21farms

hmmm, i never knew that the standout hooks are made by daiichi. when i first started dropshotting, i used 'em but quickly came to not trust them. they're not sticky sharp out of the package, don't hold their point well, and i've missed many strikes using them...i think the bottom arm gets in the way of hooksets. anyway, i switched to gamakatsu dropshot hooks and have never looked back.

just for clarification, the orra SXs are not part of the revo series.

i've had the S, SX and now an STX (albeit a 2010 model). liked the S, hated the SX and still awaiting a chance to use my STX. 2009 SXs are polarizing...people either love 'em or hate 'em. if you have a consistently fluid casting motion, they are great. for 2010, abu added another row of magnets but my problems were not because it didn't have enough magnetic force so i'm still away. i haven't used my STX yet but i've had excellent luck with my other reels with the dual centrifrugal/magnetic brakes. personally, i'd buy an STX from cabelas instead of ebay...the ones from ebay do NOT qualify for the free wiley-X sunglasses. if you want, i'll give you my $30 off $150 purchase code for cabelas (PM me if you want it).

on top of their sales, if you're a club rewards member (free), they'll periodically email you discount codes. the current one is $30 off a $150 purchase.

daiwa caldia which is also black & white

TT previewed both the veritas and the verdict rods. the veritas was supposed to be introduced at icast and then available september but i then read a post from one of the apparent abu-garcia insiders that hinted that they were reworking the specs for the guides and that the rods have been pushed back to maybe november or december. just a rumor though.

i wonder why they say that "carbontex drags can be used dry or with a very light coating of Cal's Universal Reel and Drag Grease" then?

just one more thing to consider if you're concerned about the well-being of the fish should you plan to release her: the longer a fish fights against you, the higher the fishes' mortality rate.

i think you'll be happier with the 1000-size. i've had 500-size reels and i had a lot more line twisting and coiling problems. besides line capacity and physical size, you need to consider max drag too...most 500-size reels max out at 4 lbs. and if you have a bass pulling out line against that drag, you're only gonna have worse line twisting.

jaheff, good stuff...thanks for sharing! just wondering if you've tried your carbontex dry (without cal's drag grease)? i run mine dry but have always wondered how differently they would behave wet.

i've had both of these (one in the 6'6" length, which i still have, and the 7'0" one). which one are you thinking about because they're very different from one another although they're only 6 inches apart. they're gorgeous rods and feel absolutely great. the 7-footer's action is extra fast, making it great for pitching small baits like jigs but not so good at casting. i thought it was a little heavy for dropshotting but it excelled at shakeyhead. the 6'6" is excellent at drop-shotting, dartheads, and for jerkbaits...i'm not sure it has enough power for jigs though.

if the power pro comes in one of the "EZ spool" packages, you at least know that the line was manufactured after 10/2007. as for "new and improved", power pro is working to increase the number of carriers in their lines. the "new formula" power pro should be coming out fairly soon.

i have not fished any of the ones you've listed so i cannot comment. however, the tackletour review said the vendetta wasn't particularly sensitive, especially for bottom-contact presentations like worms and jigs. the advice i'd like to offer though is for you to consider a longer rod, say a 7-footer. i remember a time when 5'6" rods were the norm and 6-footers were considered long but nowadays, 6'9" to 7'0" is pretty standard and 6'6" is considered kind of short. the extra inches really help with pitching and with hook sets.

he's probably referring to cal over at tackletour speculating that shimano may bring over their JDM scorpion 1000/1001 XT which is basically an alumimnum-framed core 50/51 MG.

if you're after long-term durability and smoothness, the single most important thing you can look for is a reel made with a solid, one-piece frame of either aluminum or magnesium. multi-piece or graphite framed reels may feel fine in the store when they're new and you're just spinning the handle around but they'll flex under load or change alignment during extended fishing, resulting in squeaking and groaning and roughness. when a manufacturer utilizes a one-piece aluminum frame, they say so. in the case of the orra SX, it says "aluminum frame" which indicates to me that it is not one-piece. if you want to go ABU garcia, spend the $20 more and get the revo S. the citica E is a fine reel too and i can also recommend you look at some of the BPS reels including the carbonlite and pro qualifier.

the parts would be $31.08 plus $3 for shipping plus tax if applicable. i actually went the other way...i converted my citicas to 7:1 and 5:1. i tend to fish really fast...i really have to concentrate on slowing down when i'm cranking but always end up forgetting so a 5:1 allows me to fish at a more normal pace for me. for everything else, 7:1 suits me just fine so i don't see a need for 6:1.

best to order directly from ABU garcia at (800) 228-4272 or pure fishing at (712) 336-1520. be warned, however, they are constantly out-of-stock on many items. e.g., when i want handles, they're in stock but the handle nut and retainer will be out of stock; when they handle nuts come in, the handles are out of stock! extremely frustrating because they will not accept backorders and you have to pay the $3.95-$9.95 shipping charge each time, even if it's for a tiny handle nut retainer screw.

just drop a 6.4:1 gear set into your curado. very easy to do and only takes a few minutes. just call up shimano at (877) 577-0600 and order the following parts: main gear: BNT3951 (right-handed), BNT3971 (left-handed) pinion gear: BNT3953 (righty), BNT3979 (lefty) key washer: BNT2430 drag washer*: BNT2431 *you only need to order the drag washer if you're converting an E5 to 6.4:1. if you're converting the E7, you can reuse the drag washer as they are the same.

incheon, that's so cool. if you ever wanted to buy up a bunch and bring 'em back to the states, the guys in the TT classifieds would gobble them up. andamtoft, you can order the carbon fiber patriarch XT handle and it will fit most BPS, daiwa, abu-garcia and pflueger reels: here's what you'll need: handle and nut, part #1200025, $37 washers (2), part #1185798, $0.70 handle nut retainer, part #1200030, $2.72 handle nut retainer screw, part #1200031, $2.50 you can order them from either: pflueger parts: (800) 554-4653 abu-garcia customer service: (800) 228-4272

loomis' expeditor service is the best, hands down. and their sensitivity is superb...however, i sold mine because i had more missed strikes on that rod (845) than i ever encountered on any other cranking rod. it sounds ridiculous but i think it is *too* sensitive and i'm back to all glass rods now for crankin'. also, this is strictly my humble opinion so take it only for what its worth, i think you can get a good deal on an 843 because it's the 845 that everyone really wants.

big tom, when it comes to loomis crankbait and spinnerbait rods, i recommend going one step up than what you think you want based on reading the rod description. the 843 is pretty whippy and best for small to medium-size, shallow to medium- depth cranks in open water. the 845 is much more versatile but still fishes lighter than say a dobyns 705cb.

i read of a study some university did about catching bass. what they found was that a percentage of the fish were really, really stupid...they'd repeatedly get caught, released, caught again, released, etc. however, a larger percentage of bass learned from prior experience and were a lot harder to catch. then, there were also those that never get caught. i wish i could remember more or where i read it.

ha-ha, despite what i just said about the R standing for rippin', you're totally right about the SR765R. i had one too and it was not a good choice for ripping vegetation.

yes, i have carbontex drag washers in my E7s. just call up the lady at smoothdrag.com and tell her what you want. they work great.

X2. huh??? i don't understand this line of reasoning at all. it's the action of the rod that determines if it can rip traps in grass, not the material it is made of. i've owned many cranking rods, glass and graphite, and a fast-action glass rod like the dobyns 705cb glass has no problems whatsoever with that. in fact, the "R" in the lamiglas fiberglass crankin' rods stands for "rippin'" and i can attest that the XCF705R and SR705R are great at ripping in grass.