Goose52

Well, if you HAD put a Met MGL on an 893, it would have looked like this (properly slimed up of course)...

Well, congratulations on your tournament placement. Indeed, bass can be caught on value equipment...or in your case, older/repaired equipment. As has been often said here, you get in where you fit in regarding equipment. The point is to have fun. Regarding "low cost of entry" for bass fishing, when I was growing up in South Florida (more than 50 years ago), some of the most successful bass anglers only used a cane pole with 20 pound mono strung from the butt of the rod, up to the tip and tied off there, and then the line continued off the tip for a length as long as the cane pole. THEN, on the end of that line.........................................................was a hook with a big honkin' shiner on it...

If your budget is REALLY $300 for everything, then you're sorta limited in what you can get. The very FIRST thing to buy is a good PFD ($40 on up). Then, you would only have enough left to get a good trolling motor (~$220)...and you would still need a battery. OR, you get a bottom-of-the-line TM (30lb 5 speed), a battery, and the PFD and come in at or under $300. AND, you will still need to make, or buy, a mount for the TM. You already started a thread about selecting a trolling motor so no need for any additional discussion here. THEN, there are other things you need to take care of right away or will eventually want to consider: a decision on where to place your TM battery and whether you will need to fabricate extension cables a battery box for your TM battery having circuit breaker protection rod racks/holders anchor system canoe seat a good sonar - a model with a color display and down imaging capability would be ideal a method of mounting the transducer for your sonar and determining how you will power the sonar (off the TM battery or a separate battery) ...and whatever else you think of In addition to accessories/equipment for the boat, have you considered how you will transport and store it. Do you need any rack system for your vehicle? Do you have a place to store it when not in use? Good luck !

Looks good ! ("ain't" PVC a wonderful thing...)

If you're building the arsenal from scratch, I think this answer would give the most versatility, effectiveness, and bang-for-the-buck for your $800. Me? I already have lots of run of the mill rods so I would go for two $400 rods... (or maybe two $450 rods and kick in another C-note !)

Thanks ! It gets the job done....

If you are REALLY concerned about run-time, it is highly recommended that you stretch your budget a bit and get a TM with digital speed control instead of a 5 speed model - the run time will be considerably longer. Look at the Minn Kota Endura Max or the Motorguide R3 Digital models. You can get 40 pound thrust models of either the MK or MG for about $220. You didn't mention the size/length of your canoe. A 40 pound thrust motor will move just about any canoe nicely in still air but if you plan to operate in strong winds frequently you might want to increase your thrust (but more thrust = more $). I started with the 45lb MK Traxxis on my 12 foot canoe and after a few years moved up to a 55 lb Traxxis to better handle winds. A Group 27 battery is a good compromise between giving good run-time versus weight. I actually run the smaller Group 24 battery in my boat and have no range/run-time issues but I do get a bit of range anxiety on some of my largest lakes. Walmart sells the Everstart Maxx marine battery for around $100 and this battery has a lot of fans on this site. That is what I run on my boat. The Everstart battery is a wet-cell battery but I keep the battery in a battery box and have no issues with leakage. Also, the AGM battery that is on sale at Cabelas (see fishnkamp's link) is a great buy if you have a Cabelas near you - otherwise you'd have to factor in shipping and what is the recourse for warranty claims. I've had my canoe on the water with trolling motor power just over 400 times for a total of about 2,000 hours. My set-up works great and it's nice to fish...instead of paddle...

Tennessee, like most states, require powered vessels (and sailboats) to be registered. So, you're not going to escape that by moving. Registration costs a whopping $13 a year for vessels under 16 feet. NOT a big deal...

I use these a LOT as well. T-rigged on a 1/0 or 2/0 EWG. Bullet weights of either 3/16 or 1/4 oz. You can fish them many ways - drag or hop on the bottom, swim them, yo-yo them, etc. As Catt mentioned, these can be run on top - over and around slop - you can get bit on the surface, OR, if you get to a hole in the slop then let 'em sink....BAM !

Perhaps putting the reel "under load" by sliming it up will smooth it out pronto... FISH ON !!

