Goose52

My LMB PB was caught on an H20 "Rattlin' T" lipless crank (an Xcaliber XR50 clone). All the other H2O baits that I have used have been great as well. They seem to work, catch fish...

Outstanding! One of those MBRs was going to be my choice in the E6X contests...

I often fish under/around overhanging trees and in smaller creek channels so vertical doesn't work for me. Also, by design, I wanted to keep a 270 degree circle around me open for casting so I don't store rods in that 270 degree arc to the sides and in front of me (that's also why I rear-mounted my outriggers and anchor at the rear as well). I don't have the length to be able to store rods horizontally in front of me without the rod tips extending over the water (which violates that 270 degree of clearance that I want - with the exception of my 2nd in-use rod discussed below). So, what did I end up with? I place the rods aft, pointed to the rear - there is room for 5 rods in that position. I can also have two rods forward of the seat so my maximum practical rod capacity is seven. I nearly always fish standing up so I can cast directly to the front of the canoe without hitting those low-mounted rods on the back-cast. If I'm casting while seated (rare), I DO have to remember that those rods are there so I don't snag then on the back-cast. I also have 3 Scotty rod holders pointed forward at varying angles. The one to the left of my seat is where I place the rod after I land a fish. The Scotty up on the dashboard is where I place the rod if I'm eating lunch when I'll often toss out a grub or worm and let it soak while I'm eating my chow - the forward position lets me watch the line. The Scotty to the right of my seat is for a 2nd in-use rod. I might be fishing two presentations and have one rod in my hand and the other in that Scotty. The down-side of the aft mounted rods is you have to be careful around trees and such, and sometimes I can't turn around in a narrow creek channel and have to back out.

Well, since the OP doesn't have a location specified, I gave him/her the benefit of the doubt and assumed that they live in Alaska and wouldn't need line on the reels........................ I can't be the "Line Police" on this thread anyway - takes too much time that could be better spent fishing.......which is what I will be doing in about 30 minutes.....

Thanks guys. As I've been saying, the fish were OK this winter....but the message is that there may be fish to be caught if you have soft water, regardless of air temps, and even in 30-degree water. It's better than sitting on the sofa watching fishing shows...

A live-sighting of an E6X..........

My Radisson was originally a two-seater; I removed one of the seats since I always fish solo. IMO the 12 ft boats are too small for two anglers anyway. For two people, plus the dog, you might want to look at the 14 ft or even the 16 ft Sportspals.

Yes - 23 IPT for a Sol (Daiwa listed it as 23.6). I used my Sol last season for squarebills. Hadn't fished it much for a couple seasons and then used it quite a bit last season and kept thinking...this is a very nice reel...

I fish anytime the water is soft... Where the heck you been Eric ?

I guess it depends on what one calls a "deep-diving" crankbait. If you mean down to 12-14 feet, then sure, I can "make-do" with a 6.4:1 (say 26IPT) gear ratio. I sometimes do that if I want to limit the number of rods I've got with me. But if I'm not rod limited, or if I'm cranking below that 12-14 foot range, I'm going down to 19-23 IPT. AND, if the water is really cold, I might want to go down to 16-19IPT. Another factor for ME is that I have a natural rhythm when I'm cranking, To keep the bait at the speed I want for the presentation, I will match that rhythm with a reels gear ratio to make sure I'm running the bait at that speed. Why "standardize" gear ratios? If you're not $$$ or space limited, why not use the best tool for the job?

Great fish, CONGRATS !

Thanks Darren !

Thanks Paul ! I didn't find the big girls this winter like you did but by golly I went bass fishing ! In December, January, and February, I only missed 17 days of fishing - 13 days were hard water, 3 days the roads were too iced over to drive,..............................and 1 day the afternoon high temp was in the teens, with windchill below zero, and I wimped-out that day...

Are you talking about 4500s/5000s? I know they sure seem like they would be about 10"....but due to the large diameter of the spool if you measure the actual IPT it would probably be around a whopping 17" or so...

