Goose52

No fountains for me...but like smr913, my dad several times sent me swimming to get one of his plugs that he had hung up on the opposite side of the canal. No dollar for me - AND, I should have got hazardous duty pay. The canal was along Tamiami Trail in South Florida, north of the Everglades, alligator country. When I asked my dad if I should worry about the gators, he'd say: "no problem - they're probably full of fish and won't mess with you." It was only a couple times and I think he eventually realized it wasn't the greatest idea. But, at the time, I guess he figured that he had 3 kids so he had a couple of spares if anything happened to me.............................

There you go using logic again...

The single most VALUABLE technique that I have learned on this site has nothing to do with catching fish - it is the hook removal process illustrated in the thread referenced by kylek. I have never left a hook in a bass since learning this technique. As J Francho said above, I have lost a few fish - but usually not because I have injured the fish by removing the hook, but by keeping the fish out of the water too long. AND, all of the fish that I have lost have been <12" fish where you just don't have much room to work in their mouth and it takes some time to get something like a 3/0 EWG turned around. On larger fish, it really is a great method and the hook just sorta pops out. Twice, I've been able to use this method to remove a hook that someone else left in the fish ...

If I'm fishing from the bank, I use lipless cranks nearly exclusively (rather than lipped cranks). Three primary reasons: 1) usually farther casting distances, 2) you can count them down to depth, then vary depth on the retrieve to match the bottom contour, then bring the bait back up to the surface when you get it back close to the bank, and 3) you can burn it near the surface if you think the fish are up and active in the water column. Lipped cranks (usually) can't get the same casting distance, and once they hit the water, they dive to their design depth and stay there until they hit the bottom as it rises up towards the bank - and often get fouled in the weedline near the bank. From the boat, I use lipless cranks when I've got shallower water or I have reason to think the fish are high in the water column, or when I want to search for fish across a flat or other area of water. I use lipped cranks when I want to work slower, at a certain depth, and bounce off wood or structure. You could count the lipless crank down to a certain depth but that takes time and it seems more efficient to use a lipped crank to get the depth you want. Also, the lipless crank, not having the diving lip to protect the hooks, is prone to hang-up more often on wood or structure. On seasons, I tend to use lipless cranks year-round. I usually end up using lipped cranks more in post-spawn through the summer to the fall.

Most of my water is pretty open - no punching or anything like that. So, primarily 3/16oz for me as well. Occasionally up to 1/4oz if I need a bit more casting distance or want a faster fall rate. I rarely use 3/8oz. I do have some 1/8oz that I use on smaller baits in shallow water, where casting distance isn't an issue. All the above weights are with lead BTW.

I use the closed-cell foam blocks that clip to the gunwales. There are several makers of these. The nice thing about it is that you don't need a rack and with care and proper location, they won't damage your roof. My wife made "socks" for them out of terry cloth so that helps prevent damage too. If your roof is dirty/gritty, then you could end up with some abrasions in the paint. Your Maxx has a pretty long and straight roof-line so another factor is whether the blocks would elevate your canoe enough that the "rocker" at the bow and stern (the rise of the bow and stern above the basic gunwale elevation) would not hit your roof. If you have a long canoe, it may not be a problem. In the photo below, you can see that my 11'6" canoe with quite a bit of rocker still clears the roof...but it's a sedan and not a long hatch-back like the Maxx. Anyway, the photo shows the foam blocks complete with socks...

I have an Avid AVC69MLXF - nice rod and rated XF...but I personally don't feel much of the "XF" in that ML rod. You can see the XF taper in the blank when you flex the rod, but it doesn't translate into much. Upper lure weight rating on this rod is 1/2 oz. Avids are a bit above your price range unless you find them used. There's an ML in the Premier range, the PC70MLF, I have one of those as well but it almost fishes like some other companies "M" and has an upper lure weight rating of 5/8 oz. For baits as light as 3/16 oz (if your reel will toss those), you could also check out the Phenix Recon PHX-C682L and PHX-C712L - 6'8" and 7'1" - $159/$169. Both rated as "L" power and fast action with an upper lure weight rating of 3/8 oz. I have the 682 - nice rod. These rods would probably toss your 3/16 oz weights better than the Avid but don't have the XF taper. Both above your price range again though! Like you said, pickings might be pretty slim for your specifications, including the price ceiling....

