21farms

regarding the first-generation, i believe abu-garcia made a running-change to all their revos. the first revos did not utilize x-craftic for the frames (at least it did not say so on my boxes). then, the next two i bought had stickers on the boxes that said "now with x-craftic frames" but the product codes were exactly the same. by the time the second-generation revos came out, no more x-craftic stickers, "x-craftic" was just included in the product description on the side of the box. so, i think there was actually a revo generation 1.0 and a revo generation 1.1.

i'm glad other people seem to have good BPS experiences like that but not me. my local BPS (manteca) would not honor their online price without a printout of a screenshot, and even so, it was a major hassle requiring a manager to get involved. i also had a BPS rod that was 14 months old when the trigger broke(!): "sorry, there's nothing we can do".

as with everything else in life, give it some time. my preferences have changed drastically over time. personally, i like light...in fact, the lighter, the better, balance be damned. a 7'2" rod will generally give you longer casting distance than a 6'6" rod. i have found that some reels that i didn't like on certain rods "came alive" when mounted on a different rod and vice-versa.

i wasn't a fan of the kistler mcmag. for one, the blank had these little spiral ribs on them that just didn't feel good to me. it also felt heavier to me than the listed weight, meaning that it didn't seem to balance well. finally, it didn't have enough guides! if you look at the guide count, it has one less guide than the majority of other rods of similar length and action...for example, the 7' MH/F has 8 guides plus the tip, most others should have 9 guides plus the tip. when flexed even a little, the line was bowing below the rod blank and i don't like that.

TT did a review on them (http://tackletour.com/reviewkistlermicromg.html). i had the 7-footer...they aren't light...the factory says 4.6 ounces but mine was 4.8 and it felt heavier in my hands. the recon 715 is an amazing 3.65 ounces.

squarebills are meant to be thrown right into thick cover, usually from closer in. therefore, a shorter and more powerful rod is in order. i would not recommend a light action rod for this type of fishing...not even a medium power is stout enough. plus, glass here is unnecessary. go medium-heavy power, fast to extra fast action...the powell squarebill rod (a TW exclusive) is perfect and you might be able to find a used one for $100. i have the 7' veritas winch and it's an awesome rod but would only be good for squarebills in open water. perhaps a falcon bucoo in the 6'6"-6'9" range in medium-heavy?

the PL-100 is circa 1981 and sold for right around $100 new at a time when my shimano bantam 10s were going for almost half of that. i was a poor high school student back then and $100 was a LOT of money but my two sisters knew i wanted a daiwa PL-1000 (smaller version of PL-100) and cobbled their money together to buy it for me as a christmas present. awesome reels.

i finally got out on the water with it yesterday. although only so much can be gleaned from a single outing, i was very pleased with its feel and performance although i did use it for at least half the time during the 11 hours we were fishing. it is very smooth and the thumb bar depresses and re-engages with a solid snick-snick sound. casting distance was excellent although i did not use a lure under 3/8-ounce so i still don't know how well it will cast #7 shad raps (which is primarily what i bought this reel for) but, with 3/8 and 1/2 rattlebaits, it seemed like i was able to fling them at least a little bit further than with my other reels. it was comfy in my hand and the knobs feel great as far as the size and shape but i do not and have never cared for the ribs on daiwa knobs...they don't feel good and accumulate a lot of gunk that never seems to never come out, even after being scrubbed with a toothbrush. i was using 30 lb. test power pro and had nary a overrun or line digging. i did notice however, that the drag does not seem very strong. nothing scientific but i usually just set the drag by feel as i'm turning the drag star...i thought i had it locked down pretty good but it slipped even setting the hook on a small shaker striper. i'm really looking forward to the spring when i'll be using it for shap rap duty. bottom line: pleased with the lexa and encountered zero problems. wish i could say the same for my 3G revo STX (that's another story).

this is why you see some guys end their pitch with the rod tip held up high...that way, they can just drop the tip to allow the bait to fall straight.

when the curado D came out, people were whining about it and pining for the old curado B. when the E's first came out, i remember sentiment that the Es weren't as solid, blah, blah, blah as the Ds. personally, i don't understand the frustration...if people want a curado E, just buy a used one or spring for the chronarch E. i remember when the Es first came out, bantam1 said that they should have been priced at $199 but that they had worked out a killer pricing contract on their manufacture and were able to price it $20 lower. the chronarch E is basically a curado E at the price it should've been all along. this is not to say that i like the curado G form factor because i don't. and, even though i've never had a plastic drag star break on me before, i still prefer the feel of aluminum. therefore, the chronarch E gets the nod from me...besides, i like the white pearl paint job much more than the dark green.

i returned my first one and got my second one in april which i handpicked from all the stock they had on hand at the manteca BPS which turned out to be a 5.4:1 ratio one. while testing them in-store, i noticed quite a variation in smoothness between the samples. even though i picked out the best of the bunch, it's still not what i would consider a smooth reel. i've fished it maybe five times now and i was hoping some of the grindy feeling would go away with use but it hasn't. the gold pre-JM carbonlite was so much better in this department. on the plus side, the unusual egg shape has turned out to be very comfortable to palm and it has also proven to be able to cast even lighter lures fairly well.

actually, the IPT of the zillion CC is 22 inches per turn. anyway, i just love mine. i own dozens of reels so i have a lot to choose from so most of mine reels only get out a few times a year but the CC goes out with me on nearly every outing. it's one of those rare reels that i find myself liking more each time i fish it.

