Mike-in-WV

Lol, You guys who make ignorant statements that the Mitchell 300 is junk have absolutely no idea what your talking about. They were better built than most spinning reels today and they landed many fish for me and thousands of other people and most are still working today. They are super smooth and a drag that works like it's supposed to. An original still in the box is selling for $300.-$500. .The used ones are not cheap either if they are in good shape. I'll take a Mitchell any day and still use one of mine!

Had to go to town today to pick some things up for my wife. There are always people parked along the Elk river selling yard sale junk and I seen two rods and reels leaned against this old guys truck. Decided I would take a look after I hit the store....to late , they were gone. I asked the old guy what they were and he said they were both just old Mitchel 300 reels and he wasn't sure about the rods. He said the reels worked perfect and he sold them for $10.00 each!!

Thats why it's nice to have an extra spool ready to go or at least take a new spool of line with you. You are not the first to do something like that and don't ask me how I know :-[ Mike

First off I agree with the Max series suggestion. I bought the Silver Max a while back and have beat the hell out of it , dropped it several times and caught some real nice Bass with it and it still runs as smooth as silk. You can find them on Ebay as suggested also. One of if not the best, reel I have ever owned is the Abu Garcia Revo "S" and you can find them on Ebay as well. Mike

Good question and we all ...or I should say most of us know just what your asking. If you did latch on to one of the really big Bass or whatever and he headed for deep water or for the middle of the lake it's nice to know you have enough line to play him if needed. A friend of mine was fishing one of our lakes for small mouth and a Musky grabbed his Frog and the game was on!,Lol. He did land that Musky and it was 39" long . Don't know the weight but he fought that fish for 20 minutes and it just about striped his reel. I like around a 100 yards of good stuff, Mike

;D

When you see pros with all there fancy fishing goody's you have to keep in mind that it never cost them a cent in most cases. A guy who has 12-15 of the best rods and reels laying next to him on the boat is compliments of sponsors . That big fancy bass boat with all the ads on it are sponsors paying him for that service of showing the ads every time a camera is on him . Ever notice there cloths? Looks worse than a Nascar driver,Lol. There is no need for all those rods but because people see the pros with them they are "Want a be pros" they run out and spend there kids college tuition on rods and reels thinking they need a different one for every lure in there tackle box. When they pay $300.00 for a rod they are buying the name and not the quality in most cases. Unless you plan on being a pro then stay with the proven and true Ugly stick or Cabela rods. They will catch and land any fish that the pros catch and land and do it a whole lot cheaper.

The more I use this Big Game green the more I love it. Got one reel set up with #12 test and the other with #15 test. This stuff is limp and soft and tough as nails. Got snagged on a log at Sutton Lake, WV with the #15 test and my Revo S the other day and ended up pulling up the log and bending the hook on a Jig and never fazed the line. The more I use it the nicer it becomes. No slinky stuff with this line.

The Silver Max is way under rated by some on here. I have had mine for a couple months now and have used the heck out of it with no problems at all. It will cast as well as my Revo S and the gears inside are about the same. Very smooth casting and reeling. Very good reel so far and it's tough as nails, Mike

Cabelas Eagle 11 is a really good rod. They were on sale in there bargain cave for $39.99 down from $80.00. I bought a really great two piece a few weeks ago and love it! They have a bunch of sizes and choices to choose from too. Came with a nice solid case too. Mike

Don't underestimate the Silver max, It's a really smooth reel and I can cast as far with it as I can my Revo S. The gears in them are great and it's well made. They just used a plastic body but this stuff is much tougher than you think. Also remember that the Revo S has a plastic side cover over the brakes. It sure doesn't hurt it any, Mike

There are so many great reels on the market today I refuse to specify just one The Revo S or and any of the Revo line of reels or the Silver Max are just a couple. You will have a hard time deciding on opinions alone on this site. Way to many of them! Mike

It sounds like you have the fine tunning down to an art. This is what the new casting reels are all about and I have been preaching this method for awhile now. Some people still insist on using there thumb to control the reel spool and that's fine. To each his own . Congrats on your set up. Here is a copy from what I have said before but it looks like you have it covers perfectly! Mike Here is what works best for me and others I have talked to who own the Revo S. Set the brakes with two on across from each other and you will probably not have to change it again. Next set the free spool so that the lure will fall easily about 14" at a time with a gentle shake of the rod tip, not all the way to the ground! You set that with your spool tension knob. When you cast let the bait hang down about 6" from the rod tip. Make your cast as usual but do not feather the reel spool with your thumb. Use the thumb only to hold the spool while making the cast, Let it go free spool. After a couple cast watch the spool as it's casting and see if the string looks like it's trying to raise off the spool or "birds nest" then tighten the tension knob just a "hair" and try it again. You wont believe how beautiful and how far you can cast that way with no back lashes at all. The only setting you will have to check and maybe change is the tension knob depending on what lure you are using. With this setup I can cast a lure weighing less than 1/2 oz about 45 yards + - . Hope this helps, Mike

Here is another article to consider from the "Wikipedia Encyclopedia": Bait casting reel: Bait casting reels are reels in which line is stored on a bearing supported revolving spool. The bait casting reel is mounted above the rod, hence its other name, the overhead reel. The bait casting reel dates from at least the mid-1600s, but came into wide use by amateur anglers during the 1870s. Early bait casting reels were often constructed with brass or iron gears, with casings and spools made of brass, German silver, or hard rubber. Early reels were often operated by inverting the reel and using back winding to retrieve line. For this reason, the reel crank handle was positioned on the right side of the reel.[2] As a result, the right-hand crank position for bait casting reels has become customary over the years, though models with left-hand retrieve are now gaining in popularity. Personally I like the right handed reel and hold (palming) the reel and rod in my left hand. Never had a problem setting the hook or landing large fish. One thing I fail to understand is why some of you feel it takes forever to change hands and that you can miss a hit because of it. By the time that lure hits the water I am already palming that reel and ready to set the hook and retrieve. Casting with both hands makes that very fast and natural , just slide my left hand up around the reel. My rod never leaves either hand except to place my right hand on the handle and ready to reel in. I really feel that I have good control and feel with the rod and reel in my left hand . That's just me! Mike

One thing I would like to ad here is that with the S you wont need your thumb to control the cast if you have it fine tuned. Here is what works best for me and others I have talked to who own the Revo S. Set the brakes with two on across from each other and you will probably not have to change it again. Next set the free spool so that the lure will fall easily about 14" at a time with a gentle shake of the rod tip, not all the way to the ground! You set that with your spool tension knob. When you cast let the bait hang down about 6" from the rod tip. Make your cast as usual but do not feather the reel spool with your thumb. Use the thumb only to hold the spool while making the cast, Let it go free spool. After a couple cast watch the spool as it's casting and see if the string looks like it's trying to raise off the spool or "birds nest" then tighten the tension knob just a "hair" and try it again. You wont believe how beautiful and how far you can cast that way with no back lashes at all. The only setting you will have to check and maybe change is the tension knob depending on what lure you are using. With this setup I can cast a lure weighing less than 1/2 oz about 45 yards + - . Hope this helps, Mike