SWMIBASSER

Have you ever tried rigging a Chigger Craw like that? I'm looking forward to using beavers and chigger craws this year.

Just sent you a PM

At one time, where I'm from, you could throw a spinner bait in a form of the right color (whites/silvers, with silver blades) and catch bass until you were sick of it. Basically all year long. Those days, at least here, are LONG gone. Can you catch fish on spinnerbaits? Ya. But there are more productive options, any given time of year.

I'm about 95% here. It's the same design as the Pro Qualifier so the below should work. But I've not done it myself. A Pflueger patriarch has a Duralumin gear set in 7.1.1 This will make for a faster reel without increasing weight. Which you don't want to do as that is one of the key features of that reel. If you don't mind increasing the weight the 5.2.1 and 4.7.1 from the Pro Qualifier should swap right in. When swapping from Duralumin gears which you have in that reel, to brass gears, you WILL increase the weight quite a bit. The drag washers regardless of ratio should be the same. I would have to double check part numbers but I'm pretty sure a Revo uses the same washer regardless of ratio. I believe the BPS reels do as well.

So I'm ready to buy a tube rod finally. I also need to use it for split shot rigs with 4" worms and 3/16 and under weights, 1/8-1/4 finesse jigs, and drop shotting using 1/4-3/8 DS weights. I need to work on tube fishing but would like to be able to cover 1/8-1/2 with one rod, with 1/8-1/4 being the most used. I'm looking at three Loomis rods and one rogue. SMR 913S Bronzeback 7'7 rod, MH F, 1/4-3/4 10-17lb line SMR 882S Bronzeback 7'4 M F 1/8-3/8 8-12lb line BSR 852 Mossyback 7'1 M F 1/8-3/8 6-12lb line. I'm also seriously considering a Rouge 7'6 Spin/Jig rod in M F 1/8-5/8. And for an extra $30 having the recoil guides put on. I like the feel of the Loomis rods, I've checked out the Bronzeback rods in person, but not the Mossyback. The rod I prefer is the Rogue and they DO have a lifetime warranty. But it isn't a no questions asked warranty like available from Loomis. Should I break the Rogue I'll be out another $240, vs another $50 for the Loomis. Because of the warranty issue and because I want this rod to be a big water tube rod eventually I'm leaning towards the 7'7 Bronzeback. I've compared it side by side with an IMX and they are very similar in weight with the IMX being better balance and more $$ than I am going to spend. I'm concerned the extra length will make this rod cumbersome when DSing, and fishing jigs and split shot rigs. Thoughts or recommendations welcomed.

What reel are you talking about?

Abu Garcia=Baitcasting Pflueger= Spinning Been using them since I learned to use a baitcaster about 17 years ago. I have Abu round reels that spent a solid 10 years or so throwing musky jerkbaits, and bucktails. Most reels made today would last a few outings musky fishing and be thrown away. Those reels still go strong. I just replaced them with newer models with instant anti-reverse. After having a few Abu spinning reels for YEARS, I felt I should upgrade to something more modern. I couldn't be happier with the Pflueger Supreme Great reel at a good price.

So a M XF and MH XF are the same stiffeness?

I wouldn't touch anything with the BPS name on it,reels included.BPS stuff is all made in China. The Mojo's are decent rods,MADE IN USA, a bit ill balanced but thats to be expected at the price point. It has the Fuji Reel Seat,but not Fuji guides,Batson I believe. The BuCoo has EVA grips which I don't personally like,but thats subjective,and is also MADE IN USA.Probably an Aluminum Oxide Fuji Guide. St. Croix of course is a good company,so is Falcon,,kind of a toss up,one is probably no better than the other. You obviously have NO idea what you are talking about :

I had an oppurtunity to check out the Skeet Reese rods, Falcon Bucu, Vendetta, and Carbonlite rods last weekend. IMO, you NEED to see the rods for yourself before buying. The reviews these rods get are pretty accurate. For casting rods. ALL of them in the spinning model were much heavier and not balanced as well as the casting model.

I think it's really a matter of personal preference really. If you trained yourself to use them, and that's what you are used to, they work fine. My last two boats have had a Minn Kota Powerdrive. The Powerdrive motors actually have some neat features. Wireless pedal and co-pilot controller being one of them. They also have a new GPS based system out, that after entering coordinates, or following a trail, the motor can follow that trail again. Or go to different coordinates in a connect the dot type fashion. All automatically. I don't mind them a bit, as that's what I'm used to.

There is a BPS Exclusive Daiwa TD pro for $110, that comes with the air bail, and other nice features, at a good price. Might be worth looking at.

Man that budget opens up enough options that this discussion could go on forever. I would probably pick the Loomis BCR 853, in Mossyback or GLX, and then pick up a Revo Premier, or Skeet Reese. That's just me. The biggest thing for me is to pick a rod that has enough length but isn't cumbersome. An overly long handle also becomes cumbersome and just gets in the way. If going custom I think I would add some provision for an add on balancer to get the balance perfect. A reel needs to be a high speed reel, that can bring line back in quick, to make the next pitch.

+1 BILLION. That's a personal choice. The way I see it, understanding fishing is about understanding nature. And it's far from simple. But I understand your point. You don't need to understand nature to go fishing, or to catch a bunch of fish. It's what floats my boat is all. Writing answers to people's questions helps me collect ideas better. Like everyone, I'm here to learn and that's what I'm doing, in my own way. Nothing wrong with your response at all. Just for me, I like to keep things simple, when it comes to some things.