Thanks. There are quite a few PQ owners on the board (some perhaps reluctant to admit it), and probably some other folks that are considering purchasing one, so hopefully the info has been found useful. I've got a total of 13 BC reels having DBS braking. On a rainy day, I need to inspect them all for any noticeable centrifugal brake drum wear and if found, I'll post some more photos. It may turn out that the test reel is the only one with significant wear. As mentioned in the original post, it has the most use, by far, of the 13 reels. Also, the test reel was the primary BC reel that I used to fish through the past three winters in sub-freezing temps and I'm wondering if that may have been a contributing factor to the wear; cold temps congealing oil and grit that may have been inside the brake drum, forming a sort of abrasive paste, thus causing rapid wear of the drum and brake shoes. More to come...

7'mf is my favorite BC rod length, power, and action - I have 5 rods of this specification. I fish mostly open water and use rods of this power/action for all the things mentioned above. Although not ideal, and depending on how "fast" the tip actually is, the rod can work for medium-diving cranks as well. Works for me, from little bass to 48 pound carp...

Since no one can fish 24/7, forums are a great place to talk about fishing when you can't. I believe I can speak for almost everyone that all would rather go out fishing than to argue/comment on the forum. But going out isn't possible all the time. Sorry but I feel the 'just fish' line is an excuse to not answer, low blow to people that can't fish all the time or for those can't fish enough. Sorry you feel that way Tom. I have a feeling that you missed my drift though. I think discussion forums are (usually) great venues to exchange information and have rational discussion. I am registered on quite a few forums involving different hobbies/interests. My post was related to this particular thread. We have these type of reel threads several times a year. Most reduce down to testosterone-fueled statements that mine is better (bigger) than yours. They usually are short on facts, are full of subjective opinion, they provide little worthwhile information, and they rarely, if ever, change anyone's minds. They often get substantial "views"...but mostly for the entertainment value I expect. As for my comment being an excuse not to answer, you truncated my comment whey you quoted it. I said that my mind was racing with thoughts. However, to properly capture those thoughts and provide a worthwhiile contribution to the thread would require at least an hour, perhaps more, to review all the previous comments, determine whether I agree or disagree, formulate responses accordingly, perhaps do some fact checking, type and proof-read a response, then post. I made the decision that my time would be better spent elsewhere (fishing), as even a well-reasoned response would not, at the end of the day, really accomplish anything. OTOH, I'm don't mind putting time into posts that I think might actually provide value to the members at large - as my recent 1,371 word post on the PQ 5-Year Challenge demonstrates. As far as me being able to fish several times a day if I want to, I worked for 40 years to earn a retirement that gives me that ability - I'm certainly not going to apologize for that. Lastly, perhaps a missed point to "just fish..." is that we have TOO much debate on the board about things that, at the end of the day, do nothing to improve angling success. Much ado about nothing. Just fish.... PS - I will be fishing this evening too and hopefully can get a few more bass...

My mind is just racing with all the points and counterpoints that I could type out. As many of you know, I'm a "value" angler and could debate from that viewpoint. BUT, instead of spending a lot of time on the debate going on in this thread, I guess I just have one thing to say: Since this thread started, I've been fishing 4 times and have caught 20 bass. Just fish............

Hah - no more 5-year challenges after this...and I certainly didn't bite on a recent 10-year challenge someone threw out there... I've got 24 BC reels right now and some of them are pretty nifty reels; but they're not getting as much "love" as they deserve since I'm trying to rack up the miles on the test PQ. In fact, after I catch a fish with the test PQ, I'll often put it aside and grab another combo so I can get some use out of the other BC reels...

The only time in the year when I don't target bass is when I cast out and the lure skids across the ice - then I take a break from bass fishing. Although, I admit that in summer, when the bite from the bank slows down, that I usually have an ultralight rod in the car to catch whatever will bite...

