21farms

i have one tournament pro and another on the way. the reason i opted for the TP over the regular tournament both times was because i think the extra $40 is very well spent: duralumin gears and spool versus brass gears and an aluminum spool; carbon fiber handle versus machined aluminum; and an extra ball bearing in a place that makes a difference. the 1.6 ounce difference in weight makes the TP nearly 20 percent lighter.

i've only fished my lew's 7:1 tournament pro three times so far. so far, so good. i've owned the curado 200e and the 2011 STX-HS plus a ton of others reels by various manufacturers and, with only a few exceptions, i cannot say that i noticed that much difference in the short-term between them. the 200e curados are excellent and, as soon as you remove any excess oil/grease, they can really really zing it. i have not found knobs on any other reel to be as grippy and comfortable as the curado's big septon knobs. if they weren't that green color, i'd probably still have them. as for the lew's, i was expecting to not like the paddle knobs but, lo and behold, i like them...very comfortable. the lew's has been a excellent caster too. i was expecting it to cast like my STX-HS but anecdotally, it seems to be actually a little better in terms of distance. i was kind of put off at first because the lew's only has 4 centrifugal brakes as opposed to the more-usual 6 because six gives you the option of 2-3-4-6 brakes "on" whereas the lew's only gives you the choice between 2 or 4, but casting has been excellent. the lew's are more comfortable in my palm even though i have large hands and the wideness of the curado 200's never bothered me. i don't notice the weight difference but what i do notice is that it is significantly easier to thread line out of the line guide on the shimanos than another reel because of the lack of the top crossbar that every other manufacturer employs. if you're gonna buy two, why not get one of each?

i just received my 50e a few ago and have gotten to fish with it three times now. i use 10 to 14 fluoro and this little baby has been remarkable. in terms of pitching/casting lighter lures, it blows my curado 200Es away and is as-good or better than my sol and MG50s. so, to answer your question, no probs with 10# fluoro. makes a great senko reel...i only wish the knobs were bigger.

the problem with the megaforce is not the gears (it has brass main and pinion gears) but rather the plastic frame. as the reel is put under load, the frame flexes and the gears move in and out of alignment. the twitchin' bar only makes matters worse because of all the additional parts. my advice: return the megaforce and get a reel with a one-piece aluminum frame. the BPS pro qualifiers and carbonlites are actually very good reels and you could never go wrong with a shimano citica or abu-garcia revo S.

andy, i'm pretty sure the OP is looking at a baitcaster, not a spinning reel. hiram, as to your question about pros/cons, i can think of a con on the KVD reel and it's the same gripe i have with most recent quantum reels...there's a bulge in the sideplate where the magnetic control dial is that just sticks unconfortably into my palm (and i have large hands). if you don't palm your reels, then this isn't a concern. some people who do palm their reels say it doesn't bother them but it caused me to sell my catalyst.

back 35 years ago, lew's "speed spool" reels were cutting edge and quite popular. then, lew childre died in a plane crash and his company floundered. a family friend restarted the company and introduced a new series of rods and reels. i recently bought the new lew's tournament pro speed spool, mainly for nostaligic reasons, and have been really surprised at how much i like it. although the lews casting reels clearly share DNA with the ABU garcia revo and the bass pro shops carbonline/pro qualifier reels (all of which i also own), i like the lew's the most. now, as to your question about the lew's speed spin, i dunno anything about it except to say that i was considering it myself. i know some people that love the oversize spool-concept on some other reels for reduced line twist. fwiw, cabelas has a smokin' deal on them right now: get the rod/reel combo for the price of the reel alone http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lews-Laser-Tournament-LFS8482-Speed-Spin-Combo/1192884.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dlews%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=lews&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

outdoor pro shop has the okuma cayenne reel on sale for $70 (regularly $140). you also get free shipping and there's another $20 mail-in rebate on top of that. i used one yesterday and they're smooth. i think a better value for the money than either of the others you're considering, especially since the cayenne has ABEC-5 spool bearings.

i prefer ultra soft for both spinning (6 lb. test) and baitcasting (12 lb. test). plenty strong, great handling and comes in that excellent mist green color. i've tried regular hybrid and, while super strong, it's very stiff and wiry.

of your list, i have the lew's TPSS in 7:1, the STX in 7:1 and the curado 50e. they're all fine reels. i'd personally recommend the lew's just to get something different (although it's veeeery close revo STX mechanically and in size but not weight). i like the lew's grippy paddle knobs and 85mm handle length way more than the STX's squarish knobs on a short 80mm handle.

i had the zillion 7MH and know what you're talking about. i currently have the cumara 72MH/F but handled the 72M/XF and 72MH/XF. the tips on the XFs are anything but light & whippy! i personally find shimano's recommended uses to be spot on.

i had a kistler micro magnesium...i was amazed at just how tiny the micro guides were when i received the rod and thought my connection know would definitely be a problem. but, i tried 50# power pro with a 14# XPS fluoro leader connected via an alberto knot and, much to my surprise, was not a problem at all. just make sure you cinch the alberto down real tight. i'd actually be more concerned about the line guide on the reel itself since line feeds into that guide at more extreme angles. have you seen how tiny the line guide is on the quantum smokes?