I'll be 1,000% honest here. It doesn't much matter really. You get the aluminum crank side plate with the Revo. I like the metal construction myself. You get a MUCH nicer handle, and dual brakes that work great on the PQ. Internally the reels are the same. I have bought and worked on several BPS reels. Of them, you absolutely can NOT go wrong with the PQ. Parts will be available YEARS down the road. You will just buy parts for a Revo. With that said, I've been slowly converting my reels over to Abu Revo's. It's a brand I've been attached to for years. I learned to fish with a baitcaster using a 5500c3. I've used them for years and because of that have developed some brand loyalty. So I guess I personally prefer the Revo's, but the PQ is a better value, and performs great. Really nice reels.

People say you can just reel slower when using a higher speed reel. However there is a natural cadence to your retrieve that feels most comfortable. If you stick to that retrieve speed cadence, and adjust lure speed with reel speed, it's much easier to duplicate results over and over. With that said, I use a 7.1 for jigs, and 6.3 for soft plastics. Even with plastics that aren't moving baits, I find the high speed reel is to fast. Picks up to much line. Of course this is something that could be adjusted too, and is a personal preference.

This is a good reel, that doesn't really need much. With that said....Yes you can do tons of things to it. Leave the drag stock. I like to polish the metal drag washers and gear surfaces. Add a Carbon Matrix drag washer from an Ambassadeur under the main gear. Grease the washers for a smoother start up. Also I like to polish the star wheel that re-engages the clutch that is under the main gear. This is also a drag surface. Polish the metal pawl that re-engages the cam components, and the frame where this part slides. A thin coat of grease here, as well as between the pinion ramp, and slides makes the engagement, disengagement a lot more positive. Polish the inside of the pinion, spool pin face of the pinion, spool shaft ends, and I like to do the spool shaft as well-where the pinion rides...Avoid the spool shaft where it is bearing supported. Polish the friction ring on the centrifugal drum. As far as upgrades that require buying parts there are TONS. Revo Skeet Reese spool, Revo Elite CB spool, Revo Aurora spool, and Avail, all offer light weight spools made for a centrifugal brake reel. You need the spool shaft and c-clip from the any of the Revo reels with infini-spool, to complete those spool swaps.... Upgraded bearings. Boca offers Abec 5 and 7's in stainless/ceramic hybrids with stainless shields, and 7's with seals. I've used the Abec 5 hybrids on quite a few reels now with good success. Change all three spool bearings when using the stock spool. One in the palm plate, one on the spool shaft, and one in the cast control knob location. If changing to the infini-spool you can save some bucks and keep the stock bearing in the cast control knob. You can upgrade the levelwind system to a two bearing system as used on the STX. This gets the coated worm gear as well for increased wear resistance. There is also a ceramic pawl available for the levelwind. I'm not sure if that is a good idea or not however....May increase wear on the worm gear which is more expensive to replace than the pawl. There is also a Duralumin worm gear used in the BPS Carbon Lite, that would be a part used to reduce weight. All BPS gears from an Extreme or Pro Qualifier will swap in. 4.7, 5.4, 6.3, 7.1. Revo Premier and Skeet reese reels offer a Duralumin main/pinion gear in 6.3.1 as well as a drilled Duralumin main shaft. Together these parts reduce weight a bunch. The Revo Aurora Elite in Australia uses 7.1.1 gears/mainshaft in Duralumin for a light, high speed gear set. Revo Premier screws, including the main quick screw on top are a lighter part than on the S, SX, STX reels. There are quite a few carbon handle options. Bassart, ZPI, Mikes Reel Repair, Pflueger Patriarch XT, and BPS Carbon Lite all offer carbon handles that will fit the Revo. Pure Fishing Japan offers aftermarket machined aluminum knobs in gold, green, blue, and maybe silver that fit Revo handles, or any handle that accepts stock Revo knobs. Several BPS reels, and Daiwa reels have star drags that will interchange. Hope this helps. You have a bunch of options if you want to go the upgrade route.

+1 BILLION.

How many bearings did the pro max have? This one does have two in the spool. I was mistaken. So 5 ball bearings and one roller bearing.

I'm thinking about going the guide route on St Clair, Traverse bays, and Burt/Mullet. While I'm sure you can go, and catch fish, I want to maximize my time on the water. A guide could really help do that. Will guides typically let you carry a GPS and mark spots? Seems pretty douchey to me.. :-/ So does paying $150-250 to go fishing with someone. What is the point of a guide if not to provide insight on how/where to catch fish on a strange and/or large body of water. Most spots on the great lakes you would NEVER find without some sort of GPS coordinates

I'm thinking about going the guide route on St Clair, Traverse bays, and Burt/Mullet. While I'm sure you can go, and catch fish, I want to maximize my time on the water. A guide could really help do that. Will guides typically let you carry a GPS and mark spots?

I usually don't weigh. But honest guesses. Best smallies were over 4, and close to 5. Large was without a doubt over 6 and probably close to 7 which is huge up here. On a 10" power worm while "musky fishing" early in the season. Hope to break 6lb smallie this year by hitting the places that have them in numbers.

Pro qualifier. If it's the one that has been available the last few years.

Great book! I kind of abondoned the In-Fisherman brand when the Lindners left, but after going back through some of the In-Fisherman magazines, it's still a good magazine. The Angling Edge videos and TV show is good too.

Water clarity is relative to your area. To me that is muddy water. To some it might be just stained. There are lakes up/over here that you can see bottom in 30ft of water.