islandbass

J, That is a great pic and confirmation that kids are more than capable when they are ready. 8-) This is my "leash" system: The components: Shoe lace, a velcro rod rap, and a small caribeaner. Attach one end of the lace to the reel foot of the reel after the reel is on the rod. Attach the other end of the lace to the caribeaner and then the caribeaner to the rod rap. There should be a small loop on the rod rap for this. The purpose of the caribeaner is to allow quick removal of the leash without having to undo the rod rap from the wrist. It is a convenience item. The leash needs to be attached to the casting arm. It does NOT interfere with casting or fishing if the lace is long enough. Here it is in action with my daughter: Yep, here she is with an 8'6" rod and a casting reel jigging for salmon or whatever is willling to bite. Just like dad, she prefers LH reels but a friend was using the other reel. I would love to fine tune it if such a thing were marketable. 8-)

89, That is awesome. Just encourage her and don't force her. She'll definitely let you know when she is ready. Just one word of warning... She might not give it back to you. ;D The only thing you need to tell her is that her thumb needs to stop the spool from spinning before the lure or weight hits anything. The kids are bright enough to figure out the rest. 8-) I'll show you how to make a leash to prevent them from accidentally dropping the rig into the drink.

I think you made a good choice. However, I think she is ready for a bc reel in addition to that rig you plan to get. I realize it could be the bait monkey talking. If you're local shops carry the Daiwa strike force rods, look into them. They cost about $13.00 and they are surprisingly sensitive for their price and come in a varity of lengths in both rod types. This is what I got my daughter for her second casting rod. On an experiment, I handed my greenie curado to my daughter when she was 6.5 and taught her the basics with one thought. No matter what happens, stop the spool from spinning BEFORE (highyly emphasized ;D) the lure hits anything, be it the ground, etc. It worked. Her first 8 out of 10 casts were without overrun. She will be 9 this month. Also, the first thing she said after the first cast was, "Papi. This reel is so much better and easier to use than the other (i.e., spinning reel) kind." All I can say is that is my little girl! 8-) It also meant that she claimed the Curado BSF as her own :'( but it gave me an excuse to have to buy a new reel. ;D

It should not matter how other people fish. You should never ever let that bother you or give you second thoughts. What should matter is what will feel comfortable to you. Chances are, if it isn't too ingrained in you yet, if you are right hand dominant, you just might find reels with LH handles more comfortable but even that isn't certain. But if you have to know, I cast right, retrieve left is my primary preference but I can comfortably fish either way.

You make good points and I don't doubt you at all. However, on the Curado's side comes longevity, service, and parts for a very long time. Let's say perhaps 5-7 years down the road, Shimano will still have spare parts for even the Curado BSF. Perhaps that can also said about BPS reels, as I don't know for certain. It might very well behoove you to find out and let us know too, how much support there will be from BPS years down the road since they're reels change every so often. To the subject, given the two, I think it is a toss up. I would go with the advice of investing a little more $$ for a reel in the $100 range. When it comes to baitcasters, the adage, "You get what you pay for," has some truth to it. I'll pick the Max since that is my son's name. 8-)

I agree with you 100% but I have never been too vocal about it. It is a weird mentality that some folks have when it comes to fishing rods and other things like bicycle and I don't understand it either. If someone breaks their rod and it is their fault, they take it back to wherever and demand a new one? That is ridiculous. The strange thing is that some shops do replace them as we have all read stories about, "I broke my BPS rod, took it back and they gave me a new one..." That is incredibly nice of BPS or Store X to do that, but somewhere down the road either they're eating up some cost and pass it onto the consumer some other way, or they charge enough on the rods initially to cover the replacement. Now if the rod breaks from a defect that is a different story. I sure wish if I ever crash my vehicle that I can take it to the dealer and demand that they replace it for a new one. ;D

Mono means one or singular. Filament can be a strand or wire. Therefore monofilament means single or one strand. In terms of fishing line this means that the line is composed of a single monomer. Co-polymer. Co indicates or means two. Sometimes the joining of two things. For example co-worker - two workers working together. Co - uple - like a married couple. Or Co-operation. Polymer is the term to describe the joining of two or more monomers. If you remember from your algebra class, poly means many, as in polynomial or even polygamy (many wives). Therefore, you can gather from the term co-polymer that it is or should be the joining of two or more monomers. In the case of a typical copolymer line, you might see a monofilament, usually nylon, coated with say fluorocarbon. The joining of these two items is what allows it to be classified as a co-polymer. Now if you made a line from a single element that is not nylon, it could still be called a monofilament. It just wouldn't be made of nylon. If you for example combined three different types of nylon, that too could be called a copolymer because two or more elements were combined. Heck, you could even call it a tri-filament (tri, meaning three).

