Goose52

Thanks again guys! It was a fun fish for sure. I went back to that lake yesterday looking for that 'ole gal and all I found was her little sister...who was NOT on a diet and wanted a Deep Little N crankbait...

Don't see why not. I fish a number of different sizes of spinning reels...but the size I use the most is a "25" size Pflueger Supreme - basically equivalent to a 1000 size Shimano. Just as you were planning to do, I've used mostly 15lb and 20lb braid with 10 to 15lb leaders on this reel. As of today, that reel has brought in 2,595 fish - almost all bass. Power/torque? Not a problem for bass. As iabass8 just mentioned, you don't winch fish in with this type of tackle - but if that's what you want to use - it gets the job done. Here's a 4 pounder that matches your target weight range: Here's a 7.4lb LMB reeled in by that 25 size Pflueger last week: Works for me...

Coincidentally, I fished my Antares (5.6) today. Very nice reel. It gets my highest recommendation: It works, catches fish... From today:

Yep - lots of threads on this topic. Here's the one from 4 days ago: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/140346-tatula-type-r/

WOW - very cool fish to get just by walking out the backdoor Dang, I have to drive at least two miles to get to my closest water...

WOW !

If you are interested in not only current, but previous production (used), reels - a Zillion (new) is a do-anything workhorse, or a Sol (used) would be lighter and still handle your applications. Both are classic USDM-type models with lots of customization parts. A Fuego is a nice reel but probably doesn't have the panache of the Zillion and Sol. If you want JDM - MANY options - I'll let the Daiwa junkies go there. If you only want to test the Daiwa waters before diving deep..........a Tatula is a great start. You will probably get lots of opinions on this one...

Each one of those LMB silhouettes represent 100 bass caught from that canoe. As of yesterday I'm at about 2,700 - I'm getting my money's worth out of the boat...

Thanks again guys! Yup - another score for the "Attack Canoe"...

SCORE ! Congrats...

Thanks Dwight! Yeah - I have to shop for one of those "Hawg Troughs" - they go up to 30" - plenty long enough to measure what would be a TN state record... Re the grass - if you fish alone from the bank, and want to get a length and a photo, you gotta go with the grass...

Thanks everyone! Thanks A-Jay. Yeah - I usually catch most of my big fish in the winter...but not last winter... It's been a long dry spell for a fish this big - it's the biggest of the year so far. Thanks but it's only a PB for a 5" grub My overall PB LMB is 9.5.

So I'm out in the canoe today with my trusty grub rod, tossing a Zoom Fat Albert 5" grub at some clumps of emergent grass. On splashdown, a huge swirl and I think I've spooked a big grass carp...then, I feel a little tick from the bait...then, I see the line move sideways. HOOKSET. ZrrrrrrZrrrrrrZrrrrrrr drag singing on the little spinning reel. I'm not anchored so every time the drag quits slipping I'm getting towed by something BIG. I'm thinking - I can't believe that grass carp sucked up that grub. THEN, I see the line coming up...the fish is gonna jump...then OUT of the water in a great tail-walk, head-shaking jump is a pig of a bass! Serious time now - this is not a carp. She keeps pulling drag, tows the boat some more, I make progress on line recovery, then get her close to the boat, then in the net. PHEW. Down the hatch - you can see the Fat Albert WAY down there: So much for a 21 inch bumpboard - have to get out the tape measure. She goes 24" and weighs 7.4 lb. Hard to get a good photo when you're fishing alone but this was a VERY nice bass for my neck of the woods. Biggest grub fish I've caught so far. This 'ole girl must have thought that she was TOO fat and was on a diet to go for that little 5" grub... Happy camper today...

I would try the warranty route for sure - that's "free money" you'd be leaving on the table if you don't. The CumaraA jig&worm series rods actually have very crisp and sensitive blanks - at least the CUC72MA (7'2"mf) that I have does (and Hooligan on this board is a big fan of the whole series). I have finally learned to live with the ergonomics (primarily the small grip behind the reel seat) and it is a favorite rod now. As was mentioned, if you don't like the CumaraA, then sell it and use that money for whatever your chosen alternative might be. Anyway, CumaraA's work, catch fish...