Thanks guys! I get mixed reactions when I'm on the water. The canoe purists hate it. The kayakers don't understand it. The bass boat guys think I can't afford a "real" boat (I can indeed afford a bass boat but don't want one). I look at it not as a "pure" canoe, but as a modular bass boat that I can car top. The idea is to get the capability I need to fish the water I have, with reduced cost, minimal maintenance, and easy storage. When I'm on the water, I get lots of reactions. Some slow down their boats to check it out, then either take notes, or laugh and motor on. People driving by the lake sometimes stop their car and stare - from the bank, it probably looks like I'm standing on a cork when they see me standing and casting. Sometimes I get a thumbs-up from other anglers. Pontoon boat drivers don't respect it at all and seem to want to try to swamp me... Some of the locals have given the boat nicknames - "flagship of the lower slobovian navy", the "war canoe", and the "attack canoe" - all those are sorta cool. Anyway - it makes for an interesting time on the water!

Thanks guys for the supportive comments and the maintenance tips. It has been interesting to monitor the service of the reel and document the findings. I hope it makes better reading than the usual reviews - something like; "The MagicCaster 1000 is a POS, it fell apart while I was casting - right after I ran over it with my truck." Or: "The MagicCaster 1000 is the best reel ever made, I bought one 5 years ago and it's still going strong. I've had absolutely no problems and I fish it a lot - at least once a month during the summer." When I noticed the wear on the brake shoes, my first thought was - no problem - I always use only 1 or 2 brakes, very rarely 3 in a high wind. So, I should have a couple shoes with little wear. However, the random nature of turning the shoes on and off between 1, 2, and 3 brakes meant that all 6 brakes had roughly equal wear. If one was to try to establish a methodical approach to get as much brake shoe life as possible, I guess you could use a permanent ink Sharpie to mark the 2 "in-service" shoes with a dot on the spool and use those exclusively until they are worn down, then go to another pair, then the last pair until all 6 shoes are completely worn down. In any event, as we have discussed, it looks like the brake drum and brake shoe should be "maintained" and not taken for granted! Now, if I could only find a "castometer" to attach to a reel that would record number of cycles, line-out/line-in, and a strain gage to measure force against the reel - then I wouldn't have to do all the calculations and paperwork...