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for casting, i would not go lower than medium-light. some guys may think ultra light is fun but it's bad for the fish (if you plan on catch-and-release). you may want to consider going medium to medium/heavy for casting and adding a medium-light spinning outfit. i'm not particularly fond of spinning but it does have its place and excels at the lighter applications.

a dobyns 735 sounds perfect for you, especially since you're still trying to figure out what you're gonna like or not like. i was in your shoes a few years back and decided flippin' all day wasn't for me so i sold off my 7'6" flippin' sticks. however, there are times when you just gotta flip and the 735c can do both...it's ideal for pitchin' and good for flippin'.

there is no right or wrong action for spinnerbaits. some guys like moderate-fast action for spinnerbaits (gerald beck, ***** reese) and some guys like extra-fast (gary dobyns). all depends on what you like. personally, i notice i get a lot of short-strikes on extra-fast rods so adding a trailer hook is a must when fishing those. my hookup and my landing ratio is higher with a mod/fast-action rod but it's not as enjoyable to spinnerbait fish with and bit more work.

i get different colored rod gloves or stick jackets...protects the rods and makes it easier to get them into and out of the rod locker. rod gloves stick jackets

it is a nice reel and the quality is fantastic but its basic design goes back to 2005, before the current wave of super low profile/super lightweight reels. once upon a time, i owned the 153HSTA and the 150H before it and i much prefer the smaller profile of more modern reels. sure would be hard to pass up for $90 though.

i don't trust anybody's really...that's why i've bought and sold so many rods and reels over the past few years...i basically have to see for myself. the reviews that i almost completely discount are from pro staffers and from self-described fans. fan is short for fanatic and fanatics are inherently biased toward overlooking any fault with their favorite brand's products while discounting anything good about their competitors. when someone says, "i only fish brand X", that tells me they're not open-minded to anything else no matter how good it might be. i've fished with enough stuff from many different manufacturers to know that not any one company holds a monopoly on quality and innovation. generally, however, i do find tackletour's reviews to be an excellent source of information. i really respect how they fish with a piece of equipment for many months or even over a season before they ever post a review. for example, they've been fishing the new lew's reels for awhile now (even mentioning them in their amazon peacock bass trip article, but are still evaluating them. i appreciate them not rushing to judgment even though there's probably a lot of people clamoring for it.

i don't trust anybody's really...that's why i've bought and sold so many rods and reels over the past few years...i basically have to see for myself. generally, however, i do find tackletour's reviews to be very good sources of information. i really respect how they fish with a piece of equipment for many months or even over a season before they ever post a review.

the phenomenon you're describing is exactly why big retailers like bass pro shops mount their demo reels on those heavy metal handles...they absorb all the vibrations and smooth out any wobble so that even cheap reels feel glass smooth. anyway, a couple of years back, i bought a shimano sahara FD as kind of a budget extra reel. for spinning reels, i mostly have nicer daiwas but this $80 sahara blew me away with how smooth it was...even smoother than my fuegos. if it's smoothness you want at a $100-or-below price point, i'd recommend the sahara FD or the symetre FJ. by the way, i had a stradic ci4 and never found that to be a particularly smooth reel.

okay, here's the scoop. braid is exceptionally strong but its weakness is abrasion-resistance. high quality tungsten weights like tru-tungsten are finished smooth on the inside and won't cut your braid but is a costly process. some of the cheaper tungsten weights are rough on the inside and will weaken or cut your braid so some manufacturers use an insert instead to protect your line from the rough inside surface of the weight. unfortunately, the sharp edges of some inserts does just as much damage. believe you me, losing a fish plus a $7 weight, a $2 hook and a $2 punch skirt hurts your ego and your wallet each time it happens. 65# power pro is good. bobber stops are cheap so why not. personally, i gave up on punching...not a particularly enjoyable way to fish and too expensive. you might want to give it a try using a 2-3 lead weights and a standard worm hook first to see if you even like fishing this way before spending that kinda money.

get the 5.4:1 lew's speed spool (they're only $90 online shipped) and pair it with an abu-garcia veritas in the 7' medium power/mod-fast action. cranking rods are my favorite rod category and i have dobyns, powells, lami's, g.loomis, and that that particular veritas definitely holds its own in comparison.

my experience at the manteca, CA BPS store is, without a receipt, they will look at the date code stamped on your rod blank and, if within 12 months, will let you exchange it for the same exact rod if it appears to be not your fault. if it is outside of 12 months, you're SOL. i had a prolite finesse rod where the trigger sheared off from my finger and it was 14 months old... the manager said he was "bending over backward" for me but couldn't do anything to help me.

i've used many lamiglas rods and they are excellent. lami's rod rating system is slightly different than what you may be used to as it goes up to 8 (most others go to 6) so the numbers are not directly comparable. lamis actions are also a tab more on the softer side...closer to a g.loomis than, say, a dobyns or a zillion. if anything were to ever happen to my lami XCF705R or SR705R, i'd pick up a 705cb excel glass to replace it.

i believe it was ready for market well over a year ago but it is being held up by litigation regarding possible patent infringement or something like that. whenever it hits, you can be pretty much assured it will be much more expensive than PP is now. sufix has openly said that the new weaving process they're using for 832 is slow and time-consuming. i wouldn't be surprised to see shimano keeping both lines of PP: "power pro classic" and "new power pro". if it's a premium braided line with more fibers you're after, there's already several out on the market now and you don't have to wait.