And it comes with TWO spools. You Daiwa guys have GOT to get one of these...

Hard to say who makes what sometimes. I have 8 Doyo patents on file - some of which, like the DBS system and spring-loaded sideplate release, are found on the PQ and other BPS reels, and other brands (see the scans below). It could be that the dual-braking system mentioned by Dawon on their web site home page: "...and Externally adjustable DUAL (magnetic + centrifugal) braking system." is actually the system used on the BPS Johnny Morris Carbonlite (JM-CL) which has an externally adjustable centrifugal system. One of our board members, who was resident in Korea and worked in the tackle industry, mentioned in a thread a while back that PQ, PL, the old blue Rick Clunn reels (which were later the RCX), and some of the other mid-price BPS reels were Doyo, but that the JM-CL was Dawon. And then, there is the manufacturing location. My early PQs had "Made in Korea" stickers - the later ones have "Made in China" stickers. So, either Doyo/Dawon (whichever is the original OEM) opened a manufacturing facility in China (Korean labor getting too expensive?) or just sub-contracted assembly to a Chinese vendor - who knows! I have no clue, for SURE, what factory the various BPS reels come out of ..................................at the end of the day I just catch fish with them............................

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Like I said on another post a while back....I'm MUCH more interested in what's on the wet end of the line...than what's on the dry end of the line...

Darren - We've had some threads on the Kipawa props before - they might turn up with a search... I bought a Kipawa and installed it on my MK Traxxis. I didn't get any extra speed, but I did get a vibration that wasn't there with the stock prop. I never ran it through any thick grass so I can't say how it would do in slop as compared to the stock prop. I only left it on for 4 or 5 trips so I never did use it enough to have any adverse effects on the motor (and I've heard the stories about burning up TMs as well). It's now hanging from the peg-board over my tackle workbench with dust on it...

Any tackle with the word "graphite" and "bearing" in the description is "modern"...

This is a Weedless Wedge prop on an MK 45lb Traxxis. Not very "weedless" is it... If you go through the grass slow, I think it's just gonna foul - go through at a higher speed/rpm, the prop perhaps cuts better. When the grass gets too thick, I paddle through (I have a canoe). I don't know what the folks with bass boats do.

If you're talking about the handle length, I do indeed know it's two different reviewers. The point is that if TT has decided that long(er) handles are "good" - then the scoring should be consistent. Except that the scoring category is "handle length" - fit/finish is scored in another category. Length is length...

As many on the board know, I have long been a fan of the PQ for the quality, available models/gear ratios, features, and value that it offers in it's price range. Go much above that $100 price point, however, and there are just so many other options. I have never even considered buying that JM reel...and this is coming from someone who currently owns 17 BPS BC reels...

As was extensively discussed in the recent thread on the TT PQ review - they are indeed usually comparing the test reel to high end models - at least as far as subjective considerations like "smoothness" are concerned. Here's the TT section on smoothness: The Curado I delivers the level of smoothness that you might expect out of a sub 200 dollar reel, and while it may not be the smoothest baitcaster it is superbly consistent. Over the span of the last few months we have fished the Curado I reels aggressively and they are still as smooth as the day we took them out of the box. I think when he said "it may not be the smoothest baitcaster" that was indeed as compared to something like an Antares - or Raul's Calais 100. Otherwise, nothing in the TT review dinged the Curoda I on smoothness in it's pricerange... I still wonder, however, why Shimano 84mm handles score 4 points, and the PQ with the same length handle scores 3 points.............

There are some baits that you really do want to burn with a higher gear ratio - lipless cranks over skinny water come to mind. Another reason for the higher ratio is the advantage it gives you to try to keep up with a fish that is swimming directly toward you. Finally, and especially for tournament anglers, the higher ratio lets you retrieve a bait that has left the "strike zone" faster so you can make another cast = more casts/hour. My all-around ratio is one that gives an IPT of 25-26". I have lower ratios for cranking, and higher (faster) ratios for some applications. Millions of fish have probably been caught on Ambassadeurs with 3.8 or 4.7 gears so while you might be missing some capability for some applications, you can still catch plenty of fish...