Goose52

I guess it depends on how tight money is or how important "getting a deal" is to you. I thought the $468 price was pretty friendly - same price basically as the current Conquest so I jumped on that deal. Will some folks get the reel for less in the coming months - probably so, but perhaps not by a lot. Just depends on how soon you want to play with the new reel. I have soft water here so I'm ready now..............

10lb is my "standard" weight on BC reels - I go up and down from there as necessary. I do fish mostly open water so 10lb isn't a problem. Pic of a 10 pound line fish...

Yeah - the big thing back in 1974 was to buy stereo components! I had a 5-piece pack rod and a Mitchell 408 reel with me in Japan and didn't feel the need to look at JDM stuff. Back then, most folks thought that the best reels were made in France and Sweden, not Japan.............................................

I wouldn't think so unless the exchange rate improves even more in our favor. I was in Nagoya in October 2012 and the rate was 78 yen/dollar - ouch. Rate today is 101 yen/dollar - much better and why the prices of JDM stuff has gone down lately. But I would think the rate would have to go to about 115 yen/dollar to get a $400 Conquest. I don't know where the prices on 2014 Conquests might stabilize at - perhaps $450-$475? So you'd need a really favorable exchange rate to get that down to $400. I lived in Japan for a year a long time ago and the rate was 280-300 yen/dollar - ah - the good old days...

Well, I'll let someone ELSE be the first kid on the block to have a 2014 Conquest at those prices. I'm first on the waiting list at JapanTackle for a 2014 CQ100. Jun is now indicating that he probably won't have any reels to ship until April. I'll wait....

1500C. It holds all the 10lb line you need for bass fishing and is easier to palm than the 5000 size reels...

Yep - Ambassadeurs can be a handful in the larger sizes. The 5000 in my photo isn't as much fun to use as a low-profile reel for sure. I like using the 1500 (silver Abu in the photo) - much nicer to palm but it still doesn't have a recessed reel foot so it's bigger than an LP. However - Calcuttas are a whole 'nother story. The deeply recessed reel foot makes them much easier to palm. In my hands, my 50-series Calcuttas & Conquests palm about the same as any of my LP reels. Heavy weight? The Calcuttas I use the most - 50 and 100 sizes - weigh between 6.6 and 9.5 ounces - not bad. Use the equipment that you enjoy the most...but if your only experience with round reels is with old-school Ambassadeurs, then you haven't had the complete round reel experience...

Agree with all the folks above. As John said, they are classics, and they are FUN to fish with. Would I fish exclusively with round reels? Not necessarily; there are lots of tools in the box to enjoy, both low-profile and round BC reels,...but I DO have a fondness for the round reels. Now, if only a 50 or 100 size round reel had an IPT of around 26 to 28"...I could fish with round reels only...

The slow-down option is the 5.8:1 gears from a JDM Aldebaran MG. It only gets you a reduction of about 2 IPT so you have to decide if the cost and effort to source the parts from Japan is worth it.

I have four casting rods under 6' - two are pistol grip (5' and 5'6") that I don't use at all (they were really intended for use by my wife with spin-cast reels). Then, I have a 5'6" and a 5'9" straight-grip that see more use. The 5'9" is a Crucial MH and is a nifty close-quarters spinnerbait/chatterbait rod. Still in the category of "short" (by todays standards), I have three 6' straight-grip casting rods that get used quite often (small water/close quarters/overhanging trees in the boat or bank).

For those that are interested, I just received an email from Gander Mountain - they have Curado Gs (quantity limitied) for $89.99........AFTER a whopping $70 mail-in rebate. GM rebates are reliable and fairly fast, but you have to pay tax on the full $159 price...

From the Loomis web site: Wild Card: A service program offering a onetime, no questions asked, free, over the counter replacement. Only applicable to current rod models of NRX, Pro4x GLX and GL2 . Details are on the Loomis web site: Wild Card Registration To register the rod, and get the Wild Card, you need to have a receipt from an authorized Loomis seller. A receipt from TW should work nicely.