2500's did come in 4.7:1 and some models in 5.3:1 - I have one of each. However, in practical terms, there's not a lot of difference between the two. On my reels, the 4.7 gives about 16 IPT at the top of the spool, the 5.3 gives about 18". Both ratios are SLOW, and both are used for the same types of presentations.

Sure. For all we know there is a 2015 or 2016 Antares DC on the way with something even better than the 4x8 DC system. Bantam1 even hinted at that possibility over on TT. For sure, this reel won't match a Calais DC (or even the new Antares) on distance...but as I said in my report, it DOES match many of my other BC reels in distance. It might even keep up with my CTE-100DC. But very long-range casting capability represents a relatively small slice of the overall performance needs for all the varying presentations. Sure, the Calais has 32 possible settings, but I think Shimano engineered the Met DC for those that want something simpler to use and that gives effective casts that address the majority of presentations, I have lots of tools in the box so I can use the right tool for the right job, so for me the Met DC is a nifty tool. For others, if very long-range casting performance (and in some cases the capability to outcast your hooksetting range) is important, then this might not be the tool for the job.

CTE-100DC Calais DC

Good luck !

Loomis NRX 893C Shimano Metanium XG Sunline Sniper 14lb

Thanks everyone ! I'm not good enough to skip with baitcasting gear so I won't have any personal experience with skipping capability! Play with the brake settings - perhaps the setting that gives max braking might work... Thanks Andy! But trust me - we still need TT... No way! I'm now too old to start any more FIVE-year tests. Let someone young, like in their 50s, take on the next five-year test...

Thanks - I put a lot of thought into it. There are still things I need to improve but it's getting close to being done!

It's been a long time since the last post in January but I thought I would close out this thread since the winter is winding down. In late January, surface water temps reached the low 40s and the bass I caught were outside the scope of this thread (which is bass caught in 30s water temps). In mid-February, we started having ice storms and the lakes froze over so no fishing until March 4th when we started having ice-out. Over the past couple days, I've caught some bass in low 40s temps but I caught three bass (two of which were the same fish) in 30s temps. The first pic below (with the snow) shows the first capture of this fish, caught on a plastic craw in 38 degree water. This fish was caught in one of the lakes where I will be tagging fish starting this season so immediately after taking the photo, I tagged the fish (tag 003) and released it. The next day (yesterday), the cove where I caught this fish iced-over with skim ice so I couldn't fish there. This morning, the skim ice was gone and it was a nice sunny day with the surface water temp up to 39 degrees. I caught two bass, one of which was the second capture of tag 003. Same cove, same bait. Here's the same fish on the second capture. It's hard to see but there is a yellow ID tag in the fish; the red arrow indicates the insertion spot, above that you can see the yellow tag. I'm hoping I don't have any more 30-degree water this season. Didn't catch any real big fish in 30s water temps this season, but the fish I did catch were nice enough to make it all worthwhile. It sure beats having cabin fever and complaining about the weather... See you next winter.

