Stasher1

Yes, you need to tear the little plastic strip.

My local Wal-Marts put their fishing stuff on clearance over a month ago so what's left right now is picked over. I stocked up on Sufix Elite line for $4 a spool, Spot Removers for $3.50, Kinami Flash for $3 pack, and a Team Daiwa V rod for $30.

None of my reels and only one of my rods were over $100. Shimano Symetre 2500 ($80) on a 6'6" M Shim. Crucial ($130) Daiwa Capricorn XTC baitcaster ($80) on a 6'6" MH BPS Extreme ($59) Daiwa MegaForce baitcaster ($60) on a 7' MH BPS Extreme ($59) Nothing flashy or high-end, but all decent functional gear.

I live about 15 miles from the Atlanta BPS, but I only make the trip if the item(s) I'm looking for are at least $30. Any less than that and it's cheaper to pay for shipping than waste two gallons of gas at almost $3.50 a gallon.

I was bank fishing at a local lake and caught a plastic worm on a DT6. It was all swollen and discolored. I snapped a pic with my phone, but it didn't come out very well.

Make sure you pick up a flier at the door and look it over. Some of the sale items aren't marked. I was at the Atlanta store today and picked up two BPS Extreme rods for $59 each (normally $99 ea.) and a spool of XPS Flourocarbon (17#) for $10.71 (normally $15.99) There were bins of sale items all over the place and LOTS of people just wandering about in a daze. : A little irritating, but well worth it for the bargains.

I picked up a Shimano Symetre 2500 ($80) and a 6'6" Shimano Crucial rod ($130) right after Xmas and absolutely love it. The pair balances well, the reel is super smooth and the rod has excellent sensitivity and a lifetime warranty. It would also leave you enough money for a spool or two of decent line.

That's the one. Thanks!

There's a video on YouTube of Alton Jones rigging a Yum CrawBug, but this site won't allow me to post the link. : I'm sure it'll come up if you search YouTube for Alton Jones.

I don't think anybody is implying that the $30 BPS reel will last as long as a Curado, but with proper maintenance there's no reason why it shouldn't last at least a couple years. If you do have a problem with it, BPS is usually pretty good about offering a replacement or credit towards something else. For $30 shipped, I'm willing to take a chance. If I don't like it, I'll drive the 15 miles to the Atlanta store and swap it for something else.

Thanks for the link. I ordered one just to have as a loaner. Who knows, it might actually be a decent reel.

Shimano Symetre 2500 spooled with 8lb Sufix Elite on a 6'6" Med/Fast Shimano Crucial.

I've never handled an Extreme, but I have handled the Echelon, Code, and the new KVD that was mentioned earlier and none of them impressed me. The Code felt cheap and neither the Echelon nor the KVD felt as smooth as I expected. The KVD had a noticeable "hum" to the gears which could be felt while reeling. It might go away after a while, but then again...it might not. I bought a MegaForce a couple weeks ago and while I haven't had an opportunity to try it out at the lake yet, it casts well and retrieves smoothly in the backyard. If it's going to be your only baitcaster, I'd pass on it, though. I feel the 7.1:1 ratio is a bit too fast for some things. I've never handled the newer Procaster, but my primary baitcaster is a Daiwa Capricorn XTC which is an aluminum-framed, 9 bearing, drilled-spool version of the older Procaster 6+1. It does everything well for me and the price is right in line with the other reels you mentioned.

If you palm the reel with your left hand you can hit the twitching bar with your left thumb while you crank with your right hand. I bought a MegaForce a couple weeks ago and spooled it with Bass Pro's XPS Flourocarbon in 17#. I haven't had a chance to try it out in the water yet, but it's pretty smooth out in the backyard.