I've purchased two Loomis rep sample rods. One was an NRX - it looked absolutely new and unused, also eligible for the wild card. The second was a CBR906 - the blank was perfect but the cork looked like it had been handled just a bit - but NO problem... Here's another recent thread on this topic: G Loomis Rep Sample Rod Sales

More than 20 years ago, I was competing in a sport where nicknames were sometimes bestowed upon you by the other competitors. It was not something that you chose for yourself. There were names like Hurricane Bob, MadDog, Flash, etc. I ended up with "Goose." I wish I could say that it came from the Goose character in the movie TopGun but I can't.... Lotta Geese around on the various forums so I had to add something to Goose to register on most boards. So, 52 is my birth year (1952).

Yes - the Tat R is a 6.3. Got it and the Tat rod during the recent TW sale. Due to winter weather, I've only got about 30 minutes on the water with this combo. My impression is that this 7'7" medium-r is a great open water lipless crank rod for 1/2 and 5/8oz and would work fine for shallow- and mid-depth cranking. Not sure I would want to use with a lipless over grass unless I was using braid (which I'm not). I also think there are probably better options for square bills. Also not the best choice for deep cranking a heavy bait (MH for that I would think). This rod and the Tat reel certainly can chuck the bait out there a LONG way though...

6930.

I guess my fondness for lipless cranks is well known. That's EXACTLY what I got this combo for... I hope your spinning rod works well

I haven't quite figured out the logic of the Tatula rod offerings. Doesn't seem to really be a rod there for light- to medium-weight T-rigs. Closest thing seems to be the 7'1" MH-XF. No MH-F or even M-F or M-XF. Perhaps they will expand the line in time I have the 7'7" medium-"regular" or "reaction" or whatever the "R" stands for (TAT771MRB). For sure it fishes like a reaction rod. May not be a true moderate...but it isn't more than a moderate fast. It IS a well constructed, sensitive, attractive rod that suits my needs nicely...

Love it ! I have a similar "collection" except mine is in the attic over my garage...

These five would do well enough: Jerkbait Plastic craw Wiggle Wart Deep Little N 1/2oz Red Eye Shad

There are advantages and disadvantages to the two motor positions. A square-stern canoe lets you mount the trolling motor so that it is in alignment with the centerline of the hull - an advantage for steering and boat control. A disadvantage is that with the motor at the stern, you have to reach directly behind you to steer (uncomfortable for some). Having the motor on the stern also means you have to be aft in the boat which, depending on the length of the canoe, can put the bow up in the air if you are fishing solo. You can use a tiller extension as shown in A-Jay's photo to put your weight a bit farther forward. I'm not sure the degree to which a square-stern canoes added drag (over a double-ended canoe) affects paddling efficiency. A double-ended canoe, using a motor mount, can have the trolling motor farther forward, an advantage on fore-and-aft weight distribution if you are fishing solo. It also is, to me, easier to steer since the TM is to the side, providing a more comfortable arm position for steering. Two disadvantages of the side-mount are 1) the TM weight on the side of the boat, affecting side-to-side balance, and 2) propulsion thrust off the centerline of the hull, causing yaw and requiring steering correction. I personally can cancel out item 1) by placing my seat and my weight on the opposite side of the TM and trim the boat. Item 2) on yaw, I just add steering. I also tend to favor right-turns if I have to turn sharply since the TM is on the right side...it's harder to add steering for a hard left turn. Finally, there might be a slight reduction in top speed having the motor shaft as added drag compared to having the motor in the stern. With either motor position, and as was already mentioned, it's recommended that you position the TM battery as far forward as possible to better balance the boat. Here's an example of a side-mounted motor:

Now that's interesting. Hmmm, the 32nd parallel in the southern hemisphere runs through....................South Africa.............another location that has been mentioned as a possible contender for the next record...!

Great video indeed ! First time I've seen the side-plate pop open. On a translation - at the 6:30 point - he says "great fish" .... I lived in Japan for a year, and have been back several times since then...but I can only made out a few words over the whole video...

The owner/honcho of the re-born Lew's company is Lynn Reeves. Lynn was formerly a buyer at BPS and is also a friend of the Childre family (Lew Childre being the founder of the original "Lew"s" brand). Lynn, given his background at BPS, and having knowledge of how to have product manufactured by off-shore OEMs, along with access to the Lew's trademarks via his relationship with the Childre family - restarted the Lew's brand. If you visit the Lew's website - they have all this history on a web page. I did notice that they no longer mention Lynn's former relationship with BPS on the history web pages. As to why BPS won't carry the Lew's products, I can't say...........