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Going to gander mtn to pick up some line for my crankin setup today. 10# is what I want. Which of the above lines would you pick and why?

Anyone have any experience with this line? I like the sounds of it and it seems to have gotten pretty good reviews. I am gonna try it on my revo stx with my kistler cranking rod. I like that it has a smaller diameter and it sounds like it is fairly manageable. Is it tough/strong. Does it resist abrasion fairly well? Any problems with it? Also, if you use it, do you use 10# or 12#?

I don't know why they are coming down in price, probably due to competition (there are so many quality reels out there that are becoming more affordable). I sure wish they made the L hand retrieve 200E in a 5.0:1 gear ratio. That is probably what I would buy for cranks.......oh well, I will prob. buy a Johnny Morris reel instead...or a winch. I have just always wanted to try a curado. I now know how all those left handed archers feel when the new models come out and they cant shoot them for 4 months b/c they only have R handed bows to start out with!

The Super-tuned TDA153hsta has gotten great reviews from what I have read. You can buy them on ebay, new, for around $130. I would say if you could find a lightly used one for $70 that would be a good price.

Suuuuuuuuure! Your 7 year old wants a baitcaster for easter! Brilliant plan. Buy him whatever YOU like, that way if he doesn't like it, well....then, you can use it! ;D I bought my wife a spinning combo from basspro after we bought our first boat.....with good intentions of her being a little more patient with fishing. Turns out she would rather sit in the sun and read. Oh well, at least I have a nice ultra-light setup for finesse fishing! Really though, I agree with the guys from above. I would look at the flea market and find something lightly used that is a little higher quality. A little more user friendly. The first baitcaster I ever owned was a pfleuger trion. I tell you what, you lock down all six breaks and adjust your spool tension right, I don't think it would take a kid long to figure it out.....if he is patient that is. One bad backlash could ruin a kid though! Good luck!

For those of you that have had experience with both reels, which one of the above reels would you choose for cranking (kistler 7 foot composite cranking stick) and which would you use for all-purpose (kister Mg 6-9" all purpose)? Or doesn't it really matter. Next year I will prob. buy a lower gear ratio reel for cranking but in the meantime, one of these will have to do.

I bought my kistler from them last year. I think their website has a gliche' this year because I had the same problem when i wanted to buy a kister Mg all-purpose and the stupid advertisement kept popping up this year.

For cranking, I use a Kistler composite 7' crankin rod (check out the review on tackletour.com) and love it. It maight be a little over $120 though. Good luck!

I have yet to try a better mono out there. It is tough yet very manageable. I like the way they wind their line on the spools. It seems to have less memory than most monos. It is definitely going to be more stretchy than fluoro though. I plan on using the 12# elite again on my topwater setup this year (which I also crank with at times). I told myself I was gonna try the yo-zuri hybrid (ultra soft) this year on my other two baitcasters. I hope it's as good as they say it is, otherwise, I am going back to my sufix elite!

I love my Gander Mtn. guide series tech2o. It is gortex and has the nice neoprene cuffs on the sleeves and is light/breathable. I got it super cheap (they mismarked it for $68). I am pretty sure I am the only one that got it for that cheap! It was around $100 normally and the bibs are going for $90 right now.

You can always google bass pro and cabelas and read the reviews associated with each product (0-5 star reviews). This might help. On any forum you may get 100 different opinions. Like they said above....go check them out. See what works for you and what is best for your budget. Narrow it down to a couple reels and come back here and do a search. Send a PM to the guys that have had both reels and see what their opinions are. I just did the above regarding the revo stx and the daiwa advantage hsta supertuned reel and got good feedback from a fellow bassresource subscriber. Also, check out tackletour.com . The have all kinds of reviews on there with prices, pros/cons etc. Just remember though, ultimately it is your decision and there are a ton of great reels out there.

the best casting mono I have found thus far is sufix elite. I would get 12 or 14 pound test.

+1 I grew up fishing open face reels (walleye and pike, etc.) and we always reeled our open face (spinning reel) reels with out left hands (we are right handed). So, when I switched to the baitcaster, I kept it that way. I cant figure out why everyone that reels left handed with open face reels their baitcasters with right hand. Not to mention that if you cast with your right, you have to switch the pole over to your left hand to reel with the right. Why not just stick with the left handed reel???? Your guess is as good as mine. I will say it does seem to be to your advantage to reel with the right when it comes to buying reels. You often have more models to choose from. I was considering a shimano curado recently and realized that there were certain gear ratios that did not come with the 200 size frame L handed but did with right. Whatever.....I'll just keep reelin with my left! Good luck bro..

