Goose52

As has been said, there are a number of reel "companies", including Lew's, that source their reels from some of the same off-shore OEMs, resulting in the design similarities and parts interchangeability that you noticed. Regarding the PQ being made by Lews...I was buying the current generation PQ before the "new" Lew's company ever shipped a reel. People seem to forget, or perhaps don't know, that this "Lew's" outfit only started releasing product in late 2010. Check out: Lew's Today

I agree Marty - the old-style AR mechanism doesn't appreciably affect the "fishability" of the reel. For me, it was just a sensatory thing; either the reel felt clunky, or on some reels the clicking from the AR dog on the rachet bugged me. I still like to fish my 45+ year-old Mitchell 408 from time to time...but the clicking from the AR is annoying. Anyway, old-school still works - no problem with backplay or getting a hookset using this mid-80s Shakespeare reel to bring in a 9lb LMB in 2011...

Thanks guys - I like to be organized. I wonder how many rods are broken going in and out of cars, SUVs, and trucks, as compared to breaking during actual fishing conditions? AND, of the rods that did break while fishing, how many of those rods REALLY broke due to a nick or compression on the blank caused by going in and out of the vehicle...? That would work! Might give someone else an idea if they build a rod box. For me, I only need to carry my box 20 feet from the trunk of a car over to the workbench so I think the grab handles on the outside of the box will work for now.

I use the Wart often as a primary mid-depth crank - I get a practical depth of 10-12 feet on 10lb YZ line and a moderate range cast. If I know I want to run much over 10 feet, I'll take off the Wart and go to another crank like a Deep Little N to get to 12-14 feet.

Yes, the handle/spool can reverse...but only "X" degrees of reverse rotation until an anti-reverse dog/pawl engages a rachet and prevents any further reverse movement. "X" is determined by the number of teeth on the ratchet. So, some "back-play" in the older reels, but "instant" anti-reverse in most modern reels. The IAR function is really the main reason why I retired my mid-1980s spinning reels in favor of modern reels with IAR. The older reels were still reeling in fish, but that back-play just made the reels feel a bit clunky compared to reels with IAR.

I recently posted this photo of my rod box in another thread and there seemed to be some interest in this rig. It's raining here now (and might snow later) so I thought I'd take the time to post some details about this rod box. I took photos of the final box upon completion of construction last summer so will post those up as well. When fishing from the bank I drive around and hit multiple lakes, with sometimes different presentations at each lake, so I end carrying a number of different rods. When fishing from the boat (car-topped canoe), I needed a way to carry 5 or so rods to the lake, organized, and leave room in the trunk of the car for the other boat gear. Answer for both needs? A rod box. I made a prototype box out of cardboard and ended up using it for three years. I finally made the "production" box out of wood last summer. Result? Rods are organized, don't slide around, and the two-level feature lets you carry five rods in a narrow width. Get home from fishing and all you have to do to "unpack" is to lift out the entire box and you're done. Some design considerations: Upward inclination of the rods - you have to do some measuring to assure that the rods will clear the folded-down rear seatbacks in the car. "Tapering" of the rods in the box. The rods should have enough lateral separation at the rear for the reels to clear each other, but the rod tips have to be angled inward so they fit between the front seat backs. Left-handed or right-handed reel handles (primarily for spinning reels). If you plan on carrying one or two spinning outfits, you want to offset the rod position in the box to assure that you end up with enough room for the handle. Example: my spinning reels have handles on the left side; I would set the rod position for the first spinning rod close to the right side of the box, leaving enough room for the rotor to clear the inner box wall (this will be clear in a following photo). Height of the rod supports at the rear of the box - you have to take into account the size of the spinning reels that you use to assure that the rod is supported high enough so the reel will clear the bottom of the box. I fish from three different cars so that meant some measuring to assure that the final box design would work in all three. Here's some photos that show the details. The prototype box - made of cardboard; used for three years. A cardboard box is recommended as the first step since you can easily change dimensions and angles (and if you make a mistake, just get another box ). Note the upward inclination of the rods. The final design, made out of wood. Note the divider across the width of the bottom of the box - the area in front of that divider is for the reels. Some measurement needed here to determine placement of that divider based on the size of the reels. The compartment at the right-rear is dimensioned to hold four 3500-size boxes vertically (or an alternate configuration shown in the next photo). On the right-rear inner wall of the box, note the double-ply cardboard - this is an area to hang single-hook baits like spinnerbaits and buzzbaits (if the cardboard wears out, cut the zip-ties and replace the cardboard). Note the grab-handles on each side of the box. The left-rear compartment is dimensioned to hold bags of soft-plastics. The right-rear compartment alternate configuration - one 3500 box, one tray for tossing in used plastics, used baits, etc. Note the "notch"/rod support position on the right side of box; it is offset as far as possible to the right to give clearance for the spinning rod handle on the left side of the reel. Test fit in the Z-Car with three rods - good to go here. The right and center rod positions are set to provide clearance for spinning reels. Note the tips of the outer rods are angled inwards to fit between front seat-backs. Also note here the two (empty) "upper-level" rod positions. Test fit in the Toyota - good to go here as well. Now with two more rods on the top level. The top two rods must be BC rods; the BC reels DO end up resting on the lower rods, but no issues with damage/abrasion to either the reel or rod. Note here the spinnerbaits hanging from the cardboard. Finally, when you get home from fishing, lift the box out of the car to unpack. Note again the upward inclination of the rods. I'm fortunate to have a tackle bench where I can place the rod box. Here, I can check all the rigs for frayed line, trim-back, and re-tie all knots. There you go. A carboard box, a knife, and some measurements will get you a usable box. Have some time on your hands? Make it out of wood. I made my wood box from scraps left over from other projects, even had the screws on-hand so my direct cost was $0.00...

