Saladmander

Sort of. I have this two handed backhand cast that works for me.

Where did you hear that? :

Same here. A few years ago I got some outstanding deals on quite a few Avids.

Thanks for all the input. I may just go with a C3, 5600 series. I have a feeling that I will appreciate the lower gear ratio of the C3 more so than the additional bearings in the C4. Do you think that the C4 is that much smoother than the C3?

I've been looking to get a swimbait setup and was wondering about these Abu reels. Which of these three would be the best reel to get for a swimbait rod? The rod I'm thinking about will more than likely be the LTB 7'9" Heavy. I'm leaning toward the D6 because it's lighter than the other two when comparing the same size reel. I'm just not sure if I'll regret not having the lower gear ratio of the C3. I know a little about the C3 and C4 but know nothing about the D6. What do you guys think? Any input will be much appreciated. One more thing... what size would be better, the 5600 or 6600? I'm not dead set on these three reels either if anyone would like to make some better suggestions that will accomodate the line size and capacity that'd be good for a swimbait setup. Oh, and the swimbaits I have are in the range of 4-8". Weights vary from 3/4 oz. to somewhere around 3 oz. I believe.

I've noticed the same thing. I own both the BPS and Mojo in a 7'H and posted in another thread that the BPS Extreme rod balances much better than the Mojo. The Mojo is only a little over a 1/2 oz. lighter than BPS rod. Anyone who says that the BPS is soooooo heavy and then recommends a Mojo rod is just rattlin' off what they read. You'd never guess that the Mojo is lighter by handling both rods. I think someone would notice overall balance more so than they would a relatively small difference in weight. And IMO, the fact that the BPS rod balances that much better means more with most techniques than the negligible difference in sensitivity of the blank at that price point. Plus, the Extreme is a cheaper rod which I think makes it a better value. I like the for rods under $100.

From what I've noticed looking around, that seems like a fair deal. I don't know that I would call it a great deal. Then again, the actual condition of the reel matters most. Are you partial to that particular reel? I've seen some places where you can get a citica D for around the same price, new. Or, as mentioned, spend the extra money on a Citica E. I am personally a fan of the D series.

Welcome!! I can't wait until my fishing partner is old enough. We're enjoying the moments we can now, though, while she's still a peanut.

WMass guy here... from Holyoke. I like trout fishing in the early spring from time to time, I'll head down the CT river for some shad and stipers when they're running, I fish the river for smallies, but my favorite places are in the southwestern corner of the state from around the Otis area west to the NY border for smallies and largemouth. There's a handful of local places that I like when I don't really feel like driving or if I don't have a long time to spend fishing. I generally like fishing places out of the way, nice scenery, not congested. We take some vacation time in the summer and spend it in Maine around Sebago and do some fishing up there. The smallie fishing is outstanding.

Great pictures too!! 8-)

CT river has some quality smallies. Cheshire Reservoir is good. Quabbin is outstanding. There's a lot of smaller places with some big ones too out here in WMass.

That sounds promising. I also ordered a few bulk spools from BPS to give it a shot. I figured for the price, why not. I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Not sure on the Fish Eagle II rods, but I thought I remember them to be a 5 year warranty but don't know that for sure. I know that the XML rods are 25 years. I like the way the Cabela's rods fish better than the BPS rods. The Fish Eagle II rods are a great rod for the money if you can get them on sale or part of a combo with a nice reel. The workmanship on the Cabelas rods is a little nicer and more consistent. Some of the BPS rods that I've had and/or seen are pretty sloppy in the way they were put together (blanks that weren't very straight, sloppy epoxy work, butt caps not lined up right or not attached very well, etc.) You know, I don't know for sure if Cabelas has any big players on their pro staff, but I don't think that has any bearing on this decision. I'm sure product endorsement and sponsorship goes way beyond the simplicity of who makes a better product.

I think the 2500 is the perfect size for that rod.

I believe that it's 5 years. I haven't had a chance to fish it yet because the water's still pretty hard up here, so can't comment on sensitivity. I'm a little unhappy with how unbalanced the rod is though. It's really tip heavy. Oh, by the way, I have the 7'H not the MH.

I use this stuff. It's powder coating that you dip the heated sinker into. Then you bake them in an oven. I just use an old toaster oven. It takes a few tries to get the process down consistently, but when you get it right, the powder coating is pretty good against the rocks. It comes in some good colors too. http://www.cabelas.com/spodw-1/0001641.shtml

Good thinkin'. I need to start buying her a new rod every week. She might catch on, though.

Actually, it's slightly more dense than water but has roughly the same light defraction characteristics which allows it to become invisible.

I can relate to that. I have a hard time getting rid of them; even the ones that don't get a lot of play time. It's like I just want to try them all out, and then keep them "in case I want to use them someday."

Why's that? I've been using it on my braid. Should I not be?

Funny thing is, I handled the rod at Cabelas (or was it BPS??) when I first saw it, and paired it up with a Curado. I know that the rod didn't feel as light as most of my other setups, but I loved the way it looked and figured for 90bucks, why not. It wasn't until I got one home that I realized the Exteme rod actually felt lighter with the same reel on it. Sensitivity wise, haven't had a chance to fish it, so hopefully someone's fished one and can offer some thoughts on that.

I always thought that light line/lure applications were better on a spinning reel not necessarily for casting reasons but for the use of the drag. It seems to me that the drag on a spinning reel is more consistent and smoother than that on a bc reel.

X2!! Looks like that old school seventies wood paneling. Like the stuff my great uncle finished his cellar in.

So, I ended up getting one of the new Mojo rods, 7'H casting rod I think they call the slop n' frog rod. I love the way it looks. The color and finish are great. I know it uses the same blank composite as the Premier rods. I only have one Premier rod, a 7'ml that I use for trout fishing. But, were the Premier 7'H casting rods this heavy? I know the split grip design tends to make a rod a little more tip heavy feeling, but I swear my BPS 7'H Extreme rod is lighter, or at least better balanced. I know a few of you have gotten some of these rods. Anyone get this model? Anyone have a chance to fish it yet? Any other thoughts?

I tried using acetone some time ago, but I was worried that I never really got all of it out of the shielded bearings before applying the oil. How long should I let the bearing dry before I oil them?