Yes. See: Shimano Metanium Dc Reel - Initial Review / Impressions

NOTE: Some of the text and photos below were originally posted in the “Show off your Stuff” thread; it is being re-posted here to support this review. Introduction: I ordered a Metanium DC from Japan Lure Shop on February 16 and received it on February 20; four days from the time I ordered until it was at my door in rural Tennessee – pretty good shipping time. Spooled it up, put it on a rod, learned how to set it up, and didn't do much else with it for a couple weeks due to hard water and ice storms. Met DC has the same open-ended knobs as the Conquest14 - some folks like 'em, some don't: Reel Set-Up: To set up the reel - select the "OPEN" position on the external dial on the bottom of the sideplate and then thumb over the sideplate latch (located to the rear of the dial): With the sideplate removed, select your line type from the dial visible on the top edge of the sideplate: N = nylon, F = flouro, PE = braid: While the sideplate is off you can see the I-DC5 control module. : End of spool shaft with several grooves milled in the length. The control module (when installed) extends quite a way into the recess in the spool: Re-install the sideplate and adjust the external dial to match the weight of your bait. There are 5 positions: 1, 2, 3, 4, and A (auto): 1 = 18 - 30 grams 2 = 10 - 20 grams 3 = 8 - 12 grams 4 = 5 - 8 grams A = 7 - 30 grams The AUTO position will provide adequate braking for that wide range of baits (1/4 to 1 oz), but selection of one of the numbered brake positions will give a more optimum braking profile. I selected position two (~ 3/8 to between 5/8 and 3/4 oz): And the AUTO position: On-The-Water Impressions: We finally got our ice storms behind us and had an ice-out here a couple days ago so I finally got the Met DC on the water. This reel is the basic model with a 6.2:1 gear ratio; it is out-of-the box stock, no spool bearing flushing or any other tinkering. The reel handles and feels the same as the regular Met. If you were blindfolded, you wouldn’t know which version you were using on the RETRIEVE. However on the CAST, you immediately know what you’ve got….the musical “DC whine” is there… The I-DC5 braking system on this reel is not a max range system like what you can get with the appropriate settings on the 4x8 DC system on the Calais DC. Instead, the braking system is optimized to give you practical, effective cast lengths, under varying wind conditions. As mentioned in the set-up section above, there are only 5 adjustment settings with this DC system – none of them are labeled as a “long range” setting. You either select the numeric value that corresponds to the weight of your bait, or select the AUTO position that covers a wide range of baits. The only remaining adjustment you have is spool tension. So, how does this work on the water? For a test bait, I selected the easy to toss ½ ounce Red Eye Shad. I set the reel to setting number 2 to match the bait, set minimal spool tension, and wailed on the rod with the first cast. Good distance, as good as many of my BC reels, but not as far as the Calais DC could do with conservative settings. No line fluff on the spool, a perfectly braked, practical cast; no thumb used except to stop the spool when the bait hit the water. I made numerous casts at setting 2 with varying casting strokes, still couldn't make it backlash. There was only about a 10mph breeze, but I cast directly into that – no worries. After working with setting number 2, I started experimenting with the other settings. Setting number 4 gave the most braking and could be considered a max wind setting for this weight bait. Number 3 was somewhat less braking than 4, number 2 was optimum. Setting 1 gave added distance compared to setting 2, but with quite a bit of line fluff. So, for practical purposes, setting 1 might be considered a de-facto long-range setting for this bait – with the proviso that you might have to manage the cast (thumbing), and if tossing directly into a good wind, you might not have enough braking. The AUTO position seems to provide braking that falls between setting 3 and 4. So, AUTO might cost you some range compared to setting the numeric value for your bait weight, but if you are mostly doing short-range work it will be a handy setting when continually swapping baits of varying weights or perhaps when dealing with varying wind conditions. Summary: So, what do we have here? An excellent, general purpose reel; providing practical, controlled casts, with little to no operator input. Not an extreme long-range reel, but good for most other purposes. I’m thinking my application for this reel may end up being for spinnerbaits – those pesky baits that when they “helicopter” you often end up in backlash city. Goose’s Approval Rating: Surface water temp this morning was 39 degrees. I did catch two bass with the standard Metanium tossing a plastic craw, but NO score for the Met DC tossing the lipless crank. So, I cannot at this time give the Met DC my ultimate approval rating of “seems to work, reels in fish”! I'll update this post after I catch a fish with the reel to give it the final stamp of approval...

I have several short, straight-grip casting rods that I use for close-quarters work: 5'9" MH Shimano Crucial (from two generations ago) that is a nifty short range/close-quarters spinnerbait rod. Unfortunately, Shimano did not offer this rod in the later Crucial seriels. 5'6" M Berkley Lightning (LR561MC) that is good for a number of things but I mostly use it for various soft-plastics. The Berkley was the only 5'6" straight-grip rod that I found when I was looking to fill this niche. It was only about $40 shipped. It's a good enough rod, and given how often I use it, will last long enough too... Both of these rods are niche rods. I use them from the bank or the boat when I know I'm going to be in a confined space (overhanging trees, narrow creek channels, etc.).