As someone that just several years ago had a blood lead level of 47 micrograms/deciliter (lead poisoning level), I would say that after handling lead, it's always a good idea to wash your hands before eating, drinking, smoking, or otherwise getting your hands near your mouth. Now, if you only handle a lead weight a couple times a day while tying up a Texas rig, you will probably die of old age before feeling any effects from elevated blood lead levels. If you are sorting out a bunch of lead sinkers and have handled quite a few - for your health and safety you should be washing your hands. As has already been mentioned, if you are casting lead, you want cross-ventilation across the top of your furnace (and wear all protective gear like faceshield, gloves, apron, etc.). There is indeed the potential to transfer lead into your system while handling the solid form, or breathing fumes during casting. The effects are minimal at low levels of exposure, but can be cumulative, depending on frequency and severity of exposure. Handle enough lead, enough times, and you run the risk of gradually increasing your blood lead level.

Some outfits have reasonable, actual cost shipping policies, in sensible packaging. Many others, however, don't... Smooth Drag is an exception. A buck for mailing drag washers - that just about pays for a stamp and the envelope - fair enough! And Dawn even cuts up a little piece of cardboard to put in the envelope to keep the drag washers from getting bent...

John - I believe that feature is sold as making it (somewhat) easier to feel/detect a strike while cranking as the reel will allow the spool to pull-back a bit on the stike before hitting the anti-reverse pawl/dog (whatever Lew's calls it). So, in addition to what you feel through the hand holding the rod, you also feel some "kick-back" in your cranking hand... FWIW

I used the Double-Up last year with two lipless cranks - that rigging was legal per last year's fishing regs. Didn't fish it enough to even catch anything on it. I was ready to try again this spring when I picked up a copy of the 2013 Tennessee fishing regs and they just changed the reg to limit any one rod to "three hooks" - and a treble hook counts as one hook. So, to use the double up with two lipless cranks this year, I'd have to remove one of the trebles on the lipless cranks. Don't think I'm going to bother with removing a treble hook, I guess I'll just fish it with two single-hook baits....

Any questions?

I haven't a clue who makes the DSG rods, but a larger question might be...are Shimano rods made by Shimano? My Cumara "A" had a Made in China sticker on it. Now, is that a wholely owned Shimano plant in China...or did Shimano outsource the rod to an OEM in China...? It's a nice rod, so I guess I don't really care where it was made...

Yup - close enough for sure. Compact, you can always have it with you, and it's MUCH better than holding the fish up and guessing the weight or using length/girth measurements...

I have no problems turning on my units - I press the button in (pressing from the side), hold for a few seconds, release the button, and it's on. I've recorded the weights on almost 500 fish with these units - powering up and powering down with the switch each time. I do have a problem switching between pounds and kilos however - that is a bit dodgy on this unit. At this pricing point, the device doesn't have a separate switch for that function and you have to manipulate the power switch during power-on. Sometimes the scale will power-up in kilos and it can be a pain to get it back to pounds. In that case, I just record the weight in kilos and re-set the device to pounds later.

