flechero

ReelMech, I never asked Deb specifically about Shikari but she told me she could make anything but Calstar and that my reciept for the blank was sufficient evidence. Maybe things have changed in the past few weeks. I do the same thing each time... email my order and follow it with a fax copy of the blank invoice... she's made everything I have asked for so far. Worst case, I bet ATC owns the rights and could give permission. It's worth a quick call or email to verify...

Yes! One of the main reasons I bought 50MG's was weight. When you pair a 6 ounce reel with a light weight, well balanced custom rod... it feels magical. IMO, lots of the reels today have too many bearings.... double stacking bearing does nothing extra and beyond about 5, there isn't any other place you can feel them. I don't notice a "rough" feeling when handle paddles don't have bearings in them... sure the bearing handles may be a tiny bit smoother but for me, a smooth light reel beats an extra smooth, heavier reel every time. I haven't seen the specifics on the Premier yet so I can't compare it to the features of the STX but I think if it's a light version of the STX, it will be worth the money to a lot of people. YMMV

For a few bucks ($3-$5) and a fax copy of the invoice, Decal Connection will make you some Shikari decals.

Thanks for the info, looks like a neat lake.

Hard to argue with that. The Batson blanks I have used have been absolute price performers! I think there are still some heavy blanks left in the Shikari sale on mud hole... some of them are in the sub $30 range. If you need to squeak shipping into that budget you are very limited. I might also look at the cabela's blanks.... the lighter musky blanks may spec out well for a frog rod, if the bass blanks are too light. Good sales don't come around that often... when you find one, you need to stock up! ...lol I haven't used them yet.... I also wondered and was going to buy 1 or 2 with my next order just to see if they are worth having.

What???? If you'll read a few of my posts on gear, I talk about value and working within your budget- that's FAR from judgemental. Just because I made a comment (back to Catt) about saving and not being into instant gratification you JUDGE me as some religious zealot, tackle nazi eliteist. I call BS on that, my friend. I've not only defended you but I Pray for you. As far as Church goes, you can't blame me for that... you haven't been in one since long before you knew me. Besides, I Pray for you and your work weekly (you've been in my prayer book since March) so you can use any excuse you want but me.... God didn't make you a victim, he allowed you to make choices... Seriously Dominick, When have I ever judged you? How quickly you forget... you already forgotten the encouragement of going back to school? Did anyone else on the boards offer you a carrot along with their Prayers? I didn't think so. I could write pages on what it took to get to the point I'm at in my life.... the stories are a little different, but everyone has one. I'm really surprised, Dom, really surprised.

It would have still been a bargin at twice the price.

I also had a bad experience with Shimano's service. Here is the conclusion I came to: Since you have to pay shipping either way, (and they don't seem to fix much at Shimano) you are way better sending it to ReelMech and paying the labor... at least you'll know it's done right. Consider it a $40 lesson learned. I would have called them and disputed the charge since it wasn't repaired to your satisfaction. Now for the real question- If it were my reel, I would probably go ahead and send it to ReelMech because even if you dump another $20-$40 into it it's still way less than the replacement cost. (Unless he thinks it's not worth sending in) But I guess budget considerations would play into it also...

That's not even beer/cigarette money for a lot of people. That applies to ALL parts of life. If people will get out of the instant gratification mentality, it's easy to save for the best of whatever you want. And to take it one step further- I've never met anyone that couldn't tighten a budget, a little more, when the desire was great. You just have to have a plan and THEN STICK TO IT. When I bought my first few Loomis rods- I started eating a bigger breakfast and put lunch money into an envelope... about 40 days to save for each IMX is what it took. All it took was a LITTLE self control. Good stuff, Catt. I liked Cart7's gear suggestions and I would probably do similar... All Star classic's and Abu 4600's for starters.

I think it's apples to oranges. the 7'6" flipping rod is most often a mod-fast rod, designed to work at extremely close range. The kistler you mentioned is a different animal. It's also 6" shorter so it will feel lighter and balance better. Besides, the faster the rod, the "softer" the tip so you will probably like pitching a lot better on the kistler in your comparison. I agree with Catt, it looks like your mind is made up.

"Need" is way too strong of a word. I don't use braid at all and manage to fish the salad at lakes all over Texas. I have no trouble with XT. It's also easier on my rods and reels. Just remember that there is a trade off for each trait. consider your water/cover/fish and then decide what is most important (rank the items in order) strength abraision resistance visability stretch managability line diameter anything else you feel is important Once you rank these things based on what baits you throw on each rod, you will probably not need our help on what makes most sense.

