21farms

this would be me. back in the day, i had two of the old speed spools with the steeply-tapered v-spools and loved 'em. and, maybe for nostalgia's sake, i'm gonna get one. it's happened before...i had bought several iterations of abu-garcia's absolutely horrid ultra mag "low"-profile reels before they came out with the revos based strictly on how much i loved my old round abus. these days, all reels are pretty good and the differences between them all are seemingly getting smaller and smaller all the time.

dodgeguy, you proved my point, directly under my post even. 300 yard spool of 50# test power pro $25 fireline $38 sufix 832 $35 daiwa samurai $46 put another way: dodge charger is outdated. i don't get why anyone would buy it. there are 3 cars out there that blow it away in terms of refinement, power and handling: BMW M3, audi S4, ferrari 458 italia.

couldn't have said it better myself. this issue often comes up and some people will always bring up that fireline is rounder, sufix performance is smoother, etc., etc. but, for a braided line that is literally one-third to one-half less expensive, PP is an outstanding line. FWIW, a new, improved powerpro is in the works and may be announced at the next icast show.

i had emailed lew's before on that. here's their reply: The handles on the Tournament Pro are lightweight carbon fiber and 85mm in length. The whole reel is super lightweight at 6.7oz. This is largely due to the handle and the high quality lightweight aircraft grade aluminum used for the spool and gears. Thank you for you interest in Lew's Products Team Lews Fishing

I 've heard this many times and it makes me wonder how is it possible that I 've fished practically all my life with nylon moslty and I don 't miss fish because it has "too much stretch." about 25 years ago, there was an article in bassmaster or some other magazine (my memory is fuzzy) about a study done where they had scuba divers underwater watching an experienced fisherman fish. the scuba divers observed fish hitting the lures multiple times but, when they talked to the fisherman later, he said he didn't get any hits...he was completely unaware.

thanks. i couldn't see them using google chrome but they show up when i switched to internet explorer. very interesting. looks like the manufacturer of this reel definitely cribbed the profile and contours from the daiwa sol. they even took a stab at daiwa's magforce braking system. however, because the attachment points are different as well as the location of the magnetic cast control dial, we know it is not an exact copy. do you have a weight measurement you could share? thanks again for posting [thumbs up!]

sorry but you're gonna be out of luck on that one. shimanos utilize a unique-size driveshaft and only shimano handles will fit on shimano reels. to date, shimano has not joined the swept-handle craze (i suspect because it was an innovation by daiwa, their archrival). and, even if you could find handles with the smaller hole to fit shimano reels, you'd still have to find swept drag stars or be willing to bend yours back with a pair of pliers.

keng85, please, please, please share some pics, especially of the side plate with the magnetic control dial....pictures of the innards would be even better. i just called my local bass pro shops...the guy at the reel counter said the regular price is still $49 and that they have a lot of them.

actually, the TSS has an swept aluminum drag star that clicks versus the SS's straight plastic non-clicking drag star. also, the drags utilize different materials as well (carbon composite with 14 lbs. of resistance vs. rulon with 10 lbs.). i'd be willing to bet that the SS's cast control cap is plastic versus metal for the TSS. the metal-for-plastic swap no doubt accounts for the TSS's 0.2 ounce heavier weight. finally, the handle on the SS looks like it is cast aluminum whereas the handle on the TSS looks to be either forged or machined. oh, and don't forget to take advantage of the lew's offer for a free lew's hat, long-sleeve shirt or gear bag with purchase.

quantum also has a current promotion where you get a free KVD fishing jersey too.

the black max is a great reel to learn to cast with because the magtrax brakes work so well, especially compared to abu's more sophisticated "linear" magnetic brakes. in fact, i've taught two people to baitcast with a black max. and, man, it can really sling those lures out there. with 50 lb. test braid on mine, i can nearly spool it on every cast. it gets noisy and sloppy pretty quickly because of the graphite frame so i have it relegated to my catfish rods but it still makes a decent first reel.

according to TT: quantum smoke 150 is rated at 15 lbs. but only tested out at 9.75 lbs. the new lew's tournament pro speed spoolwhich is rated at 14 lbs.actually tested out at 16 lbs. revo winch, rated at 24 lbs., but tested out at 21.8 lbs. shimano curado E5, rated at 12 lbs., and tested out at 12.7 lbs. daiwa zillion CC, rated at 8.8 lbs., and tested out at 9 lbs. quantum energy PT, rated at 18 lbs., but tested out at 15.6 lbs.

