ghost

Acme Phoebe in 1/6 & 1/4 oz are great for bass, or other fish. Casts great & has a great wobble. I highly recommend using a swivel though. I cast it out, let it sink for so many seconds & reel slow to medium, & I'll stop reeling & let it sink. I get hits either way.

Hey, let me help you out & send me the store credit. I am just one of those that would like to help out when I can! Just go & buy another reel from the place & be done w/ it. BUT, I would ask them for the reel you want that HAS not been opened yet. When I go buy new reels, I always tell them to get the ones that has the tape on, unopened. I know then that the reel is "pure" & if any defects were to come about, I know it's from the mfg. But if the store does not have a reel that has not been touched, I ask them to pull a couple of the opened reels, so I can inspect. I did this when I bought my Shimano Curado 101D. From the 3 I looked at, one of them the thumb bar would not re-engage. The other one just did not feel all that smooth. The one I picked was the best. It's the Goldie Locks & the 3 bears analogy. BUT, I'm here for you if you want to part ways w/ the store credit....Buddy! :

Sufix braid is very good, much better than Power Pro. I must have gotten a bad batch of Power Pro, cuz the color is flaking off the line & dusting up my reels. The Sufix braid seems to be a tad thinner than PP also. I checked both the 30 lb of Sufix & PP & I can tell that the Sufix is slightly thinner. Only thing I wish Sufix would come out w/ that PP has is 40 lb (10 lb dia). Most of my fishing w/ a baitcast reel I like this size line, it casts a bit farther than 50 lb braid. Now I think of it, since Sufix is slightly thinner, than the 50 lb Sufix braid might be closer to the line dia of 40 PP. I may have to look into that. I have 65 lb Spider Wire Stealth on my musky reel. The color is a much darker green than on PP. I may not mind the stiffer Stealth since I'll be casting heavy lures w/ it.

Nope, the 300 is slightly larger than the 200, it's also about an ounce heavier. The weight of the 300/301 does feel similar to the Citica 200/201D though. The 300/301's spool is larger than the 200 spool.

Is that you BB??? Yeah, I've picked up one & mounted on a rod. Yes it feels "big" but not like Abu Garcia round reel big, in a 5600 or 6600 size series.

I mean for regular bass fishing using lures from 3/8 oz on up...spinnerbaits, jigs, crankbaits? I know that it's designed for heavier types of fishing, but the gear ratio & just slightly larger than the 200/201 model seems tempting to be an all around reel, depending on the rod flex/action used. Would 50 lb braid work fine for musky fishing & moonlighting for bass fishing...maybe steelhead & salmon in the spring & fall too.

Mindkiller, the Daiwa Advantage in 2500, it has an ipt of 28", which is high speed. In a way I prefer this ipt from the over 30+" ipt on the Stradic 2500 & 3000. I kind of think that's just a little too fast for some applications. But I'll just have to try when the weather gets better. However, I did spool the Stradic 2500FI w/ the 30 lb braid & backing that I had on my Stradic 2500FH. What surprised me is that I thought that if I just take the line that was on the FH & transfer to the FI that line should fit the same. But, the FI's spool does not take all of the line from the FH. I have a few yards left over, which confuses me. I thought the spools diameters would be the same, but the 2500FI takes less amount of line in 8 lb dia. Just something to be aware of...Maybe I shoulda jumped & gotten the FI 3000.

Bought this reel today & I'll tell you that it's SMOOTH! What suprises me about this reel compared to the Stradic 2500FH & even the Symetre 2500, is that new Aero Wrap spooling. It spools the line in a cris-cross line lay, which is cool. But it wraps it a bit faster than the reels I've mentioned. Caught me a bit off guard since I'm used to seeing how slow & even the line lay is on the older Stradic & Symetre. I guess this is how Shimano can achieve the cris-cross line lay. I also bought a Compre 7' Med spinning rod, don't know if the Stradic will go on this, I'm waiting to see the new Carrot Stix. But the Kistler Magnesium is sure nice looking & will probably look nice on w/ the 2500FI.

I know the 2500FI can take in 140 yds of 8 lb line, but will 8 lb CXX P-Line handle well on this reel? It's not too stiff that it will jump off the spool like flouro line? I'm going to be ordering some 6 lb & 8 lb Yozuri Hybrid Ultrasoft, but that won't be for a couple weeks.

