Mike-in-WV

There has been some good things said about Trilene Maxx and the next time I go to Walmart I'll pick some up to try it, Mike

It seems to me it 's just a matter of preference and confidence in what we like. If it has all the qualitys we are looking for then it's good enough. I like the Cajun Red Cast for just about anything I through and never had a problem with it. No problem feeling bumps or hits either. Maybe I'm just used to the stuff . Anyway , If you never tried it just try a bit of the #12 Cast and you may love it, Mike

It would be great to see any of you wrap your fingers around this screw and tighten or loosen it. Mike

Played with it for a good while with different weight and type lures and my Cajun Red Cast beat it all to hell in every way. Don't get me wrong here, it may be a great line for some people and I'm sure it is, it's just not for me or my way of casting but that's only my opinion and I'm not an expert at all. Mike

Decided to try some #12 trilene XL this morning and I'm not impressed at all. I don't like the feel or the way it cast from my Revo S. After reading some good things about it I was expecting something great from this line. I went right back to my Cajun Red Cast. I know some of you on here don't like the Cajun Red Cast but I just can't find anything wrong with it. It cast beautifully , Strong, holds up well against abrasion, very low memory, easy to tie knots and doesn't cost you your first born child to buy it. If you get into the #17 stuff or higher it does get stiff but at #12- 14 it's really more than most could ask for in a bait casting line. Guess I'll just stick to what works so good for me and my reels and my Plastics as well as Spinners and Buzz baits., Mike

I know where the screw is at I've had it out many times you guys,Lol. Thats not the problem. The problem is that I have really large hands and thick fingers so it's easier for me to start it out with a screw driver and to snug it down with one. No problem. They didn't put a screw driver slot in it for fun, it's there to be used when needed and it's easier for me, thats all. Mike

You guys must have much smaller hands than mine. I can't begin to get my big fingers on that little bitty knob. Using a screw driver to loosen or snugging down that screw should not hurt a thing unless you get carried away with the screw driver. No need to torque it !.These reels are better built then that...I hope , Mike

Thanks for the info reelmechanic, I like to keep a clean and smooth running reel because thats the way I was taught by my Dad back in the late 50's and 60's as a kid.We didn't have allot of money so a new rod and reel was a precious thing and you took good care of it. Old habits die hard . Mike

Maybe they are telling us not to take it apart when it comes time for grease. They want us to send it to reelmechanic for that stuff! ;D If I had to do that every time I took it apart after a day of fishing in sand and rain I would be broke and the reelmechanic would be cruising the lakes in a new Bass boat. I just find it kind of odd that they show or tell you what to GREASE and oil on the reel but they only send the oil. That could be confusing to a newcomer. Thanks for the replies, Mike

Abu Garcia shows that you should grease certain areas and oil others and we all know that the gears need a little grease. My new Revo S came with a small bottle of oil but no grease. When I took it apart the first time to do some tuning I noticed that the grease was next to none existent so I used a tiny bit of grease on the gears anyway.Oiled the bearings and the inside of the pinion gear and a dab of oil on each end of the axle and so on. WHERE"S THE GREASE ?!! :-/ Mike

ReDnEck, Your right, as a thumb screw thats the way it should be but it's not. It has a screw driver slot in it for a reason. It is way to small for me to loosen or tighten with my fingers. When I got mine it was way to tight to unscrew without a driver.If you notice I did say to just snug it up on an earlier thread and not to over tighten. But you are right to warn about not over tightening Mike

daviscw,There are others on here who can answer better than I but I will tell you what I found out about this reel. My thoughts were the same as you mentioned about the brakes because the two other Abu Garcia reels I own are magnetic brakes with the external adjustment. Once you have the brakes adjusted so they work right for you with a certain weight then you are pretty well set and most other adjustments can be made with the spool tension knob. If you are fishing on a windy day then you may want to change the brake a Little but it's really not that hard to do Just don't do your adjusting over the side of a boat or while your standing in or close to the water or you may lose your side plate if you drop it. I keep a large set of nail clippers around my neck and they have a screw driver blade on them that works perfect to loosen the screw. You have to remember that these reels are easy to setup and they cast really super smooth , I haven't had one back lash in quite awhile. Practice in the back yard with different weight lures and see how it goes for you. Adjust it just right for you and you will be a happy man! ;D, Mike

