SirSnookalot

Good luck with the reel.

Originally the focus was on a Caluctta for use in Boston Harbor to use with live bait, the Tekota was purchased instead and his question now is can this reel be used for bass too. It's one thing to make a suggestion before a purchase is made, it's another to say that something else should have been bought. From my own standpoint the last thing I care to do is make some one feel bad about a purchase, I'd much prefer to offer a suggestion on how best to utilize it. I'm by no means an expert with freshwater fishing and b/c gear, but I do have knowledge fishing with bait in saltwater, IMO the tekota was a fine purchase for that intended use.

Most of my windknots occur when the line hits the first guide at a very fast speed. Slow down the cast and make more of a follow thru rather than a snap cast, make sure the spool is not filled too much. Quite often on windy days I cast one handed to eliminate those knots as I'm not casting it too hard. I personally do not think it's the line or how you are closing the bail that's caused the problem.

The reel is operating as it should be. As far as casting a reel of this type people do it all the time but that depends on the rod it's on, if the rod is too stiff or too short then it's be just be lobbing it out there. If I remember correctly the intended use of this reel, I would eliminate the above Abu for the same reason I thought the calcutta was the wrong reel. I personally would never use a reel without a single power handle or nob for saltwater bait fishing. There are no absolutes in fishing, you can use whatever you choose to, many that venture into a different genre use what they already have and it works.

One reason reels without a levelwind are more popular is that is one less part that can break under pressure.

I do not own the patriach, ci4 or the fj, can't say if they are better or more durable than the previous models. I do own 3 supremes, 1 of which was used for saltwater for nearly 2 years before using it for fresh, 1 medalist and an arbor both exclusively in saltwater. I own 2 4000 stradic fi both used only in saltwater and for species other than bass. My opinion is not based on any technical data but my own personal usage, each of the reels are a minimum of 3 years except the arbor which is about 18 months. I fish about 340 days a year fresh and salt and many times both in the same day, these reels get used a lot, I have my own background on capabilty and durabilty. I like both brands very much but neither is perfect. It's a fact that none of my Pfluegers have ever needed anything more than a drop of oil, they have never needed any kind of repair or service. The drag works well and the reels are smooth but extremely prone to wind knots with braided line. My stradics on the other hand have had their problems, none of which was major. The drag on one is totally shot, not unexpected considering the age and kind of fish caught on it. I have had line roller bearings rust out 2 times, not uncommon if you do an internet search and both reels have had line stacking issues but shims remedy that. The line management with stradic is superior to any other reel I have used, never once in the years using them have I had a wind knot, a real important issue to me. I don't think the stradic is best in every category, but good enough in each of them to be considered the better of the 2 reels and near or at the top of all sub $200 reels. STCI41000F & 9530X most fisherman are not banging out 10# fish on them 7 days a week, if you are catching a lot of 10# fish it's most likely done with b/c and heavier rods. Kinda boils down to the fish being caught on a regular basis, both reels should perform well for many years and pick the one you like the best, I'd keep an open mind and look at the lexa.

Needle nose pliers only..... the size I carry will depend on the speices and hook size, needle nose curved pliers are great for larger fish.

W-T-G !!

We don't have many of them here, I've caught them on xraps while fishing for snook. On my redifsh trips I've used gold spoons, bucktails and jigging artificial shrimp. Probably no bait surpasses live shrimp for almost all southern saltwater species.

I wear long sleeves and fishing pants much of the time and that's because of the no seeums, with an offshore breeze coming in it's shorts and a t-shirt. The buff is too hot for me, I only wear it when the insects are out.

Fishing is unlimited here whether on foot or by boat. My freshwater spots get no real pressure and saltwater is an issue of fish looking for bait. Even on a crowded beach everyone is either catching or not, depending if the fish are around.

Nice fish.................I like jigging tipped with squid in 20-60' of water, and keep your eyes pitched for the rays.

Maybe, but the intent is not to catch muskie. With little thought I could come up with a number of much better options, both more and less expensive. My first thought is the rod, do you already have a rod or do you plan on buying one for a new reel purchase. The best reel in the world is useless on the wrong rod. Conventional.......My choice would be 40# class rod, conventional non level wind reel with line capacity. I'd use an 8-10' rod unless I planned on using on a boat too, then I't would be a 7 footer. Also I would load it up with mono, if you have caught a 15-20# bluefish you know how they will tangle many lines on a boat, they cut lines they don't untangle them. Spinning.......A rod is always available for any kind of spinning use. Baitrunner styles are ideal for pier or shore use with live or cut bait, can be casted as well. I personally do not use them but I have quite a few standard spinning reels that are more than adequate to handle the task at hand, I have ones that hold 250 or more yards of line with 30# of drag and weigh 14-20 oz. To a freshwater fisherman that may sound heavy and awkward, but to a saltwater fisherman it isn't. Not too say that inshore style fishing we like well balanced light outfits, but that is not what you will be doing. I'll forego the brand war, this type of fishing does not require the most high end gear.