The test reel for the PQ 5-Year Challenge became inoperative on July 3 due to some debris jamming the line guide pawl, requiring a repair and detailed cleaning; thus prompting this special report. During this repair, I also finally addressed the issue of centrifugal brake wear that had been getting gradually worse since this past winter (the “speed-bump” mentioned in the title of this thread – see below for details). Background: This previous thread detailed the background of the PQ 5-Year Challenge: http://www.bassresou...interim-report/ Briefly, the challenge resulted from some board members expressing the opinion that the PQ reel was a “one-season” reel, and certainly wouldn’t stay in an angler’s arsenal for as long as 5 years. The subject reel is being used to test those opinions. Current Statistics (based on documented catch data and assumptions as discussed in the earlier thread): Reel placed into service: 26 Oct. 2009 Months of service as of this report: 33 Number of “catch days” (days when fish were caught with this reel): 234 Number of fish caught: 513 Biggest fish caught: 48.6 lb grass carp Biggest bass caught: 8.4 lb LMB Number of cycles (casts & retrieves): 26,000+ (see note) Note: Number of cycles is based on catch data, not on total days/hours of use. The reel was used on a number of days where no fish were caught, especially during the winter months. Actual number of use days probably easily exceeds 300. Actual number of cycles could easily be in excess of 35,000. Previous Maintenance/Repairs: December 2010 – Annual cleaning. December 2011 – Annual cleaning. Replacement of line guide pawl at about 26 months of use. Interesting factoid – the pawl had probably made at least 320,000 passes across the worm shaft at the time of replacement. July 2012 – Repairs: Repair 1 - debris jammed the line guide pawl causing the pawl to create a burr on the worm shaft. Filed off the burr and thoroughly cleaned the reel. The problem is solved for now but I will probably order several worm shafts to have on hand in the event that I get more wear at the spot I filed on the worm shaft. Repair 2 – centrifugal brake wear – see the “Speed-Bump” section below. Current Condition: When disassembled for cleaning, parts were examined for wear. The clutch return pawl continues to show wear from impact of the clutch ratchet, but the wear is not on the surface that affects clutch release so it presents no problems at this time. The drag stack is still stock and serviceable (capable of dealing with near 50-pound fish) but the drag washers look/feel a bit thinner (however I did not “mike” them and compare to a newer PQ). The spool bearings are noisier than when new but are still serviceable. The reel is starting to feel a bit “loose” as compared to a new PQ but this is a subjective perception and I can’t attribute it to any particular causal factor. Exterior rash (dings, scratches) is minimal considering the amount of use. Exterior markings on the palming side of the reel were considerably worn at the time of the last report (December 2011) but have now been nearly completely worn away – see photos. This reel has not been babied, and has often been rode hard and put away wet. Indeed, this past winter the reel was frequently rode hard and put away frozen, with ice still in the line guide when taking the rod out of the trunk of the car! The “Speed-Bump” – Centrifugal Brake Wear: I call this the speed-bump since this is the first problem with the reel that is not attributable to expected wear or damage from ordinary use. On a low- to mid-price reel like the PQ, one might think that failure modes would occur in the bearings, the clutch system, soft/cheap parts, etc. I’m not sure that I had envisioned a problem with the braking system. Starting in the late winter, I noticed that centrifugal braking capability was gradually diminishing. I usually use 1 or 2 centrifugal brakes and minimal magnetic for tossing 5/8 oz lipless cranks. I was having to add more and more magnetic braking; as time went on, I added a 3rd centrifugal brake. At that point, I finally got around to examining the reel with a magnifying glass. I was surprised to see a groove cut into the brake drum, and considerable wear on the brake shoes. In the nearly 2.5 years of use, I had probably not been attentive enough on the condition of the brake drum – assuring that it was clean anytime I removed the side cover. So, I can’t say if the wear at this point is endemic in all PQs, or was caused by my failure to properly clean the reel. See next photos for brake drum and brake shoe wear. Brake drum wear - note groove in the drum on the left: Brake shoe wear - worn shoe on left - new shoe on right: Several months ago, I ordered replacement parts to address the brake wear issue. And yes Virginia, you can get parts for PQs…or the next higher assemblies. In the schematic below, I needed part number 87 to replace the worn brake drum. That part is not available separately; you have to purchase a complete cover assembly (parts 79-90). Cost was a reasonable $14 and you get a new bearing as part of the deal; this also addresses the cosmetic wear of the markings on the cover. I inquired about getting some new brake shoes (part 75) – but those are not available separately and the next higher assembly is (gulp) the spool assembly. I passed on those. This is the penalty you pay for the DBS system. Other centrifugal (only) braking systems have readily replaceable brake shoes – but the captive shoes on this design, made necessary by the addition of the magnetic braking system, are a wear point that is not conveniently serviced. At some point, the brake shoes in this PQ will become worn to the point that they are ineffective, at which time I will cannibalize some brake shoes out of my lower-mileage PQs. When the reel locked up several days ago and repair was necessary, I finally installed the new side cover. While the brake shoes have considerable wear, the brake drum inside-diameter is small and precise enough for the brakes to still be effective. A test run yesterday showed that I am back to needing only 1 or 2 centrifugal brakes for my usual 5/8oz lipless crank, with minimal magnetic and spool tension. After repair: Added Maintenance: BPS does not show the inside of the brake drum as a lubrication point. However, Shimano does show that as a lubrication point for their reels. I will now be paying attention to keeping the brake drum clean, and I will be adding a thin coat of lube to the brake drum surface (when I get to it – remember – rode hard and put away wet…. ) Closing: Despite the required repair to the braking system, I’m still very pleased with my PQs. I have six of them, some bought new on sale, some bought used. My average cost per reel is $64. I have already, in my opinion, received more than that in value/use and it’s all bonus here on out. In regards to the long-term durability of a PQ, my use data could be compared to your fishing activity. If you fish the same reel, for several hours a day, every day of the year, then indeed this PQ might have only lasted one “season” before requiring repair. However, if you are a once-a-week angler, for the 9 months a year that you have soft water, then this PQ would have lasted you over 7 years of fishing before repair. AND, I still don’t know if the repair was necessary as a result of my failure to maintain, or whether this wear occurs to all PQs. My other 5 PQs show some minimal wear in the drums, but then none have the amount of use of this reel. More to come – 5 years is a long time… (If you've read all the way down here - you must be a real PQ fan... )

