jack1

I picked up a beat up Shimano Stradic 2500 model number: ST2500FH. The bail assembly is all bent up. Missing the multi-purpose screw which holds the bail assembly down to the reel. The bail assembly is currently not connected to the reel. I am not sure of other parts that maybe missing. Does anybody know of a good reel repair shop that may be able to get the parts and repair this reel?

I'm so annoyed with the whole Sexy Shad craze. It's just about everywhere. Even other lure companies are coming out of their own version such as Xcalibur's Foxy Shad. The sexy shad, swimbait, shakyhead, and etc., are lures/colors that's nothing new been on the back burner for so long in the bassin world that nobody really cared for it. All of a sudden, somebody decides to use it again and have some success from it and then suddenly the fishing industry explodes into this craze of this so called New lure/color. What's next? The Jitterbug making a comeback in the future as the hottest new lure? Wouldn't doubt it.

I've been using Moss Green Power Pro on all my reels for years with great success, but this year I've made up my mind and I'm changing over to Hi-Vis Yellow mainly for line watching since I jig a lot. I hesitated switching over simply because of the line visibility and I know I can always tie on a fluoro leader, but will this bright color have an effect on my catch ratio without a leader? I still have doubts about the switch since I have no experience with the Hi-Vis Yellow, but on the other hand, it'll be so much easier on the eyes. Thoughts?

You feel bad...I feel worse. I picked up 4 Curado e7s 1 Crucial rod 1 Cumara rod tons of line, lures, tackle box, terminal tackle, and etc And I'm planning on getting a HB side imaging, another reel, and the list goes on. Must have spent at least a $1000 so far. It's getting out of hand!

That looks good...better have 911 on speed dial.

Bonehead move on his part, but I could care less. Just because of this, still not going to take away what he was able to do this past summer.

I need another caster, so I'm looking into purchasing an Abu Garcia SX from BPS, simply because of the free $129 Wiley X sunglasses. I know I can pick a SX off of ebay for $135 free shipping, but I'm in need of a high quality sunglasses as welljust too good to pass up on. Anyways, what's the big difference between the SX and STX? I know they're very similar, but why spend the extra $ on the STX? I'm thinking about going with the SX to save $, because they're both very close in specs. What's your take on the SX?

I was in your shoes last year around this time as well. I'm no expert, but some advice is still better than no advice. I knew what I wanted in a boat. Boat length, motor, boat layout, wheel vs tiller, aluminum vs fiberglass, price, how far I'm willing to drive for it, and the list goes on. Knowing exactly what you want will eliminate a lot of questions, which also means less wasted time. You're spending hard earn money so get the one you're happy with, do not settle for anything less than what you can afford. If you have any doubts, you'll regret it later on. Going used, sometimes you might have to settle for less. Overall, get the one you're most happy with and don't rush into it. You're obviously looking at a smaller used boat, so 1st thing is to check the condition of the boat, motor, and trailer. Check for visible damages. Ask question in regards to maintenance work that's been previously done on the boat/motor/ and trailer. Ask for any current problems. If possible, I would run the motor, and I know being up north this time of the year is going to make this a bit difficult. You might have to settle for their word if worst comes to worst. Try to make sure everything is in good working condition. Always ask questions if you are unsure of certain things. I bought mine last year around this time of the year in about -10 degrees weather condition. I bought mine from an elderly couple. They were very nice and kept records of everything that's been done to the boat. Brought all the records out to me and went over everything with me, which was fantastic. I spent two hours with them going over stories, maintenance work papers, questions, and a complete run down of the boat. I wanted to test the motor, but because of the blistering conditionsobviously that was not possible. He showed me records on the motor and reassured me that the motor was in top condition. I made the decision to trust his word after all that he had showed me and in the end, he was right. Buying used there's always that risk of something that's not going to meet your expectations, but understand that it's not a brand new boat. Do your homework, ask questions, and make the best decision based off of your findings.

I had one and sold it after a season. Overall it is a good reel, but I found myself hardly ever using the twitch bar. Save your money and get something else.

The KVD spinnerbaits are good too.

Banjo Minnows - caught a small smallie and northern pike with the entire set. Chatter bait - fish refuse to even look at it

1. Spinnerbait 2. Jig

Craigslist sales are meant for face to face transactions/pickups. I believe the website even stated this. Never give out personal information. I sell quite a bit on this site and I always get bogus emails requesting for my products. Those emails stand out with some bogus story to it, so it gets dumped. If they even mention anything else than a face to face transaction...ignore it, it's a junk mail. I once got a buyer named Clark Kent from Smallville that wanted to trade his red Dodge pickup for mine...lol! The buyers that aren't scams...most of the time you'll know when you read their email.

X2 If it was for $4823, I would drop everything and go pick it up right away.

I have the same problem as well. I have a ton of lures, but when I head out...I only use a few. There's only a few lures I use all the time, but I seem to rack up a ton of lures that I hardly ever use. I'm just prepared - at least that's what I keep telling myself.

I'm looking into purchasing the smaller SI unit, but wasn't sure if I should go with the old 797 or the new 798. I want to know if it's even worth spending the extra $200 + on the 798 when the difference between the old 797 and new 798 isn't all that big of a difference. Does the 798 contain that much more of an improvement over the previous 797 that it's worth spending more for it? If not, I might have to sacrifice and save some $ and go with the older version.

Locate the fish with a buzz frog/buzzbait. Then pick it apart with a jig.

ebay is great! In fact, I'm expecting my four new Curado's by tomorrow! $144 each + free shipping.

x2 Tried it last season and it worked great for me.

Me and a group of around 20 other people went out one late night around 11 pm to go do some catfishing. Got out to river, nobody was out there. We set everything up by the river, built a nice fire, and sat back to chat. After an hour of no action, my cousin starting telling us a story about their pitbull named Chocolate, which he claimed that his older brother shot and killed it there. There was a dock about 50 yards away from us that he said that his brother shot and dumped the dog into the river. So when he was done telling us the story he began whistling into the night and began calling Chocolate's name. He was acting sort of stupid and we had a good laugh laughing at him. The name calling and whistling continue through the night for a good five minutes or so. Suddenly, right when he stop calling for Chocolatewe were bombarded by dogs barking, which was coming from the dock, behind us in the woods, and across the river. It sounded like a fairly big pack of dogs barking nonstop. It lasted about a good 20 sec. It was very close to our group, very clear; no way you could have mistaken it for something else. Just as fast as it started, it ended just like that. Dead silence right after it, never heard anything. The entire time there, not a single car pulled up. The only light there was from a few light posts in the parking lot and our fire. We were out in the middle of nowhere. Everybody in the group froze. I watched everybody at the corner of my eye as I was slowly packing my gear, not trying to make any sudden move. We all sat there silent. I finally broke the silence and asked if everybody was ready to go. We all got up and slowly packed all of our gears, trying not to panic and dash for the cars. On the way home, the ride was quite. I kept running the incident over and over in my head. Questioning if that really did happen. To this day I still question it. Strange20 people witnessed it with me that night. I haven't night fish since that night and probably never will.

I really don't care, but since I have to choose...gonna have to go with the Steelers.

Bear's show is way more entertaining. Bear's drinking fluids from elephant crap, while Les is eating roots. In the end, I'll have to give it to Les.

When it comes to higher dollar purchases, I am very brand loyal. Stuff like hooks, lures, tackle boxes, and etc I'll give it a shot anytime of the week as long as it get good reviews from good/weekend type anglers.

Hands down - Shimano!

Shimano