thanks for the link. still, i cannot see how not having the anti-reverse bearing aids sensitive UNLESS you're pointing your rod directly at your crankbait during the retrieve, in which case when a fish strikes, it is transmitted directly to the reel (not the rod) and the handle spins a tad bit backward. if fish my cranks tip down (as i'm sure most people do) and keep a little angle to my line so that when a fish takes the crank, the tip gives the fish some time to mouth it...sounds like david fritts points his tip at the crank and depends on the slight play in the reel for the same purpose.

back in the day, i had a shimano-made BB1 and later a ryobi-made BB1N. i also had ryobi BB1N-clone that had the ryobi name on it instead of the the lew's name...it had a unique steeply raked butterfly v-spool. i'd want one of these new ones just for the nostalgia factor. however, i don't understand not having a zero anti-reverse bearing!

probably never. shimano goes their own way...in fact, it's almost as if shimano goes waaaay out of their way to avoid anything daiwa innovated (e.g., inline thumb bars, swept handles) or was involved with early on (e.g., magnetic brakes). regardless, i have shimanos with straight handles and plenty of other reels with swept handles and i'd be hard pressed to notice the difference in feel...they definitely look cooler though as for the discussion on the plastic vs. metal drag stars, i've never had a plastic one break on me either but the metal ones definitely feel better.

the handle and spool are anodized aluminum. the drag star is now plastic, however.

my daiwa lexa 100P was delivered yesterday. i had pre-ordered it way back in the early summer and was pleasantly surprised when i got an email yesterday from TW saying it had shipped because i wasn't expecting it until november 15. \:D/ here are my initial thoughts: 1. not as small as i thought it would be. 2. smooooooth. when i turn the handle, it is like melted butter...very impressive. 3. the knobs are nice and meaty...about the size of the curado septon knobs. excellent shape and feel (and, yes, the knobs are removable) 4. the handle is quite substantial. i can't help but feel that i could save a lot of weight by replacing it with a carbon handle. 5. the cast control (spool tension) knob doesn't have click detents! 6. the the click detents on the drag star are nice and firm...you get a real positive engagement. love it. same with the mag dial. 7. daiwa still sets the standard for thumb bars. they invented the current iteration of it that everyone except shimano uses. still the best shape, placement, and feel when depressed...feels solid and positive my first chance to get it on the water won't be for almost three weeks!

top to bottom: lew's tournament pro speed spool abu garcia 3G STX daiwa lexa 100 daiwa zillion CC BPS carbonlite note: the daiwa profiles are actually longer than the removable portion of their sideplates shown above i have shimanos but, since their sideplates are hinged, i could not include them in the photo. however, by eyeballing it, i'd say the shimano 200 E-series (curado and chronarch) are the same height as the 3G revos but about 3/8-inch longer. the shimano 50 E-series are just a tad shorter (about 1/16-inch) than the revo but about 1/4-inch longer.

i've tried many times over the years to make that switch. even though i reel lefty on spinning gear i can't seem to do it on baitcasters. i buy a new lefty reel, take it out and fish it until my first missed hookset, and sell the reel shortly afterward. repeat again the following year. and the year after that. i finally decided this year was my last time...i give up. no more trying. my right arm is far stronger than my left, but for some reason, i absolutely can't get a good swing on the hookset using my right arm. i know people that did make the switch and love it but it didn't work for me. YMMV. good luck.

i tend to reel fast—i can't seem to help myself—so a slower reel really helps me maintain a pace that i like. i use 'em for any size crankbait, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, rattlebaits, and soft plastic swimbaits. especially with thumper-type spinnerbaits, the difference in winding torque is quite noticeable.

thanks for the heads up...i just ordered a veritas winch rod for $77 shipped.

yes, this is generally true of some of the other BPS reels (the PQs, the carbonlites, the JM signatures, etc.). however, the prolite special and current extreme reels are quite different. it looks like like they went with a chinese manufacturer and cribbed a lot of the daiwa sol styling cues.

the two things i don't like about the veritas are: 1) the width and angle of the trigger...can't let it go easily when i want it to, and 2) the thin, sharp metal locking ring which makes it hard to take off a reel after you lock it down. the villain's trigger is narrower and feels better and the locking ring doesn't have any sharp edges and doesn't scratch the reel foot so, in those ways, the villain is better. regarding the bling factor, it's much worse actually out in the sun than in the initial photos i saw...there is just so much going on.

when they first started shipping, cabela's accidentally had them listed for $99 so i got two of them. even at that price, i thought they were merely 'okay'. in fact, i returned one for a refund and sold the other one here to pass on the savings. nothing bad but nothing outstanding about them.

i have two of them: the 7'1" MH/F and the 6'9" ML/MF. unfortunately, i bought them sight unseen and never having held one. i'm used to higher-dollar rods (loomis and dobyns) but i tried a 7'0" M/MF veritas and, lo and behold, really liked it. so, when the villains came out this spring, i thought they'd be sure winners. well, i've only fished the 7'1" one once and the 6'9" one twice and they haven't been out with me since as they're just not for me. i don't have gigantic hands but kind of medium-large and the handles are just too skinny for me. i thought about wrapping some grip tape around the handles but i decided it just wasn't worth the hassle since i have close to 30 other rods to choose from. the sensitivity is fine. the 6'9" ML/MF is a little stouter and faster than i was expecting too. the other reason i don't like them is that they're so blinged out...they just kind of shout "look at me!"...just too flashy for my tastes. anyway, if you want to buy both of mine together, i'll give you a great price.