okay, i've owned more than few dobyns rods and here's my two cents: 704cb-a very light-powered rod. i'd only use this for small cranks in open water or jerkbaits (but even for jerkbaits, i prefer a 6'6" rod) 705cb-if you're just "chuck and wind"-type of crankbait fisherman, the MF glass might be a good option for you as you don't really need to worry too much about setting the hook or losing fish with this rod ;D the F glass is extremely versatile and excellent at all of them. 733/734 over 703/734-yes, the 3 extra inches is super nice. 735-super versatile and, IMHO, the closest to an all-around rod. here's what i'd recommend for you. start with just two rods: 705cb F and the 735, get some feel for what you like/don't like with those and fill in your line-up after that. i think you may discover you don't really need the 704cb. try pitchin', texas-rigging, and light flippin' with the 735 and see what you think. i know a lot of people who buy flippin' sticks and discover flippin' is not for them (including me). note: i'm pretty sure the *** description of the 735c savvy is wrong...it should be medium-heavy, not "mag heavy". i also find the "fast" action of the 734 faster than the "extra fast" of the 735...is that just me?

for cranking, get the 7-foot medium power, medium-fast action. when i first got it, i thought it may be a little too fast for cranking even though it was rated "medium-fast" but it's been working out great. for jigs, get the 7-foot medium-heavy power, extra fast action. this one would work well for frogs too. i had the 7'3" MH/F but i don't think it is fast enough for these two techniques.

two years ago, i was headed to BPS and asked my brother-in-law if he wanted to donate any reels as part of the reel trade-in program. he didn't want the discount any...he just wanted to get rid of some old reels and, at the same time, help out a local fisihing organization. anyway, he gave me 8 old round abu-garcia reels, five of which i was entirely unfamiliar with. i donated 7 of them along with 2 of my own reels and got the coupons but only used one coupon for a new reel. i did some checking and those reels were being sought by collectors! i ebay'd that one reel and it fetched nearly $400...i gave the money to my BIL and told him the story and he just kind of laughed.

1. Is it really tough as they say it is? i find yo-zuri hybrid to be extremely tough...kinda along the lines of trilene XT 2. Is it as clear underwater as fluoro? nope 3. Would you use this instead of fluoro? Basically, for the same applications you would use fluoro? not really. i use fluoro when the water is super clear and/or when i need a line that sinks and stays down (e.g., fishing with jerkbaits would be a perfect example: usually a clear water bait and you want the lure to not float back up between jerks).

just wanted to make sure you were aware of the current compre/clarus promotion: $10 rebate on clarus and $20 rebate on compre

the new reel that bass pro shops will be introducing as a doorbuster is actually called the "prolite special". it's not out yet so no one knows anything about it yet. the prolite finesse, on the other hand, is a discontinued 05-sized reel that BPS sold from 2003-2009 and went through 4 revisions. i had them all and they were actually really good reels. (many people believe that the carbonlite took the place of the prolite finesse but the carbonlite is built on a 10-size frame and is slightly larger.) i'd be willing to bet that BPS "accidentally" put the prolite finesse logo in the ad copy to lead people to believe it is the next iteration of the prolite finesse. just looking at pictures of the prolite special, it is apparent to me that the new reel only shares the "prolite" name and small size of the prolite finesse. the styling cues and size/location of the gearbox look like they were stolen from the daiwa sol.

this was in their classic sale flyer but not listed on the BPS website. the strange thing about this reel is that its lineage isn't noticeable apparent to me. if you squint, the profile actually looks like a daiwa sol.

looks like another limited-run conglomeration special with a name intended to invoke fond memories of a well-liked discontinued reel

here you go...just arrived in my mail today:

heh, for me, it'd be because the patriarch XT is blue and would match the blue on my dobyns rods. i love my curados but that green color looks putrid on my dobyns'. i do prefer either a 7:1 or 5:1 gear ratio...6:1 is just too much of a compromise for me. i personally don't care for the way pflueger spools are tapered...can't get the line packed down as much on 'em.

i like yellow braid. in stained water or when fishing for a reaction bite, i don't use a leader...just remember, yellow is a common color in nature as well. i'm not a huge fan of the black sharpie trick because it seems to make the line stand out even more. i'd add a fluoro leader in clear water, when i want the sinking properties of fluoro or when fishing over rocks (which cuts braid like a hot knife through butter). i have found, however, that 30# yellow power isn't that visible for my line-watching because it is so thin.

rooster, i've installed a half-dozen of the longer version of these on my round ABUs. you're right, the knobs have bushings but, lemme tell ya, they are the smoothest non-ball bearing knobs i've ever experienced...they spin very, very freely and smoothly. i really don't think you'd need to bother adding bb's here.

i love the stealthy hidden hook keepers...there when you need 'em and they never get in the way or tangled with your line.