Cumara & Curado 201D OR Cumara & Curado 101D OR Cumara & Zillion Sorry, just showing off : BUT, let me clarify; I only bought ONE Cumara!!! I ended up getting the Shimano Cumara CUC-X68M, 6"8", 8-14 lb line wt, 1/4-1/2 oz lure wt, medium power, extra fast action. I checked out all the 6'8" Cumara models the store had, tried the different actions & settled on this one. It seemed to be the perfect action for what I want, a pretty much all around type of rod. Not too whippy like the medium, fast action. That one would make a great crankbait rod, perfect flex & action. The MH models were just stiff & a tad too stiff. Really perfect for worms & jigs. The model I got was right in the middle of flex & action. I would love to get all the different flex & actions, but that's not gonna happen any time soon. So I found one that was right in the middle for what I want to use it for. Now for the reels on the Cumara....that's the hard choice! I do want to check out the Carrot Stix...if & when they are available at Cabelas. Such "hard" choices :'(

Thank You Sir!!!

Which of these 2 in b/c or spinning rods would you pick? The looks are very similar that they're both split grips & very exposed reel handles. I've handled the Cumara & it's quite light in weight. The look means all business. I haven't handled the Carrot Stix, Cabelas is supposedly to carry them but they are not in stores or available on their online store. Price wise, I'm looking at the $150 Carrot Stix vs. the $200 Cumaras.

I googled them & didn't get the main website. You guys have a link? Thanks!

Looking at the 6'8" models, which would be a good all around rod? I'm leaning to the CUC-68M, fast action, medium power, 1/4-1/2 oz lure wt. Would this be a good choice?

Which lens color is best for freshwater & which frame style are you using? Do mirrored lens help or make a difference for fishing? How much better are they for fishing versus Maui Jims, Oakleys, Smith Optics, & Solar Bats?

I bought a couple of them, silver/black & pearl white. If the ice is gone from the water tomorrow, I'll try them out.

Daiwa Exceler, $70. All aluminum body, magforce Z braking, free spool, 6.3:1 gear ratio, 28" ipt, 8.8 oz, 140 yds of 12 lb, swept handle similar to the Zillion & Advantage. Oh heck, here's a link: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0053680123049a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=daiwa+exceler&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=daiwa+exceler&noImage=0 I have the lefty version & am very happy w/ the reel.

What's wrong w/ the carbon matrix drag?

Saw these reels today & they are very nice looking. Who are using this reel & what are your pro's & con's.

Shimano Cardiff 300/301 & Okuma Guide Series 7'6", 1-5 oz. Great combination!

Revo S, hands down. I owned the Citica 201D & it's heavy feeling b/c reel. I owned the older Curado 201 & that was much lighter to cast all day. I liked the Citica 201D but it was just not comfortable to cast all day. The Revo S is lighter & has a more lower profile feeling than the Citica. The Citica felt much taller than the Revo S. It's a very comfortable reel to cast all day. I have that reel & am very happy w/ it. I have mine loaded w/ 40 lb PP braid & the Revo S spools the line easily, so did the Citica. I just like the feel & weight of the Revo S-L, I tried the Revo SX & the braking was not what I expected, the braking is a bit squirrely. I'm used to the mag braking of Daiwa b/c reels & the Revo SX is nowhere close to that, the Revo SX mag brake is not as refined as a Daiwa b/c mag braking. I got a few backlashes & it was just not easy to fine tune the spool tension & the mag brake. Also, check w/ Cabelas, call one of the stores. They have the Revo S for $90. I was at the one in Hammon, IN today & say they had them on sale. BPS has them for $110. If you do have a chance to try both out, you'll notice what I am talking about.

The DPV 5:1, 21" ipt; or the DHSV 7:1, 30" ipt? Which would be more of an all around b/c reel? I have the 101D already, just looking to get another Curado...I do have my eyes on the Curado 301 also...

I picked up the silver/black one & it's a basic fishing color. I'm looking to buying one more tomorrow. But not sure if I should stick w/ traditional white pearl or pearl blue. There are other colors available, but not sure if any of them would be a good all around color. Also noticed that the Subwalk on the tail end has small wings on the side, very interesting. I wonder how those wings will affect the lure. What X-rap colors work for you? I guess the silver/black would be good for clear to failry clear waters, but what's a good color for stained water?

It's not that this lue is any better than a regular spot, it's just different. I've not seen a jointed rattle trap style lure before. The Lucky Craft is similar but I have a Lucky Craft Pointer that's jointed. I'll tell you that that lure does not have as much action as I would have thought. I thought that it would move side to side, but it doesn't. I would think the Live LVR would be the same...not much action from the tail end. Also, I looked at the jointed Cordell more closely. Bottom one side it says Cordell & the other side says Spot. So I know that it's a Cordell spot, just one that is very unique to me.

Interested on your thoughts if the Cardiff 400/401 would make a good reel for musky fishing. I like the price, $110 & it seems pretty stout. I would like to jump up to the Calcutta TE, but that's way expensive...& I haven't musky fished in a year....sooooo the Cardiff seemed like a good choice. Thoughts?