Smiths.R

First of all, let me say thank you. This place is such a useful site. I am usually checking it every day. My question is about my Sahara. This is the first reel I've ever done maitenance on, and it's discouraging. I took it apart yesterday, like the Shimano website tells me to, and I cleaned everything up with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol. I applied some lube to the berrings in the handle, and on the roller arm. I went out fishing last night and the handle was giving me problems. At some times it was perfect, and then it would just stick. I would have to apply a good amount of pressure to make the reel turn, and at other times it sounded like something was grinding in there. What should I do? Is it appropriate to just pour water through the hole that appears when I take the handle out? I just want my reel to be smooth again! Thanks guys for all the help advice.

I really don't fish cranks all that much. I'm usually on shore, and those treble hooks love to snag on stuff for me. I recently started fishing a more open area, and so I've been throwing big rattle traps. It's been a good thing. My problem is setting the hook on them. These bass love to get just one hook on the edge of their mouths, and they throw it all the time on me. When I set the hook on a plastic, I literally attempt to pull their spine out of their mouth. Should I be doing the same thing on a trap? Thanks!

Howdy. Until quite recently, I was under the assumption that fishing reels should just work forever without any effort on my part, other than to destroy them. This turned out to be false. I have a Daiwa reel that I almost destroyed. I've taken it all apart, but I have no clue what I'm doing. I don't want to send it to get fixed...$20 to fix a reel I spent $50 on does'nt make sense to me. When I retrieve line, there is a grinding sound/feeling. It is at the exact same time in the retrieve every turn of the handle. It's like a metronome (for the musicians out there). I have oiled the bearings on both sides of the handle, but I don't know what else to do. Any help or even a suggestion would be much appreciated!

I would agree with the braid hypothesis, except that I've had other reels with braid on them, on the same rod and no noise at all. Driving me nuts!

$20 dollar difference. Is the arbor worth the difference?

Hi all. I posted a few weeks back about my Sahara...I was looking to get a new reel. Well, I sent the Sahara back, and the good folks at Shimano sent me a whole new reel. Needless to say, I was a very satisfied customer. Well, that turned to dissapointment when I got it on a rod. It still makes a horrible noise. Mind you, when I say horrible, it's not really that bad. I just like a silent reel. This is not silent. The odd thing...if I hold the rod parallel to the line coming in, there is not nearly the same amount of noise. Also, if I hold the rod upside down and retrieve, also much less noise. Any thoughts? I can't stand the noise...I'm about to go buy a new reel. I put the reel on a different rod, still got the noise. Help!!

I think you just convinced me to pick one up and give it a try...

I guess I didn't mention that I did send it back for repairs. I have no beef with Shimano at all, nor did I mean to imply that. Thanks for the advice gentlemen.

I got a new reel last year...a Shimano Sahara. It was amazing until it was making lots of noise, and felt like I was reeling in a log with only a worm on the line. Perhaps it was my fault...but I had only owned the reel for about two weeks when it happened. Anyway, I want a new reel. I'm between a Penn Fierce and a Pflueger President. I fished with a friend of mines Fierce, and it was really nice. Small, light, felt great. I've never handled a Pflueger. I fish almost exclusively for bass. Where I fish has a healthy population of pickeral (some quite big) and I catch the occasional walleye. I love braid, and have #20 PP on my reels at the moment. Someone tell me why I should get one over the other! Thanks for the help!

Rage Craws, and Berkely Chigger Craw's are both great. I throw craw baits ALL the time and EVERYWHERE.

YIPPEE! Went to the other Dicks in my area, and they're having the same sale! Just got 10 more packs for about 15 bucks! I need some kind of Rage Tail hat this spring...it's all I'll have with me...and after how well I did with them last year, it's all I'll need! ......that and some spinner baits, and a buzz bait or two...maybe some kind of fluke...rattle traps are nice...

Hey guys I live just outside of Baltimore MD, but in April, a friend of mine and I are going down to Lake Hartwell to fish. We'll be there for three days, and pretty much do nothing but fish. Neither of us have ever been on this water. The house we're staying on is near highway 85, and there is a Bartwell Pond near by as well (just looking at google maps). Just wondering if anyone has any kind of advice as far as where to go on the lake. It will be the on the back end of April...will we be to late for the spawn down there? Thanks guys!

Hey Guys Just wondering if you guys know a good place around here to get my reels repaired. I can send them off to Bass Pro, but that will take forever, and will be at least 20 bucks a reel...the one reel is only $50. Thanks for any info!!

Went to Dicks to see if they had waterfowl stuff on sale yet, and saw a table with some Rage Tail baits on it for sale. They were all $3.50 a bag (usually 4.50 or so) so I bought three of them. Got to the counter, and they rang up at 1.50 a bag. I quickly ran back and got the rest. 15 bags for a little over 20 bucks...craws, monkeys, shads, roosters. I was so happy!!

I don't know about Red Head ducks, but their goose decoys are awful. The paint chips when you take them out of the box. I have GHG. They're amazing. The hotbuy dekes are wicked cheap too.

Yes sir I do hunt. Right about two weeks ago is when I start to get really sick of being in the sun and trying to get those bass out of the weeds. I hunt mostly Canada Geese, and White tail, but I also love to hunt ducks, crows, doves, Snows, Squirrels, Fox and anything else I'm legally allowed to shoot. Oh and woodchucks.

I slayed them this spring w/ the rage craw, so I got some monkey's and roosters last time I was at the store. These are big plastics to me, so I'm assuming just weightless does the trick? I'm also assuming that there is probably no wrong way to fish these things. They look great and can't wait to feel that tap tap tap on them. Thanks!

I was fishing the other day, and all the sudden my reel was making noise like I had five pounds of lead on the line. Even with a very light lure, it still sounds like it's straining. I don't know what to do. I just bought the reel. Anyone have any idea?

I've been fishing for four years now, and just this year I decided I would try spinner baits. I had had zero luck in the previous years with them, and so of course I never threw them. I have been crushing bass with them this spring. My question is this: What is the benefit to spending six or seven bucks on a spinner bait as opposed to a 3 dollar bait? Thanks!

I love feeling the tap on a T-Rigged bait and breaking their jaw, but if you can get into some good Frog Fishing, there is literally nothing better. You know that every time you jerk that Frog, it could be the twitch that makes them attack. Awesome!

I would be throwing a frog or black buzz bait till my arms fell off.

I have a question for our Western MD friends. I'm going on vacation right on Deep Creek Lake this summer. Not asking for any honey pots, but where is a good spot on the lake to fish, and do they like anything in particular over there? I've never even been there, let alone fished it. Thanks guys! Thank God it's warming up!! 75 this Friday!!!

I'm in Maryland, and we're getting slammed with rain. The good news is that it's about 50 degree's out, so the water is nice and warm, and this weekend is supposed to be in the sixties. I think that the bass might start moving soon. I'll certainly be out there to greet them.

No, this is in the Adirondack Mountains.

Just wondering if anyone has ever fished there. I fished there earlier this summer. I was in my kayak, on the bottom of the lake, and we were killing them. I just went there this past weekend and got royally skunked. We caught one pike...it was as if every bass in the lake was gone.