The only problem I have when sitting down while using BC gear is hitting something on the boat during the backcast and getting a monster backlash. You have to be aware of the angle that you are casting to make sure you don't hit rods, milkcrate, or other gear on the backcast.

Outstanding! Looks like only current production reels (although the Calais is still there) - guess you still have to call in to check availability of parts for out-of-production models.

I did test Unit 1 a while back at several test weights. Here's the results: Actual Measured 3.63 3.65 9.574 9.59 11.64 11.59 14.39 14.47 38.83 39.06 Note that Unit 1 read heavy at all weights except at 11.64. I don't have any immediate explanation for that, other than possible numerical rounding effects in either the measurement of the current change through the load cells, or in the algorithm that is used to convert that current change measurement into a weight. Regarding this recent test, I selected a test weight in the 10 pound range since this is around my current LMB PB, and also around whatever my next PB is likely to be. Weights under that PB level aren't as interesting to me. The only fish species in my water that are significantly above the 10-pound range are catfish and carp, and I'm not as concerned about the preciseness of the weight readings for those fish. What I could do, though, is up my test load to about 12 pounds, with the bullets bagged into approx. 2, 4, and 6 pound bags. With different combinations of those weights, I could cover test weights from 2 to 12 pounds. Sounds like a project for a rainy day...

I recently picked up a 3rd Rapala electronic scale. I will have one in my bank fishing gear, one in the boat, and the 3rd as a spare. As I always do with a new scale, I perform a pull test on a known weight to check the scale for accuracy and repeatability prior to use. My first two scales have always been very accurate and close to each other during pull tests so I was very interested in how close the 3rd unit would be to the earlier units. So, I tested all three scales at the same time and, for the amusement of BR members, photographed the process. Test Results: Measured weight: The test weight was 9.804 pounds (more about how this weight was calculated later). Unit 1 read: 9.81 pounds - .006 pounds heavy (~0.1 ounce) Unit 2 read: 9.78 pounds - .024 pounds light (~0.4 ounce) Unit 3 read: 9.87 pounds - .066 pounds heavy (~ 1.0 ounce) Exteme spread between the three scales is .09 pounds (~1.5 ounce). Repeatability: The load was applied to each scale three times. Units 1 and 2 read identical weights each time. Unit 3 read 9.87 twice and 9.85 once. Photos: Unit 1 - 9.81 pounds Unit 2 - 9.78 pounds Unit 3 - 9.87 pounds Unit 2 under load - showing the test load - 9.804 pounds The test load: 420 lead bullets - .40cal/155gr nominal weight (157.63gr actual average weight). Plastic box weighs 2409.0gr. The white string weighs 17.2gr (.039 ounce). I didn't weigh the white label... Total weight = 68626.3 grains = 9.8037 pounds. The stated weight of the test load is accurate to within a tiny fraction of an ounce. This is a bit more precise than some folks who have tested their scales using a gallon of water, a 10-pound weight from a bar bell set, or whatever. NOTE: The measurements are in "grains." This is a somewhat archaic unit of measure used in the U.S. for ammunition components (primarily bullet weights) and for cartridge propellant charges. There are 7,000 grains in a pound, 437.5 grains in an ounce. Propellant charges are typically measured down to 0.1 grain (0.1 grain = ~0.0002 ounce). The scale used to measure the objects in the test weight is accurate and repeatable to within 0.1 grain. Summary: I am always amazed at how accurate these scales are; all three scales measure within one ounce of the test weight at the 10 pound range. Load cell technology has certainly improved and the price is now very reasonable for the capability that you get. I am also amazed at how many people report poor results with this model of Rapala scale. My Unit 1 is now three years old, Unit 3 is brand new; there certainly seems to be consistency in the accuracy of units produced over the past 3 years. I think knowing the weight of a 10-pound class fish within an ounce is close enough for me. It is extemely unlikely that I will ever come close to a record fish in my water so having a scale that is eligible for certification is unimportant. Compactness, and the ability to read to 50lbs IS important and these little scales work just perfect for me. Replace the battery once a year, don't drop the scale or dunk it in the lake, and you're good to go. Note for Users: This load test was conducted with the scales supported by a rigid bench, with the scales oriented vertical to assure that the chain is not rubbing on the scale housing, and with a static test load. When hand-weighing a fish on the water, it's difficult to keep the scale vertical, and to keep the fish immobile. I believe that these two factors are what contribute to variances in weight reading in the field.

