Bantam1

We developed a grease called Perma Lube for the spinning reels. From what I can tell it appears to be silicone based. I am not 100% positive that it is but just going from past experience from the auto repair industry. This grease will not freeze or thicken in cold weather. I know our drag grease can get thick in extreme cold weather, but it doesn't seem to hinder the performance on casting reels like it does a spinning reel. This is not a grease to use on the drag washers as it does not perform well in that application. It is solely for the gears. When I used to repair reels here I used the drag grease on the worm shaft until we came up with Perma Lube (spinning only). The grease provided better protection under severe loads than the oil in my findings. This is now what we use in all the spinning reels from the factory and in our repair department. For baitcast reels I used oil on the worm gear as it does not see the same pressure as the spinning reel worm shaft will see. There is a lot more weight on this shaft because of the spool and wet line. As far as optimal temperature ranges? Well I do not have the specific data. I do know that the Perma Lube works in all temperatures that we are likely to fish in and what the reel will operate in. The drag grease excells in high temperatures and down to about 30 degrees before it becomes thick. Roller bearings are touchy with lubrication. They need a minimal amount to prevent corrosion and to provide smooth operation. Too much and the rollers will slip. The repair guys actually mix thier lubricant using drag grease with our oil to make the perfect blend. Its taken years to develop this blend and we do not sell it. The ratio is about 100:1 oil to grease.

Normally I stay out of topics like this but I will give our opinion. We recommend our lubricants for our reels. Every manufacturer makes their own lubricants for their reels as well. I suggest that you use Brand X grease/oil for Brand X reels. Use our lubricants for our reels. We spent a lot of money to develop the correct lubricants that macth our expectations for the reels. They have to deliver consistent performance with changes in temperature. They also need to prevent corrosion and protect the metals used from wear. I'm sure all the manufacturers will tell you the same thing. We believe that our lubricants are perfect for our reels. We offer a few different styles for different reel models such as spinning reels. Now there are some good aftermarket lubricants on the market. I just cannot endorse one over the other. I can say that some are too thick and will make the reel feel sluggish. Some will cause premature wear in our products. Some work very well and others just simply do not last long enough to make it worth using. We never deny a customer their warranty due to an improper lubrication. We will repair the reel one time for free and then educate the customer as to why the problem occured if it was due to the lubricants used. The situation brought up earlier in this post was denied at the dealer level and not by us :

Loomis is a little behind due to demand in Europe. They recently started distributing to Europe which took off more than they anticipated. Its a small problem and they should be caught up soon.

He uses that smaller hook to make the action of the bait correct. The bait works fine with the smaller size 1 hook on the back. Do not change it to a larger 1/0 or the bait may not run correctly.

We actually spec our reels first many times. Then they change things after the reel has been designed for us. Of course they do it without asking us or letting us know what they did until we see it in the catalog or on the internet. Many times their reels are not better or worse, just appearance and a few bearings added to those tiny handles ;D If I could only tell you guys more about certain things. I think more of you would understand why things are the way they are.

The first Curado was actually two tone grey and silver. The "Tomato" came after it

I think its actually a color that changes. It should have that classic burgandy color from what I have been told. Who knows Shimano Japan is sneaky and they do things behind our back all the time >

I have never fished Tenmile but I have heard a lot of good things about that lake from our pro staff. Clear Lake is tough to beat during that time of year too. I'll beheading up there at the end of March to fish CL for a few days this year with my buddy Wade Curtis The Columbia River is an awesome fishery too. I fished it in April a few years ago and it was full speed on reaction baits and tubes. We had a lot of smallies in the 2-4 pound class. The Dalles, Hood River, Solighlo (sp?) are all good pools to fish. Tri Cities has some big ones too. The Delta could be good too, but I would rather focus on Clear Lake personally especially if you do not know the Delta that well. Its a lot of water and it can be tough to figure out. I would also rather catch big bass on big baits instead of cranks and chatterbaits Make sure you post a report after you get back.

Here is what I always have on my boat deck. I'm pretty sure you can guess that I use all Shimano or GLoomis rods and Shimano reels And lots of FC line here in So-Cal. Swimbait Wakebait 6" swimbait Jig/Worm Finesse rod of some sort

My problem is that many of the TV pros are not brand loyal (well most of them) so its hard to believe anything they say. One year they are sponsored by company A and then by company B the next year. When they switch it has nothing to do with the product except for the paycheck they receive from them. When you hear them talk its a different story or this bait is the best because... This is why I find my own tackle to use and listen to other friends that I trust. Bass fisherman are liars and will not let everyone know exactly what they use. Who can say that the crank we see someone using on TV is really the same as what you and I purchase on the rack? Is that worm color one that we can buy or is it a "pro staff only" color. The companies I have complete faith in and not affiliated with are as follows: Huddleston 3:16 Lure Company GYCB Roboworm Open Water Custom Tackle Owner Mustad Seaguar Sunline Izorline Norman Pradco/Bomber (Fat Free Shad only) Lucky Craft Reaction Innovations Megastrike Boze (Sumo frogs) I can't go wrong with any of these products no matter who endorses them I use their products a lot and have never ever been let down. I even cashed a check or two in tournaments because of them.