So this is why I see alot of people using mono with a fluoro leader? Or braid with a fluoro leader. It is more economical and puts fc where it is more important, at the end. Put on an extra long leader and you won't have to retie as often.

It is a bit of love/hate for me with hook keepers. I love em when because the give me a place to keep the lure on without having to retie as I move from one place to another. I hate them because every once in a while I see the hook point(s) come so close to scratching the rod. I think this is why some of those high end import rods don't come with them to eliminate the potential for scratches. On my rods that do not have a keeper, I put a little something on the rods butt to poke the hook into or use a loop of think line. The lure gets held securely still and there is also no chance of the hook scratching the blank. The downside of the loop is that is doesn't look pretty. ;D

x 1000. HP, If you are fishing rocks, that is just the nature of the beast. I fish rip rap 90% of the time I drop shot and I can lose as many as 10 weights in less than an hour. I have an alternative method to use when I run out, but it requires a pair of pliers steelhead and salmon anglers use to cut pencil lead, flatten one side, and pop a hole through the flat side. These pliers range in price from as low as $8 on up to over $15. I pop the hole very close to the edge. If I get snagged, a hard enough pull will make the line cut through the lead and break free. A coil of pencil lead only costs about $3 and you can make a million of these. It is far cheaper, but I still prefer tear drop shape first, then cylindrical. As a alternative, you can also tie a snap swivel to the end of the line and attach the pencil lead. Doing it this way can eliminate the need to retie after a break off. That's my contribution to making DSn' a bit cheaper for folks.

That is why I mentioned whent the reel is used in the "conventional" way. :-* Watching someone retrieve upside down or backward is unsightly and amusing to say the least.

Well, I think you already have the best mono that IMHO seems to resist memory better than any other out there and I have used many monos, including XL. Now I use XL on my UL set up and it is one of the best out there when abrasion isn't a factor. But since your goal is to find the one that has minimal memory, I think you can save your hard earned $$$ because you already have the best at doing what you want. Sufix Siege rocks!

Your first notion is correct. It also makes sense. A right-handed reel is labeled as such by reel manufacturers because the angler will use his or her right hand to turn the handle. Regardless of the angler's hand dominance, his or her right hand will always turn the handle of a right-handed reel when the reel is used in the conventional way (i.e., not holding it upside down ;D)> You are not alone. I definitely prefer LH over RH reels but can use both now.

Use heavier crankbaits or ones that are more aerodynamic. I can tell you that crankbaits, even if they weigh the same, won't cast the same. The Rapala DT6 is an example of a crankbait that casts excellently, better than most. If you are getting about 75-80', you are actually doing alright. A line with a thinner diameter could also contribute a bit to casting distance and ensuring that the lure's weight falls within the specs of the rod. lastly, technique (mechanics of the cast) play a role. Learning to load the rod properly ensures optimum and maximized casts when desired. I too have a trion. At least in my hands, it does not fair well with lures at 1/4 or less without some serious fine tuning. I love the reel, but when it comes down to that weight, my trion can't hold a candle to any of my shimanos.

Wipe them down if I have to, and back the drag off all the way. That's it. 8-) Off season doesn't exist for me. ;D

That is awesome, but be forewarned. Luremaking can be as addicting as fishing. Check out this site in addition to seeking wisdom here. www.tackleunderground.com

Totally agreed. I'll be the first to admit to say that I'm an average fisherman might be a stretch. However, one thing I can do is pitch. I learned how to do it well very quickly. You have to let the rod do all the work. It became very easy for me once I read somewhere that you need less line out for distance. It seems that if you start with more you should pitch farther, but thats not how it works. The more line out the harder it is to get the rod to load. The article I read to said to never have line out past your reel. I usually try to have enough line out to stop 12-18" short of my reel. I hope the tip help you as much as it did me. That is absolutely spot on and I too have noticed that. I have also noticed a difference in pitching depending on where you are holding the lure before the cast. At least for me, the closer my hand that is holding the lure is to waist height, the easier and farther the pitch. If it held and stomach height or higher, it isn't as good.

I use them and they are among my favorite to you. They have the best castiblity on any crankbait I have ever tossed less than $10.00. I can't recommend colors because I don't know your waters so choosing according to the forage would be a good start. One last thing. I don't buy into their hype however of that scorpion type EWG hook they have on certain models. I prefer traditional trebles. If anything those EWG scorpion type hooks are good and grabbing things like grass. If those are the only types in your area to buy, you can always switch them out.