Thanks. By "bumpers" - do you mean the closed-cell foam sponsons along both sides? If so, that comes with the boat on Radisson and Sportspal canoes. Some say it helps prevent rollover - I don't believe that at all. If you've listed over that far, and have any speed to the list...you're going all the way over. (Ask me how I know! ) I think all the foam sponsons add is some flotation if the boat is swamped. All of the interior surfaces are also lined with foam which also adds some flotation if you swamp the boat - the biggest benefit of the interior foam is to mostly eliminate the noise you usually have with an aluminum boat. The front bow seam isn't reinforced - what looks like a big ugly weld is actually a lot of ugly caulking! You see it at the bow and stern, as well as three places amidships where they joined panels. This assembly method, as well as the thin gauge aluminum, is what gets the light weight. BTW - what we're calling the "bow" in the photo...is actually the legal stern (you can see the hull number plate on the outer gunwale, right above the orange decal). I actually drive the boat backwards...

Spool overrun has to be controlled. It could be by an "educated thumb"...or by a brake system (and usually some of both). In some cases, the braking system would apply more consistent control than than most could do with thumb modulation alone - thus potentially giving a longer cast. Me, I don't ignore the features built into modern baitcasting reels and use them to my advantage...

I have rods from 3 feet to 9.5 feet (and used to go up to 13 feet when I was still surf-casting). Rods are tools; if you want, you can have lots of tools for different tasks. There's no "one size fits all"...although, if I could ONLY have one rod and reel, it would be a 6.5 to 7 foot spinning rod, probably mxf power, with two spools for the reel, one with 6lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid, the other spool with 20 pound braid.

Just keep adding more 3700 boxes until they all fit - then sort by brand, depth, color, or whatever. If you want all your deep cranks in a singe container, consider getting one of the larger size "Special Mate" boxes (Google it).

Thanks - interesting stuff. I need to spend some time finding both a reel/crank assembly, and a way to clamp it to the gunwale.

Yeah - there's quite a few "stake" anchoring systems out there. I haven't considered any of them since I usually anchor at 6 to 25 foot water depths, not to mention the occasional rock ledges that I anchor over. I have an anchor and a Scotty anchor lock; I just need to figure out how to store the 50 feet of anchor line. Some sort of reel mechanism that I can clamp to the gunwale or thwart I expect. It has to be removable since I car-top the canoe. Right now, I coil the line and stuff it in a 3lb coffee can that I have bungeed to the inside of the hull. Not very elegant, but it sorta works. It does make paying out line a bit difficult if the line tangles or knots as I'm pulling it out of the can...

Yes - it's great! I ended up with a canoe after studying all small watercraft from float tubes up to bass boats. The best solution for ME, was a pimped-out canoe. I only fish my local, small (1 1/2 to 201 acres), no-wake lakes. Some of these lakes don't have boat ramps (like the lake in the photo below). I needed something car-topable without a special rack, modular, very light weight, with as much capability as possible. I wanted stability so I could stand and fish all day, lots of inboard storage, motorized, and little to no maintenance. I didn't want to have to buy a truck or other tow vehicle, I didn't want to consume a garage bay or driveway space with a boat and trailer, didn't want high expense and high maintenance, and didn't want to use gasoline. Taking everything into account, I ended up with my funky canoe... The canoe is 34 pounds. Modular - I nealy always run it fully rigged but can just run it bare and paddle it in the smaller ponds. Lots of cabability - outriggers for standing, TM, rod holders, anchor system, DI/SI sonar - mounted on a dashboard with the transponder also attached to the dashboard - complete package in one unit (powered by the TM battery). Only maintenance is to wipe the hull down when I pull it out of the water, check the TM battery water, and clean the sonar screen. I store it on a dolly on the floor of my garage but if room ever gets tight, I can hang it from the garage ceiling. I need to improve anchor line storage (some sort of reel), and perhaps someday figure out how to hook up a "bow thruster" so I have better boat control when fishing slow along a bank. Otherwise, it's exactly what I need.

My boat is a canoe - it's stored in a spare bay in my 3-car garage. I made a dolly for it so I can roll it around the garage. If I ever get a 3rd car, there is still room for all 3 cars and the canoe on the floor - but it would be tight. I would probably end up hanging the canoe from the ceiling in that case. Not consuming a garage space or being stored outside were two (of many) reasons why I went with a canoe instead of a boat & trailer...

97 years old and active and fishing 'till the end - then pass quickly - not a bad way to go... Last cast - RIP Homer.....