Nope it can stay right here where it belongs

There was an article in the last Bassmaster magazine where the writer stated that a low profile reel could not handle the strain of swimbaits. Obviously he had never used a Curado 300... He did plug our Calcutta TE which was nice There are many low profile reels that will handle swimbait fishing. Typically the line capacity is the only thing that will hinder it as being a swimbait reel. Shimano reels for example have oversized gears and drags so they will handle swimbaits without really wearing out. I personally have used my Curado 300's to catch species such as Yellowfin Tuna, Dorado, White Sea Bass and Yellowtail here on the west coast. I have fished 80 pound braid with buckled drags for these species and the reels have not broken or worn out yet.

Corey makes a great bait. I like the MC stuff a lot but I'm also partial to Hammer because they are very good to me. I use both brands a lot because they are unique in their own ways. My friends and I have caught fish on the old Mexico made baits and the new China made baits. The China baits do not split like the old Mexico baits did. Its tough to produce that number of baits in CA with all the laws and taxes to be profitable unfortunately. You can almost always find Hammers and MC baits are not always in stock

I was there in 94-95 so many things have changed. Housing was pretty cheap and getting a job didn't seem too difficult. It is HOT there in the summer (100-125+) so be ready!!! I wish I had more recent info for you and I wish you the best of luck out there!

I would say anything with a green back and a white belly. This covers most baitfish out there. Raul said it best though because many times the color does not matter. I have caught a lot of bass on trout colored patterns in lakes that have no trout and have never seen trout. And they just happen to have a green back with a white belly Infidel- There are way better colors in Hammers than just white. Of course I will not say what colors I get bit best on ;D

Our lifetime warranty is not on all of our rods. Typically in the freshwater rods that start around $40 and up have a lifetime warranty. It does vary by model. The OTC is up to the dealer if they want to participate. We simply cannot force them to replace the rod. If the dealer is unwilling to replace the rod then you can send it to us for replacement. We even allow you to cut the rod in half to avoid oversized shipping charges. If the dealer tells you that you have to pay for shipping then just send the rod to us. We reimburse the dealers for shipping and I have heard of a few dealers trying to charge the customer for it so they make a small profit. This is not how the program works. We are working on getting the dealers to change this, once again we cannot force them to do anything.

You would be surprised at how many bass we catch in So-Cal on 3-5 pound test and UL rods. It can be done and fairly easy too. We have to deal with rock, brush, and grass. Imagine fighting two 5 pounders at one time on 3# line RW- A 7 pound German Brown is a nice fish! My best to date out here is about 4 pounds. Do you have any pictures of that trout? I have to drive 4-5 hours to catch them so I rarely target them.

The BPS FC is made by Toray (or used to be). Toray is one of the best FC manufacturers in Japan. I use Seaguar Invis X, Sunline BMS Pro (light line), Toray and Yamamoto Sugoi. I have tried everything else and I was not happy with any of them except what I have listed above. I hear that the Trilene FC in the lighter stuff is decent but I have my doubts

Some dealers prefer the clam packs because of storage space or display space. Wal Mart is the king of clam packs... The reel should have been smooth and perfect in the pack. We take them out of a box and stick them in the clam pack. The oil, shims and instructions should be there too. We did have a run of them that did not contain these items. Give us a call and we can send you these items 877-577-0600.

They have a 12" Curly Tail worm too...already have some on order

I use 25# Izorline XXX and Seaguar 20# FC. Never broke either of them on a fish or structure. For the smaller baits like the 4" stuff I use 12# Seaguar FC. Its just a swimming crankbait

The Willamete above the falls is fishable in a Kayak. Its not as wide as it is below the falls or like the Columbia. The current can be pretty strong in that river from what I remember. The smallmouth fishing is insane up there at the right times. I'm jealous

Our lakes in So-Cal are not much better for capacity. Many lakes are closed to launching right now. The entire state is in desperate need of water. Now with the Q Mussle around it screwed us from getting water from the Colorado River too. I sure hope we get some rain and/or snow where we need it.

For the left hand Shimano users ;D I made this into a T-shirt for my left handed buddy in Oregon.

You mean those are not really cars that I can buy at the dealer? ;D Thats OK I guess. Those cars can only turn left and I need to turn right from time to time.