@New2BC4bass, like you when I was kid using the old Mitchells and Shakesperes I don't remember having to deal with like twist like we do today, my dad was always a stickler about using BB swivels. Perhaps the lure types were a bit different then, we had no flukes in the mid 50's that I recall but that does not address the issue of the line being wrapped around a fixed spool. Tells me 3 things, either the reels are made different today, the lines are made different, or my memory is shot due to old age. I don't own a spinning reel with braided line on it that does not have line twist, I do use a variety of lure types. To date I have not figured out a way to troll braid out like mono, that said there are a few applications that I choose mono over braid.

Try a different brand of f/c leader, the knot should not fail if tied correctly.

Being primarily a spinning man myself, that would always be my first choice and it would be a baitrunner type reel. Accept this as an option, my fishing partner has several Daiwa regal bri, very inexpensive, with a potent drag and plenty of line capacity. He uses his for snook off the pier,and sailfish, amberjack, kingfish etc from his boat. He's not the kind of guy that rinses down or even oils his reels, just abuses them and they keep working well. The negative is line management, although not using the reel as a cast and retrieve tool that negative becomes a relative non factor.

I'm not going to pit one brand against another, but I would want a reel with a larger spool for better line management, especially if the weights were very close. Drag maxes can be an over rated issue, 8# is plenty of drag considering the fact you aren't going to set it that high anyway.

Good reel but the wrong one for your type of fishing. Within the Shimano line up I'd be looking at a tekota if you want a level wind or a torium, both reels have a power handle on the crank, I believe both reels have available stronger drags than the caluctta. IMO you need a bait reel, not a cast and retrieve reel. Before I would do anything I'd be talking with locals in the area to see what they are using and what kind of fish are being caught.

Braid will twist like any other line on spinning gear just not as bad. Windknots are sometimes caused by casting too hard, the line comes off the spool very fast and hits for first guide and that's where the knot occurs. My fix, I don't overspool maybe a 1/4 inch from the lip and I make long flowing casts, not a hard snap cast. There are videos, one on the Spanish Fly website, showing how the line hitting the first guide can cause that knot or tangle, Fuji has a K-guide that is supposed to eliminate that, I have not used a rod with those guides as yet.

Personally if I were using a conventional reel for cut or live bait, bottom fishing or drifting I'd be using a reel without a level wind, from my observation level winds are not as popular for that type of fishing, but a personal choice. Secondly I would want a power handle on my crank, and last of all my preference is a lever drag not a star, not that the star is bad. The Caluctta itself is a fine reel, I just think there are better options for your kind of fishing within the Shimano line up. Both Daiwa and Penn make suitable reels as well and I use an Avet.

Just another old wive's tale. The main reason spinning reels get line twist is a fixed spool that runs parallel to the rod, as the the handle is turned the line wraps around that fixed spool. Secondly some types of lures that may turn over like a fluke or certain types of spoons (a drone spoon comes to mind), cut or live bait while drifting will cause the twist as well even with a baitcaster. The twist can be reduced but not eliminated by centering the hook on the fluke and using a BB or ball chain swivel. I close the bail by hand about 90% only because it's just a smoother more efficient method for me, not a twist issue. I have yet to use a reel that has lived up to any claim of having an anti twist bail.

A leader is not needed, but I never fish without one. If for no other reason it's much easier to untangle a leader wrapped around a treble hook than it is with braid.

I haven't done that but what I have done, and more than once, is to attempt to throw a 1 oz spoon without opening the bail, not always a happy ending.

If 20+mph winds aren't tough enough, add a torrential sideways downpour off the ocean. I just knew it was going to be a hot snook day with the outgoing and I wasn't about to miss it so I leave the house this morning at 4:30 in a heavy downpour. 3/4 of the way to the inlet I had to pull over and wait for the rain to subside a bit, couldn't see but a few feet. Once I get close several areas of A1A were flooded out, but I manage to get there. There was a lull in the wind, still raining some, so I head out on the jettie, not 5 minutes goes by and a squall comes thru with I'm guessing 35 mph wind and blinding rain, and the snook are turning on..........what I'm going to leave? We (my good buddy showed up too) catch a few until it was no longer fishable, head home and go back to bed. Catching snakeheads the other day I'm over that craze but I still have the fishing jones, I'm putting my rainsuit back on and heading out to my canal for some bass fishing.

Offshore I use grey, inshore and freshwater it's amber. Wearing prescriptions and usually starting before dawn flips ups work best for me. I'm always flipping them up or down depending where the sun is, sometimes I see better without them depending on the light angle the water can look too dark.