Joe Boss

I have the Dick's Daiwa Capricorn spinning reel in the 2500 size. I can't speak highly enough about this reel. You get a lot for the money with 8 bearings, machined aluminum handle and an aluminum body. It is my favorite go to reel for smallmouth fishing. I really like Daiwa's ABS spools over reels with the narrow long cast spools. I have other lower end Daiwa reels that I use and they have all served me well. I generally stick with Daiwa, Shimano and Pflueger products so I am rarely disappointed.

If I buy one I want Jessica Alba to autograph it.

Muddy if you are from Brooklyn do you remember the Brennan and Carr on Nostrand Ave in Sheepshead Bay? The sandwich you are describing is exactly what they serve there and it is the best roast beef sandwich bar none! It is still there! Roast beef, broth and french fries. The Foursome diner and HY and Sy's Flame are gone from the Ave U scene :-/ Oh no! I used to love the Foursome diner Brooklyn, she have a changed

Happy Birthday!

Muddy if you are from Brooklyn do you remember the Brennan and Carr on Nostrand Ave in Sheepshead Bay? The sandwich you are describing is exactly what they serve there and it is the best roast beef sandwich bar none!

My Dad has a Powell Max. Really nice rod, I am surprised it doesn't float since its a light as air. There is a price reduction on Powell rods going on so I would recommend moving this rod higher up on your list.

For that $10 more you are not only getting a spare spool you are getting a reel made out of aluminum instead of graphite. If you are not going with the Sol, which would be my choice, then get the Capricorn. I agree with Dan though a nice rod deserves a nice reel, if you are worried about colors matching get a black reel, there are black parts on the Carrot Stix.

Good advice. The new ones are out so last year's model is on clearance just about everywhere. I just picked up a brand new Symetre 2500FI on ebay for less than $63 shipped. This is the route I would go. I agree. The Symetre is the best bet if you plan on going anywhere near salt water with your reel. It has 4 Anti-rust bearings and its at Dick's right now for the clearance price of $49.99

I get it. It's the same situation with Pflueger and All Star rods. Thanks for the info.

Thanks guys for proving how great these forums are. You learn something new everyday, I didn't know the Eagle GT and the Black Max were made by the same company and that the Max wasn't graphite.

Congrats!! These days when people seem to divorce at the drop of a hat it is really something special when people stay together for 3 decades plus.

The best fishing story of my year was finally having my son, who turned five, go fishing with me on our first of many father/son fishing trips. We went to the local 1 acre pond and his first fish was a first for both of us he caught a 9" Carp. Nobody was catching anything at the pond that day so when he pulled it in he got a lot of attention. All the kids and adults around us came over to admire his catch and congratulate him.

When you check it out you will see what I have experienced firsthand. Both reels have aluminum bodies. The Capricorn has 8 bearings the Symetre only 5 but 4 of them are anti-rust. The Capricorn has a machined aluminum handle while the Symetre has a hollow handle that to be honest is pretty much the same handle I have on my lower end Shimano Sedona and Slade reels. The Capricorn's bail is sturdier than the Symetre's which is pretty flimsy for a reel of its caliber. I want to state again that the new Symetre that came out this month has the better handle and bail but it is also $20 more and no spare spool.

I received a Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Black Max for my birthday this weekend. I have always had good experiences with anything for Abu Garcia so I am happy. It has 5 bearings and magnetic and centrifugal brakes, the first reel I own with both brakes. It looks like a Revo made out of graphite. Anyone have any experience with this reel? How do you like it? I used some of my birthday money to buy a Fenwick Eagle GT casting rod to put this reel on. Can't wait to use it next spring.

If you are looking for a Daiwa reel that compares with the Symetre try the Dick's exclusive Daiwa Capricorn. I have both reels and the Capricorn edges out the Symetre to me because of the bail and handle. Shimano has addressed this with the new Symetre. That reel has a better bail and handle. Family, return those reels and if you are not satisfied with the quality of the Daiwa reel for the price try something else.

Preach on Muddy!! Must be a Brooklyn thing my brother, I agree 100% I would only return something if it was defective right out of the box. If tackle breaks through my own misuse I go out and buy something new...hmmmm I think I need to accidentely step on one of my old rods, excuse me.

That is a great deal on a fantastic combo!

I like seperate tools. Sometimes I only have 1 hand to work with or wet hands and trying to pull out the tools from the handles of the multi-tools becomes impossible. I have a Flambeau tacklebox with the tool rack on the sides. I place my Scissors, pliers, forceps and knife there for easy access while fishing. Its a truly great invention.

I have a copy I bought last week at Barnes and Noble, still reading it though. I am really enjoying Mike's story, especially the part about the Jerky Boys and his prank phone calls. My buddies and I have those tapes and used to pull the same pranks using the Sol Rosenberg voice. He is a really down to earth guy.

About 100 smallmouth bass this year. The bulk of which were caught in the 2 days my dad and I went out on a charter with out favorite guide. 50 bass on the first 4 trip and 30 on the second.

I love my rods that have a hook keeper. I use them for live bait and rubber worm hooks. No treble hooks though. On some rods I own, I wrap a piece of electrical tape around the part of the rod that the hook keeper is at and cut a hole so the keeper pops through. I would rather those hooks scratch up the tape then my rod.

My Grandfather caught one of those when I was young. He had it in a bucket and it wasn't moving. I thought it was dead so I poked it and the darn thing bit my finger! I still have the scar. That was a lesson learned the hard way.

Keep in mind that the movie says it is "Based on a true story". the word "based" is the key word in the sentence. It means they can take one little part of the true story and exagerate and embelish all they want. Which they do since the true story sometimes is too boring to make a movie about.

Best bet if you don't want to shop around for deals on higher priced reels is the Pflueger President. If you want to shop though, Dick's has some fantastic deals on the Shimano Symetre and the Daiwa Capricorn. I have all 3 of these reels and they are all solid choices. My favorite is the Capricorn with the President and the Symetre tied for second place.

Who the heck is Snapper G? j/k There is a part of me that will miss Snapper G :-/ maybe I can get some meds to take care of that...