All of the new Shimano SVS braking system reels require periodic lubing of the brake pipe (the cone that the brake blocks engage). You might want to put some thin oil on a cotton swab and swipe it around the brake pipe and see if that helps. You might want to add a couple extra clicks of external drag pressure after applying the lube. I had one of my SVS reels get a bit noisy recently and just lubed the brake pipe this morning. Noise gone.

I only have one experience to share. I broke a GLX spinning rod (BSR852), called Loomis customer service and told them the break was definitely my fault and that since I had reeled in over 2,000 fish on that rod it obviously wasn't a manufacturing defect. They said send it in anyway and they would "give me a good deal". I ended up with a replacement 852S JWR for a total of $35. Maybe they were being generous at that time so I can't say if everyone would get the same deal. You might want to call customer service for some advice before you decide what to do... Here's my original report: FWIW

I only do those detail reviews in winter when fishing is poor ... But, for a quick mini-review, I can offer the following: The Met MGL has been getting slimed-up nearly daily for a couple weeks now - 6 bass on it this morning - so I have enough time on water with it now. All the Mets feel the same to me on the retrieve so for me the differences are all in the casting and the braking systems, and on the JDM MGL the reduced line capacity. I did the detailed review of the Met DC so I don't have much to add to that. Great reel for what I use it for. My 13 Met was originally on the NRX 893. I moved it over to an 894 due to the deeper spool and run it with 18lb Sniper. When the MGL came in, I put it on the 893 and run 14 lb Sniper on it. I have no line capacity issues as a result of that switch. The shallow spool on the JDM MGL holds plenty of 14 lb line for my purposes. The SVS systems are different between the 13 Met and the MGL (6 brake blocks vs 4 plus the different system designs). I run two different brake block weights in the 13 Met (see photo) and have lots of options for setting braking inside the reel - then still have the external dial for fine tuning. The MGL only has the 4 blocks but my gut feeling is that the external dial has a wider range of adjustment as compared to the 13 Met so you don't have to open the reel as much to change internal brakes. 13 Met internal brake block configuration with two different weight blocks: All three of my Mets (13, DC, MGL) are on different power/action rods so I can't directly compare them regarding casting distance. I can say that my perception is that the MGL might give a bit more distance than the 13 Met but that hasn't been measured. They cast the baits that I use far enough to catch fish so that's good enough for me. So, the MGL for me is as good or better than the 13 Met. The reduced line capacity of the JDM MGL was dealt with by matching the reel with a rod where I'm using a smaller diameter line. The MGL braking system is somewhat simpler than the 13 Met and as I mentioned will not require opening the reel as often to adjust internal brakes (BUT, I use just about the same weight baits on each rod so once the reel is dialed in I don't open the reel much anyway and just use the external dial for wind adjustment). I'm getting great distance with the MGL on the 893 using it's usual baits - 10" worms or 4" Chigger Craws behind 1/4 oz bullet weights. All of the Mets are great tools and reel in fish. Good enough for me...

You bet - an infinite speed control TM is the only way to fly. Apparently the OP thinks so as well since the Endura Max has Minn Kota's Digital Maximizer feature...

As everyone always says in this forum...there is no such thing as having TOO much trolling motor thrust. A 45lb thrust TM would move the boat nicely. However, if the winds kick up, a 55 would do better. BUT, the 55 TM is indeed heavier so it's up to you if the added weight (and cost) of the 55 are worth it. The Endura Max 40 and 45 have 3 1/4" diameter motors; the 50 and 55 have 3 5/8" motors. I can't say what the weight difference is on the Endura Max models but I can say that I have a Traxxis 45 and a Traxxis 55 and they have the same difference in motor diameters. The weight delta is about 5 pounds with the 45 weighing about 19 pounds and the 55 weighing about 24 pounds. You can see the motor diameter difference in the photo with the 55 in the front. Edit: Got a chance to weigh both my Traxxis TMs - the weight difference is about 5 pounds - I've edited my response above.

