it. So I did that and then I removed the handle to see how it all works. And after I did that and was ready to put it back on again I found out that it's a cumbersome thing to try to do. First of all, you have to pull in on the drag star towards the reel's body, as per the instructions that come with it, and while doing that you have to thread the handle on. Well there's not physically enough room to hold the drag star with your fingers while turning the handle to thread it on. Then it can NEVER be threaded as tightly as the factory had it so any little bump of the handle backwards causes it to loosen up again and be ready to unthread itself right back off the reel. You physically cannot hold the spool tightly enough to be able to crank the handle on so it stays. I managed to get it on there fairly tight but in doing so the drag star was so tight that the drag wouldn't slip at all and that was due to the way the handle and drag star engage each other. They're designed to touch with a washer between them that slips so the drag star can turn without affecting the handle but I was unable to tighten the handle enough to stay on and not have the drag star incredibly too tight. When I loosen the drag up some then the handle was loose again also. It's just a very badly designed handle. So in my opinion the handle design is permanently FLAWED. I'll never buy another reel ever made this way again. I KNEW BETTER when I was looking at it in the catalog but decided to take a chance thinking that maybe I was being too picky. I've seen those handles before on Pinnacle reels when I worked at Wal-Mart and they also were known for stripping the threads and not being usable at all. I was worried about that too, and I might add that I've already seen some metal shavings on the reel from having the crank on and off a couple times trying to reassemble it again. This reel is getting returned to BPS as fast as I'm able to pack it back up again and I'll order something different. Maybe another Extreme like the one I have now, or I might just bite the bullet and get a Citica or something. All I know is I've never had problems from reels that have the hex nut holding the handle on and I've disassembled them dozens of times and put them back together again. What a joke this handle design is on the Rick Clunn reel. > > > > > > >

Well I might get horse whipped for this but I use Zebco gear grease and oil. It's available at my tackle shops here locally and also at Wal-Mart. I know there's a dozen kinds out there and the only one I've ever heard anything bad about is the Quantum Hot Sauce. It might be good in it's own right though. The main thing is NOT to mix them. Different greases and oils can have additives that break down the lubricating properties in them when they're mixed. That's not good. I just make sure my gears and bearings are clean and dry using a mild soap to clean them and then drying them off on a clean soft cloth. I even use a toothpick to clean out the teeth on the gears to make sure all the old grease and dirt is removed from the small places on it. I then apply a modest amount of grease to the gears and just one drop of oil on each bearing and my reels are buttery smooth as a result. Took me a long time to get to where I believed that was enough lube but I found out it's just fine and too much can have bad results.

I love this site. Someone has a problem and there's an outpouring of help from everyone trying to come to the rescue. What a great place.

Since you don't have anymore grease I'd try to be careful when cleaning it so you don't wipe off any grease from the main gear teeth, but remove all the drag washers from it and towel them off GOOD. Make sure you don't have any debris on the washers as you reassemble it, you don't want anything foreign in the works of the drag. Lint from a towel, or anything else. Keep the washers in order and put them back in the same order. I'm such a fanatic that I try to make sure the same sides of each washer are contacting each other as I put it back together again. That doesn't matter much but I just like knowing it's like the factory made it. It would be better if you had some grease you could just break it down and start over again. Clean it, relube it, make sure the washers are clean and dry, and not have any debris on anything as you reassemble it. Trying to keep that gear greased and also keeping it clean while you dry off the drag washers might be hard to do. You'll have to lay it down somewhere and it has grease all over it so it's gonna pick up dirt and lint and other stuff. See if you can remove the drag washers only if you can. Make sure the place where the drag washers go into the main gear is clean and dry also. Only grease on the gear teeth, no where else on it.

That's a good way to show it. () Wonder why I didn't think of that??

You talking about the two washers that look bent?? They go back together opposing each other so when you tighten the drag it creates a tension like a spring. Right??

Sounds like you may have gotten some oil on the drag washers when you relubed it. I'm not an expert so I'm not real sure of how you can fix this but I'd take it back apart and clean off each drag washer thoroughly and put it back together DRY (other than making sure the gears and bearings are greased and oiled that is). I have an old Quantum reel I recently took apart to lube up and I discovered that it had grease on the drag washers that I didn't know about before. That explained why the drag was so loose in it when I used it last so I cleaned it up as best I could and reassembled it. It feels a lot better but I haven't fished with it since.

WOW!!! Sounds like I might be dodging a bullet to return this. My dad got some and uses it and he doesn't seem to have any of these problems but he got the 6 lb. size for a spincast and spinning reel. I got the heavier line. He's had several snags that we couldn't hardly snap the line from, it just simply wouldn't break off. But other than that I haven't paid much attention to how his line is, memory and all. I haven't used the line yet. What other type would you suggest?? I'd like to get the fluorocarbon line though. I've heard that it sinks and is more sensitive with hardly no line stretch and that's what I'm wanting (I think).

It might be what I saw my brother in law doing. He gets a snag and then while pulling back against it with the rod (but not too hard, just somewhat tight lined is all) he also grasps the line just in front of the reel and pulls it to the side. Then he lets go of it (like shooting an arrow from a bow string) and at the same time he drops his rod tip to release the tension on the line and "sometimes" the lure will pop free of the snag. This works a lot better if the snag is out of water like say on a stump, log, or rock or something. If it's below the water surface it doesn't tend to work so well. So far I haven't been able to make it work for me at all but I've only tried it a couple times.

Care to elaborate please??

I got some Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon line tonight in the 12 lb. size. I had really wanted the Berkley Transitions fluorocarbon cause it has the gold color and would be easier to see but they didn't have it at the store (Wal-Mart :). Other than that though, is there any significant difference in these two lines?? I haven't use fluorocarbon before and I got some to try to get more sensitivity when I fish jigs and T-rigs. I went ahead and took what they had there cause it's for a new reel I ordered that should be here tomorrow and I want to fish with it this coming Saturday. I could have waited and got some at a tackle store but I don't think I'll have time between now and then.