It really depends on the reel if all other things are equal. Some can and other can't. For example, a Curado or can easily handle that. My trion is a bit finicky and needs more fine tuning. Also, I wouldn't worry. When you use that 3/16 oz weight, once you put on the hook and lure, you are probably closer 3/8 oz in weight anyway and at that weight, any bc reel worth its salt, should easily handle. We tend to forget to factor in the weight of the hook and lure.

Unfortunately, I didn't sand first and I can kick myself in the fanny for totally overlooking that. I should have known better. I appreciate all of the advice and received simialr input from real painters. I might suck at painting be I will not quit. I will have to come back to this come winter time.

If any of you saw the Walmart fishing sections in the Pacific Northwest, you will realize, yours might not be so bad.

Earlier this summer, I had the itch to paint one of my reels just for challenge and the fun of it. To do this, I carefully planned out my steps and followed through as best as I could realizing a couple things that were against me: 1) I am not skilled at taking a reel apart without a schematic to say the least and I didn't have one. 2) I can't paint worth a darn, but hey, it's spray paint. 3) Zero experience, but I had to start somewhere. I decided that my Trion LP was the reel (i.e., victim) of choice to experiment with. I was going to paint it purple on the outsides with a metallic silver inside. Ooohhh, the excitement was unbearable. I am normally a very patient person, but for some reason, I couldn't wait for Pflueger to send me the schematics. The first step was priming the parts of the reel that were going to be painted. Promising Prospects Laying on the purple; I was getting really excited here. Things were looking great. Then the metallic silver At this time, it sure was looking good. From Promising to Uh Oh to Disturbing But we all know that just because something looks good doesn't always mean that it is good. I do not know why, but the Metallic Silver (Rustoleum metallic silver) would not adhere to the primer. Anything that touched the paint damaged it, from napkins to fingerprints. The bonding was so weak that the Goo Gone I used to remove the fingerprints actually removed the silver paint!! Unbelievable. I guessed perhaps the primer I used and the silver paint didn't mixed so I removed the primer and painted the silver metallic paint without it. Fortunately the silver covered the original paint job nicely. Unfortunately, the result was the same. To say the least, I was very disappointed. The silver looked so crappy that I didn't even bother to take photos. I also tried multiple times to apply the silver and all attempts yielded the same poor results. My art consultant (my 8 year old daughter) told me that she too was disappointed since the color scheme was her idea. She recommended that of all the colors we had in the garage, only yellow would somewhat match the purple. Huh Oh well Kind of Husky (University of Washington, but they use gold) colors. I was so upset. All this hard work; carefully taping, removing tape and paint, re-taping and I have to settle with yellow for now. At least the yellow stuck well. But I am not satisfied. I am going need to find a shade of gold to make it a truer Husky reel, perhaps a shade that also matches the handle. -ib

Generally speaking, left handed version of shimano reels come out later than the first waves of righties. Perhaps Bantam1 can shed some light. It's a long wait! ;D

very good advice. However if you fish from the shore, you should practice with your feet on the ground. ;D Developing that accuracy takes quality, focused practice. What I mean by this is have a target vs. just making mindless casts or pitches. When you miss the mark, ask what went right and wrong and then make adjustments. It really is very similar to throwing a ball at a target, regardless of throwing it under or overhand. Think about it. Your eyes view the target, your brain makes the calculation and your body goes through the motions to throw the ball. When you pitch underhand, hold the bait in the hand that is not holding the rod at about waist height and have the rod at about parallel to the earth or slightly pointed toward the earth. Release the weight and just feel the weight as it swings on its semicircular trajectory. Don't let your thumb go yet. Just feel that weight as it moves... back and forth, back and forth... the weight swings down, then back up (away from you) then back down and back up (now toward you). You will develop a sense as to when to actually let your finger off. Then at some point, perhaps when the weight is around the point of head back up away from you where you will find the time to release your finger. I say finger instead of thumb because the same mechanics apply when pithching with a spinning reel. It is at that point you move your rod from that somewhat parallel postition to upward with a flick of your wrist. Lastly, stop the spool from spinning (casting reel) right before the weight lands. Pretty soon you'll be doing this without even holding the lure every time. You'll just pitch cast, reel up line, point your rod up to make the lure swing toward you and then go through the motions making the next pitch without holding the bait. It just feels cool doing that.

Check out Shimano's pdf How To instructions here. Even if you don't have a Shimano reel, the steps ought to be very similar. http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/customer_service0/reel_maintenance_instructions.html It is also helpful to have a schematic of the reel with you. I took apart my Trion casting reel to paint it without the schematic and it took some logic and patience to piece it back right. The schematic for it arrived from Pfueger a week later and I was relieved I put it back right. Whew!