I can't help you with your rod decision as the only thing I use my 893 for is bottom contact so I can't speak to it's performance for other presentations/baits. BUT, I can say that the Met MGL XG works nicely on an 893...

There are LOTS of rods that are optimized for worms & jigs...BUT, when you add cranking as one of the presentations, the selection gets much smaller. I recommend that you look at a Loomis Mag Bass (MBR) 843 in the price range of your choice (E6X, IMX, GLX, NRX). The Mag Bass rods are sensitive enough for bottom contact, and the Mag Bass blank taper provides a soft enough tip for cranking, and enough backbone to set single hooks. Jigs/worms, and cranking, normally mean two different rods. However, if you MUST do both with one rod, the MBRs are a good compromise.

$20 dollars sounds good to me and it should be a great match with your incoming 4500. Post a photo of your combo when you get the reel in. I've bought several late 60s/early 70s vintage Garcia Conolon fiberglass rods to use with my small Ambassadeurs and have been paying around $25 plus shipping for them (used). The one in the photo, after cleaning a LOT of nicotine off the blank and cleaning the cork, ended up looking very nice for a 45-50 year old rod...

Slime city - way to go !

I own both of those reels. Of course, the obvious answer is for you to buy the Calais DC AND the Met DC. However, if I could ONLY have ONE of those reels, and the reel for sure was going on an NRX 894C, then I would recommend the Met DC. Kickerfish1 and 00 Mod have already provided the primary reasons why the Met would be favored. The Met is lighter and will pair with nicely with the 894C, it's available in several gear ratios (of which you will have choose one), has micro-module gears, etc. The only advantage for the Calais is the 4x8 DC system that will generally give longer casts, and has more braking adjustments, than the simpler system on the Met DC. The Calais' single gear ratio giving about 30 IPT (inches per handle turn) is fine for bottom contact, but may not work quite as well for some of the other presentations that you mentioned. Sure, a Met is NOT a Calais...but then a Calais is NOT a Met either. The Calais has the legendary refinement...but the Met has the newer technology and is, IMO, a more well-rounded and useful reel. For me? My Metanium DC is on an Edge Black Widow 705-1 and is one of two combos that is always in the boat - a very versatile rod, with a very versatile reel. My Calais DC? It's on a Loomis IMX 843C and is used from time-to-time for burning lipless cranks in skinny water over grass and for faster spinnerbait presentations. Mostly, however, the Calais just looks pretty sitting in the rod rack. My NRX 894C? For me, an 894C means tip-up, bottom contact, with jigs. What reel is on the 894? A 2013 Metanium. Here's a review of the Met DC if you're interested. Good luck in your decision !

Both companies have been in business for a long time and both make good products. For a transom-mount, the decision is somewhat harder as there are not as many distinguishing features as there are on the various bow-mount models. However, there are differences in tilt and handle mechanisms, shaft material, etc., so there are some things you can look at. In my case, I initially went with MK and have had no reason to change. I went with the Traxxis model due to the features that A-Jay posted above (folding handle, tilt, depth adjustment, shaft material). I started with a 45 lb Traxxis and then added a 55 lb thrust to use on the bigger/windier lakes. I still have both of them. Between the two of them, they have been on the water about 400 times as my primary propulsion.

That model came out in the early 1980s. There's one on eBay right now with the current bid at $44 with 5 days left. Searching the sold listings shows winning bids between the $25 to $85 range.

I have the BPS Extreme travel 3-piece casting rod - it's a decent rod and I got it and the 3-piece spinning rod on sale for $66 each, shipped. AND, right now, the Extreme travel rods are on sale again - marked down from the usual $100 price to only $67 - a good deal. I believe that BPS has free shipping this weekend as well. As mentioned, these rods come with a nice travel case and inner nylon sock (see photo). Another candidate that has been recommended here before that is also in your price range is the Daiwa Ardito (Google it).

Well, all I can say is that you can't blame it on THIS goose - I haven't left Tennessee in a few weeks now...

Actually, the worm fragment in my photo doesn't look new at all - it looks fairly well-aged...but probably as a result of drifting in the lake for some time...not as a result of being ingested for a long time.