Thanks - it has worked out very well - hardly takes up any room and I can still get a car in that bay. The TM and battery are stored on another custom dolly so everything related to the canoe is out of the way and mobile if I need to move them.

I bought a 6-pack of them a couple years ago to try - they worked well enough so I've bought quite a few more. The only problem I've had with them is that the line fouls on the hooks during the cast more than any other brand of lipless cranks that I've tried. It helps to stop the spool just before the bait hits the water to pull the line away from the hooks before touchdown. Otherwise, every one I've had in the water (probably about 25 or so) runs true (unlike Red Eye Shads). Academy ran a clearance on these several times at $9.99 and later $8.99 per 6-pack. I've bought about ten 6-packs at those prices. I lose a lot of lipless cranks on the bottom and am always looking for deals. Academy now packages them in a 5-pack, at a much higher price, so I may not be buying any more of these. I still prefer a Red Eye Shad, but you can't beat getting these H2O baits for around $2.25 or so with tax and shipping included.

I use lipless cranks between 1/4 and 3/4 oz, and lately it's been 1/2oz and 5/8oz about 98% of the time. I used to fish 1/4 and 3/8oz more often but went heavier when I started the PQ 5-Year Challenge test. That PQ reel is on a rod that is happiest at 1/2 & 5/8oz so to put a lot of mileage on that PQ for test purposes, I upped the weight on the baits to fit the rod. That cotton-picking PQ test has considerably changed the way I fish..... I like spinnerbaits as well, but when fishing from the bank, I get more distance out of a lipless crank. Sometimes, the fish are not "here"...they're way out "THERE"! I do fish spinnerbaits when casting distance isn't as important, when I need to slow way down, or I'm over slop that will foul the trebles on the lipless crank.

Thanks, but I don't think I'm the king of the lipless crank - I'm sure there's a bunch of anglers on this site that fish them better than me. I DO fish them a lot however. Almost 800 fish over the last 3 seasons, including my 9.54 LBM PB, an 8.39, some 6's, and then 5's and below. Very versatile bait, especially since I fish from the bank more than the boat - you can countdown the bait to whatever depth you want, and there's so many different retrieves. Below is yesterday's bass - a chunky 20" 4.4 pounder caught from the bank. About a 100 ft cast, let the bait sink to the bottom in about 10 fow, then as soon as I popped the bait off the bottom to start the retrieve...BAM. (BTW - I don't catch fish like I've posted in this thread every day - it's just that time of year when the quality fish are starting to move around.) On color, I think I'm in the school of thought that 80-90% of the time, color doesn't matter, and the rest of the time, it might be critically important. So, maybe I miss a few fish that I might have got if I kept changing colors. I do tie on different color lipless cranks to roughly match water and ambient lighting conditions..but I don't obsess about it. I tend to leave a color tied on for days...until I lose it on a submerged stump or whatever, then tie on another with a color appropriate to the current conditions.... Also on color, my 9.54 PB was coincidentally caught on a blue over chrome, after sunset, close to full-dark. Dang, had I followed the rules and changed over to black over chrome, perhaps I would have caught a 10-pounder...

Check out post # 17 of this thread. This hook removal method is the single most important piece of information that I've learned on this board. Since learning this method, I have never left a hook in a bass and once I removed a hook that someone else had left in the fish. Deep-Hooked Removal Method

That's a three-car garage and it's pretty well organized and uncluttered. Above the garage is a 30-foot long attic..........that is NOT very well organized and is VERY cluttered....

I know you were asking about kayaks - but storage is storage... For my canoe, I was going to hang it from the ceiling with one of the commercially available sling and pulley systems but thought that would be a hassle. There are also wall-mounts available but I didn't like that system either. So, I made the dolly shown in the photo. Stored on it's side, the canoe (or a kayak) only takes up a few feet of depth away from the wall. The dolly is on casters so I can move it around as I need to. I still fit a compact car in the garage bay next to the canoe. Under the canoe is a storage area for all the gear that goes in the canoe (PFD, anchor, fishing stuff, etc.) and above the canoe is storage for the "dashboard" that has the sonar. My wife calls it my "canoe hutch"...