You can go with more on if you want but I don't think you will need it. That depends on what your going to be casting and how windy it is but don't forget you can do allot of adjusting with the spool tension knob. They are really smooth and easy to cast. I really don't even need to use my thumb unless I'm making close cast and want to control where it drops. Mike

Micro is right but if you want to go cheaper for some reason then go to the Dollar store and buy a quart of Mineral oil for less than a dollar and your all set. You will need some kind of a small bottle to put it in or or an eye dropper. Mike

I like to use rubbing Alcohol first to get rid of the grease and oil from my hands and then dish soap with warm water and one of the pot scrubbing sponges my wife uses for dishes. Then rinse with clear water and dry. Look like new! Mike

If you don't mind please let me give you some small tips or advice. These reels come with some really worthless instructions and several guys have messed up there reels or had problems opening the brake side. If you look on the right side (reel handle side) you will see a stainless steel thumb screw right on the top front edge. Loosen that screw until it pops out. It will not fly across the room but it is spring loaded and will pop out about 1/4" when totally loose. Now grab the side plate on the left side of the reel and turn it ( Clock wise or up) so that the front is raised up in the air . Now you can remove it and adjust your brakes. Turn on two of them and do it across from each other. Then replace the side plate the same way it came off and tighten down the screw but don't over tighten, just snug is fine. Now with your lure or practice plug on adjust your spool tension knob so that when you push down the casting button it only falls about 10" when you shake the rod tip a little. This is just a starting point for this reel and we all cast different so we may need different settings. With this adjustment I can cast a country mile with a casting plug that weighs 0.45 oz. It really seems to love the 1/2 oz. plugs and spinners. Hope this helps, Mike

Yep, it sure is and some people place it above much more expensive reels. Mike

It would help if you tightened up on the spool tension so that the lure will only drop about 10" very slowly if you shake the rod tip a little. Then tighten up on the brakes a little too. You won't cast as far but once it becomes smooth then you can slowly loosen things up again. Some new lines just take a little braking in, Mike

What weight Maxx are you using for Bass and are you saying it has bad memory or less memory? Why switch to Sensation for plastics ? Nice fish in your photos! We have some nice Bass, Wally and Musky around here too but you wont find any monsters on my wall :) Mike

The Trilen XL is one I haven't tried yet and now it's on my list. I sure wish someone would come up with a mono type line that would stay limp with no memory in #15-#17 range with low abrasion and really good strength and was truly invisible in the water. Maybe some day! Thanks for your input , Mike

You are a hard man to please when it comes to fishing line. Seems like every time someone mentions a line they like you have something negitive to say about it no matter how many people love it. You seem to know what your talking about so tell us what line you feel is the best for bait casting reels. Mike

With the new Revo S I just bought there was no grease in the box, just oil. Did some checking and if you want your reel to cast a little further then clean off all the grease and just use oil. Make sure you place a small drop inside the pinion gear too as well as all the bearings and gears. It doesn't take much to keep a real running smooth. I did this with my other Abu Garcia reels and they cast and run so smooth it's unreal. Very little grease in them to begin with. I'm not saying this is a good idea for all reels so checking with the manufacture or reelmechanic first is a good idea. , Mike

Just got mine and I love it! Feels great and cast great. It also comes with a really nice tube case for storage or travel. These rods are well known and last forever. They have a two year guarantee and they also have a 60 day trial period. Try it for 60 days and if you don't like it send it back and get your money back. The last one I bought was a Eagle2 Fly rod and I have put it through hell over the years and it has held up perfectly. They are as well made and some of the really high dollar rods I have seen and they are better looking then most I paired this one up with my Revo S , Mike

If you are really into fishing then YES custom rods are well worth there price and sometimes more depending on who you have build it for you. From what I have heard our own reelmechanic makes top quality rods that are a thing of beauty! I can't afford one right now but one of these days. Had a custom rod made years ago and gave it to one of my son's. Here is a link to the reelmechanic's web site and you can ask him any questions you may have, Mike http://www.rod-crafting.com/main.html#navigate

Again , I can take you to several different sites where guys rave about this line and love it! Have no problems at all with and swear by it. I have had none of the problems you all speak of about this line and in fact it has been great in every way. If it's as bad as you claim then why is that none of your problems exist for me or many others? As I said you can go to other sites and read nothing but praise for this Cajun Red. Two of my friends use it and love it also. Sure is strange, :-? Mike