Thanks for the input. I'm thinking maybe I will try the 10 or 12 pound on both.......putting the ultrasoft on one and the orig. hybrid on the other. I guess the only way i can truly judge is to try it myself. Appreciate the input though! I am just having a hard time stepping away from the sufix. It casts so well and is tough to beat. Just seems like everyone is getting on the fluoro/hybrid/copoly bandwagon and liking it.

I did a search on yo-zuri hybrid. It seems to be one of the more popular lines on this forum and I am going to give it a try. Previously I have use suffix elite on all of my baitcasters. This year I am keeping the sufix on the topwater rig but am wanting to switch to the yo-zuri hybrid on my two other baitcasters. I have read that the ultrasoft works best on spinning reels. My question is, (1) would the ultrasoft cast better than the orig. hybrid, or should I just stick with the regular 12# yo-zuri hybid? What do yall think? (2) Also, how does the yo-zuri cast compared to the sufix elite. If it is a lot less "manageable", maybe I will just stick with the suffix.

Any good websites or advice for a newbie wanting to tear his reels down to clean and lube them? I have looked at owners manuals and the number of parts is quite intimidating (not sure I want to tear them down all the way). Should I just stick to the bear minimum maintenance or what?

Just bought a new 6' 9" all purpose kistler mg. Which baitcaster should I put on it? I am planning on spending about $130-$160. My orig. choice was the team daiwa hsta super-tuned 6.3......until I started seeing the revo stx reels on ebay for around $160.....what do you all think. They both have gotten great reviews. The one upside i see to the revo is the drag (20-24#!!!!). My other rod reels are: 1. st. croix premier med hvy / fast 6'6" with a johnny morris elite reel 6.3:1 (2006?) 2. Kistler composite cranking rod 7 foot with a quantum pt burner tour edition 7.0:1 How would you pair the 3 above rod reel combos based on your answer to my first question....or doesn't it really matter?

I have a new gps coming for the car/boat. It is the lowrance xog. i read that you can insert memory cards (fishing hotspots, Lakemaps, navionics, etc.) and that they are fairly reliable as far as waterdepth etc. My question is, which one has the best reputation? I live in Michigan. I fish mostly the Saginaw Bay and the St. Mary's River system near Saulte Ste. Marie. Anyone out there that could help me I would greatly appreciate it (especially since these maps seem very PRICEY) Thanks Joe

Can anyone tell me their likes/dislikes about these particular models. I have heard great things about the 520c. What is the major difference between and two? Is it worth the money to get the 522c? Can I interface either one with my current x125 that I will be moving from the console to the bow? Any answers would be appreciated!

Taking a poll as to which fishfinder with the gps feature included has the most bang for the buck and how much? It looks like most gps/fishfinder combos cost between $450 and $700.

I have a crestliner 1850 fishhawk with a lowrance 125 X mounted at the console. I currently fish out of the back of the boat becuase I don't have a flasher or fishfinder in the front. I would prefer to fish out of the bow but can't because I don't have a graph or a flasher up there. My question is, would you rather have a flasher (vexilar) on the bow and keep my lowrance where it is? Or, move my lowrance to the bow and get another graph (with gps) at the console? The vexilar would come in handy for ice fishing, which I do in the winter, but I don't know how much I will like them because I have not used them that much? The gps would be nice for downloading waterway maps. Any input would be appreciated her before I go drop $400 to $600 on my next purchase!

Sorry, I accidentally posted this in the wrong forum.

I have a crestliner 1850 fishhawk with a lowrance 125 X mounted at the console. Currently I fish out of the back of the boat because I have no graph in the front. My preference would be to fish out of the bow. My question is, what type of sonar should I put on the front of the boat, a flasher (vexilar) or another graph. I do some ice fishing so a vexilar that is removable would come in handy during the winter months, but I don't really know how to use them yet or even if I would like how they work. However, it would be nice to move my lowrance up to the bow and get a better graph (with gps) at the helm. Any thoughts based on past experience with boats or on the pro's and cons of a flasher vs. another grapher with gps?

I am strongly considering the 7 foot Kistler crankbait composite rod. The price is in the $130-140 range and I have heard great feedback about this particular rod. Anything else that might work better than this for the money?

Roger that. thanks for the input everyone. Good luck fishing