J Francho

Similar, in that they're both roto molded. Orca's are made here in the US.

Nice fish!

I have a few of the Jr's, and it hasn't been an issue.

Senkos during the spawn. Your pattern should be protected flats, near deep water, with cover, such as blowdowns, stumps, docks, etc. If there is hard bottom, that will be preferred.

The early ones I saw without grease (Curado Gs) had a a ton of debris from the drag washer inside the main gear and metal, keyed washer. After cleaning and grease, I get about 9 lbs. max drag - plenty for bass, snook, redfish, even schoolie stipers. So, either they changed their manu process, or someone snuck in there, and added grease, lol. BTW, water is the kiss of death to the Dartanium washers, one of the main reasons I recommend an upgrade to Carbontex. Water makes the stock washers swell, and weaken, and can cause slipping and/or binding issues. Worst case, I've seen a few cracks, and torn up Dartanium washers, presumably from over tightening the drag star to overcome the slipping issue. Light grease mitigates the issue. Upgrading to Carbontex (dry or greased) eliminates the issue.

Scratch both Saint Croixs from your list, if plan to throw a 10+ oz. bait.

I'm constantly switching between props on my big motor, so I guess I check it every week or so.

Take a look at Orca, better than any Yeti: http://orcacoolers.com/

Put it on whatever rod you like. I have three Alphas/Sols, and they're well suited to many applications - spinnerbait, cranks, finesse, topwater, slash baits....

This is the same advice Steve Faddis gave me when I asked him directly, several years ago. He also recommended spritzing the filler spool, and letting it dry before ever filling the reel. I've noticed a big difference between older untreated and treated filler spools. The only time I use a cloth on my line is after fishing during an algae bloom. I rinse the line in gentle tap water, run out a casts worth, and reel it in through a damp rag. Then I treat with L&L as usual.

There's no issue with greasing a Dartanium Drag washer. They come greased with Shimano Star Grease from the factory. No grease, and they chatter. Not good for fighting big fish. They last longer too, otherwise they wear out. All it takes is a vapor thin coat of Star Drag Grease or Cal's Drag Grease.

The Stradic, EXO, and Ballistic will be lighter than your Supreme. "Smoothness" is often subjective. Shimanos use a fast gear ratio for increased line pickup, where as Daiwa and some others use a larger spool, so the feel can be different. Any of those listed would be good choices. I have three CI4s, and love them.

Gamma makes good line, though I haven't used that particular one.

Even my little H'bird on my kayak has one.

As was mentioned, he DID NOT follow the instructions. A couple of spritz on the spool of line after every trip will yield BETTER results.

I don't think you need too much sophistication in a frog reel - metal frame, strong, fast gears, solid drag. A Citica with a Smooth Drags Carbontex upgrade would be a great frog reel. take it back, get a replacement, and think about running a dry Carbontex setup. It's a very inexpensive upgrade, around $8.

Real bass fishing statisticians use standard deviation, not variance.

To much drag grease will just get squeezed out when you put pressure on the drag washers. Drag washers contaminated with oil, or the wrong greas, and even dirt and water is another story.

Trouble? Haw hard is it to put two spritz on your spool at the end of the day? Takes more time to slip your bait in the hook holder, lol.

No bananas.

Metal shavings? Spring washer installed incorrectly? I doubt it's that. I'll bet the threads on either the four sided drag tension nut, or the crankshaft itself are stripped. This is a lefty reel after all, and I've seen many a rookie strip the reverse threads.

Tournament fishing is more about guessing right, than luck. Those guesses might be more educated than most, though.

Pretty much any MH/F or MH/XF in 6-8 to 7-4 will do in that price range. There's aren't too many duds above $150.

My buddy Noel (wnybassman) swears by the stuff. He holds some club records, and has quite a few smallies over 6 under his belt. I've fished Erie with him, and every time he set the hook, I cringed. But he sticks it to them, and hard, sometimes double setting the hook. I can't say I've had the same experience with the line, and won't use it. One thing I know he does different than most is he uses an improved cinch knot.

A KVD 1.5 dives from 3-6' and weighs 3/8 oz.. With 15# diameter line, I'd wager it runs on the shallower end of that range. Four or five turns of the handle, and it will be at depth. 30 yards, or 90' isn't the best cast one can make, but it's certainly sufficient. I'd say you'd max out at 40-50 yards with a bait like that. A 90' cast is plenty to get the bait to tracking depth, figuring that 70' of that cast will be productive. that's 10' to get it down, and 10' back up to the boat, and that's being generous for a shallow crank.