John G

American Legacy Fishing has the Cardiff at the price that Catt posted plus they offer a $25 gift card if you sign up for their newsletter.

I don't throw any swimbaits but I have read some swimbait Threads and my guess is a lot of guys will reccommend the Shimano Cardiff 300.

Hard to believe that Shimano used to recommend using WD-40 on their reels.

In this situation, if it ain't fixed, don't break it.

4 against 1! LOL BTW K3, just having a little fun here.

2 others besides you say it's not supposed to be loose and my Rareneium CI4+ 1000S is not loose so right now it is 3 against 1. I'll go with it is not supposed to be loose.

Shimano recommends a light rinse so yes, they can get wet.

LOL

I thought so too.

If you want a metal line guide, you could buy a Conquest but I have never heard of the plastic, or is it nylon, levelwind, being a problem area for baitcasters. The levelwind insert that the line goes through is ceramic or metal in the reels that I have owned.

Check out the Shimano Clarus. I have an older 6' UL that I love.

15# Big Game has better slack line sensitivity than any braided line does and that means a lot.

If you are buying new, you might want to check out the JDM Sites like Japan Lure Shop, Digitaka and Japan Angler first.

I have bought close to 20 reels from Japan with no customs fees. The most that I have bought at one time was 3 Scorpions from Japan Tackle. There is always the possibility that you could have to pay but I never have. This is what Jun at Japan Tackle has to say about the issue. LOL

The Centrifugal Brakes help control the spool in the beginning of the cast when the spool is at it's highest rpm's and the friction control / cast control knob help control overruns at the end of the cast. The pic below is from a Shimano instruction manual.

The 14 Stella 2500 and 3000XG Schematics are from Plat's Website. Looking at the schematics, I tend to think that you can swap the knobs. A member here, Maico1, has a 14 Stella 3000HG and he might be able to tell you. If you look at the Show Your Stuff Thread in Nov 2014, you can see a great pic of his 3000HG.

I get the impression that AdamsEye is trying his hardest to convince everyone that if they use brakes on a baitcaster, they suck at casting. They didn't learn the right way (his way) and they are making all kinds of mistakes (I didn't know I was making all of these mistakes) when I am out there casting lures for bass. There are millions of baitcasters in service all over the world and I don't know of any that do not come with brakes. The brakes are there to be used so use them and don't let a guy with 35 posts get into your head cause I can guarantee you that he won't get into mine.

If I were to place an order for a Stella for bass fishing, I would buy the 2500 from Japan Lure Shop. https://japanlureshop.com/shimano-14-stella-1000pgs-8270.html

Where are you looking at the Stella? I would say that if you buy one from Tackle Warehouse, then yes they are very pricey. If you buy a JDM Stella from Japan Lure Shop for around $500, then they are much easier on the wallet

X2

Google 'Loomis CR721IMX' and you will find out that this is a very popular and extremely fun rod to use and new ones have a high end price tag. I have two of them and I paid $99.99 plus shipping for my last one on eBay and it was in excellent condition.

I second the CR721IMX but I don't think that I would use 1/2oz with mine.

You did not offend me but it is commonly used as a slur. I can completely understand why someone that fought in WWII would still refer to the Japanese as ****. I was even watching a show about Japanese War Crimes in WWII the other day and there are a lot of people worldwide that have the right to call the Japanese anything that they want IMHO.You can call me a hypocrite because I have said it in the past but not anymore.

I didn't know that people still say 'Jap'.

Hedgehog Studios may be able to help you out