I don't remember exacly what my original response said and have no earthly idea why it would be removed... It went something like this... Apology accepted. The fact that you kept looking for the answers after the thread was locked and posted about it publicly speaks volumes about your charactor. You could have left it alone and went about your business or quietly sent a PM- but you chose to post it. I have a lot of respect for that. I also owe you an apology... it takes 2 to tangle and I was a willing participant. So I am also sorry for my participation. Sorry, the original post was much better thought out.

Not funny guys.... Why was my response to Micropterus deleted?

I'm jealous.... you get to work in the A/C!!!!! Still in the 110's in my garage this week.

What a disgusting post.

If you had oil in the res., check the wires to the cap. I just had to replace the cap and wires for similar reasons. The insulation had split open due to unscrewing the cap a few times over the years causing a short on the low oil alarm... unfortunately the cap and wires are sold as a single part. The rocket scientist that assembled my motor, didn't think to pre twist the cap a few turns in the opposite direction so when it was installed it twisted the wire up almost into a knot. :-/

Quality and value have as many definitions as the # of people asked to define them. Just be careful not to stereotype a group of people based on something you appear to have little knowledge of. I have a number of Abu 4600's that have been fished hard for many years- several over 15 years... they still look great on the inside. They function perfectly to this day. Bought them reconditioned from a service center in the late 80's and early 90's for $25-$35 each. I've replaced a few worm gears and pawls but a few dollars and a few minutes is nothing for reels of that age and use. They are good quality and good value. Now look at the 50MG's I have purchased in the past 2 years... they do everything the 4600's do but do it lighter, smoother, better. The 50MG doesn't take anything away from the old $35 reels and the old reels don't make the 50MG's more or less valuable. Each was a good reel and was a good deal on its own merit. Now the flip side- I have a TD-Z BBS that's a $400 waste of money. IMO it's a bad value and a mediocre reel. I only bring this up to show that there are some bad experiences with high $$$ gear. For anyone to make a blanket statement that condemns high or low priced gear, based on cost, is both irresponsible and ignorant. So if my $350+ combo represents a smaller percentage of my disposable income than your $100 combo, what then does that say about you? does that make you the silly one? This agrument is tired... most of the time these threads are started by someone who is trying to justify their own gear. I could care less what anyone uses but lets keep it factual and honest.

There continue to be lots of guys posting at RBO that the Recoil tips are grooving... some with just mono. The consensus here was "so far so good" the Loomis rods with Recoil guides have a ceramic tip- which could have been pure genius or just that the REC tips are so awful looking. Having said all that, I would only use the guides (no tip top) on a light to medium rod that was planned for mono usage. YMMV.

Whatever his guide hands him.

If a $31 combo fits your needs, awesome, I'm glad for you... I've caught bass on a cane pole. There is really nothing but sarcastic comparisons to make here. I am almost at a loss for words thinking if this is serious or a joke. I guess I'll assume it's serious... To some people a fishing rod & reel is just that- a fishing rod & reel and anything that works is enough. to some they are toys to some they are tools to some they are instruments to some they are fine art to some they are heirlooms. each of those lines is a different price point. I have a Mossberg 500A shotgun that I paid $170 for- it is a tool I also have a Browning O/U that I paid over $1200 for- it is an heirloom that I will pass down some day. The 500A kills dove, quail, pheasant and clays just as dead- does that mean the Browning was big giant waste of money? I would say no... but I'm thinking you might say yes. It's a matter of perspective. (and maybe disposable income) Let's not judge each other.

I suppose your wine glasses have SOLO "etched" in them?? ;D You must really have boxed wine... not a bottle in my house is labeled in quarts. ...lol ;D ;D All in fun!!

That's why I started with "I hope it came out wrong" I see why you might be concerned but it just sounded like an Amish bashing.

The all around rod depends on a few things. (fish size, cover, baits used, etc.) Most often a 6'6" or 7' (your preference) med or med-hvy,(your preference) fast action is the best general purpose. As for rods- I'd look at All Star, and Shimano or even Berkley lightning rods if the budget is tight.

That foam can take "forever" to dry out. I wish they used a different foam. Good luck.

+2 Sold the boat since then but I had almost 10 trouble free years in not so great neighborhoods. Lost several lawn mowers and weedeaters and a trolling motor- but never the outboard.